A recipe for the classic Southern Easy 7 Layer Salad that’s perfect for family gatherings. Delicious layers of lettuce, sweet onion, green peas, hard boiled eggs, and topped with a homemade dressing, cheddar cheese, and crispy bacon!
Need a delicious salad/side dish for a Fourth of July cookout this coming weekend? Try this recipe for an Easy 7 Layer Salad. I made this Southern classic recently to celebrate the end of my sugar detox. The salad is made up of multiple layers of fresh, raw veggies all slathered in a dressing made of just white sugar and mayonnaise.
Yes, I just said white sugar and mayonnaise. Two ingredients that should never be mixed together in the same bowl and poured over perfectly fine, completely edible, raw vegetables.
I’m pretty sure I just lost a few of you by admitting what the dressing is all about by the fourth sentence of this post; however, I want you to know that this salad totally works (and no, I’m not having some kind of sugar deprived insane phase where I believe white sugar needs to be in/on everything).
The truth lies within the creamy sweet mayonnaise dressing that pairs perfectly with the crispness of the iceberg lettuce, the starchy pop of the green peas, the crunch of the raw onions, and the tasty toppings of salty bacon and sharp cheddar cheese. Pure heaven.
I remember the first time I spied a 7 layer salad on a dinner table. It was made by a southern friend of mine during my college years in Eastern Tennessee. My first thought was “Well, that looks like mayonnaise or some sort of weird Marshmallow Fluff on top of this salad”.
Neither of these ingredients sounded the least bit appealing to me, but I still ate it because that’s what I do. I eat everything. Or I always try a little bit to see if I like it enough to full-on eat it. I’ll admit, I loved the 7 layer salad from the moment it landed on my lips.
It is a taste of the South. True comfort food. I can just imagine, many years ago, how a Southern Grandmother was making a salad and thought “I’m just going to put some sugar in some mayo and use it as a dressing”. A little strange, yet so brilliant. And I’m sure back then, no one even questioned it, because simple was always best.
7 Layer Salads are excellent at feeding a lot of people so it’s commonly served at large gatherings. Many times I’ve made one for a barbecue party (either at our home or when we are guests elsewhere) and I always make one for Easter dinner.
The salad can conveniently and easily be made the day before and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. When made in a glass dish, the pretty layers make for an impressive looking addition to a buffet table, as well as a great conversation piece, as people will ask you, “What the heck kind of salad is that??”
One of the things I love about a 7 layer salad is it’s versatility. The ingredients can vary depending on what veggies are in season or whatever types you prefer the most.
Feel free to add or take away from the seven layers too. I think as long as you have at least four of what I consider the classic ingredients (lettuce, peas, hard-boiled eggs, and the sugar-mayo dressing), then anything else in a 7 layer salad can be personalized.
My seven layers are (and in order):
- lettuce
- sweet Vidalia onion
- frozen green peas (no need to thaw first)
- eggs
- dressing
- shredded white sharp cheddar cheese
- lots of crumbled crispy cooked bacon.
Seven gorgeous layers of yummy! The salad stays fresh for a few days because the dressing acts as a cover, helping to keep the whole thing wonderfully crisp.
I like making it in a 9 x 13 glass baking dish (I used a trifle bowl in these photos to show more of the layers), as the long rectangular shape is better at spreading out the ingredients to be equally proportionate to one another.
Try this Easy 7 Layer Salad for your upcoming Fourth of July holiday cookout, summer picnic/barbecue, or any other special occasion. And don’t tell anyone what the dressing is made of until after they eat it (unless, of course, they are on a sugar detox) 🙂
- 2 cups of a good quality mayonnaise
- 2 Tb white sugar
- 1 large head of iceberg lettuce, chopped
- 1 medium Vidalia or red onion, diced
- 1 (12oz) bag of frozen peas, keep frozen and do not thaw
- 5 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
- 3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 pound bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and sugar to make the dressing. Set aside.
