This Chopped BLT Salad is everything you love about a classic BLT sandwich turned into a fresh and satisfying salad. Crispy romaine is topped with crunchy bacon, juicy tomatoes, homemade croutons, and a creamy dressing for a salad that is packed with flavor in every single bite.
It is ready in under 20 minutes and works great as a light lunch, a side dish, or a main course. You will want to make this on repeat all summer long! For another BLT inspired recipe, make this BLT chicken salad.
25 minutes
easy summer LUNCH
Quick Look: Chopped BLT Salad
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 👩🍳 Cook Time: 15 minutes
- 🕖 Total Time: 20 minutes
- 🥓 Servings: 2 servings
- ⚡️ Calories: 611 calories per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cooking Method: Fry bacon on the stove and assemble
- 🛒 Main Ingredients: bacon, tomato, lettuce, bread
- ⭐️ Difficulty: Easy! Cook your bacon and toast your bread, then toss everything together.
Kate left this 5 star review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This dressing is incredible, great flavor combo on this summer salad!! Made a half portion for my work lunch yesterday and it brightened my day.“
Why You’ll Love this recipe
- BLT in a bowl – There is nothing I love more in the summer than BLT with crispy bacon, fresh lettuce and a juicy, ripe tomato. This BLT salad takes all of the best parts of the sandwich and combines them in a fresh and delicious salad.
- Summer produce favorite – This is one of my favorite ways to use in season tomatoes. This recipe makes tomatoes the superstar, and it is so delicious when they are at their peak.
- Great for parties – This salad is an awesome option for your summer potlucks or picnics! You can make a big batch of this salad for a great hearty and refreshing entree or side!
For more summer salads to try, make this grilled watermelon salad or summer corn salad.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this chopped BLT salad. For the full list of ingredients, head to the full recipe.
- Thick cut bacon – I love thick cut bacon for this salad! It’s heartier, and the bigger pieces are so good alongside the tomatoes and croutons.
- Hearty bread like sourdough – sourdough is my favorite because it adds flavor and has an amazing crunch with a chewy texture
- Ripe tomatoes or cherry tomatoes – if tomatoes are in season, definitely use ripe fresh tomatoes! If it’s not peak season, a greenhouse tomato like a cherry tomato or grape tomato is great
- Romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce – you can use either lettuce here, I just love a crunchy fresh lettuce for this salad. Butter lettuce would also be great
- Mayonnaise – mayo is the base of the dressing for your salad. I prefer mayo, but you could also make a dressing with sour cream or greek yogurt as the base.
- Olive oil – a bit of oil thickens and smooths out your dressing
- Apple cider vinegar – vinegar is going to brighten up the dressing for great flavor
You can also turn this into a pasta salad. Skip the croutons, boil 8oz of your favorite pasta like bowtie and toss with the salad ingredients! You may want to double the amount of BLT salad dressing because the pasta really soaks up liquid.
Make this salad gluten free by using your favorite gluten-free bread in place of the sourdough for the croutons. You can also use turkey bacon instead. Turkey bacon does not leave grease behind when cooked so you will need to use some oil to toast the bread cubes into croutons for the salad.
To add protein to this salad, you could make Balsamic Grilled Chicken, Grilled Ginger Lime Chicken, or Marinated Grilled Chicken Thighs.
How to make a Chopped BLT Salad
Step 1: Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan, but leave the grease behind. While the bacon is cooking, cut the bread into cubes.
Step 2: After cooking the bacon, reduce heat to low and toast the bread cubes in the bacon grease until golden brown.
Step 3: Dice the tomatoes and sprinkle with a little kosher salt, chop the bacon and cut the romaine lettuce into shreds. Whisk together the mayo, olive oil apple cider, vinegar and sugar.
Step 4: Place tomatoes, toasted breast, bacon, and lettuce in a large bowl. Pour over salad and toss to coat completely. Top with fresh cracked black pepper and either finely chopped chives or fresh parsley.
Mad’s Expert Tips for the Best Chopped BLT Salad 🥓
- Cook the bacon until it is really crispy – Soft or chewy bacon does not hold up well in the salad. Cook it until it is fully crispy so it stays crispy even after being tossed with the dressing.
- Dress right before serving – Once dressed, the lettuce will start to wilt and the croutons will soften. Toss everything together right before eating for the best texture.
- Chop everything into similar sized pieces – This salad is best as a chopped salad where every bite has a little bit of everything. Chop the romaine, tomatoes, and bacon into similar sized cubes for the most satisfying bites.
- Make your own croutons if you can – Homemade croutons are so much crunchier and more flavorful than store bought, especially these ones made in bacon grease. It only takes a few minutes and makes a huge difference.
For another chopped salad, try this pepperoni pizza chopped salad next.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make BLT salad ahead of time?
You can prep everything ahead of time and store them separately in the fridge. Quickly reheat the bacon and croutons when you are ready to make. Assemble and dress right before serving to keep everything crispy.
What dressing is best for a BLT salad?
A creamy mayo-based dressing works best and mirrors the classic spread on a BLT sandwich. Ranch dressing is also a great option.
Can I add protein to make it a full meal?
Yes! Grilled chicken, shrimp, or sliced hard boiled eggs all work great for a heartier entree salad. I like to add this balsamic grilled chicken.
What kind of lettuce works best for a BLT salad?
Romaine is the best choice because it is sturdy and holds up well to the creamy dressing. Iceberg lettuce also works well for extra crunch.
Prep and storage
This salad is best enjoyed as soon as it is made to ensure that the bacon and the croutons remain crispy.
To make this chopped BLT salad ahead of time, I recommend making it as written here, but do not toss in the dressing. Store in the fridge until you are ready to combine and serve.
Although I find that this salad tastes best when enjoyed within 24 hours of cooking, you can save the leftovers. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Check out these other summer salad recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
Chopped BLT Salad
Ingredients
- 4 strips thick cut bacon
- 2 slices hearty bread like sourdough
- 2 medium ripe tomatoes
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp sugar
- Fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan, but leave the grease behind.
- While the bacon is cooking, cut the bread into cubes.
- After cooking the bacon, reduce heat to low and toast the bread cubes in the bacon grease until golden brown.
- Dice the tomatoes and sprinkle with a little kosher salt, chop the bacon and cut the romaine lettuce into shreds.
- Place tomatoes, toasted breast, bacon, and lettuce in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk together the mayo, olive oil apple cider, vinegar and sugar. Pour over salad and toss to coat completely. Top with fresh cracked black pepper and either finely chopped chives or fresh parsley.
Recipe Notes
- Dress the salad right before serving. Once the dressing goes on the lettuce will start to wilt and the croutons will get soggy.
- I like to use thick cut bacon, but you can use thin or regular bacon or even turkey bacon
- If using turkey bacon, you will need a bit of oil for toasting the bread.
- You can use store bought croutons but homemade croutons are so delicious and only take a few minutes.
- Garnish with fresh chives to add even more flavor this salad.
- You can use ranch dressing instead of the homemade dressing for this salad.
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.
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