A recipe for a Southern classic 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!
Southern 7 Layer Salad: An Easy Side Dish
Need a delicious salad/side dish for a Fourth of July cookout this coming weekend? Try this easy (family favorite) 7 layer salad recipe!
I love this salad so much, I made the Southern classic recently to celebrate the end of my sugar detox. It looks healthy, the way it’s all made up of multiple layers of fresh, raw veggies…but then it’s all slathered in a dressing made of 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.
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.
Easy salad recipe to feed a crowd
This easy 7 layer salad recipe is excellent at feeding a lot of people and can easily be made the day before and stored, covered, in the refrigerator (the dressing layer keeps everything fresh).
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.
And when it’s made in a glass dish or trifle bowl, the pretty layers make for an impressive looking addition to a buffet table.
One of the things I love about an easy seven layer salad is it’s versatility. The ingredients can vary depending on what veggies are in season or just use your favorites.
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 seven layer salad recipe 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.
So when you need an easy side dish recipe, make this Easy 7 Layer Salad for your upcoming Fourth of July holiday cookout, summer picnic/barbecue, or any other special occasion.
- 2 cups of a good quality mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon 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
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In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and sugar to make the dressing. Set aside.
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Using a 9x13 glass baking dish or trifle bowl, 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.
Originally published June 2015, updated with additional information and tips.
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!
Can I use miracle whip instead of mayonaise.
Sure Cindy! Although you might want to leave out the sugar in the recipe so the mayonnaise isn’t too sweet. Let me know how the miracle whip works out if you do it
I made this salad for Easter for my family. Mine wasn’t as pretty as yours, but it was a big hit. The flavor combinations were perfect. Everyone loved it. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
That makes me so happy that everyone liked it! Thanks Katie!
I remember this salad, Karrie! It looks as amazing now as it did years ago! Yum!!
Thanks so much Nicoletta!
What a gorgeous salad!
Thank you Jeff!
Well, close the front door! Or shut the front door (whatever the cool kids say these days) this salad looks amazing! What a perfect idea for the upcoming summer BBQ and party season. I’m pinning for later!
Thanks Christina and thanks for the pin!
Your salad looks so pretty in the trifle bowl. I wouldn’t want to be the first to take a serving and mess it up. 🙂
Hahahaha! Too true! It’s hard getting that first scoop out and keep everything so pretty. Thanks so much Karen.