Hot bacon dressing is a smoky and savory way to up your salad game. It’s packed with flavor from fatty bacon, tart apple cider vinegar, sweet caramelized onion and the zesty kick of Dijon mustard. The best part is that hot bacon dressing is an easy way to transform bland greens into a taste sensation.
Since hot bacon dressing is served warm, it wilts the leaves of spinach to perfect tenderness in a hearty spinach salad, and its sweet-and-savory flavor accentuates the bright flavors of other salad ingredients, like nuts, cheeses and dried fruit. But warm bacon dressing is more versatile than that; you can use it on sturdier greens like kale, bitter greens like arugula, and even endive leaves.
Ingredients for Hot Bacon Dressing
- Bacon: Bacon makes everything better (we have a lot of bacon recipes to prove it), and this dressing is no exception. It adds a smoky flavor, and because we use drippings, it also creates richness in both texture and taste. Consider using the best bacon brand you can find.
- Cider vinegar: You need an acid to equalize the flavor profile of any salad dressing. We like cider vinegar in this recipe for hot bacon dressing, but feel free to explore another type of vinegar.
- Sugar: Sugar helps balance the savory, fatty bacon and the tangy vinegar.
- Onion: Caramelizing onions in bacon fat brings out the sweetness of the onion while locking in the flavors of the bacon. You can use white, yellow or red onions, or even shallots for this.
- Dijon mustard: The zing of a great mustard expands the flavor but also acts as an emulsifier, helping the oily ingredients combine with the more watery ones. Use your favorite mustard or make Dijon mustard from scratch.
- Salt and pepper: No dressing is complete without proper seasoning. Salt and pepper are the finishing touch.
- Pimentos: This sweet little pepper isn’t just for stuffing your martini olives or pimento cheese spread. It adds a pop of color and mild aromatics to this hot bacon dressing.
- Cornstarch: One of the best thickeners for sauces and soups, cornstarch binds to water, helping the dressing stay smooth and silky.
Directions
Step 1: Make the bacon
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it’s crisp. Remove the bacon and set aside. Drain the skillet, reserving 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the skillet.
Editor’s Tip: Baking bacon in the oven alleviates the bacon grease mess on the stovetop. Or, if you prefer, there are even more ways to cook bacon, including in the microwave.
Step 2: Saute the onions
Add the onion to the skillet and saute it until it’s tender. Remove the pan from the heat.
Step 3: Add the other ingredients
Add the vinegar, water, sugar, pimientos, mustard, salt, pepper and bacon to the skillet. Mix them until they’re well combined.
Step 4: Add the cornstarch
In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water. Stir the resulting slurry into the skillet. Cook and stir until the dressing comes to a boil. Boil it for two minutes, stirring constantly.
Step 5: Serve the dressing
Serve the warm dressing over fresh spinach or mixed greens. Refrigerate any leftovers and reheat them before serving.
Editor’s Tip: Baby spinach is a fragile leaf that may wilt too much under a hot dressing. Look for more mature leaves; they will still become tender without getting sloppy.
Hot Bacon Dressing Recipe Variations
- Add ketchup: A touch of tomato and a little Worcestershire (like in this spinach salad with hot bacon dressing) add some umami to the classic recipe.
- Creamy options: Adding mayonnaise makes it a creamy bacon salad dressing.
- Use more mustard: If you are like me and can’t get enough Dijon mustard, you might try making a hot bacon-mustard dressing with orange juice, honey and quite a bit more mustard.
- Add protein: Add shredded cooked chicken, turkey or other proteins to the spinach salad. Hot bacon dressing goes with just about anything!
How to Store Hot Bacon Dressing
If you have leftover dressing, keep it in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. It will be good for up to four days. Before serving it, gently reheat the dressing on the stovetop and serve it on fresh greens.
Hot Bacon Dressing Recipe Tips
How do you use hot bacon dressing?
Hot bacon dressing and spinach salad are a famous combo, but you can use this dressing on any type of leafy greens. I have even drizzled a bit over roasted potatoes and grilled veggies. Fit for any occasion, this dressing can add some extra sweet-and-savory flavor to most salads or side dishes.
What else can you do with bacon drippings?
Don’t throw away the extra bacon drippings! That’s liquid gold in the culinary world. You can use bacon grease for baking, for boosting homemade soups, sauces and stir-fries, and for an added bacon boost to stovetop popcorn.
What are the essential elements of salad dressing?
A classic salad dressing recipe includes acid, oil and an emulsifier—like mustard, honey or garlic—to hold the ingredients together. In hot bacon dressing, cider vinegar, bacon drippings and Dijon mustard fill these roles. The ideal ratio is three parts oil to one part acid, which is your best bet for balancing the flavors, but each cook generally experiments to find their favorite blend. Learning the process is easy, and once you know how to make a vinaigrette you can build your favorite combinations.
