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Bright, crunchy, and colorful, this easy Seven Layer Salad recipe is a fun blast from the past for any party. Make it as-is, just like you remember it, or switch up those layers in a million different delicious ways.
Recipe ingredients:
Ingredient notes:
- Lettuce: Iceberg, crispy head lettuce, or Romaine.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Not in my Seven layer salad! But many people say that’s how they make it.
Step-by-step instructions:
Before you begin, you should decide on what bowl to use for your layered salad. A clear glass bowl shows off all the hard work you put into chopping the vegetables. And a clear glass bowl with straight sides makes it easy to assemble.
- First layer: In the bottom of the bowl, spread the shredded lettuce
- Second layer: A thin layer of chopped red onion
- Third layer: Chopped celery
- Fourth layer: Peas
- Fifth layer: Spread the mayo over everything and sprinkle with a little sugar
- Sixth layer: Shredded cheddar cheese
- Seventh layer: Crispy chopped bacon
Cover the salad up with plastic wrap and chill for a at least a couple hours.
Recipe tips and variations:
- Mayonnaise dressing: Plain, good quality mayo like Hellman’s or Best Foods is perfect. A little sugar makes it just slightly sweet, but even that’s optional if you’re watching your sugar intake.
- Miracle Whip: Substitute Miracle Whip for the mayo if you are a Miracle Whip fan. The only difference between them is that the salad dressing Miracle Whip already has added sugar, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Sour cream: Some cooks love mixing half mayo, half sour cream for a tangier dressing.
- Parmesan cheese: A few tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese taste great added to the mayo.
- Add meat: You could layer in some turkey or ham instead of the bacon.
- Extra veggies: Change out your layers for different vegetables like bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, scallions
- Change the cheese: Pick the cheese you love like smoked provolone, blue cheese, or feta cheese
- More toppings: Not traditional, but avocado, olives, and crunchy fried onions are so good!
More delicious salads:
Seven Layer Salad
Ingredients
- 1 head lettuce shredded
- 1/2 cup red onion diced
- 2-3 celery ribs sliced (about 1 cup)
- 12 ounces frozen peas thawed
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 pound bacon fried and crumbled
Instructions
- Spread the lettuce evenly in the bottom of a glass bowl. Top with red onion, celery, and peas.
- Spread mayonnaise on top of celery and sprinkle with sugar. Top with cheddar cheese and bacon. Cover and chill.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Lettuce: Iceberg, crispy head lettuce, or Romaine.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Not in my Seven layer salad! But many people say that's how they make it.
- Mayonnaise dressing: Plain, good quality mayo like Hellman’s or Best Foods is perfect. A little sugar makes it just slightly sweet, but even that’s optional if you’re watching your sugar intake.
- Miracle Whip: Substitute Miracle Whip for the mayo if you are a Miracle Whip fan. The only difference between them is that the salad dressing Miracle Whip already has added sugar, paprika, and garlic powder.
- Sour cream: Some cooks love mixing half mayo, half sour cream for a tangier dressing.
- Parmesan cheese: A few tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan cheese taste great added to the mayo.
- Add meat: You could layer in some turkey or ham instead of the bacon.
- Extra veggies: Change out your layers for different vegetables like bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, scallions
- Change the cheese: Pick the cheese you love like smoked provolone, blue cheese, or feta cheese
- More toppings: Not traditional, but avocado, olives, and crunchy fried onions are so good!
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is the Executive Chef and CEO of Culinary Hill, a popular digital publication in the food space. She loves to combine her Midwestern food memories with her culinary school education to create her own delicious take on modern family fare. Millions of readers visit Culinary Hill each month for meticulously-tested recipes as well as skills and tricks for ingredient prep, cooking ahead, menu planning, and entertaining. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the iCUE Culinary Arts program at College of the Canyons.
Excellent and so easy.
Hi Denise, so glad you loved it! – Meggan
Pro-tip. This is my family recipe. I’ve been making it for years. Make it the night before and put it in the fridge with aluminum foil over the top. I use sweet onions because I’m not a fan of red ones. The biggest argument in my family is how to thaw the peas. I like to make the salad while they are still frozen and my mom microwaves them. We sometimes add chives to the top and always double the bacon.
