Easy 7 Layer Salad with Homemade Dressing

This easy 7 layer salad is a classic potluck and entertaining favorite made even better with all the best layers! With lettuce, peas, tomatoes, cucumber, chopped eggs, and lots of bacon, cheese, and a heavenly creamy dressing, your guests will be fighting over the last of this make-ahead layered salad side!

What Makes This Salad So Good

• This classic recipe is the perfect summer salad. Fresh produce topped with a creamy, tangy dressing and crisp, savory bacon. YUM.
• It’s super easy to make, and it’s pretty to look at! Absolutely the go-to salad when you want a side that’s tasty and also aesthetically pleasing. Bring this one along when you want to wow a group without a ton of effort.
• It’s an easy recipe to personalize. You can adjust the quantities on the ingredients below or swap something out entirely, replacing it with your favorites.
• You could make this the night before your event! Yup, 7 layer salad is a pretty good make-ahead option. Just make sure to cover it with plastic wrap and seal it tightly. The tomatoes could make the other ingredients wet if they sit too long, so if you’re making this more than 12 hours in advance, you might leave them out, adding them to the top just before serving. I’d also recommend leaving the bacon off until just before serving, so it stays crispy.

Ingredients

(OK, you might be thinking “Cheryl, this salad has 9, maaayyyybeeee 8, layers! What’s the deal??” Since they all go on top and round everything off, I consider the dressing, cheddar cheese, and bacon to be one layer.)

• Iceberg Lettuce – With a crunchy texture and solid form, iceberg lettuce holds up well under all the ingredients without getting soggy.
• Red Onion – So perfect for salads, red onions hold up well with dressing and are the quintessential astringent taste of onions, but just a little sweet.
• Tomatoes – For my 7 layer salad, I used traditional, full-sized tomatoes chopped into cubes. You can absolutely use smaller tomatoes like cherry or grape chopped in half if you prefer. You could also use red bell peppers instead of tomatoes for a different flavor.
• Peas – Green peas add a layer (literally) of juicy texture and sweet flavor. You can use the frozen variety (thawed and drained), but we love our peas fresh!
• English Cucumber – Sweet, thin, and seedless, English cucumbers don’t have the bitter flavor of their traditional cousins.
• Hard-boiled Eggs – Buttery yolks and tender egg whites finish off this salad with a kick of protein and texture.
• Cheddar Cheese – With a sharp and buttery taste, cheddar is a nice strong component to this 7 layer salad that complements the more mild flavors.
• Bacon – Crispy, salty bacon is one of the best parts of a salad, so we couldn’t leave it out! Since it goes on last, bacon literally (and figuratively) completes your 7 layer salad!

How Do You Serve a 7 Layer Salad?

First of all, the bowl you use for your 7 layer salad is important! The easiest bowls to work with are ones that have flat bottoms and straight, tall sides – like a trifle bowl! That’s just an example, if you don’t have a trifle bowl, any bowl that matches the description will work. It doesn’t have to be a glass dish either, but glass will show off the layers of your salad!

So, what about the actual serving? Are you supposed to mix it all up?

Nope! Instead, use a deep spoon with a long handle (longer than the sides of the bowl are tall!) to reach all the way in to the salad dish. This way, you’ll pull out a little of each layer while leaving the rest of the salad intact!

Chef’s Tips

• Depending on the size of your bowl, you may not use the entire amount of each ingredient in this recipe. Adjust the quantities as needed!
• Want to make a 7 layer salad that the vegans in your group will love, too? No problem! Swap out the cheddar cheese for vegan cheese, leave out the eggs, and use plant-based bacon bits or pieces. McCormick Bac’n Pieces are vegan! You can also just sub the dressing with the vegan dressing of your choice.
• If you’re not using pre-cooked bacon or bacon pieces on top of your 7 layer salad, there are quite a few methods you can use to cook yours! Bacon in the air fryer is super easy and pretty much hands-off, but you could also opt for this oven-baked method!
• For perfect hard-boiled eggs every single time, try my air fryer or Instant Pot methods, or use my easy stovetop method!
• The dressing for your 7 layer salad doesn’t have to be chilled, but if you’ve got the time, I recommend it! Chilling the dressing for at least 30 minutes gives the flavors time to develop, making it a little tangier than if you mix it up immediately before you construct your salad.

More Easy Salad Recipes You’ll Love

• Avocado Salad
• White Bean Salad
• Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint
• Zucchini Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Perfect Pea Salad
• Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
• Red Potato Salad
• Keto Broccoli Salad
• Crisp Apple Salad with Raisins and Pecans
• Cauliflower Potato Salad