BLT Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing — A BLT salad packed with an abundance of veggies for added texture and flavor, all topped with homemade ranch! Fast, fresh, healthy & satisfying!
Easy Recipe for BLT Salad
My family adores anything with bacon. Bacon makes everything better, right?
The salad is chock full of colors, textures, and a plethora of veggies.
As many textures, flavors, and veggies that I can pack into a salad, that happier I am.
My favorite are the big tomato slices. Almost daily for the past 10 years, I eat one tomato. You know what they say, a tomato a day keeps the doctor away. Something like that.
Having juicy tomatoes with the crunchy cucumber slices, crisp carrots, and the little bursts of flavor and color from the peas and corn scattered about, is my idea of a great salad.
But what really makes a salad is the dressing. No matter how good the greens and veggies are, the dressing is the make-it-or-break-it element. And this dressing is a definite make-it.
You can just use your favorite store-bought ranch dressing, but making your own takes about 1 minute.
And after trying homemade ranch, you’ll never need those powdered ranch dressing mix packets again. Or shall I say packets of sodium and garlic powder.
BLT Salad Ingredients
To make this easy recipe for BLT salad, you’ll need:
- Bacon
- Salad greens
- Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Carrots
- Corn
- Peas
- Mayonnaise
- Sour cream
- Buttermilk
- Fresh parsley
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Green onion or chives
- Garlic
How to Make BLT Salad with Ranch Dressing
Making a BLT salad from scratch is so easy! I love that the dressing can be prepared in advance and eaten throughout the week.
Here’s a look at how the salad is prepared:
- Cook the bacon: Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions. Dice small; set aside.
- Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, add the greens, top with tomato, cucumber, carrots, peas, corn, and sprinkle bacon pieces over the top; set aside.
- Make the dressing: Combine the mayo and sour cream with a splash of buttermilk, lemon juice, olive oil, green onions or chives, parsley, salt and pepper, and blend until smooth.
- Drizzle as much dressing as you’d like over the salad. Enjoy!
Can I Use Different Veggies?
Of course! You can customize your BLT salad however you see fit. However, I recommend keeping the salad greens, tomato, and bacon — otherwise you’d be missing one of the key components of a BLT.
Can I Make This Vegetarian?
Yes! That’s what I did. Simply use your favorite vegan bacon and cook according to package instructions.
Tips for the Best BLT Salad
Low-fat swaps: For the dressing, you can use lite/reduced fat versions of the mayo and sour cream (or try Greek yogurt). I did, and the dressing is still plenty creamy, thick, and luscious, with just the right amount of tang from buttermilk.
Adjust the flavors: Like all dressings, adjust the seasonings, salt, and flavor balance to your taste. If you think it needs a dash more lemon, buttermilk, oil, salt, or whatever it is, add it to taste.
Leftover dressing: The recipe makes just over 1 cup dressing and extra will keep easily for a week in the fridge. It’s great to have around to do double duty as a veggie dip, or I’m sure it would make a fabulous chicken marinade.
Pin This Recipe
BLT Chopped Salad with Homemade Creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
A healthy green salad packed with an abundance of veggies for added texture and flavor. I used tomato, cucumber, carrot, peas and corn, but use your favorite and what you have on hand. I used bacon-less bacon (vegan), and use your favorite, cooked to manufacturer’s directions. The homemade ranch dressing is creamy, luscious, rich, and packed with flavor. You’ll never need storebought Ranch or those ranch seasoning packets after discovering how easy it is to make your own. Like all dressings, play with the balance of ingredient ratios until you strike the perfect balance. Extra will keep for over a week in the fridge.
Ingredients
Salad
- 1/2 cup cooked, diced bacon or faux bacon pieces (about 8 strips bacon, cooked to manufacturer’s instructions)
- about 3 to 4 cups salad greens
- 1 small/medium ripe tomato, sliced into thin rounds
- half of 1 cucumber, about 10 thinly sliced rounds
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced carrots
- 1/4 cup peas (I used frozen)
- 1/4 cup corn (I used frozen)
Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 heaping cup mayonnaise (lite or reduced fat okay)
- 1/2 heaping cup sour cream ((lite or reduced fat okay;Â plain Greek yogurt may be substituted)
- 1/4 cup buttermilk + extra if necessary to thin
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoon minced fresh green onion, scallions, or chives ( I used 1 trimmed green onion in entirety)
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled, optional and to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Salad – Cook bacon according to manufacturer’s instructions. Dice small; set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the greens, top with tomato, cucumber, carrots, peas, corn, and sprinkle bacon pieces over the top; set aside.
