This Seven Layer Salad recipe is an American dish. Made of seven layers of ingredients; lettuce, carrots, green peas, and cucumbers, then topped with creamy mayo dressing, cheddar cheese, and bacon. It’s typically served as a side dish and a favorite dish to serve at family gatherings or cookouts.
Seven Layer Salad has many variations and you can add more or switch and use the vegetables you like. You can also add hard-boiled eggs, chopped onion, and tomatoes. For the vegetarian version, use crispy tortilla chips to substitute the crunchy bacon pieces.
Traditional Seven Layer salad dressing is made of mayo and sugar. Similar to Macaroni Salad dressing, you can add sour cream and condensed milk for extra creaminess. It is often served in a glass bowl or trifle bowl to showcase the layers of vegetables and other ingredients.
This Seven Layer Salad recipe is inspired by a family restaurant in North Carolina that me and my husband I often eat, every time we are vacationing with my in-laws. It is so good and I often think about it every time I get back home to Canada, so I decided to recreate this recipe at home. 
How to Make Seven Layer Salad
Step 1. Cook the Bacon. Chop the bacon into small pieces then fry them up until they crisp up. Place on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Let it cool.
Step 2. Make the Mayo Dressing. Combine all the mayo dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix until well blended. Adjust to taste the amount of sugar or condensed milk if using.
Step 3. Prepare and slice the vegetables. For the cucumber, I like round sliced and julienned carrots. Feel free to cut it however you like it. If adding hard-boiled eggs, you can make this ahead.
Step 4. Assemble the vegetables. In a glass bowl or trifle bowl, layer the vegetables evenly.
- Layer 1. iceberg lettuce
- Layer 2. carrots
- Layer 3. green peas
- Layer 4. cucumber
- Layer 5. Mayo dressing
- Layer 6. Cheddar Cheese
- Layer 7. bacon
Step 5. Refrigerate to chill before serving.
What to serve with Seven Layer Salad
Air fryer Whole Chicken Barbecue
Honey Lemon Glazed Turkey Breast
Seven Layer Salad
Watch How to Make It
Equipment
- trifle bowl
Ingredients
- ½ head iceberg lettuce chopped
- 2 carrots julienned
- 1½ cups frozen green peas thawed
- 1 English cucumber sliced
- ½ cup Cheddar Cheese grated
- 375 g bacon cook until crispy
Mayo Dressing Ingredients
- 1 cup mayo
- ½ cup sour cream optional, for traditional just use mayo
- 2 tbsp condensed milk or sugar to taste
- 1 tsp dill chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the bacon into small pieces, then cook in a skillet until crispy. Transfer to a plate with a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Set it aside and let it cool.
- In a small bowl, mix all the mayo ingredients until blended.
- Prepare the vegetables. Chop the lettuce, julienne the carrots, slice the cucumber, and drain the water in thawed green peas.
- In a trifle bowl assemble the vegetables by layering evenly.Layer 1. iceberg lettuce Layer 2. carrots Layer 3. green peas Layer 4. cucumber Layer 5. Mayo dressing Layer 6. Cheddar Cheese Layer 7. bacon
- Refrigerate to chill before serving.
