Seven Layer Salad Recipe (2024)

HomeRecipe ListSide DishesSeven Layer Salad Recipe

Posted by Aimee 23 comments
Published: Nov 28, 2023 Last Updated: Apr 5, 2024

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A classic, easy 7 layer Salad recipe served in a trifle bowl. So many options for the seven layers, you choose what you love. Perfect for potlucks!

Love weeknight salads for dinner? This easy macaroni salad recipe is packed with pasta, veggies, and tuna! You may also love this Dorito Taco Salad for dinner!

Seven Layer Salad Recipe (1)

Recipe for Seven Layer Salad

Growing up, my mom always made a 7 Layer Salad in the summer.

At family gatherings there was always an abundance of salads and side dishes, and the layered salad recipe with vegetables and sour cream never called my name.

I mean, things like Pistachio Fluff Salad and Snicker’s Taffy Apple Salad were my go-to choices.

And while I still love those sweet dessert salads, I’ve come full circle in life to where I tend to love and appreciate those foods from my childhood that I turned up my nose at (remember these 7 layer cookie bars?).

Anyway, let’s get started on all the details to making THE BEST Seven Layer Salad recipe!

What’s in a 7 Layer Salad?

Seven Layer Salad Recipe (2)

EGGS: Make your hard boiled eggs. You’ll need about 6-8 large eggs for this recipe.

PRO TIP: I love using my Instant Pot Hard Boiled Egg recipe for quick and perfect eggs. They peel like a dream. Once cooked, cut eggs into quarters.

BACON: Whether you like your breakfast bacon chewy or crunchy doesn’t matter for today’s salad. You MUST make the crunchy version. Trust me, in a salad, wimpy chewy bacon is never a good option.

To get perfect crisp bacon I opt to fry it up in a skillet while my eggs are cooking! Crumble the bacon once it is cooked to a crisp!

VEGETABLES: Cut and dice your remaining vegetables.

  • Lettuce: Iceberg lettuce is what I usually choose for 7 layer salad. Wash it good with cold water, shake off excess water, blot with paper towels, then give it a rough chop into bite size pieces.
  • Cherry Tomatoes: Slice in half.
  • Red Onion: Cut onion in half, peel, and make thin slices.
  • Red Bell Pepper: Thinly sliced and seeded.
  • Frozen Peas: Thawed. You can also use canned sweet peas that have been drained. I prefer the frozen though as they have a less “mushy” texture.
  • Green Onion: Sliced thin, using the white and the green tops.

DRESSING: Mix the dressing. Using a medium size bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, granulated sugar, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and onion powder.

ASSEMBLE: Assemble the salad. In a large trifle bowl or clear glass salad bowl (so you can see the layers!), layer 1/2 of the chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, hard boiled eggs. Add about 1/3 of the dressing. Top with the remaining lettuce, black olives, peas, and red bell pepper. Add the remaining dressing on top.

Garnish the top of the salad with shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, and green onions slices (optional).

CHILL: Refrigerate. It’s very important for a seven layer salad to chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Serve and enjoy!

Stop up on mayo so you can whip up this easy chocolate mayonnaise cake next!

Seven Layer Salad Recipe (3)

How do you Make Seven Layer Salad

  1. Lettuce
  2. Tomato
  3. Onion
  4. Eggs
  5. Olives
  6. Peas
  7. Peppers
  8. OOPS. I have too many layers. Dressing.
  9. Cheese.
  10. Bacon.
  11. Green onion

As you can see there is a LOT of flexibility with layers. Sometimes I omit the olives and peppers. Sometimes I get rid of the onion and peas. Seriously, make it with the layers YOU love.

This salad makes a big trifle bowl full of fresh veggies, and is the perfect crowd feeding recipe!

Seven Layer Salad Recipe (4)

Favorite Salad Recipes

Main Dish

Egg Salad Recipe

Side Dishes

Potato Salad Recipe

Side Dishes

Copycat Chick-fil-A Chicken Salad Sandwich

Side Dishes

Roasted Corn Salad

Seven Layer Salad Recipe (9)

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7 Layer Salad Recipe

4.93 from 27 votes

By: Aimee

A classic, easy 7 layer Salad recipe served in a trifle bowl. So many options for the seven layers, you choose what you love. Perfect for potlucks!

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

For the salad

  • 8 Large Eggs hard boiled, quartered
  • 1 package bacon, cooked and crumbled 12 oz
  • 8 cups Iceberg lettuce
  • 1 medium red onion sliced thin
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
  • 12 oz frozen peas thawed
  • 1 can sliced black olives, drained 4 oz
  • 1 red pepper seeded and sliced thin (or diced)
  • 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 green onions chopped

For the dressing

  • 1 ½ cups Mayonnaise
  • ½ cup Sour Cream
  • ¼ cup Buttermilk
  • 3 Tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp onion powder

Instructions

  • Make your hard boiled eggs. You’ll need about 6-8 large eggs for this recipe. I love using my Instant Pot Hard Boiled Egg recipe for quick and perfect eggs. Once cooked, cut eggs into quarters.

  • Prepare your bacon. To get perfect crisp bacon I opt to fry it up in a skillet while my eggs are cooking! Crumble the bacon once it is cooked to a crisp!

  • Cut and dice your remaining vegetables.(see ingredients above).

  • Mix the dressing. Using a medium size bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, granulated sugar, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and onion powder.

