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!
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
- Cucumber & Tomato Salad
- Butter Lettuce Salad
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
Tell Us What You Think!
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Crispy BLT Salad with Creamy Tarragon Dressing
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Tarragon Dressing
- ⅓ cup (115g) mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp (45g) sour cream
- 1 Tbsp (15ml) 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 (15-30ml) milk
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
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the Croutons
- 3 cups sourdough, cut into ½ – 1" cubes
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) olive oil
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the creamy dressing. In a blender, combine ⅓ cup mayo, 3 Tbsp sour cream, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, a chopped garlic clove, 2 Tbsp tarragon, ½ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and 1-2 Tbsp of milk. If you want a thicker consistency, use less milk. Secure the lid, then blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, then set aside.
- Homemade croutons: Preheat an oven to 375°F / 190°C. Toss the cubed bread on a baking sheet with 2 Tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp Kosher salt. Cook for 7 minutes, or until crispy.
- Cook the bacon. Heat a skillet over medium 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 bowl. Reserve bacon grease for another use (see note below).
- Assemble the salad. Place chopped lettuce in a large bowl, then top with croutons, crispy bacon, chopped tomatoes, and avocado. Drizzle with dressing (or serve on the side), then sprinkle with fresh chives, a pinch of flaky sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Storage: Refrigerate bacon grease up to 3 months; bring to room temp or microwave briefly to loosen. Mayo-based dressings keep up to 1 week.
- Make ahead: Prep dressing, croutons, and bacon in advance, but assemble salad just before serving.
- Tomatoes: Heirloom, Roma, cherry, or grape tomatoes all work.
Let us know your thoughts!