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I’ve been making, eating, and enjoying 7 Layer Salad for the past 40+ years. This classic Midwestern side dish is a staple at potlucks, barbecues, neighborhood block parties, and family reunions, and it’s just as tasty now as it was back then.
If you’re from Ohio, you probably want to toss the salad before serving. It sounds crazy to me, but that’s how they do it! And to the sub-section of the population that adds hard-boiled eggs to your salad, please carry on. That sounds like a fabulous addition.
With over 500 5-star reviews, you can trust that this version is the very best and the one that will take you on a trip down memory lane – right back to your own childhood where you loved a hearty bowl of 7 Layer Salad, too.
Table of Contents
7 Layer Salad Ingredients:
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes:
- Lettuce: Iceberg, crispy head lettuce, or Romaine.
- Red onion: I love the color of this one, but you can substitute white, yellow, or sweet onion if you prefer. Tame harsh raw onions by soaking in ice water for 10 minutes, then draining well.
- Celery: A few ribs for extra crunch.
- Peas: Run frozen peas under cold water until thawed and drain well.
- Mayonnaise: Plain, good quality mayo like Hellman’s or Best Foods is perfect.
- Sugar: A little sugar transforms your mayo into salad dressing, but you can leave it out if you want to.
- Cheddar cheese: Or change the cheese to the one you love like smoked provolone, blue cheese, or feta cheese.
- Bacon: You could layer in some turkey or ham instead of the bacon.
How to make Seven Layer Salad:
Before you begin, you should decide on what bowl to use for your layered salad. A clear glass bowl shows off all the hard work you put into chopping the vegetables. And a clear glass bowl with straight sides makes it easy to assemble.
- First layer: In the bottom of the bowl, spread the shredded lettuce
- Second layer: A thin layer of chopped red onion
- Third layer: Chopped celery
- Fourth layer: Peas
- Fifth layer: Spread the mayo over everything and sprinkle with a little sugar
- Sixth layer: Shredded cheddar cheese
- Seventh layer: Crispy chopped bacon
4. Cover the salad up with plastic wrap and chill for a at least a couple hours.
How to Make 7 Layer Salad Ahead of time:
This salad is a make-ahead marvel! The salad needs to chill for a couple of hours anyway, but you can safely make it a full day ahead if needed. The flavor gets better as it sits! The key to make Seven Layer Salad in advance is to ensure all of the layers are totally dry. Spin that lettuce in a salad spinner or blot with clean kitchen towels. Your peas should go in thawed, not frozen. Celery and onion aren’t water-logged anyway, so you’ll be good to go there. And the mayonnaise layer provides a nice moisture barrier for the cheese and bacon. I’m always surprised at how well the leftovers hold up here, too!
7 Layer Salad Recipe Tips & Variations:
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Not in my Seven layer salad! But many people say that’s how they make it.
- Miracle Whip: Substitute Miracle Whip for the mayo if you are a Miracle Whip fan. The only difference between them is that the salad dressing Miracle Whip already has added sugar, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Sour cream: Some cooks love mixing half mayo, half sour cream for a tangier dressing.
- Parmesan cheese: A few tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese taste great added to the mayo.
- Extra veggies: Change out your layers for different vegetables like bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, scallions
- More toppings: Not traditional, but avocado, olives, and crunchy fried onions are so good!
More delicious salads:
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Seven Layer Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head lettuce shredded
- 1/2 cup red onion diced (see note 1)
- 2-3 celery ribs sliced (about 1 cup)
- 12 ounces frozen peas thawed (see note 2)
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (see note 3)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound bacon fried and crumbled
Instructions
- Spread the lettuce evenly in the bottom of a glass bowl. Top with red onion, celery, and peas.
- Spread mayonnaise on top of celery and sprinkle with sugar. Top with cheddar cheese and bacon. Cover and chill.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Red onion: I love the color of this one, but you can substitute white, yellow, or sweet onion if you prefer. Tame harsh raw onions by soaking in ice water for 10 minutes, then draining well.
- Peas: Run frozen peas under cold water until thawed and drain well.
- Sugar: A little sugar transforms your mayo into salad dressing, but you can leave it out if you want to.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Great, attractive and simple dish. For vegetarian option, replace bacon with crushed smokehouse almonds.
Thanks, Margery! Great substitute! – Meggan
I also use a can of water chestnuts. Gives it a little extra crunch.
Yum! Thanks, Paula! – Meggan
Seven layer salad
Do you stir before serving?
Hi LeeAnne, no tossing required. The layers are what make this salad special. – Meggan
My girlfriend has a better experience mixing the sugar with the mayo instead of sprinkling it on top. But I always heard that you sprinkle it on top. What does everyone else do?
I plan to make this wonderful salad for a Christmas brunch because I will be facing a time crunch, as most do during the holidays, but it can be especially hard on us seniors. I will only be making the following substitutions to make the color scheme red, white and green, thus, the yellow cheddar will be substituted for a natural, white cheddar and, as I do not care for celery, I will use quartered cucumber as a substitute. Hope the substitute of the celery will not be terribly missed, and the salad will still be delicious. Thank you for sharing this special recipe with your viewers!
You’re so welcome, Louise! I love your plan! I think they are thoughtful substitutions. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! – Meggan
I haven’t made one yet but I would love to make one for my dish to take to my sister’s house.
Hope you love it! Please write if you have any questions! – Meggan
Great salad
So glad you enjoyed it, Margaret! – Meggan