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Hot bacon dressing is made from rendered bacon fat, sugar, and vinegar. It’s a little sweet, a little salty, and totally addictive over a bed of hearty greens.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
Ingredient notes
- Olive oil: If you don’t render enough fat from your bacon, just add olive oil until you reach ¼ cup.
- Red onion: Minced shallot works too.
- Sugar: This dressing is sweet. If you don’t like overly sweet dressings, feel free to start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and increase as you see fit.
- Vinegar: I always use white vinegar, but cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar are also good.
Step-by-step instructions
- Cook the chopped bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy. Transfer bacon to a plate with paper towels to drain (do not discard bacon fat).
- Pour the fat into a liquid measuring cup. If you have more than ¼ cup fat, discard the extra or save it for another batch. Or, add olive oil to hit the ¼ cup. Add the bacon fat back to the skillet and heat over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the chopped red onion, sugar, and vinegar.
- Cook until the onion is soft and the sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper).
- When you’re ready to toss the salad, pour the warm vinaigrette over the greens and sprinkle with the cooked bacon. Or, stir the cooked bacon into the vinaigrette and toss with your salad greens.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 2 ½ cups of dressing (approximately 1 ½ cups vinaigrette + 1 cup chopped bacon).
- Make ahead: The bacon can be fried up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate the bacon and rendered fat separately. Reheat the bacon grease in a skillet and proceed with the recipe. The bacon can be reheated in the microwave or oven (or bring to room temperature and serve).
- Serving: This recipe makes enough dressing for 1 pound (or more) baby spinach, romaine lettuce, or other greens. If you use less than ½ cup sugar, you’ll have less dressing. Hot bacon dressing is also delicious over shredded Brussels sprouts, blanched green beans, boiled potatoes, and wilted Spinach Salad (below).
More tasty salads
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Hot Bacon Dressing
Hot bacon dressing is made from rendered bacon fat, sugar, and vinegar. It's a little sweet, a little salty, and totally addictive over a bed of hearty greens.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces bacon finely chopped
- Olive oil as needed (see note 1)
- 1/2 medium red onion minced (1 cup, see note 2)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar or less to taste (see note 3)
- 1/2 cup white vinegar (see note 4)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
- Pour rendered bacon fat into a measuring cup. Pour off all but ¼ cup, or add olive oil to reach ¼ cup. Return fat to skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add onion, sugar, and vinegar. Cook until onion is softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper (I like ¼ teaspoon salt and a pinch of pepper).
- To serve, either toss the vinaigrette with greens and sprinkle with bacon, or stir the bacon into the dressing and toss with the salad. Both ways are tasty!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Olive oil: If you don’t render enough fat from your bacon, just add olive oil until you reach ¼ cup.
- Red onion: Minced shallot works too.
- Sugar: This dressing is sweet. If you don’t like overly sweet dressings, feel free to start with 1 or 2 tablespoons of sugar and increase as you see fit.
- Vinegar: I always use white vinegar, but cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar are also good.
- Yield: This recipe makes 2 ½ cups of dressing (approximately 1 ½ cups vinaigrette + 1 cup chopped bacon).
- Make ahead: The bacon can be fried up to 24 hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate the bacon and rendered fat separately. Reheat the bacon grease in a skillet and proceed with the recipe. The bacon can be reheated in the microwave or oven (or bring to room temperature and serve).
- Serving: This recipe makes enough dressing for 1 pound (or more) baby spinach, romaine lettuce, or other greens. If you use less than ½ cup sugar, you’ll have less dressing. Hot bacon dressing is also delicious over shredded Brussels sprouts, blanched green beans, boiled potatoes, and wilted Spinach Salad.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25cupCalories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 16gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 779mgPotassium: 237mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
Wonderful recipe! I’m definitely making again!
I halved the recipe for us and used two tablespoons or so of honey because I don’t keep sugar in the house and I also used a sweet onion diced tiny because it’s all I had.
I’m so glad you loved it, Kelly! Take care! – Meggan
Top notch! Very favorable. I skimp a bit on the sugar, but that’s a personal preference. It’s a do over many times over.
Glad you loved it, Margaret! – Meggan
This recipe was spot on! Reminded me of a dressing I had at a restaurant a long time ago! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Teri, so glad you loved it! Take care! – Meggan
How much vinegar for this recipie?
Hi Beth, it’s 1/2 cup. The ingredient amounts are towards the bottom of the post. You can use the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page to quickly scroll down to it. Take care! – Meggan
Your hot bacon dressing is so good. I worked in a restaurant in 1980 they served a bacon dressing I don’t believe that it was homemade. I know Ken’s makes one but they don’t sell it in grocery stores, at least not around here, just to restaurants. I plan on checking out your site for more recipes thank you so much
Thanks Janet, so glad you liked it! Hope you enjoy more recipes. – Meggan
how long does the dressing good for?
Hi Angela, this dressing is best served immediately. The bacon can be made up to one day in advance. Enjoy – Meggan
I thought your process was very good. Here is what I like to add: 1 t celery seed, 1 t (heaping) of Durkee’s Famous Sauce, 2 raw egg yolks, 2 T flour, 1/2 t chopped garlic that was baked in olive oil, some water (1/2) cup to thin out the sauce. And one whole shallot minced and sautéed in the bacon grease. It saves in the fridge for about 4 days. I have made this for years and my mother before me, that is a total of 132 years!
On the bacon dressing:
My grandmother’s recipe calls for an egg yolk being put into the bacon grease after pan has cooled down. It really enriches the dressing.
excellent recipe. had not made hot bacon dressing before but this was better than any I’ve ever had at
a restaurant
This dressing is just like my Mother use to make for her salads! Yummy 💕