- Buttermilk Ranch Dressing – To the canister of a food processor or blender (mini food processors work great here), add all ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Taste dressing and if necessary, adjust flavor balance by adding more lemon, oil, herbs, salt and pepper, or whatever dressing needs, to taste. I like my dressing thicker and didn’t use more than 1/4 cup buttermilk, but add more, to taste, to thin it out. Brands of mayo, sour cream, and buttermilk all vary in their thickness.
- Transfer dressing to a glass jar with lid, or airtight container with a lid.
- Drizzle over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Extra dressing will keep for 7 to 10 days airtight in the fridge; shake well before next use.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 462Total Fat: 40gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 846mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 12g
More Summer Salad Recipes:
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Chopped Chicken Salad — An EASY chopped salad with so much FLAVOR and CRUNCH topped with PERFECT juicy oven-baked chicken that’s ready in 15 minutes!! Homemade honey apple cider vinaigrette adds the finishing touch!!
Balsamic Watermelon Cucumber Salad — An EASY, healthy, and light salad with watermelon, cucumber, arugula, goat cheese, candied nuts, and drizzled with a homemade balsamic glaze!!
Loaded Greek Salad — An amped up version of a classic Greek salad with avocado, artichokes, garbanzo beans, and more!! The tangy Greek salad dressing is ready in seconds and is a major flavor booster!
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Crunchy Peanut Salad with Chicken — Crispy fried chicken with crunchy cabbage, carrots, peanuts, cilantro and the EASIEST and BEST homemade peanut sauce that coats every bite!!
Had a huge plate of this without bacon/cucumber/peas, swapped with boiled eggs, pecans and feta cheese. So good and light, especially the dressing! Thanks for the recipe. :)
Glad you enjoyed this one, especially the dressing! Great to hear!
Averie this salad looks so fresh and delicious! I had to feature it in our Feature Friday post today for “2o Delectable Salads” I hope you can stop by and visit! http://returntothetable.net/recipes/20-delectable-salads/
Thanks for the feature! I appreciate it!
This salad looks delicious! I pinned it a while back but today I’d like to make it! Quick question though: Do you just thaw the frozen peas and corn to add to your salad, or do you cook them first? I’ve used a corn and black bean mixture on salads before (cooked), but never green peas…
I don’t cook frozen veggies for a salad like this. I just let them come up to room temp and sprinkle them on as-is. Enjoy!
Thanks! I can’t wait to try it!
Made this salad for dinner tonight and it’s delicious! I have to say… The bacon totally made it for me, made it feel like a treat :)
Ps. I’m taking it to work tomorrow dressing in the bottom of the Tupperware, veggies next then lettuce on top so it doesn’t all get soggy.
Glad that you enjoyed this and that you have a lunch for work tomorrow too!
Oh man, this salad is just packed, how delicious :) I am dying to make this!
I’m always looking for new, fresh salad recipes. This one sounds fantastic… perfect for the summery temps we’re still getting here in Australia. Such a great combo of fresh veggies. Thanks lovely! Stunning photos xx
This salad looks like just what I need right now :) I’m definitely going to try your dressing, all those fresh ingredients look divine!
i like this kind of combination of salad, is so fresh, healthy and very, very easy to prepare quickly and in the same time so easy to eat :)
I want this salad. It is gorgeous. Alhough I love bacon I seldomly eat it for health reasons. I’m going to brake the seldom here and make this salad.
I’m not a big bacon person … it’s okay and I’ll eat it but only in savory things. As much as I love the sweet/salty combo I can’t stand the whole bacon in dessert thing! It totally grosses me out! And then there’s my husband who constantly begs me to buy bacon … I somehow seem to always forget that request when at the store… whoops! haha This salad is gorgeous – I love all the colors!
I hate bacon too lol, but I think I’ll try this with some sliced turkey!
I love this dressing–it’s great as a veggie dip too. We had this for dinner and it will make a repeat appearance for lunch again this weekend as my veggie drawer is stuffed now!
Thanks for making it & glad it will make a reappearance! Enjoy that stuffed veggie drawer :)
Bacon or no bacon, that’s a gorgeous salad!
