Hot Bacon Dressing Spinach Salad Recipe (Restaurant Style!)

Hot bacon dressing may sound difficult, but it’s easy to prepare and makes the perfect salad dressing for a hearty spinach salad. This spinach salad with hot bacon dressing makes a memorable dinner. It’s filling enough to enjoy as a whole meal, especially if served with crusty French bread to mop up the delicious juices.

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Why This Recipe Works

This recipe captures the essence of Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, where sweet and sour flavors create perfect harmony. The hot bacon dressing technique wilts the spinach just enough while preserving its nutrients and vibrant color. Using reserved bacon drippings creates an authentic smoky richness that no bottled dressing can match, while the balance of vinegar and sugar creates that signature tangy-sweet profile.

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• Bacon – Provides smoky flavor and crispy texture contrast
• Baby spinach leaves – Tender greens that wilt perfectly under hot dressing
• Tomatoes – Add fresh acidity and colorful appeal
• Hard-boiled eggs – Create protein-rich substance and creamy texture
• Red onion – Contributes sharp bite that balances the rich dressing

For the Hot Bacon Dressing:

• Reserved bacon drippings – The essential base that creates an authentic smoky flavor
• Red wine vinegar – Provides necessary acidity to balance the richness
• Sugar – Sweetens and balances the tangy vinegar
• Dijon mustard – Adds depth and helps emulsify the dressing

I like cooking bacon in the oven and retaining the bacon drippings for the salad. By using a wire rack resting on top of a jellyroll pan, the bacon drippings end up in the bottom of the pan so you can easily use them.

Ingredient Substitutions

• If you like using honey or maple syrup, either can be substituted for the sugar.
• If you don’t want to use anything sugary, Stevia or another sugarless sweetener can be used.
• Switch up the red wine vinegar with champagne vinegar, sherry vinegar, or even balsamic vinegar for a bolder flavor.
• If, for some reason, you don’t want to use eggs (maybe someone has an egg allergy), you could substitute them with crumbled blue or feta cheese and olives.

How to Make Hot Bacon Salad Dressing and Spinach Salad

1. Cook bacon in the oven until browned and crispy.

2. Chop the cooked bacon into pieces.
3. Reserve bacon grease for the dressing.
4. Place the spinach in a bowl and top with tomatoes, chopped hard-boiled eggs, sliced red onion, and bacon.
5. Place the bacon grease, vinegar, sugar, and mustard in a saucepan.

6. Heat to medium and whisk the salad dressing until it beings to boil and turns into a uniform mixture.
7. Pour the hot bacon salad dressing over the salad.
8. Toss the salad and enjoy!

Where Can You Buy Hot Bacon Salad Dressing?

I didn’t think you could buy bacon dressing for spinach salad, but a reader pointed me to Wos-Wit, a company that makes Pennsylvania Dutch foods. However, the best salad dressing does not come out of a bottle but instead is made fresh just before serving. 

This salad dressing is actually cooked just before it is served, but don’t worry—there is minimal cooking time, and it is easy to put together.

Types of Greens to Use for this Salad

Growing up, my great-grandmother served a wilted salad with a hot bacon dressing over whatever lettuce was in season. This salad was served up during the spring and summer. The flavor of the bacon dressing was out of this world when drizzled over a pile of greens.

This recipe is perfect for salad greens that are a little bitter. Often, this salad is made with spinach (the classic), but you can also use romaine or iceberg lettuce. It also works well with baby kale or even dandelion leaves early in the spring when the plants are small, and the leaves are not too bitter.

Adding some endive, cooked mushrooms or roasted red peppers is also tasty. 

Storage & Reheating Instructions

• Freezing: Pour dressing into ice cube trays for portion control, then transfer frozen cubes to freezer bags for up to 3 months.
• Refrigerator Storage: Store leftover dressing (without bacon) in airtight containers for up to 5 days. Keep bacon separately to maintain crispiness.
• Reheating Method: Microwave dressing in 20-second increments until warm, or heat gently in a small saucepan over low heat. Warm bacon separately on paper towel-lined plate for 10 seconds.

FAQ About Bacon Dressing for Spinach Salad

More Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes

• Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing
• Blue Cheese Dressing
• French Dressing
• Japanese Salad Dressing
• Olive Garden Dressing
• Russian Dressing

Favorite Salad Recipes

• Apple Pecan Chicken Salad
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• Chicken Salad Chick Chicken Salad
• How to Make Ham Salad
• Kale Brussel Sprout Salad
• Spaghetti Salad Recipe
• Wendy’s Strawberry Salad

Check out more of my easy salad dressing recipes and the best salad recipes here on CopyKat!