A BLT salad brings everything you love about the classic sandwich, crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, and crisp lettuce and tosses it into a fresh, flavorful bowl.
It’s a simple salad that works as a light lunch or an easy dinner, especially when the weather’s warm and nobody wants to turn on the oven.
This recipe for BLT salad is the kind of summer salad you’ll find yourself craving again and again cos why not?
It’s quick to put together, easily customizable with lots of add ins to try. I particularly love that it’s packed with texture and flavor.
If quick and simple is your thing, try this simple chickpea salad or this grilled salmon salad recipe next!
What is a BLT salad?
A BLT salad is a deconstructed version of the classic BLT sandwich, made with crisp lettuce, crispy bacon, and fresh tomatoes.
B stands for bacon, L stands for lettuce and T stands for tomatoes.
Instead of being layered between slices of bread to make a burger, the ingredients are chopped and tossed together to make a salad usually with croutons and a creamy dressing for that same delicious flavor in every bite.
Recipe Highlights
- Fresh and flavorful: Crisp lettuce, sweet cherry tomatoes, crunchy bacon, and creamy dressing all come together in every bite.
- Quick to make: You can prep this easy salad in about 15 minutes with just a handful of ingredients.
- Perfect for summer: It’s light, cool, and perfect for those hot days when a traditional BLT sandwich feels a little too heavy.
- Crowd-friendly: This BLT chopped salad is easy to scale up for barbecues, potlucks, or casual get-togethers.
Ingredient notes
- Romaine lettuce: Crunchy and sturdy, perfect for chopped salads.
- Cherry tomatoes: Sweet and juicy, halved for the perfect bite.
- Bacon: Cooked until crisp and chopped into bite-sized pieces.
- Red onion: Optional, but adds a nice flavor especially if you love onions in your burgers
- Feta cheese
- Croutons: A little crunch for that sandwich-like feel.
- BLT salad dressing ingredients: mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, dill weed, seasoning.
* Need to print out this recipe? You’ll find a printable recipe card at the end of this post. Enjoy!
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- Mixing bowl
How to make a BLT salad
Add all the dressing ingredients into a jar, mix to combine.
Cook the bacon in the air fryer or stovetop until crispy, then let it cool slightly before chopping into pieces.
Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and place it in a large mixing bowl.
Halve the tomatoes and thinly slice the red onion, if using.
Toss together the lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, red onion, and croutons.
Add dressing just before serving and give everything a good mix.
Top with extra bacon or croutons if you like a bit more crunch!
Variations
BLT Chicken Salad: Add cooked, chopped chicken breast for a heartier version that works well as a full meal. It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken or grab a rotisserie chicken for convenience.
BLT Pasta Salad: Swap out the lettuce for cooked pasta, and mix in all the classic BLT ingredients with a creamy dressing for a delicious dinner.
How to serve
Wondering what to serve with this BLT chopped salad? I’ve got you!
Serve this bacon salad, a warm bowl of soup, or fresh fruit salad for a balanced meal. It’s also great alongside a sandwich or as part of a summer potluck spread.
Feel free to add some grilled chicken too for a more filling low carb dinner.
Make ahead and how to store
BLT salad is best served fresh, but you can prep the ingredients in advance and store them separately in airtight containers.
For example make air fryer bacon bits or stove top bacon crumbles and store for when you are ready.
Wait to toss with dressing until just before serving to keep everything crisp.
Helpful Tips
- Cook bacon in the oven for a hands-off, mess-free method especially if making a large batch for meal prep or for a crowd.
- Make your own croutons from stale bread for extra texture and flavor.
- If you’re prepping ahead, keep wet ingredients like tomatoes and dressing separate until ready to serve.
FAQs
Yes, just keep the dressing and bacon separate until you’re ready to eat. This keeps the lettuce crisp and the bacon crunchy.
Any creamy dressing like the dressing shared in this post or ranch pairs perfectly with this salad.
You can! Try using plant-based bacon or crispy roasted chickpeas as a crunchy alternative. Use a vegan mayo based dressing too.
More salads
- Antipasto salad
- Simple chickpea salad
You should try my BLT salad recipe soon!
This BLT salad is the kind of recipe you’ll turn to often. It’s fresh, easy, and packed with flavor.
Serve it up as a side dish or a light main meal. If you’re looking for a simple salad that’s full of crowd-pleasing ingredients, this one’s a winner.
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BLT Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce (chopped)
- 1 ¼ cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 10 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)
- ½ Small red onion (thinly sliced. This is optional, see note 1)
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1 cup croutons
For Salad dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon coriander (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon Garlic powder
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients for the dressing into a bowl or jar. Mix till well combined. Keep in the refrigerator to rest shiny you cook the bacon.
- Cook the bacon in a skillet or oven until crispy. Let cool slightly, then chop or crumble into bite-sized pieces.
- Chop the lettuce and place it in a large bowl.
- Add tomatoes, red onion (if using), croutons, and bacon to the bowl.
- Drizzle with dressing just before serving and toss until evenly coated.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Notes
- While I use onions sometimes, I didnt include it in this recipe. Feel free to leave it out
- Use thick-cut bacon for extra crunch.
- You can use store bought bacon bits in a pinch
- Add grilled chicken to turn it into a BLT chicken salad, or substitute cooked pasta for the lettuce to make a BLT pasta salad.
Nutrition
This is one of the easiest salads to put together and it tastes amazing too! Hope you get to give it a try soon.