This easy 7 Layer Salad is as tasty as it is beautiful! You’ll love making this salad for a crowd, for any occasion from holidays to potlucks.
With seven delicious salad ingredients plus an eighth layer of creamy homemade dressing, this easy seven layer salad recipe has something for everyone to love!
Crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and hard boiled eggs add some protein to the fresh vegetables, and a parmesan dressing brings everything together perfectly.
7 Layer Salad is exactly the recipe you need for your next potluck! You might also like to bring another classic potluck dish such as Orange Pretzel Salad, or Funeral Potatoes.
Why You’ll Love This Salad Recipe
- Minimal Prep – You’ll need to cook crispy bacon and hard-boiled eggs, and chop a few veggies. Otherwise, seven layer salad is a very easy to make dish.
- Make Ahead Option – I love recipes that I can make the day before, especially for busy holidays.
- Traditional Recipe – People have been making this pretty layered salad with a unique creamy dressing for many years now, and I don’t think it will ever go out of style.
- Versatile Recipe – With seven layers, there are multiple opportunities in this recipe to switch up the ingredients to your liking, or try new and exciting flavors.
Ingredients In 7 Layer Salad
Here’s what you need to make this classic potluck salad:
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Iceberg Lettuce: Wash and dry the lettuce and chop into easy-to-eat pieces.
- Cherry Tomatoes: slice the tomatoes in half. If you’re using larger tomatoes, chop them into bite-sized pieces.
- Red Onion: Thinly sliced red onion tastes best if you soak it in cold water for 30 minutes before adding it to salads. The water helps to take away some of the onion’s bite.
- Frozen Peas: Let the peas thaw before adding them to the salad, and drain away any extra liquid.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Cook 6 hard boiled eggs, then peel and cool them. Cut 2 or 3 of them into slices that can face the outside of the glass dish, and roughly chop the rest.
- Layer Salad Dressing: This is so easy! Mayonnaise, grated parmesan cheese, white sugar, and ground black pepper.
- Cheddar Cheese: I suggest that you buy your cheese in a block, and grate it yourself. It’s cheaper this way, and also much tastier.
- Bacon: You need about 8 slices of bacon, diced, and cooked until crispy. Turkey bacon can also be used.
- Optional: Sliced green onion (only the green parts) adds flavor and color to the top of the salad.
How To Make a Seven Layer Salad
These images show the order of the layers in a 7 layer salad. I suggest you keep them in this order to make the colors pop!
- Prepare all of the Ingredients so that they are ready to add to the bowl. Veggies will need to be chopped, eggs and bacon cooked, and peas thawed.
- Make the Dressing: In a bowl, mix together the mayo, sugar, parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Set aside.
- Layer the Salad: Here’s the proper order for making a 7 layer salad: Lettuce, Onion, Tomato, Peas, Eggs, Dressing, Cheese, Bacon, and green onion if you’re using it.
Tip!
Make this salad the night before! Skip the toppings (bacon, cheese, and onions), and add those just before serving so that they keep their texture.
Recipe Tips
- Skip low fat mayo. The flavor just isn’t as good, plus lower fat mayonnaise can be watery.
- Try a different cheese. Colby Jack is another option you can try. I suggest using an orange cheese for the visual impact.
- Prep everything first, then assemble the salad. I find it much easier to actually make the layered salad if I’ve already chopped, cooked, and prepared the ingredients.
- Add more layers! You don’t have to stop at seven. Add another layer of your favorite veggie, like chopped bell peppers, sliced cucumber, or baby spinach.
Storing Tips
Leftover 7 layer salad can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but it’s best if enjoyed as soon as possible.
The veggies will get a bit wilted from the dressing as time passes.
What To Serve With 7 Layer Salad
Layered salads are a traditional potluck favorite, so try seven layer salad with some of these delicious casseroles to recreate that experience at home:
Need an easy dessert recipe to bring to a potluck? Try an old-fashioned Mayonnaise Cake or easy Sopapilla Cheesecake.
7 Layer Salad is also a perfect side dish for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, or your favorite summer holiday party!
FAQs
You’re going to need to mix up the salad to serve it. It will be hard to do, since you spent so much time making it look so nice, but it’s necessary! Use salad tongs to reach all the way down to the bottom of the dish to pull up servings. Alternatively, you can dump the whole thing into another bowl and properly toss it.
You can prepare the salad the day before you want to serve it! Stop after adding the dressing layer, being sure that you’ve covered the veggies and eggs completely. Cover and refrigerate. Before serving, add the shredded cheddar, crispy bacon, and sliced green onion.
This salad is best presented in a clear glass bowl to make the layers visible. I made this one in a footed glass trifle dish, but I also really like this flat glass bowl with a lid, particularly for making the salad and traveling with it. Disposable clear plastic salad bowls are another convenient option if you’re taking the salad to a potluck and you aren’t sure you’ll get your bowl back!
Yes. If you don’t have a clear glass bowl, you can layer the ingredients more thinly in a glass 9×13 pan instead.
Now that you know how to make this classic seven layer salad recipe, you can whip it up whenever you’re asked to bring a dish to pass! Be sure to Pin the recipe to save it for next time.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Seven Layer Salad
Equipment
- Large Clear Salad Bowl
- Stainless steel salad tongs, for serving
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon pork or turkey, diced and cooked until crispy
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce rinsed, dried, and chopped, about 5 cups
- 1 medium red onion thinly sliced, and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes.
- 2 cups frozen green peas thawed
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 6 large hard boiled eggs peeled. Slice 3 of them for the outside of the dish, and roughly chop the rest.
- 2 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons green onions sliced, green parts only, optional for garnish
Dressing:
- 1 ¼ cups mayonnaise
- ⅔ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients as indicated above, so that they are ready to add to the salad. Wash and chop the veggies, thaw the peas, and cook the eggs and bacon.
- To make the dressing, in a bowl combine the mayonnaise with parmesan cheese, pepper, and sugar.
- Assemble the salad in layers in this order: lettuce, red onion, cherry tomatoes, peas, eggs, dressing, cheddar, bacon, and green onions if using.
- When adding the eggs, arrange the sliced eggs around the outside of the bowl so that the yolks are visible, then fill in the center with the chopped eggs.
- When adding the dressing, be sure that the layer extends all the way to the edges of the bowl to seal in the other ingredients.
Notes:
- Make this salad the night before! Skip the toppings (bacon, cheese, and onions), and add those just before serving so that they keep their texture.
- Skip low fat mayo. The flavor just isn’t as good, plus lower fat mayonnaise can be watery.
- Try a different cheese. Colby Jack is another option you can try. I suggest using an orange cheese for the visual impact.
- Prep everything first, then assemble the salad. I find it much easier to actually make the layered salad if I’ve already chopped, cooked, and prepared the ingredients.
- Add more layers! You don’t have to stop at seven. Add another layer of your favorite veggie, like chopped bell peppers, sliced cucumber, or baby spinach.
- To Store: Leftover 7 layer salad can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, but it’s best if enjoyed as soon as possible.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Maria says
Looks so delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Enjoy!