Hot Bacon Dressing

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

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.

Hot bacon dressing being poured over spinach.


 

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for hot bacon dressing in various bowls.

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

  1. 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).
Bacon cooking in a black skillet.
  1. 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.
Red onion cooking in a black skillet.
  1. 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).
Hot bacon dressing in a black skillet.
  1. 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.
Hot bacon dressing being poured on to a bowl of spinach.

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).
Hot bacon dressing on spinach salad with hard-boiled eggs.

More tasty salads

Join Us

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow along on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for our latest recipes! Tag all your glorious creations #culinaryhill so we can eat vicariously through you.
Hot bacon dressing in a clear bowl on a countertop.

Hot Bacon Dressing

This homemade Hot Bacon Dressing recipe 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.
Prep Time 2 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 10 servings (¼ cup each)
Course Pantry
Cuisine American
Calories 257
4.99 from 59 votes

Ingredients 

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

  1. Olive oil: If you don’t render enough fat from your bacon, just add olive oil until you reach ¼ cup.
  2. Red onion: Minced shallot works too.
  3. 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.
  4. Vinegar: I always use white vinegar, but cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, or white wine vinegar are also good.
  5. Yield: This recipe makes 2 ½ cups of dressing (approximately 1 ½ cups vinaigrette + 1 cup chopped bacon).
  6. Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in a small skillet to 165 degrees.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25 cupCalories: 257kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 16gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 779mgPotassium: 237mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 8mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
Website | + posts

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.

Quick & Easy Meals in Under 30 Minutes!
15 simple recipes for busy weeknights.

You May Also Like

Questions and Comments

Thank you for your comments! Please allow 1-2 business days for a reply. Our business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am PST to 5:00 pm PST, excluding holidays. Comments are moderated to prevent spam and profanity.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

    1. Hi Lincoln, store leftover dressing in the refrigerator up to 4 days. Reheat leftover dressing before using it. Take care! – Meggan

    1. Hi Deb, thank you so much for your feedback. I’ll be making this recipe to check its yield. – Meggan

  1. Awesome dressing! We put it on spinach salad with tomatoes, feta, and toasted pine nuts. This dressing will be good on so many things!5 stars

View all comments