Sweet onions sound great, Amanda! Thank you for sharing your awesome pro tip! I would fall in the middle of the pea argument, I thaw mine by running them under cool water in a strainer. (Just throwing it out there, to each their own!) Take care!
I made this for a work potluck lunch and it was a huge hit! Instead of mayonnaise I used ranch dressing made from the packet. I also had some sunflower seeds on the side for people to sprinkle on top. I made it in a 9 x 13 glass dish. Will definitely make this again!
Hi Julie, so glad you loved this salad! Take care! – Meggan
Delicious and I love it with the eggs. Just an oldie but yummy salad. I just made it and taking it to prayer group tomorrow night. Some have never had it. Can’t wait for them to try it.God Bless.
I hope you and your prayer group love it! Take care! – Meggan
I also grew up with this salad, my grandmother was from Kentucky. Over the years we changed a few things. the dressing uses 50-50 ratio of mayo and sour cream plus some of a packet of ranch dressing and some pressed fresh garlic cloves. The biggest change was to grated swiss cheese rather than cheddar, as much as we love cheddar the swiss works better. And a key to layering is to have the onions and bacon in direct contact with the dressing so the dressing absorbs some of their flavors. So I layer it lettuce, peas, onions, dressing, bacon, and then swiss cheese. No eggs as my wife doesn’t like them…and no celery as I’m not a fan. I love this salad so much it have it for breakfast the next day!
Hi Douglas, me too! The leftovers are absolutely delicious! Thank you for the tips, I’ll have to try it with Swiss the next time I make this. Take care and thank you! – Meggan
Vegetables weep when salted. Frozen peas can produce liquid as they eat, so I put the frozen peas in a strainer and run hot water over the, then let them drain and dry a bit. Make sure your veg in the salad are completely dry before layering. The only thing I do differently is use green onions instead of red. The green onions won’t put out liquid, either.
I LOVE this salad as leftovers the next day for breakfast with coffee and sourdough toast, lol. I just mix the liquid back into the salad up the next day.
Love this salad, but by the next day….there is water in the bottom of the bowl which is gross. How to prevent weeping??
Hi Jacqui! I’m so sorry it was soggy the next day! Making sure the vegetables (especially the lettuce) are as dry as possible after washing is the key to preventing it from becoming soggy. I hope this helps. Take care! – Meggan
I haven’t tried this but an upside down saucer put on the bottom would help with that. It was suggested on a different site. The liquid seeps under it.
This sounds so good!
Two questions: 1. Do leave the salad in the refrigerator overnight before serving? 2. Do you toss the salad just before serving?
Thank you so much.
fayecrews@gmail.com
Hi Faye, you need to chill this for at least a few hours before serving but you can definitely leave it in the fridge overnight if you need to. No tossing, the separate layers are what it’s allll about. Hope this helps! – Meggan
The layers are beautiful and make a great presentation! I make sure people see it before I take it back to the kitchen and mix it all up in a huge steel bowl then put it back into the clear bowl for serving. This salad is excellent as leftovers (if there are any).
I really like the variety of choices of toppings in this recipe. Gives me more ideas to make it a little different each time.
I have been looking for an AUTHENTIC 7-layer salad recipe from the 60’s and this is it – Thank you! Too many recipes add eggs, ham, and other stuff – not the original! Thanks again – I can’t wait to make this!
Thanks James, hope you enjoy! – Meggan
I mostly followed this recipe, but I use a secret ingredient from my grandmother’s recipe. 1-2 TB of the bacon grease mixed into the mayonnaise. It sounds crazy, but the flavor it gives is amazing!
Hi Kim, that sounds amazing! I’ll definitely have to try it. Thanks! – Meggan
I’m going to try this recipe, you make it look easy!
Thanks Pam, I hope you like it! – Meggan
Mother has made a variation for years. Don’t know how the recipe says prep time is 15 minutes. I prep day one, make, and refrigerate at least a day, two better. It needs a full chill and time to set. You have bacon to cook, in mine eggs to boil too. For dressing it is always half miracle whip and half mayo. I was shocked when I had Mom teach me.. to find out that is what it was. It is a great hit. I do romaine always, one layer of fresh spinach, green onions, chopped egg, grated swiss cheese only, peas, and your bacon., The order is baby spinach, romaine. green onion, peas, eggs, salt and pepper, bacon, mayo/miracle whip, grated swiss. Leftovers are the best.
