Wedge Salad Recipe
by Sommer Collier — on Jul 15, 2026 I love the simplicity of classic wedge salads made with just crisp, cool iceberg lettuce loaded with chopped bacon, tomatoes, scallions, and a creamy dressing. I’m sure you’ll agree, this is THE ultimate steakhouse style wedge salad recipe thanks to my tangy homemade blue cheese dressing and no-fail tips!
Who doesn’t love a classic wedge salad? If you’re here, I’m betting you indeed love them as much as I do! Loaded with crisp and cool lettuce, ripe tomatoes, smoky bacon, and thick blue cheese dressing, each crunchy bite bursts with a spectrum of flavors and textures. This terrifically satisfying salad is simple to put together with ingredients that are easy to find any time of year, and perfect to enjoy as a fresh and fun lunch or as a robust dinner side dish. Today I’m sharing the ins and outs of how to make the absolute best wedge salad recipe… And I’ll go ahead and share the secret with you now: It includes a homemade blue cheese dressing recipe that takes this dish to another level!
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Restaurant-Quality but Better – I feel like most salads you get at restaurants taste better when made at home. You know what’s in there, and usually they are a fraction of the price to make several servings. Similar to my greek dressing recipe, which tastes like it came from an authentic Mediterranean restaurant, this wedge salad recipe is a fabulous recreation of a classy steakhouse salad.
Simple, Quality Ingredients – To make the very best wedge you have to start with a THICK creamy dressing that’s heavy on the blue cheese. (Which is exactly why I make my own!) Then all you need are sweet tomatoes, green scallions, and thick cut bacon. But it’s also easy to customize with other extra goodies to change up the deliciousness a bit. I have some great ideas for additional toppings below.
Prep Ahead – Nearly everything can be prepared in advance at your convenience, kept in the fridge, and then assembled in about 5 minutes when ready to enjoy. I love to include it in my weekly meal prep routine!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Bacon – I use quality thick-cut bacon to cook in a skillet and chop up later. Too thin or overly fatty pieces will burn quickly and crumble.
- Iceberg lettuce – I look for a head of iceberg that is fresh and green, with a white lower stem area. The leaves should be crisp, not brown, and blemish-free. It doesn’t need to be very large, about the size of a cantaloupe is good for 4 wedges.
- Grape tomatoes – Or rounder cherry tomatoes. Either way I use ‘lil tomatoes that are a bright red color, and try to avoid ones that are still orange-ish and not quite ripe.
- Blue cheese dressing – While you can use readymade blue cheese dressing from the store, I greatly urge you to try my easy homemade blue cheese recipe at least once. It takes only minutes to make and tastes way better than anything from a bottle.
- Scallions – I use crisp green onions that aren’t too large. These are onions, after all, they should only add to the fresh taste and not overpower the other flavors.
- Crumbled blue cheese – I set aside some extra cheese when I’m making the dressing, so I have nice big crumbles to add on top. There’s no such thing as too much blue cheese in my book!
- Cracked black pepper – Trust me, freshly cracked black pepper tastes way better.
How to Make
Find the full ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Make the Dressing – I start by getting out a medium mixing bowl. Then add 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup of mayonnaise mayonnaise, 1/3 cup of buttermilk, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, plus salt, pepper and garlic powder. Stir well, then mix in 1/2 cup of crumbled blue cheese, cover and chill. Done! If you can, I suggest making it a day ahead, or early in the day, so the blue cheese has time to permeate the dressing.
Cook the Bacon – I’ll usually do this around the same times as making the dressing to go ahead and get it out of the way. I set a skillet over medium heat and place the chopped bacon in the skillet. I brown the bacon for 4-6 minutes until crispy, stirring and flipping regularly. Then scoop the bacon out of the skillet with a slotted spoon, or remove with tongs, and transfer onto a paper towel-lined plate to drain off the grease. Once cool, I either chop and use the bacon right away to make the wedge salad recipe, or chop up and store the pieces in an airtight in and airtight container and keep in the fridge for later.
Prep the Veggies – When I’m ready to make the salad itself, I slice the tomatoes in half and chop the scallions. To cut the iceberg lettuce into wedges, I first set the head of lettuce on its side on the cutting board. I use a sharp and sturdy knife to chop off the root/core end a little. But don’t cut off too much, since we still need the core to help hold the wedges together. I cut the head in half, right through the core. The I cut each half in two, again through the core, so there are 4 equal-sized wedges.
