Easy Bacon Avocado BLT Salad for Quick Lunch
My kids went through a phase where they wanted BLTs every single day, and this salad was born the afternoon I ran out of bread.
You get crispy bacon, ripe avocado, and cold juicy tomatoes all in one bowl. The smell of bacon crisping is the signal that the hardest part is already behind you.
Easy Bacon Avocado BLT Salad for Quick Lunch
All the smoky, creamy satisfaction of a BLT sandwich, tossed into a bowl you can pull together in 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon , thick-cut preferred
- 2 ripe avocados , pitted and cubed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes , halved
- 6 cups romaine lettuce , chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup red onion , thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp lemon juice , freshly squeezed
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp black pepper , freshly cracked
- 1/4 tsp salt , or to taste
Instructions
Tips & Notes
- Pick avocados that give just slightly under thumb pressure. If they feel mushy anywhere, they will turn brown the moment you cut them.
- Pat the bacon pieces with a second paper towel before crumbling. Drier bacon stays crisp longer once it hits the dressing.
- If you are making this ahead, store the dressing, avocado, and bacon separately and assemble right before eating.
- Add a soft-boiled egg on top if you want this to hold you through a longer afternoon without snacking.
Nutrition per serving · estimated
Why the bacon order matters here
Starting bacon in a cold pan rather than a preheated one gives the fat time to render slowly, which means crispier results without burnt edges. Those browned bits left in the pan smell incredible but stay in the pan. This salad does not need them.
The 3-minute rest before crumbling is not optional. Bacon that goes straight from pan to bowl turns the romaine warm and slightly wilted within 2 minutes, and the whole point of this salad is the contrast between warm smoky bacon and cold crisp lettuce.
Making the dressing work without a BLT bun
The mayo-based dressing here is doing the job that bread usually does in a classic BLT, which is holding all the richness together and softening the sharpness of the raw onion. The lemon juice is what keeps it from feeling heavy.
If you want a lighter version, swap half the mayo for plain Greek yogurt. The texture changes slightly and the tang increases, but it works well and cuts about 60 calories per serving.