Thanks for sharing Kurt! – Meggan
Hey there!
Do you chop your own lettuce or buy a bag or shredded? One time with a different recipe I chopped the lettuce and it kinda wilted on me so I feel kinda nervous for that to happen again at a family thing. I think it was just after being washed and all it was a lot of handling maybe
Hi Mallory, I would suggest buying a bag of shredded lettuce considering the problems you’ve run into before. Hope you enjoy! – Meggan
I also love this salad and make it for most holidays. Always devoured. No celery and always boiled eggs!
Thanks Sheila! – Meggan
I’m with you. No EGG. I have made my 6 layer salad for about 15 yrs for my daughter’s BD dinner. She loves a steak, my salad and a baked potato. Celery might be interesting to add.
Thanks Sharon! – Meggan
Question: why is sugar added? Not a deal breaker, just curious.
Hi Christine, a little sugar makes the dressing just slightly sweet, but it’s optional! Hope you enjoy. – Meggan
I love this salad
Thanks Tonya, me too! – Meggan
I have been making this salad for many years. I add shredded carrots, diced red and green peppers and the red onion is the key. My topping is mayo with sugar, but very little. I usually make it the night before serving. Our grandson and his fiancee absolutely devour this salad when I make it. Everyone that tastes it for the first time needs the recipe ! I’m so glad so many people also love it as much as we do.
Sounds great Nancy, so glad you and your family love it! – Meggan
I made this many years ago. I don’t remember the part about frozen peas. I thought that they were cooked. Can cooked peas be used?
Hi Linda, yes! Drained cooked peas can be used, it will just taste different. Enjoy! Thanks – Meggan
This may already be in an older comment so apologies for any repetition: Can this be made the day before the event?
Thanks, Lori
Hi Lori, yes! Just make sure it is chilled for at least 30 minutes before serving. Hope you enjoy! – Meggan
I have made this layered pea salad from your recipe probably 4-5 times now and it is ALWAYS a hit. And I don’t even like peas?! So yummy, thank you!!!!
Thanks Courtney, I’m so glad you love it as much as I do! – Meggan
I had been craving a 7-layer salad and decided to give this recipe a try. For the dressing, I opted for Miracle Whip with Parmesan cheese; I also added a small amount of sour cream. It turned out delicious – thank you for sharing this recipe!
That sounds amazing Allison, thanks! Glad you liked it. – Meggan
And this is IT!!! From the 70’s! I’d lost my aunt’s handwritten layering instructions, but my fuzzy memory served me well. Served at dinner, my kid’s went crazy….it was devoured and enjoyed! Don’t count calories…count the wonderful memories this delicious salad still brings to the table! ❤
Hi June! I got chills! Don’t count the calories, count the memories. 😭 Seven layer salad brings all the memories back for me, too. I am totally inspired to make this now. It is SO GOOD, I just love it. I’m so thrilled that you found it, made it, and enjoyed it. Thank you thank you! You made my day. -Meggan :)
Have been making this salad for years have an OLD Betty Crocker cook book that listed it under vegetable salad. Everyone loves and never had any left. If there was I have found friends in fridge with forks. Tacky I know but it is that good !
Hi Irmie, so glad you love it! Thanks! – Meggan
can you use chicken and shrimp together in a sevenm layer salad
Hi Nita, sure! You can use our version for inspiration and change it to whatever you love. Hope you enjoy! -Meggan
I love this salad recipes it’s a great and delicious and yummy salad recipes..I like it it’s a good idea and good and great and delicious and yummy and overall well and great and wonderful and delicious and yummy salad to eat up it’s a excellent meal.. I mean a excellent salad to eat..I love it
Hi Saundra, so glad you love it! -Meggan
Can this be made the morning of the event. I read that it should be refrigerated for a few hours. Is that true?
Hi Valerie, yes! As long as you chill it for at least 30 minutes prior to serving, you should be good to go! -Meggan
This reminds me of my former mother in law’s. Tasted just as I remembered her making it. She had given me her recipe and unfortunately I lost it. Being careful with my sugars, could skipping the sugar and peas be subbed with red or yellow bell peppers? For sweetness?
Thanks for bringing back great memories.
