Vegan Cobb Salad
This vegan copycat Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad lets you enjoy the fast food favourite without the chicken! It has all the classic flavours you love, but with plant-based chicken strips, bacon, and cheese.
Cobb salad is a classic American dish that’s been around for nearly a century, but the most famous version might just be the one sold by Chik-Fil-A.
As you might guess, the Chik-Fil-A version isn’t exactly true to the classic recipe, although it does share many of the same elements—the hard-boiled eggs, tomato, and greens are all there, but traditional Cobb salad is made with turkey, while Chik-Fil-A’s version is made with chicken nuggets.
The Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad is also much easier to veganize.
My vegan copycat version swaps in plant-based chicken strips, bacon, and cheese, and replaces the hard-boiled egg with avocado—a much better option if you ask me! It’s all tied together with a zippy Dijon vinaigrette, which keeps things light and flavourful.
Why You’ll Love This Copycat Chik-Fil-A Cobb Salad
Here’s why you’re going to flip for this vegan Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad.
- Satisfying. This is a salad that eats like a meal! The vegan chicken strips provide lots of protein without the meat, while the avocado delivers healthy fats to make this salad extra filling.
- Nutritious. My copycat Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad is packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and plant-based proteins for a balanced meal to fuel you through your day.
- Easy. This is a recipe that comes together super fast. Perfect for work lunches and busy weeknight dinners!
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Lettuce – Use romaine, butter, iceberg lettuce or a mix.
- Green onions
- Grape tomatoes– Or use quartered cherry tomatoes.
- Carrot – Buy a bag of shredded carrots to save yourself some prep time.
- Vegan cheese – I recommend shredded cheddar cheese from Daiya, So Delicious, Follow Your Heart, or Violife.
- Cucumber – English cucumbers are nice in a salad because the skin is thinner and the seeds are smaller.
- Vegan chicken strips – I recommend Beyond Chicken Strips, Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders by Gardein, or Daring Original Plant Chicken Pieces.
- Vegan bacon or tempeh – Options include Benevolent Bacon by Sweet Earth, Smart Bacon Meatless Veggie Bacon Strips by Lightlife, and Treehouse Tempeh Smoky Maple Bacon by Tofurky.
- Avocado
Salad Dressing:
- Red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar – Use whichever one you prefer or have on hand.
- Fresh lemon juice – Don’t use bottled—fresh is best!
- Dijon mustard
- Salt
- Black pepper – Coarsely cracked black pepper will add some bite to your dressing.
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- Olive oil
- Maple syrup or granulated sugar – These are optional, if you want your dressing more sweet and less tangy.
How to Make Chik-Fil-A Cobb Salad
Cook the vegan chicken and bacon according to the package instructions, then follow the steps below.
- Make the dressing. Add the salad dressing ingredients to a jar, seal it with a lid, and shake it until it emulsifies.
- Toss the salad. In a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, green onion, tomatoes, carrot, cheese, and cucumber.
- Assemble. Add the vegan chicken and bacon on top of the salad, followed by the avocado. Drizzle the salad dressing over the top, then serve as-is or toss to combine.
Tips for Success
This vegan Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad is simple, but these tips will help you make sure it turns out perfect!
- Don’t go overboard with the dressing. Just add enough to lightly coat the salad ingredients when you’re assembling the salad, and then serve the salad with additional dressing. This will keep it from getting soggy in the serving bowl!
- Toss carefully. If you opt to toss the salad a second time before serving, be careful not to break up the chicken and avocado too much.
- Store separately. Making your vegan Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad for meal prep? Store the rest of the salad separately from the chicken and dressing, and cut the avocado just before serving.
Variations
This vegan Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad can be customized to suit your tastes! Here are a few ideas:
- Add fresh or frozen corn to the salad for a little bit of sweetness.
- Swap the store-bought vegan chicken for my homemade vegan chicken.
- Try a different dressing, like my vegan ranch dressing or creamy vegan avocado dressing.
How to Store
Leftover vegan Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheat the chicken in the microwave, if desired, or eat it cold with the rest of the salad.
More Salad Recipes
- Vegan Greek Panzanella Salad
- Vegan Watermelon Feta Salad with Balsamic Reduction
- Greek Cucumber Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan Chik-Fil-A Cobb salad, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large head of lettuce, rinsed and chopped* (can use romaine, butter, iceberg lettuce or a mix) (495 grams)
- 4 green onions, sliced (25 grams)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved (150 grams)
- 1 cup shredded carrot, 165 grams
- 1 cup vegan cheese, shredded or cubed (120 grams) *see brand recommendations below
- ½ cucumber, sliced (150 grams)
- 1 8 – 9 ounce package of vegan chicken strips (breaded or unbreaded), cooked and chopped , (approximately 275 grams) *see brand recommendations below
- 1 5 – 7 ounce package of vegan bacon or tempeh, cooked and chopped , (approximately 165 grams) *see brand recommendations below
- 1 large avocado, sliced (200 grams)
Salad Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar, 40 grams
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 14 grams
- 1 ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard, 7.5 grams
- ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 gram
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 gram
- 1 garlic cloves, minced (4 grams)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 gram
- ⅓ cup olive oil, 210 grams
- ½ teaspoon maple syrup or granulated sugar, optional (2.5 grams)
Instructions
- Add all salad dressing ingredients to a jar, seal it with a lid, and shake it several times to combine. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the lettuce, green onion, tomatoes, carrot, cheese, and cucumber and toss a few times to combine.
- Sprinkle the vegan chicken and bacon on top of the salad. Top with the avocado and drizzle the salad with the dressing. Toss once more if preferred or serve as is. Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
- *Lettuce: For this recipe, you can use romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, iceberg lettuce, or a combination of any of those.)
- Vegan Cheese:
- Cheddar Style Shreds by Daiya
- Plant-Based Cheddar Style Shreds by So Delicious
- Finely Shredded Cheddar Cheese by Follow Your Heart
- Just Like Cheddar Shreds by Violife
- Vegan Chicken:
- Beyond Chicken Strips by Beyond Meat
- Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Tenders by Gardein
- Original Plant Chicken Pieces by Daring
- Vegan Bacon/Tempeh:
- Benevolent Bacon by Sweet Earth
- Smart Bacon Meatless Veggie Bacon Strips by Lightlife
- Treehouse Tempeh Smoky Maple Bacon by Tofurky
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
The best vegan bacon in the world is All Vegetarian Inc.’s bacon slices, bit they’re really hard to get. I wonder how mushroom bacon would work in this dish.