Seven Layer Salad
You’ll love this no-fuss Seven Layer Salad! The perfect summer side dish that can be prepped ahead and served at all your cookouts, potlucks and BBQ’s!
A FUN LAYERED SALAD
What is more classic than a delicious Seven Layer Salad? This is one recipe that my family has been making for years and it never gets old! Super easy to throw together on the fly and everyone loves it. It’s a classic for a reason! With fresh and tasty ingredients and a mayonnaise salad dressing, you really can’t go wrong with this recipe. This Seven Layer Salad is my default, go-to recipe to make on short notice for any gathering!
This was so good and everyone loves to see the salad in layers. It just draws you in because it looks impressive. I came back with an empty dish so you know that’s a good sign!
– Brenda
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes! This makes a great make ahead dish. Just assemble and store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 day in advance.
We use a trifle bowl that is 8-inches wide and 5-inches deep. You can also make this in a 9×13-inch baking dish as well.
You don’t want to chop them too small. Bite size is what we’re going for here. This ensures that you have evenly defined layers and that no ingredients will fall through into the others.
Traditional seven layer salad has this very basic dressing of mayonnaise and sugar. I know it doesn’t seem like much but it works. You could of course get creative if you’d like. You could add a packet of ranch dressing to the mayonnaise mixture. You could add in some seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.
If you prefer, you could use a store-bought dressing of your choice. I would just make sure it is a thicker, creamier dressing so the layers stay intact like ranch, blue cheese or thousand island.
You can if you’d like. Cover and place in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving. You can also serve this right away after assembling.
This can be stored (covered) in the dish where it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- iceberg lettuce – the traditional way of making a seven layer salad is with iceberg lettuce. Obviously you can switch this out for a different type of lettuce, like romaine or a mix of lettuces.
- red onion – if you find red onion to be a bit too pungent, try slicing them and adding them to ice cold water. Allow it to sit in the water for about 15 minutes. This will get rid of some of those stronger flavors. Just dry them on a paper towel before adding to the salad.
- green peppers – don’t like green peppers? Just leave them out or switch with another pepper you do enjoy.
- hard-boiled eggs – I know people have a love/hate relationship with eggs in salads so do what you like here. If you don’t like them, just leave them out.
- Roma tomatoes – I really like Roma tomatoes in this. They have such a fabulous tomato flavor but you could use any tomato you prefer.
- frozen peas – I like frozen peas because they are a bright green color. Canned peas or not so pretty in a recipe like this although they could be used.
- shredded cheddar cheese – you can get creative here and use other types of cheeses.
- bacon – cook up some bacon fresh or use the real bacon pieces that you can find in the salad dressing aisle of your grocery store. For this recipe though, I really think freshly cooked bacon is the way to go.
- mayonnaise – this is a very simple dressing. It may seem almost too simple but this is how it is traditionally made. You can jazz it up if you prefer (see my Frequently Asked Quesionts above for more ideas).
- granulated sugar
HOW TO MAKE A SEVEN LAYER SALAD:
Layer ingredients in the order listed up to the layer of peas.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the mayonnaise and sugar until combined and the sugar is dissolved.
Spread in an even layer on top of the peas.
Sprinkle the top evenly with cheddar cheese then the bacon.
Then dig in and enjoy!
CRAVING MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES?
Originally published: August 2022
Updated and republished: May 2025
Seven Layer Salad
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 small head iceberg lettuce, chopped (about 5 cups)
- 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 small)
- 2 cups chopped green pepper (about 3 medium)
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups chopped Roma tomatoes (about 3 medium)
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
For the dressing:
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Layer ingredients in the order listed: 1 small head iceberg lettuce, chopped, 1 cup chopped red onion, 2 cups chopped green pepper, 4 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped, 1 ½ cups chopped Roma tomatoes and 1 cup frozen peas, thawed.
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups mayonnaise and 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar until combined and the sugar is dissolved.
- Spread in an even layer on top of the peas.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese then 6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled. Then serve!
Notes
- This can be made a day in advance and stored covered in the refrigerator.
- Cherry or grape tomatoes can be substituted for the Romas.
- Make sure you don’t cut your vegetables too small, we want bite sized pieces.
- You can reduce the dressing to 1 ½ cups mayonnaise and 1 ½ Tablespoons of granulated sugar.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
This was so good and everyone loves to see the salad in layers. It just draws you in because it looks impressive. I can be back with an empty dish so you know that’s a good sign!