  • Assemble the salad. In a large trifle bowl or clear glass salad bowl, layer 1/2 of the chopped lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, hard boiled eggs. Add about 1/3 of the dressing. Top with the remaining lettuce, black olives, peas, and red bell pepper. Add the remaining dressing on top.

  • Garnish the top of the salad with shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, and green onions slices (optional).

  • Refrigerate. It’s very important for a seven layer salad to chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. SERVE and ENJOY.

Notes

  • For quick assembly, feel free to use precooked bacon and hard boiled Eggs. You can buy both at most large grocery stores!
  • The dressing is key to this salad. It’s just slightly sweet from the sugar, but the zesty flavor comes from the buttermilk. I buy THIS buttermilk powder to store in my refrigerator for longer periods of time so it’s handy when I need it! You could also make my buttermilk substitute!
  • In a pinch, don’t tell my mom, but you COULD use a thick ranch dressing if needed.
  • See blog post for more recipe tips and tricks.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup, Calories: 390kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g, Cholesterol: 160mg, Sodium: 575mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g

Course: Side Dishes

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Mention @shugarysweets or tag #shugarysweets!

Traditional, Southern 7 Layer Salad recipe with zesty dressing. Perfect for potlucks and parties.

Seven Layer Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is 7 layer salad made of? ›

A fabulous 7-layer salad consisting of Romaine lettuce, peas, red onion, bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cheddar cheese and green onions. The dressing is killer!

How many carbs does a 7 layer salad have? ›

Seven-layer Salad (lettuce Salad Made With A Combination Of Onion, Celery, Green Pepper, Peas, Mayonnaise, Cheese, Eggs, And/or Bacon) (1 cup) contains 7.3g total carbs, 5.7g net carbs, 25.9g fat, 5.6g protein, and 281 calories.

What is the history of the 7 layer salad? ›

The dish may have originated in the South and was called the "seven-layer pea salad" for its main layers of peas. The traditional seven-layer salad is covered with a coating of mayonnaise (and sometimes sour cream) and includes eggs and bacon. It has been said to have "helped give salads of the 1950s a bad name...

What are the 4 elements of a salad? ›

The basic parts of a salad are the base, the body, the garnish, and the dressing. The five basic types of salad are green salads (tossed or composed), bound, vegetable, fruit, and combination.

Can you eat a lot of salad on keto? ›

Can you eat too much salad on keto? Vegetables do contain carbohydrates, so it is possible to eat too much salad and exceed your carb limit for the day. However, if you're careful about the greens and other veggies you include and don't overdo it, delicious salads can be a staple in your keto diet.

How much salad can you eat on keto? ›

Absolutely. In fact, salads with meat and full fat dressing (as long as it's low carb) are a great meal for a ketogenic dieter. Tomatoes aren't terribly carby in moderation, and even in the earliest incarnations of the Atkins diet, Dr. Atkins advocated for 2–3 cups of leafy greens a day.

Are salads high in carbs? ›

From chopped salads featuring fruits and leafy greens to cobb salads with protein-rich cheese or chicken, there's something on this list for you. Each salad has 15 grams of carbohydrates or less per serving, so you'll be able to follow a low-carb eating pattern while enjoying a fresh and filling meal.

Who does Robin yell at in How I Met Your Mother? ›

Robin Scherbatsky had a habit of yelling at her co-worker Patrice in the final handful of How I Met Your Mother seasons, and here's why.

Where was Jason Segel in Season 9 of How I Met Your Mother? ›

The explanation for this part of How I Met Your Mother season 9 comes from Jason Segel's real life. Reportedly, the actor did not want to return to the final season of How I Met Your Mother, as Jason Segel wanted to focus on other projects.

How I Met Your Mother Eriksen salad? ›

Layer the ingredients in a large shallow dish for serving. Start with the refried beans, then add a layer of guacamole, crema, cheese, pico de gallo, and lettuce. Finish with a sprinkling of funyuns and jalapenos. Serve with a tortilla chips.

What is the oldest salad dressing? ›

The Babylonians used oil and vinegar for dressing greens nearly 2,000 years ago. Egyptians favored a salad dressed with oil, vinegar and Asian spices. Mayonnaise is said to have made its debut at a French Nobleman's table over 200 years ago.

What salad was invented in California? ›

The iconic Cobb Salad was invented in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, California, by Bob Cobb. The ingredients for Cobb Salad vary from recipe to recipe but they typically start with some sort of leafy green like Romaine lettuce.

What is the main ingredient of bound salad? ›

Bound salad: ingredients such as meat, poultry, fish, egg, or starch such as potato, pasta, or rice and bound with mayo. Vegetable salad: cooked and/or raw vegetables (coleslaw); can be bound with mayo or mixed with vinegar/oil dressing.

What is a main course salad composed of? ›

A main course salad should be large enough to serve as a whole meal. It should contain protein ingredients, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, legumes, or cheese. It should also contain a variety of vegetables, greens, and/or fruits.

What is composed salad made of? ›

It shows off the intense, irresistible vegetables, herbs and fruits of the season — but can also have rich components like cheese, eggs, toasted nuts and smoked fish or meat. With a loaf of (preferably grilled) bread, it is a meal in itself.

What does a salad consist of? ›

Most leafy vegetables that can be eaten raw are used: all varieties of lettuce, garden cress and watercress, endives, cabbage, spinach, escarole, romaine (cos), arugula, and fresh herbs. Other vegetables, raw or cooked—tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, peppers, beets, and so on—may garnish the green salad.

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