Green Goddess Salad Recipe

If you’re one of the many food lovers on Tiktok, you may have noticed a bright green, super crunchy salad popping up all over your FYP. Baked by Melissa founder Melissa Ben-Ishay posted the original green goddess cabbage salad on the mini cupcake brand’s account, then later shared the recipe on her blog.

Soon, it joined baked feta pasta and Million Dollar Spaghetti in the TikTok food hall of fame as seemingly everyone recreated it. Adding to the intrigue of the recipe is the way Ben-Ishay enjoy it—not as a salad, but as a dip scooped up and eaten with tortilla chips.

What’s In a Green Goddess Salad?

The backbone of this recipe is a big pile of chopped green veggies. You can mix and match all you want, but green cabbage is a must. Our version includes cucumber, celery, and green bell pepper for tons of crunch.

Baked by Melissa’s cabbage salad features a vegan take on green goddess dressing, and uses nuts to achieve a creamy texture. This one leans more in the Caesar direction, using tahini to add a creamy, savory nuttiness. Bonus: you don’t need a high-power blender for this dressing—any old blender will do.

This quick and easy dish is incredibly versatile. It takes just minutes to whip up and can be served as a side salad, with chips as a cabbage dip, or as a filling for sandwiches and wraps.

It’s packed with nutritious veggies with a flavorful vegan dressing that sits right on the line between green goddess and Caesar. Use whatever crispy, crunchy produce you have lying around and turn them into this memorable dish.

Nutritional Yeast: A Vegetarian Flavor Powerhouse

One of the key ingredients that give this dressing its umami flavor is nutritional yeast. This inactivated form of the organism that helps bread rise is popular in vegetarian cooking because it adds a salty, cheese-like flavor, minus the cheese. Here, it takes the place of the anchovies that are typically found in Caesar dressing.

Tips for Making the Green Goddess Salad of Your Dreams

• This green goddess cabbage salad can be served a number of ways. Serve it simply as an appetizer or side salad, or serve it along with tortilla chips or pita chips as an unconventional but delicious cabbage dip. Add it to sandwiches and wraps in place of lettuce for some flavorful crunch.
• This recipe is easy to halve for a smaller serving size.

“This is the ultimate salad! It’s refreshing, crunchy, filling and it stores beautifully in the refrigerator! To make the preparation easier, chop celery and green cabbage by pulsing them a few times in a food processor. I tried this salad on its own and on a falafel wrap and they were both great!”—Bahareh Niati

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

For the Green Goddess Caesar Dressing:

• 1/2 cup tahini, stirred

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 3 tablespoons warm water, more as needed

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon agave or maple syrup

• 1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, packed

• 3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed

• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped chives, or dark green parts of green onions

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, more for garnish, optional

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad:

• 1 small head or 1/2 large head green cabbage

• 3 large stalks celery

• 1 medium hothouse cucumber

• 1/2 green bell pepper

• 4 medium green onions

• 1/3 cup roasted sunflower seeds, more for garnish, optional

Steps to Make It

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

   The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

2. To make the dressing, add the tahini, lemon juice, warm water, red wine vinegar, oil, mustard, agave, spinach, basil, chives, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper to a blender.

   

   The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

3. Blend until very smooth and creamy. If too thick, add 1 teaspoon warm water at a time as needed to reach desired consistency.

   

   The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

4. To make the salad, slice the cabbage into quarters. Remove the tough stem using a sharp knife and then dice. Place in a large bowl.

   

   The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

5. Dice the celery, cucumber, and pepper. Thinly slice the green onions. Add to the bowl with the cabbage.

   

   The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

6. Pour the dressing over the vegetables, then add the sunflower seeds. Toss to coat. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnish with additional roasted sunflower seeds and nutritional yeast, if desired.

   

   The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Recipe Variations

• To turn this salad into a main dish, add a little protein like a can of drained chickpeas, chunks of tuna fish, cubed and seared tofu, or grilled, chopped chicken.
• If you’re not vegan, try adding crumbed feta cheese for a bit of salty creaminess.
• Add chopped fresh or pickled jalapeños for a little heat.
• Put your own spin on the dressing. Swap the tahini for vegan mayonnaise to take the dish closer to coleslaw territory, or swap for one ripe avocado to venture into guacamole territory. Note that the salad won’t keep longer than a day if you use avocado.
• Mix and match the veggies to suit your tastes. Go for crunchy veggies like snap peas, carrots, and radishes.

How to Store

• Store any leftover green goddess cabbage salad in an airtight container in the fridge. You can make it up to a few hours ahead without any noticeable difference.
• The salad will keep for a few days, but after several hours the vegetables will start to release moisture, watering down the dressing. Give it a good toss before enjoying.
• We don't recommend freezing this cabbage salad, since it will ruin the vegetables' signature crunchiness.