Julie Clark
Updated:
Seven Layer Salad with Maple Bacon
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Our traditional seven layer salad recipe is made extra special with the addition of maple bacon on top. This high-protein layered salad perfect for picnics and potlucks.
This classic Seven Layer Salad is easy to prepare and makes a pretty presentation to impress your guests. This staple layered salad is the perfect texture blend of crisp vegetables, creamy dressing, and savory toppings, all layered in a clear bowl or trifle dish.
Our version of seven layer salad is special because it uses maple bacon on top, adding a sweet and savory crunch. It’s popular during the holiday season, but also during springtime to use up Easter hard boiled eggs.
What is seven layer salad?
Seven Layer Salad is a traditional American dish that is served in a glass bowl so that you can see all of the beautiful, colorful layers. The traditional recipe can be tweaked based on ingredients your family loves, but there is one thing that has always stayed the same:
People love it. It’s the PERFECT picnic side dish.
Seven Layer Salad Ingredients
You’ll find different ingredients in just about every seven layer salad recipe you look at. Our ingredients not only look pretty, but have amazing flavor (hello, maple bacon!) and lots of protein to keep you full for longer.
- Lettuce. Seven layer salad traditionally calls for iceberg lettuce. Many times we will layer iceberg lettuce with baby spinach. This adds to the pretty green color on the bottom layer of the bowl. Use spring lettuce mix or Romaine lettuce if you’d like.
- Tomato. We use grape tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes) and slice them in half. Sliced Roma tomatoes work as well. If you have garden fresh tomatoes, definitely use those!
- Peas. Use frozen peas rather than canned peas. Frozen peas will have a better color and they are firmer than canned peas. Don’t worry about cooking the peas. Just let them thaw and add them to the salad.
- Hard Boiled Eggs. Use leftover Easter eggs or whip out some hard boiled eggs quickly. We like to make eggs in the Instant Pot. We find they come out beautifully every time. If you generally have trouble with the shell sticking to the egg and not coming off cleanly, be sure you are using eggs that are about 7-10 days old. Fresh eggs are harder to peel. You can also place the hot eggs into a bowl of ice water to cool them quickly. Cooling causes the egg to contract slightly in the shell which then makes it easier to peel off.
- Cheddar. Use freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Dressing. Our recipe calls for mayonnaise, a little sour cream, a touch of sugar for flavor and here’s our powerful secret….parmesan cheese. Guys….I could add parmesan cheese to every.single.thing I eat. I find it adds amazing flavor and richness to recipes. And this seven layer salad dressing is no different. Use freshly shredded Parmesan cheese for the best flavor. Buy a block of Parmesan and use a cheese grater to grate it finely. It’s so much better than pre-shredded Parmesan.
- Maple Bacon. Make sure the bacon is drained, cooled and crumbled before adding it to the salad. Maple flavored bacon adds a slight sweetness to the salad that is just unbeatable! The crumbled bacon will melt in your mouth.
How to Make Seven Layer Salad
- Cook maple bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown and crisp. Allow the bacon to drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.
- While the bacon is cooking, mix up the salad dressing in a small bowl. Allowing the dressing to “rest” while you prepare the rest of the salad helps the flavors to blend together beautifully.
- In a large 4 quart glass bowl, layer the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, peas, eggs, cheese.
- Drizzle the dressing over salad, covering as much of the top as possible. Depending on the size of the bowl, it should cover the top.
- Sprinkle the top with bacon. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.
Recipe Variations
- 9×13-inch glass dish. Make this in traditional glass baking pan instead of a large trifle bowl. The dressing will be more evenly spread over the salad that way, but may not quite cover the top.
- Onions. As we make it, this salad does not have onions. If you love onions, try adding diced red onions in the salad or green onions on top of the salad.
- Alternatives to peas. If you don’t like peas, try adding diced green peppers, broccoli or cucumbers.
- Ham. If you have leftover Easter ham, use that in a layer, preferably right above the eggs.
- Other veggies to try: carrots, cauliflower red bell peppers, celery or even black olives. Just make sure everything is chopped into bite size pieces.
- Ranch dressing. To give the dressing a different taste, try adding 1-2 tablespoons dry ranch dressing mix.
Make Seven Layer Salad in Advance
This is an ideal make-ahead salad. You place the “heartier” layers up towards the dressing and the lettuce sits at the bottom. The dressing will cover the top of the salad to “seal” in the freshness.
Make this salad one day before serving it for an overnight salad. Make sure the dressing covers the top and then cover the clear glass bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving.
How long does seven layer salad last?
As long as the layers are in tact, 7 layer salad will stay fresh for about 24 hours. But what about after you dig into the salad and the layers get a little mixed? At this point the lettuce may start to wilt the longer you keep it. We prefer to eat any leftovers within 36-48 hours.
Serving Ideas
As you can see from the picture, this salad is beautiful when presented in a large glass bowl. The bowl we used was 4 quarts.
If you’d like, you can also make individual servings in wide mouth mason jars or in smaller single serving sized glass bowls. This makes a great take-along lunch salad for a busy work week.
When we think of this easy salad recipe, we think of summer foods! Grilled chicken, smoked turkey or chicken burgers are some of our favorites.
Seven Layer Salad Recipe
Our traditional seven layer salad recipe is made extra special with the addition of maple bacon on top. This high-protein layered salad perfect for picnics and potlucks.
Servings 12
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound maple flavored bacon
- 1 1/4 cups mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce (rinsed, dried, and chopped)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes (cut in half)
- 2 cups frozen green peas (thawed)
- 6 large hardboiled eggs
- 10 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 ½ cups)
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat until evenly brown and crisp. Allow the bacon to drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside. 1 pound maple flavored bacon
- Prepare the dressing by whisking together the mayo, sour cream, sugar and Parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to top the salad. 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- In a large 4 quart glass bowl, layer the chopped lettuce*, tomatoes, peas, eggs, cheese. 1 large head iceberg lettuce, 1 pint grape tomatoes, 2 cups frozen green peas, 6 large hardboiled eggs, 10 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
- Drizzle the dressing over salad, covering as much of the top as possible.
- Sprinkle the top with bacon. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it.
Video
Notes
*You can use whatever type of lettuce you’d like: romaine, iceberg, spring salad mix or spinach. Or use a mix of several types!
The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 12 people, with 1 serving being 1/12 of the salad. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 672mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1210IU | Vitamin C: 16.1mg | Calcium: 271mg | Iron: 1.4mg
Salad layers were good. Not so the dressing. I made it exactly according to the recipe and chilled it while I made the layers. When it came time to add the dressing, there was no question of pouring it—it was very thick and went on in blobs. Trying to eat it was unpleasant because while it had a good flavor, it was all concentrated in the cheddar layer, creating a cheese-on-cheese overload. I scraped off the dressing and mixed up a dressing that I use for broccoli/cauliflower salad: almost the same ingredients as your dressing in a slightly different ratio,… Read more »
Salad is a omplete meal in itself . Love added eggs, cheese, Chicken and all vegies. Yummy!
I love your baking too.
Thank you so much.
God bless you all.
That 7 layer salad looks sooo good. We will have to try it. Thanks for sharing your experiences and those of your family. We have 3 daughters who are all excited to try different recipes. Our son married a really terrific Japanese girl who has a sister who is of a similar nature to you. She’s kind and loves to cook and experiment. I’m an experimenter too. I like to examine the chemistry of cooking with different foods to get new flavors. Life can be so much fun. I just got a Breville bread machine and am experimenting making bread.… Read more »