- Using a 9x13 glass baking dish, layer the salad in the following order: lettuce, onion, frozen peas, and sliced eggs. Completely cover top of salad with the dressing. Sprinkle top with the cheese and bacon. Cover with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
I have already confessed my love of seven layer salad to you! #SistaFromAnotherMista. Love how you arranged everything in the bowl- the eggs are tres cute like that!! Yay to no more sugar detox and weirdly delicious salads! Gimme allllll dat sugary mayo! :)Cheers lovie ♡
You got dat rite, Yo!! And thanks for saying everything looked nicely arranged in the bowl. That was for show only 🙂
Hi Karrie!! amazing looking salad almost too pretty to eat! sounds like a great side for summer grilling!
Thanks Gaila! It’s wonderful as a side dish to grilled meat or veggies.
This looks SO good, Karrie! I love that it’s a 7-layer SALAD, and not a dip. I will definitely be making this for my next outdoor gathering! 🙂
Thanks so much Beeta. Let me know how you like it 🙂
I’m all for the sugar mayo…just schmear it on! I like the fancy lettuce mix as much as the next person, but sometimes iceberg alone as in this salad is the best. I love its clean taste and crispiness. Nice job with the salad arrangement, Karrie.
Haha Thao! Thank you and yay, I’m so glad you like sugar mayo too! I agree that sometimes iceberg lettuce is best 🙂
This salad looks amazing! I ate something similar once and i loved it. Actually, I love salads anytime and any kind 🙂
Thank you!! Love salads too and I could eat this one as a main dish anytime 🙂
Thank heavens that sugar detox is over! Bring on the mayo and sugar! I love everything about this southern salad and could eat the whole thing myself. Perfect dish for a holiday weekend bbq! It looks so pretty in all it’s glorious layers too!
Thank you Rachelle and no more detoxes for me until after the Christmas holiday 🙂
That salad could be called “Salad Trifle”, ha-ha! Delicious stuff, indeed. Even though I’m not a huge fan of mayonnaise but it really works here. Good work, Karrie!
Thanks Ben and love the new name for the salad 🙂
This has a POUND of bacon….Do I even need to say anything else? 😉 I mean when you top ANYTHING with that much porky goodness, then it just has to be delectable! I am seriously craving this salad, right now. Will you please mail me….all of this? K, thanks. 😉 I love how simple the dressing is. When you have that many flavors going on in the actual salad, then you don’t need a super complicated dressing. YUMMY!
You got that right Kennedy. I could eat anything if it has a pound of bacon on/in it! Thanks for appreciating the salad dressing for what it is. You must be a southern girl 🙂
Great presentation! This dish is perfect for a summer party.
Thanks so much Vineetha!
Tong, ta tong tong tong.
This is your kind of salad, Heather. With the sugar mayo dressing, bacon, and cheese, and all. Try it with some beets 🙂
Can I use anything else besides peas?
Hi Eleanor, I haven’t used anything in place of the peas in this salad; however, please feel free to adjust the recipe to your tastes. If you don’t like peas, you can leave them out and substitute raw sliced carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, etc. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I have used thinly sliced radishes and that works great too and adds another color
Love the idea of radishes Pam! Trying that next time 🙂
This is my favorite salad! An ongoing family discussion: do you serve this salad from the trifle bowl or dump it in a big serving bowl and toss all the layers together?
Hi Maggie! It is my favorite salad too! I serve it right from the trifle bowl into individual bowls for guests but you could mix it all together in a separate larger bowl before serving. The only disadvantage with that is, if they are any leftovers, the salad will become soggy due to the dressing. Thanks for visiting 🙂
I cant find white sharp cheddar cheese at my local grocery store can i use mozzarella shredded instead?
this 7 layer looks soooo good cant wait to make it. thank you janet
Hi Janet, yes you can use any kind of cheese in this salad. I think a mild cheddar or sharp cheddar works best in this because of the other ingredients, but really just use any cheese that you prefer. Hope you like the salad! 🙂