The flavors of a classic BLT are beloved by all, so it’s no surprise that this BLT Salad is a total crowd pleaser. It’s got all the components you love from sandwich form — crispy bacon, juicy tomatoes, and of course the lettuce of your choice — but we’re adding ripe avocado, homemade croutons, and the most delicious creamy salad dressing you could imagine.
Simple ingredients, but big flavor. That’s a salad we can get behind!
If you adore a good bacon, lettuce, tomato combo as much as we do, be sure to add this BLT salad recipe to your menu rotation today!
Table of Contents show all
Ingredient Notes
For starters, you’ll need bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. Duh! We’ll talk more about lettuce below, but we’re also using some ripe avocado,, homemade sourdough croutons, and some fresh chives.
For the salad, we recommend either baby Romaine lettuce (has a great crunch) or tender butter lettuce (for an overall lighter mouth feel). Whichever lettuce you use, go with something that doesn’t have a strong taste (like arugula), which could overshadow the remaining BLT salad ingredients — or the dressing!
If, however, you have some arugula to use up, be sure to try our Well Seasoned house salad!
For the creamy salad dressing, you’ll need: mayonnaise, sour cream, fresh lemon juice, a little milk, garlic, tarragon, Kosher salt, ad black pepper.
Creamy Tarragon Dressing
These is something about fresh tarragon that just screams summertime to me! We use a tarragon aioli in our California club sandwich — they’re basically blt sandwiches with turkey, and they are beyond delicious! — which features a lot of the same ingredients. It just works so well with the bacon!
To make the homemade tarragon dressing recipe, simply combine the ingredients in the bowl of a personal blender, then process until very smooth. If you don’t have a blender, finely chop the garlic and tarragon, then whisk with mayo and remaining ingredients in a small bowl until very smooth. It is so good!!
How long will this dressing last? This dressing will keep for up to 1 week in a fridge.
Crisp Up Some Bacon
There are a number of ways to cook bacon, and you can choose whichever makes you happiest.
First, there’s the stove top method, as pictured above. Slice bacon into strips, then cook in a skillet over medium to medium-high heat until crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to drain the bacon onto a paper towel lined plate or bowl.
Alternatively, you could bake slices in the oven. For this, we recommend placing the slices of bacon on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400F until crispy, about 16-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the bacon.
Whichever method you choose, do not toss the rendered bacon grease! You can hold onto that and cook with it in just about any recipe that calls for olive oil. Plus, it adds a lovely bacon flavor to salad dressings! You should be left with a few tablespoons. Seal in a container, then store in a refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Assemble The BLT Salad
In a large bowl or serving platter, add the lettuce, chopped tomatoes, avocado, crispy bacon, and homemade croutons, if using.
Drizzle with lots of tarragon salad dressing and chopped chives. Toss to thoroughly coat, then give everything a generous sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Add freshly ground black pepper if you like!
Leftovers
This is not the type of salad where you want leftovers. The creamy dressing will wilt the lettuce and soften the crispy croutons, so while you can make certain components in advance — cook the bacon, make the croutons, make the dressing — do not assemble until just before serving.
Variations
- Add cheese! This would be absolutely fantastic with blue cheese or crumbled gorgonzola!
- Don’t have tarragon? You can switch out the fresh tarragon with other fresh herbs, such as basil or even rosemary. For the latter, make sure it’s very finely chopped and all stems are removed.
- Add eggs! To turn this into more of a Cobb-style salad, add some chopped hard boiled eggs.
- White bread works too! You can 100% make croutons out of sliced white bread. Leave the crusts on, then cut into cubes and follow instructions for croutons. The difference will be the cook time. Start checking at 4 minutes to ensure the bread doesn’t burn.
How To Serve
This is a meal in and of itself, but if you’re looking for something to serve alongside it that never disappoints, we love this with our Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich on a summer day!
This salad is such a crowd pleaser! Great texture, great taste, and oh my gosh, that creamy dressing! It’s pretty fabulous!
If you make this BLT Salad recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More salad recipes to try!
- Grilled Corn Salad With Zucchini
- Broccoli Caesar Salad
- Butter Lettuce Salad
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
Print Recipe
5 from 2 reviews
30-Minute Crispy BLT Salad
You will love this twist on a classic BLT! We're serving it up as a salad with avocado, homemade croutons, and a creamy tarragon dressing, which works so well with bacon and tomatoes. A summertime lunch or dinner staple!
Prep15 minutes mins
Cook15 minutes mins
Total30 minutes mins
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American
Keyword: creamy mayonnaise dressing, crispy bacon, homemade croutons
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 352kcal
Author: Ari Laing
Equipment
Personal blender for salad dressing
Medium skillet or rimmed baking sheet, for bacon
Large bowl or tray for serving
Ingredients
For the creamy tarragon dressing
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp sour cream
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh tarragon chopped
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1-2 Tbsp milk to think out the dressing into desired consistency
For the salad
- 2 heads Romaine lettuce chopped, about 4-5 cups
- 5 strips bacon cut into ¼" thick strips
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes or about 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 large ripe avocado peeled, thinly sliced or cubed
- 2 Tbsp chives thinly sliced
- Flaky sea salt for serving
- Freshly ground black pepper for serving
For the croutons, optional
- 3 cups sourdough cut into ½ – 1" cubes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
Instructions
Make the creamy dressing. In the bowl of a personal food blender, combine ⅓ cup mayo, 3 Tbsp sour cream, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 chopped garlic clove, 2 Tbsp tarragon, ½ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and 1-2 Tbsp of milk. If you want a thicker consistency, use less milk. Secure the lid tightly, then blend until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Set aside.
Optional homemade croutons. If making the croutons, preheat an oven to 375. Toss the cubed bread on a rimmed baking sheet with 2 Tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp Kosher salt. Cook for 7 minutes, or until the croutons are crispy. Set aside.
Cook the bacon. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. When hot, add bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until crispy on all sides, about 5-7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate or bowl. Reserve bacon grease for another use (see note below).
Assemble the salad. Place chopped lettuce in a large serving bowl, then top with croutons, crispy bacon, chopped tomatoes, and avocado. Drizzle with dressing (or serve on the side), then sprinkle with lots of chives. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt, then add freshly cracked black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Allow bacon grease to cool completely, then transfer to a storage container and keep in a fridge for up to3 months. Can be used in any recipe that calls for oil. Allow to come to room temperature to loosen, or quickly heat up in a microwave.
- Homemade mayonnaise-based dressings will keep in a fridge for up to1 week.
- Salad will wilt if made too far advance, so feel free to make dressing, croutons, and bacon in advance, but do not assemble until just before serving.
- We use heirloom tomatoes, but Roma tomatoes, or halved cherry or grape tomatoes are fine too.
Nutrition
Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 902mg | Potassium: 1329mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 28136IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 185mg | Iron: 6mg
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