Assemble the Salad – I place each iceberg lettuce wedge on a plate, with the cut side up. Then I drizzle a generous amount of the blue cheese dressing evenly across the wedge. And when I say generous I meant it… I like to give each salad at least 1/4 cup of dressing, so you get some on every bite as you cut through the wedge.
Now I add the rest of the wedge salad ingredients, starting with the halved tomatoes, then chopped scallions, and bacon crumbles last. But don’t just toss them on! The dressing helps to hold the toppings onto the lettuce, so I try to be as meticulous as possible (without driving myself totally insane) to get everything to stick. Then I sprinkle each salad with a bit of fresh cracked pepper for that authentic steakhouse-style appeal.
Expert Tips
- Be sure to dry the head of lettuce very thoroughly after rinsing. Any extra water will make the leaves wilt and soggy, and can wind up pooling on the plate. I rinse the outside of the head and the sliced wedges, then pat them dry with a paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Use a very sharp and large knife to cut the lettuce into quarters. It needs to be big enough to slice down in one swoop without sawing back and forth.
- To prep ahead I recommend storing the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions in one container. Keep the bacon in a separate container for 3-4 days. And the homemade blue cheese dressing will keep well for up to a week or so. I’m sure you already know this, but just to say I told you so, all of the components need to be kept in the refrigerator.
- If your are not a fan of blue cheese dressing, that’s ok! Switch it out with ranch dressing to keep the creamy base without blue cheese.
- You want to serve wedge salads with a fork and sharp knife to go through the thick layers of lettuce. A butterknife will literally not cut it!
Additional Toppings
So, here I’ve given you the classic wedge salad recipe. But you can dress them up with any extra toppings you like!
- Sliced red onion, shallots, or chives
- Avocado slices
- Sliced radishes
- Prosciutto (in place of or addition to the bacon)
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Sweet pickled peppers
- Toasted pecans or walnuts
- Candied nuts
- Hard-boiled egg
- Corn nuts
- Cucumber
Serving Suggestions
Serve wedge salads cold as a main dish for a light lunch or side dish with dinner. I think they pair wonderfully with simple chicken breast dishes, decadent lobster tails, or one of my fabulous steak recipes –
- Bone In Ribeye Steak with Homemade Steak Seasoning
- Steak Diane – a Cheesecake Factory copycat recipe!
- Steak au Poivre with cognac cream
- Smoked Prime Rib au Jus
- Top Round Roast
- Standing Rib Roast
- Reverse Seared Steaks
Storage Notes
The iceberg, veggies and bacon will keep well for 3 days in the fridge. Any longer and the lettuce will begin to wilt.
When made from scratch blue cheese dressing will keep well for up to a week in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
As I noted in the tips above, the key is to get out every bit of water you can from the iceberg before assembling the salad. I dry the head after rinsing, and then dry the wedges after they’ve been quartered and rinsed individually. Also keep in mind that if the blue cheese dressing is too thin it can make the lettuce a bit soggy.
No, you don’t… But then, it’s not a wedge salad. While the wedge is a grand presentation, you can totally chop the iceberg up into more bitesized pieces and top with the same ingredients.
Technically, yes? You can make it with romaine or other greens, but again, I don’t think you can call that a wedge salad if it’s not, you know, a wedge.
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More Salad Recipes
Wedge Salad Recipe
Video
Ingredients
For the Wedge Salad:
- 8 slices bacon chopped
- 1 head iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cup blue cheese dressing (try my homemade version!)
- ½ cup chopped scallions
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- Make the Dressing: Click above for my homemade blue cheese dressing recipe! Set out a medium mixing bowl. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, buttermilk, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Stir well. Then mix in the crumbled blue cheese. Cover and chill until ready to use. (If possible, make a day ahead, or early in the day, so the blue cheese has time to permeate the dressing.)
- Cook the Bacon: Set a skillet over medium heat. Place the chopped bacon in the skillet. Brown the bacon for 4-6 minutes until crispy, stirring regularly. Then scoop the bacon out of the skillet onto a paper towel lined plate to drain off the grease.
- Prep the Veggies: Slice the tomatoes in half and chop the scallions. Then set the head of lettuce on the cutting board. Trim the root/core end a little. Cut the head in half, through the core. (This helps hold the wedges together.) Then cut each half in two, through the core.
- Stack: Set each lettuce wedge on a plate. Drizzle with a generous amount of blue cheese dressing. (At least ¼ cup per salad.) Then sprinkle the tops with halved tomatoes, scallions, bacon, and more blue cheese crumbles. Finish each salad plate off with a bit of fresh cracked pepper. Serve cold.