Chopped salads with ranch are my favorite, but maybe with real bacon :)
Oh, wow, this is the most delicious-looking salad I’ve ever seen! I’ve never made my own dressing before– what other sorts of tips might you have to make it easier?
Just read the recipe and do what I said – it’s super easy!
super fabulous girl!
You’re not alone! My family is not a bacon family, and believe it or not I actually only tasted bacon ONCE–it was Morningstar Farms fake bacon strips–and I thought it was gross. Of course, it could be that I overcooked it, or it wasn’t good because it was fake, or maybe the brand isn’t a good one–but I have never tried bacon again nor had a desire to do so. I’ve had a few salads with bacon bits, but I think they ruin the salad because they overpower all the other flavors.
I want this right now. Bacon and all!
You’re so bold to admit you don’t love bacon, lol! I think us pseudo-vegetarian can all agree on it. It’s ok, but it’s not like changing. It’s certainly not get-a-tattoo-of-a-bacon-strip-and-wear-a-bacon-scarf-and-use-bacon-bandaids-and-bacon-chapstick amazing. Am I right? lol
Totally right and in the food blogging world and the trendy food culture world, to say you don’t like bacon is total heresy! :)
I typically look at your site on my phone but yesterday I did on my computer and the pictures of this salad are beautiful! They made me stop in my tracks and admire.
Thanks for the compliments! :)
Homemade dressing is the best – and yours looks incredibly good Averie. Love all the bright beautiful colors in your salad too!
What kind of fake bacon is that?! I’ve never seen any that look so realistic, and I’ve eaten a lot of veggie bacon!
Great colors and you hate bacon…smh :)
Usually, when I think of salad, I think of bland and unappealing green leaves which are put together to make me feel a little bit healthier. BUT your photos surely change my mind. I love your food decoration ideas! SO pretty…
Glad your mind has been changed!
This is my kind of salad. I’m not a huge bacon fan either, to be honest, but sometimes I enjoy the flavor it lends to certain dishes, and salad just happens to be one of them. A good BLT every once in a while is something I enjoy too. I definitely need to try this dressing recipe – it sounds amazing!
So fresh and vibrant!! A beautiful salad.
And it’s ok that you don’t like bacon. I am a bacon lover, but I don’t push it on people ;)
LOL – on the not pushing it on ppl :)
I am not big fan of bacon either, and even when I do eat it, it has to be cooked just right: it cannot be too hard/overcooked or too soft/undercooked. I actually prefer prosciutto if I have to use bacon. But you added so much freshness around that bacon – the salad looks so colorful and healthy! This is my ideal lunch that I would love to have everyday (with the exception of bacon in it :))!
OMG, I just can’t get into bacon either, even the ‘bacon less’ kind ;)
Well, any sort of pork for that matter just doesn’t jive with me. I do like the occasional, good quality Canadian Bacon and I love this salad. The dressing is gorgeous!
I love all those vibrant colors! Bacon or no bacon, that’s how you get excited about salad :)
Oh I’m definitely visiting you in SD and I’ll pay you to make this salad for me. Loving every last bit of this. Pinned!
LOL you are so sweet :) thanks for the pin! When you visit, we’ll have to do drinks not salads LOL
I LOVE rainbow salads! Like you said, the more colors (and texture) you can pack in, the better. I’ve even completely forgotten about adding croutons just because I was so distracted by finding one more colorful veggie to chop and add in. So happy you sacrificed your kitchen and cooked the faux bacon; it looks like the perfect finishing touch (well, for everyone else)! :)
Funny…I totally forgot croutons til you just said that! Whoops! But I honestly almost never use them. I’d rather get my crunch from veggies :)
Exactly — and then save those carbs for cookies! ;)
I hate bacon too! But this salad looks so good, love the vibrant colors and homemade dressing!
I love that factoid about you :)
Looks delish Averie! The not-bacon you have in the US looks WAY more realistic than what we have in the UK!
It’s incredibly realistic. To the point that I feel like it IS real!
Nope, not a bacon lover either. I usually like the smell but then the taste is a let down. And fake bacon is worse than the real stuff. Bacon aside though – this is a straight up Midwest salad!
I thought you liked bacon?! Where have I been for 5+ years! But you’re right, I do think that fake bacon is even worse than the real thing in terms of stinkbomb factor!
This looks amazing!! I’d love a huge plate for dinner tonight!!
