BLT Salad — The One That’s Technically a Salad but Emotionally a BLT
You Didn’t Make a BLT Healthier. You Made a Salad More Fun.
This BLT salad is technically a salad — romaine, bacon, cherry tomatoes, croutons — but emotionally, it’s every bit of a BLT, right down to a homemade basil bacon dressing made with real bacon grease. The dressing takes five minutes to shake together in a mason jar, needs 30 minutes in the fridge to come together, and does things to a bowl of lettuce that no bottle from the store ever will. This is my go-to quick weeknight dinner when I want something that feels light but still actually feeds seven people and satisfies everyone at the table.
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Watch me make this BLT salad from start to finish — or scroll down for the full printable recipe card.
Featured Tools & Ingredients
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• The pan I cook the bacon in. Two tablespoons of bacon drippings stay in the pan after the bacon comes out — that is the flavor the whole dressing is built on, so the pan you cook the bacon in matters.
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• The dressing is a five-minute mason-jar shake but the ratios are everything — half a cup fresh basil, two tablespoons bacon grease, a tablespoon of vinegar. These are the measuring cups I use for every dressing I make.
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• Romaine chopped, cherry tomatoes halved, fresh basil chiffonade. This salad lives or dies on the chop, and I do all of it on this big bamboo board.
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BLT Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb bacon cooked, drained, and crumbled
- 1 head romaine lettuce chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 –2 cups croutons
- 2 tablespoons bacon grease
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup fresh basil chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried basil)
- 1 tablespoon Kinder’s Garlic & Herb seasoning
Method
- Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Drain on paper towels and crumble. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan.
- Add the bacon grease, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, basil, and Kinder’s Garlic & Herb to a mason jar. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously until combined.
- Refrigerate the dressing for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Chop the romaine lettuce and halve the cherry tomatoes. Add to a large serving bowl along with the crumbled bacon.
- Pour the chilled dressing over the salad and toss gently to coat.
- Top with croutons immediately before serving. Add shredded cheddar if desired.
Video
Notes
Why This BLT Salad Works
The secret is the dressing. Most BLT salads just pour ranch or bottled Italian over the ingredients and call it done. This one uses bacon drippings left from cooking the bacon — real bacon grease — as the fat base for the dressing, which means every bite of lettuce tastes like it’s already been near the bacon. Combined with Hellmann's mayo , red wine vinegar, fresh basil, and Kinder's Garlic & Herb , it comes together in a mason jar you just shake and stick in the fridge. It only needs 30 minutes to chill before it goes on the salad, so if you start it right when you start cooking the bacon, the timing works out perfectly.
The salad itself is dead simple: a head of romaine chopped up, a pint of cherry tomatoes halved, a pound of bacon cooked and crumbled, and a generous handful of croutons for crunch. You can add shredded cheddar on top if you want — the kids always do — and if you want to make it a more complete meal, hard-boiled eggs alongside it make this a full dinner plate. We serve it with a slice of crusty garlic bread and there is nothing left over.
A Few Things That Make BLT Salad Even Easier
- Make the dressing first. The moment you start cooking the bacon, put the dressing together — mayo, bacon grease, red wine vinegar , basil, Kinder's Garlic & Herb , salt, and pepper into a mason jar, screw the lid on, shake hard, and refrigerate. By the time the bacon is done and everything is chopped, the dressing has had its 30-minute chill and it’s ready to go.
- Don’t skip the chill time on the dressing. I know it’s tempting to just toss the salad immediately, but 30 minutes in the fridge does something to the flavors — the basil blooms, the vinegar mellows, and the whole thing pulls together into something far better than fresh-shaken. It’s worth the wait.
- Cook the bacon in batches and save the grease. I cook about a pound of bacon in my big saute pan and drain it on paper towels, but I leave roughly two tablespoons of the drippings in the pan for the dressing — measured into my measuring cups . Don’t pour it off before you measure — that’s the flavor the whole dressing is built on.