Hi Adam, I’m so glad! You can definitely substitute peppers, some readers even add them as an 8th layer. Enjoy – Meggan
Delicious summer salad
Thank you Jay! -Meggan
LOVE this!!!
Almost like my mils. But, no celery, peeled thin sliced cucumbers instead. ALSO Dressing is 1/2 c mayo, 1/2 sour cream 2 tbsp sugar , 2 tbsp bacon drippings. Increase amounts for more dressing.
Just like my Aunt Sarah’s. Delicious
Made this for family gathering & they couldn’t get enough! Most went back for 2nds! Love this “Blast from the past!”!👍
Thank you Carol! I’m glad everyone enjoyed it! -Meggan
I use sliced water chestnuts in mine as well.
I know you may not respond…. but where did you get your nifty clear bowl? I have a trifle glass dish. But love yours for this recipe and others.
Hi Leigh! This was from Target but they don’t seem to have the exact same one anymore. I found this one which is sort of close: https://www.target.com/p/173oz-glass-serving-bowl-project-62-8482/-/A-53619647#lnk=sametab
The walls are not quite as straight but it’s the closest I could find. I did some searches on Amazon, Crate & Barrel, and Wayfair too. I don’t see anything better. Sorry about that! Thanks. -Meggan
This was easy and fast to make. I was trying to make it like my baby sister who unfortunately passed away and I never had the chance to get her recipe. Love this and it will be a tradition. Thank you so much
No frozen peas on hand : (. What else can I use? Canned peas?
Hi Jen! Drained canned peas will work, they will just taste a little different. – Meggan
Excellent .just like recipe from a friend growing up in the 1980’s. Great job…
Totally wrong. The key to 7 layers is lettuce. It must separate each layer.
Otherwise I call it a mosh pit.
Lived Carolina and its old recipe.
Another tip, peas frozen add, then let it sit ref over night ….till afternoon when grandma served.
I can get on board with the frozen peas, that’s a nice touch. But lettuce at every layer? We are going to have to agree to disagree on that one! LOL! I actually might try it because it sounds nice, but my family and every I know will think I lost my mind. I guess we dig the mosh pit in Wisconsin! -Meggan
To me this is the original seven layer salad recipe. I have made this for a lot of years and it’s my favorite. I can eat it for a meal. For a short cut I buy bacon bits instead of cooking bacon. Just as good to me!
I love that! – Meggan
This is a perfect low carb, not quite keto, salad. The peas are a little high so if you use fewer peas and stevia etc instead of sugar. Love it! Though we skip the celery.
My mom made this forever and now my sisters and I make Delish and and filling. I use either lite mayo or olive oil mayo and have never used a whole cup. I use a 9×13 glass pan. Mix romaine with the celery fill the pan. Spread with mayo. Layer from there. No eggs. No sugar needed. No parmesan in mine. Baco bits work or turkey bacon. Don’t need half pound. Just enough to crumble all over top. Baby frozen pees about 3/4 C. I’ve used chopped green onion instead of red.
Been a l-o-n-g time since I had this and fell in love with the simplicity of the recipe, an added plus is it is actually refreshing to eat, especially during the Summer months. I did add the hard boiled eggs as one of my layers. This was so we’ll received that I am making it again this weekend. Thanks for the reminder of a dish that is part of my childhood memories!
Made this over the weekend. It was a huge hit! None left to take home!
Happy to revisit this salad again. I like this version better than the one I used to make. My family devours it and I just keep making more. Hard to believe that something as simple as mayo and sugar for the dressing can taste so delicious. No variations. I make it as written.
We always had hard boiled eggs in ours and we loved it that way. Now my husband requests that I use pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar. We didn’t count the mayo as a layer. We would sometimes make it 8 layers layers if we had green peppers on hand. My dad and I would add tomatoes to ours as we sat to eat.
I like it because you can add and delete to your hearts content and have as many layers as you want.
I love this salad and was just having a hankering for it. Except, my mom called it 24-hour salad because it’s even better after chilling and melding for awhile. “7-Layer” is the bean dip, not this. So you aren’t limited to 7 ingredients. And yes, it always had eggs! I think my mom’s layers were iceberg, spinach, celery, green onion, peas, bacon, eggs, cheese, and the mayo dressing. Yum.