You know, funny enough I am not vegetarian but I don’t like bacon!! People think I’m insane. I don’t eat a lot of pork or red meat (Like a few times a year at a family dinner maybe), but I would never eat a whole slice of bacon or eat BLT or whatever.. it’s just so chewy and fatty and blech. Thought I’d make you feel less alone ;) If I wasn’t allergic to dairy I’d be all over this salad sans bacon :)
You can make homemade buttermilk with say almond milk and some lemon juice. No, it’s not perfect BUT it’s dairy-free and an option and then after you blend it will all the herbs, I think you’d be just fine!
omg! i absolutely hate bacon too!!!! yay! haha, a while ago (im not either of these now) when i went paleo and then primal i felt like really WAS the only person in the world who hated bacon! – i literally, CAN.NOT.STAND.IT. !!!
You feel exactly how I do. I mean,I CAN.NOT.STAND.IT.either. I know. We’re a huge minority as you full well know!
LOVE this BLT salad recipe. Sharing everywhere today :)
Thank you for all the shares and pins. You’re awesome :) xo
Okay, bacon aside on this amazing salad, THANK YOU for not putting hard boiled egg on it. OMG, way to ruin a good salad! This one is beautiful and I want it ALL.
I know! And if my family would have had their way, they’d have wanted that too! So I could have stunk up my house with bacon AND eggs…all to eat…plants. Which is all I want anyway :)
I’m in love w/ this salad… it will be shared on my FB page today!
Thanks for sharing, Lori! I appreciate it! :)
So many pretty colors! Those tomatoes are making me wish it was summer. Thanks for sharing!
These photos are gorgeous, Averie! I need to make more veggie filled recipes, just because I love the bright colors in the pictures. Haha! Also, that dressing looks amazing!
Thanks for the pic compliments, Karly! :)
What a fresh and colorful salad! Love love love all the bright veggies and that buttermilk ranch dressing looks incredible. So want this for lunch now! pinned! :D
Thanks for pinning!
Actually, while I do enjoy bacon every now and again (especially if its just used as a component), I’m not nearly as obsessed as most people are. Sometimes I think it’s just too much? You know? Can overpower everything else. I think I’m going to get hate mail for that statement, haha.
This salad is so vibrant and beautiful, Averie!!!
You won’t get any hate mail from me :)
I LOVE bacon. This salad looks awesome Averie, all the way to the dressing YUM!!
thank you, Aimee!
Oooh that homemade dressing looks incredible! And I can’t believe you don’t like bacon. I think bacon is what keeps me from being a vegetarian. :)
I loathe it :) Funny, the only thing that keeps me from being vegan is a stick of butter and an egg for cookie baking. If I could find a way to duplicate results, I’d be vegan 100%. For me, it comes down to cookie-baking. And for you, it comes down to bacon LOL
I love veggie-packed salads like these! I could probably eat a different one everyday. And I totally understand your love of tomatoes; I eat them whole (like an apple) and have been since I was 10 years old.
I do slice mine but I had a friend who ate them like that when I was growing up!
My family is on team bacon, too. But it does stink the house up! A thing I’d happily take on for a bowl of this beautiful salad :)
I don’t like bacon either. It makes me sad.
I will, however, cook it and serve it to other people, because it makes other people happy. I guess there’s an element of hypocrisy in that.
On the other hand, I know for a fact that this buttermilk ranch will also make this person insanely happy. Maybe I need to change my approach.
Another beautiful and very colorful salad!!! I have been wanting to make a batch of homemade mayo and would love to use it in this dressing. I have turkey bacon in the freezer and might try cooking it in the oven to see if there is a little less “after smell”. Jon will like this too (gotta love a man who’s happy with a hearty salad as a meal)!
Yes you do have to love that kinda guy! And I think the fake bacon smells just as bad! Turkey, soy, etc. It all has that bacon permeation smell. That just…lingers forever! :)
I’m checking out all the vegetables in this salad and they are all pretty reasonable for me to get right now in the winter season. I think that I will try this combination for dinner or our lunches very soon. I love bacon… my nemesis is fish. It is so hard for me to have the smell in the house.
Oh god that’s another one that STINKS forever! I don’t mind cooking it for my family but omg the stench after-the-fact that lingers just isn’t worth it! I hear ya!
Now that is an amazing looking salad and that chipolata orange chicken sounds off the chain delicious! Bookmarked and pinned :)