You just need 3 ingredients for this old fashioned Hot Bacon Salad Dressing. It pairs nicely with spinach, green leaf lettuce, endive, watercress, and more.
If you’re after a classic Hot Bacon Salad Dressing, this is the recipe! I consulted numerous spiral-bound cookbooks from the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, comparing the dressings. This was the most common ratio of ingredients, and it couldn’t be more simple.
There’s a phrase that says, “bacon makes it better” and it’s definitely true with this dressing. I like it on spinach salad with hot bacon dressing. The umami flavor of the bacon, paired with the sweet and tangy flavor of the dressing and the earthy spinach is delicious.
The great news is, it can go over any greens that you like. Here are some ideas:
- Red or green leaf lettuce for a classic “wilted” salad
- It’ll soften kale nicely
- Spinach salad with eggs and mushrooms is my go-to
- If you want the salad to stay crisp, try it with endive, escarole, or watercress
- Romaine lettuce works, too. The stems will stay on the crisp side while the green parts will get soft.
The hot bacon dressing is delicious with just lettuce, but in my experience, the toppings often make the salad! You could go traditional, with crunchy croutons, which will also soak in the dressing (YUM). And of course, you have to crumble the bacon that you just fried and put that in the salad.
You could also do a classic: hard boiled eggs, bacon, and sliced onions. Green onions are good, too. Add a bit of crunch with pecans or walnuts. Candied nuts would be delightful here.
Or (my favorite): chopped medjool dates. They add a sweet surprise and a chewy bite to an otherwise savory salad.
Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong here. Enjoy!
📖 Recipe
Hot Bacon Salad Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 slices bacon
- ½ cup vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
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Instructions
- Place 3 slices bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry bacon until crisp.
- Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate, and then crumble it. Leave the drippings in the pan.
- To the bacon drippings, add ½ cup vinegar, ⅓ cup water, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking gently to combine.
- Pour the hot dressing over your salad greens of choice (spinach, romaine, green leaf lettuce, endive, escarole, etc.). Add the crumbled bacon and toss to coat. Serve right away.
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