Here are a few additions/deletions I’ve found helpful.
1. Change red onion to chopped red cabbage for the color & for those who don’t like onions.
2. Don’t add tomatoes they make the salad watery (just like putting tomato on a sandwich that sits overnight)
3. I add the bacon just before I serve the salad so it’s not cold after sitting in the refrigerator.
4. If onions are used don’t use the canned fried onions (they are not good cold, very greasy taste when cold.
5. Make sure the cheddar is sharp. If not the salad is bland.
6. I’ve added cooked baby portobello mushrooms too!
7. If you add nuts toast them first. Add them at the last minute as they taste better at warmer or at room temperature.
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When my kids were young I quit making it because they didn’t like it. Now that they’re adults, I was trying to remember all the layers and the order. For some reason I always put the peas on top of the mayo–I guess it’s not a big deal. And, although it was always called 7 Layer Salad, it had 8 layers because I added green peppers. Anyways, now that I have it settled in my mind again as to the ingredients, I will be making it for Christmas dinner! Thanks.
I had this once about 35 yrs ago and loved it! So now it is time for me to make it.
Thank you for such great ideas and how to’s. I have a tough time getting proteins in so I will add a hard boiled egg and replace the mayo with spices added to Greek yogurt.
You forgot the hard boiled eggs !!
PEG!!! I NEVER had hard-boiled eggs in 7 layer salad in my entire life. No one i know has ever done that. A look on the internet suggests I might be wrong…. which would be sad. I mean hard-boiled eggs do sound good? But isn’t that too many layers? Or are you not supposed to count the mayonnaise later. Please advise. LOL!
My great-aunt Ethel used to make this very salad for our family parties. Her salad included 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper layered between the onions and celery, and 1/4 cup Parmesan mixed in with the mayo and sugar for the dressing. Other than that, it was exactly the same recipe we’ve loved for decades!
I love this salad. We have been making this for years and everyone loves it. As you said you can change up the ingredients a bit to your liking. We use chopped cauliflower in place of the celery. And I put equal amounts of wine vinegar and sugar into the mayonnaise. Then I mix in about a half a cup of grated parmesan. I am making it now and can’t wait till it is ready.
That sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing the variation Carole! :D
We used to eat this! My Mom would serve with pita pockets. So good with this salad stuffed inside.
Ooooh!! That sounds wonderful! I will add pita pockets to my grocery list next time I make this salad! :)
My mom used Swiss cheese and not cheddar. No egg either although I am a fan. 24 hr salad is what she called it, always assembled the day before. I remember complaining about it as a kid but I love it now.
Does it have to be a glass bowl
Definitely not! I just did that so you could see the layers and know how to arrange it. My mom usually made it in a plastic green bowl and you couldn’t see inside. But where I come from, everyone knows what 7 layer salad is so the bowl doesn’t matter. :) Good luck and thanks!
I made this, but replaced the mayo with ranch dressing and it was delish!
That sounds wonderful! Being from Wisconsin, ranch dressing is near and dear to my heart!
This seven layer salad is really good. This is the first time I made one and I can not stop eating it.
Glad that you love it! I know the feeling of not being able to stop, it happens to me every time!
How many cheeses can i use? I had it before with more cheeses
Hi Keith! You should use as much cheese as you want. There is no upper limit on the amount of cheese you can add (or kinds). Any chance you’re from Wisconsin? I like you’re style. :D
Can you mix it all up right before serving?
Yes, you definitely can! That’s a good way to make sure everyone gets some of everything. Because when I’m at a party, I just scrape ALL the bacon and cheese right off the top…. just kidding. But if I’m honest, I want to.
I forgot the sugar on top of the mayo, so I sprinkled it over the bacon. Sure hope it doesn’t ruin the flavor. What do you think?
I’m taking it to a ladies card night .
Hi Kay, it won’t really ruin the flavor. However, the sugar on the mayo sweetens it a bit. I think you’ll be fine though. If people like mayo, they’ll love it no matter what.
I had no idea layered salads were an American classic, Meggan!
You can buy them from a ‘posh’ supermarket here in the UK, but it isn’t something people usually make at home.
Love all the goodies you’ve chosen (well, that your mom chose!) to put in this. :-)
Wow, and I had no idea they were so ‘posh!’ ;)