- Add the croutons last. If you toss the croutons in with everything too early, they go soggy fast. Add them right before serving, or set them on the table and let people add their own. Either way, you keep the crunch.
- Dried basil works fine in a pinch. Fresh basil is ideal and gives the dressing a bright, herby flavor, but if all you have is dried, use 1 tablespoon in place of the ½ cup fresh. The dressing will be a little more subtle but still absolutely delicious.
BLT Salad FAQ — The Questions I Get Every Time
Can I make the BLT salad dressing ahead of time?
Yes — and honestly, it’s better if you do. The dressing keeps in the fridge in a sealed mason jar for up to 5 days. The flavors deepen as it sits, and having it ready means this BLT salad comes together in minutes on a weeknight. Just give the jar a good shake before you use it since the dressing will separate as it chills. The Kitchn has great tips on storing and balancing homemade dressings if you want to read more on the technique.
What kind of lettuce is best for BLT salad?
Romaine is the move. It has the crunch, the structure, and the mild flavor to hold up against a creamy, bacon-forward dressing without wilting or getting sad. I use romaine hearts for convenience — they come in a 3-pack, already trimmed, and I can chop the whole thing in about two minutes. Iceberg works if that’s what you have, but romaine is the right call here.
Can I use store-bought dressing instead of homemade?
You can, but I’d encourage you to try the homemade at least once. The bacon grease in the dressing is what makes this recipe special — you can’t buy that in a bottle. Ranch or blue cheese would work as a quick sub if you’re in a time crunch, but the bacon-basil dressing is a five-minute shake and it genuinely changes the whole salad. Once you taste it, you won’t go back.
Can I add protein to make it a full meal?
Absolutely. Hard-boiled eggs are my first choice — they’re easy, they add protein, and they feel right on a BLT-style salad. Grilled chicken works great too, especially if you have leftovers from earlier in the week. My family eats this as a full weeknight dinner with bread on the side, and nobody leaves the table hungry.
How far ahead can I assemble the BLT salad?
The dressing is great made up to 5 days ahead. The salad components — romaine, tomatoes, bacon — can be prepped a day in advance and stored separately in the fridge. I wouldn’t dress the salad more than 20 minutes before serving though, or the romaine will start to wilt. Keep the croutons separate until the very last minute.
What do I serve with BLT salad?
Garlic bread is my go-to — it soaks up the extra dressing at the bottom of the bowl and makes the whole plate feel more like dinner and less like a side dish. Hard-boiled eggs on the side if you want extra protein. This is also one of those salads that pairs beautifully with a cup of tomato soup on cooler nights — the BLT flavors carry right over.
Can I make this BLT salad for a crowd?
Yes — this scales beautifully. For 10 to 12 people, just double everything and toss in a large serving bowl. I’d keep the dressing on the side when serving a crowd so people can add as much or as little as they like, and the croutons stay crisp longer that way too. Make the dressing the night before and it’s practically zero work at serving time.
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Ingredients
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More Fresh Salad and Crowd Recipes You’ll Love
- Cucumber Tomato Salad — fresh, light, and gone before you know it. A five-minute side that pairs with almost anything.
- Roasted Green Beans and Carrots — the easiest side dish that makes dinner look like you tried harder than you did.
- Maple Balsamic Grilled Chicken — Mediterranean-diet approved, ridiculously easy, and perfect alongside a big salad.
- Mixed Berry Lemonade — the easy, no-cook drink I set out whenever this salad is on the table.
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BLT Salad — About Stephanie’s Recipes
Stephanie Longstreth is the home cook, mom, and storyteller behind StephanieCooksForACrowd.com. She cooks for a family of seven in Florida — five kids, two cats, and one husband who appreciates a good meal. Four of her children came home through adoption, and family stories are woven into everything she makes and shares. Find her crowd-friendly recipes, weekly meal plans, and real family life on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest @stephaniecooksforacrowd.