Spinach Salad with Bacon and Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing

Name: Spinach Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: ¾ cup granulated sugar; ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 tsp ground mustard; 1 very small sweet yellow onion (quartered); 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp poppyseeds; 1 (10 oz) bag spinach; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; 1 cup bacon (fried and crumbled (about 12 oz))

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I cannot emphasize enough how much this Spinach Salad with Bacon and Poppy Seed Dressing is our favorite family recipe. It’s certainly a dish to reserve for special occasions as it’s indulgent and always a crowd favorite! Whether you’re serving it at a holiday dinner or bringing it to a gathering, don’t be surprised if everyone asks you for the recipe!

Spinach salad on a plate with spinach, bacon, and cheddar cheese with a fork resting on the plate.

This Spinach Salad has been part of my family’s holiday table for years. Every Christmas and Easter, my Aunt Jeanie makes this incredibly simple salad, and it’s always one of the most talked-about dishes of the entire meal.

And when I say people fight over this salad, I’m not exaggerating. If someone doesn’t finish their serving, someone else is more than happy to claim the leftovers from their plate. It’s easily my favorite part of our holiday dinners and a recipe I know I’ll continue making for years to come (along with this incredible Cranberry Salsa and Easy Christmas Trifle!).

After all, it’s hard to resist a fresh spinach salad topped with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese, and one of the most delicious homemade dressings you’ll ever try. If you’re looking for a salad that people truly get excited about, this Spinach Salad is the one.

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Why You’ll Love This Spinach Bacon Salad

Simple and Quick: This salad comes together in just minutes. With only a few ingredients for the salad base and a quick homemade dressing blended together, you’ll have a flavorful side dish ready in no time.
Perfect for Special Occasions: While this may technically be called a “salad,” (to be honest, it’s more of a salad than this Dreamsicle Salad) it’s definitely more of an indulgent side dish than a health food. That said, it’s a beloved part of many holiday meals in my family and always one of the first dishes to disappear.
The Incredible Poppy Seed Dressing: The dressing truly makes this salad special. It’s sweet, slightly tangy, and just a little creamy, creating the perfect balance with the salty bacon and rich cheddar cheese.

Key Ingredients for Spinach Salad with Bacon

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.

Ingredient shot of ingredients to make Spinach Salad with Bacon and Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing.

Fresh Spinach: A pre-washed bag of baby spinach works perfectly and saves time. Aunt Jeanie will proudly tell you that she removes the stems from each leaf of spinach. And while that certainly elevates the dish and makes it even more elegant, it’s certainly not necessary.
Bacon: Thick-cut bacon gives the salad a rich, savory flavor and crispy texture. Make your bacon in the air fryer for easy prep and use any leftovers for this! Pre-cooked bacon can work if you’re short on time, but freshly cooked bacon typically has better flavor and crispiness for this salad.
Cheddar Cheese: Sharp cheddar adds a bold flavor that pairs perfectly with the sweet dressing. I use pre-shredded for this salad and it works great.
Poppy Seeds: These small seeds add a subtle crunch and signature flavor to the dressing.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This adds an important tang to the dressing. You can substitute for red wine vinegar in a pinch, but try to stick with apple cider if you can.
Granulated Sugar: Sugar is necessary to balance out the vinegar and makes the salad perfectly sweet. You’ll notice that this recipe has a lot of sugar, and for our family, it’s perfect! Feel free to cut down the amount of sugar or try out a sugar substitute if you desire a less-sweet option, but keep in mind that the sugar ratio to the other ingredients helps the texture of the dressing, so don’t play with it too much.
Sweet Onion: You want a super small yellow onion for this recipe. White onions or large onions will give an undesirable onion-y aftertaste to the dressing. Try to find the smallest onion that the grocery store has, and if they only have huge ones, cut it into quarters and use that instead.

Recipe Variations

This salad is so simple but that makes it easy to dress up! Admittedly, we think it’s perfect as is. But if you want to try experimenting, here are a few additions you can try out:

Add Protein: Sliced turkey, grilled chicken or even hard boiled eggs would be delicious in this salad and make it feel like more of a meal on its own.
Add Crunch: If the crunch of the bacon is not enough for you, try adding some sliced almonds, pepitas or croutons!
Add Sweetness: Craisins would add another layer of flavor!

How to Make Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Blended dressing ingredients including sugar, apple cider vinegar, vegetable oil, ground mustard, salt, and onion in a blender.

Step One: Blend all the dressing ingredients (except the poppy seeds) together until smooth.

Poppy seeds stirred into the dressing mixture.

Step Two: Mix in the poppy seeds and set the dressing aside.

Bacon cooking in a pan until crispy and golden brown.

Step Three: Cook the bacon until crispy, then chop into smaller pieces.

A large salad bowl filled with an untossed salad with cheese, bacon, and poppyseed dressing.

Step Four: Top the spinach with cheddar cheese and bacon. Drizzle with dressing!

My Party Trick: Pour the desired amount of dressing over the salad and toss to combine. For the best flavor, let the salad sit for about 5–10 minutes before serving so the dressing can soften the spinach leaves slightly. Don’t dress more than you think you’ll eat because soggy leftovers aren’t great!

Expert Tips

Cook the bacon in full strips first, then chop it. This makes it much easier to cut into small pieces after cooking.
Let the blender do the work for the onion. There’s no need to finely chop it beforehand. Just peel it and add the pieces to the blender.
Dress the salad shortly before serving to give the dressing time to sink into the leaves. This enhances the flavor.
It’s definitely possible to make the dressing without a blender but getting your onion blended up well will be a challenge. You can finely mince the onion or grate it instead.

REcipe FAQs

Spinach Salad with Bacon and Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing mixed with cheddar cheese.

How Long Will The Dressing Last?

This amazing homemade dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Because it contains onion, it’s best used within that timeframe. I like to use a mason jar and give it a good shake before serving.

Can I Use a Different Type of Greens?

I love the soft texture of spinach for this salad, but you could use leafy greens like a spring mix or arugula. Crunchier lettuces like romaine or iceberg won’t soak up the dressing as well.

Can I Make Spinach Bacon Salad Ahead of Time?

You can prepare most of the salad in advance but I wouldn’t recommend dressing the salad until about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve it.

Can I Make This Salad Less Sweet?

You can adjust the sweetness of the salad by reducing the amount of sugar in the dressing. The beauty of this salad, to me, is the sweet and tangy balance of the dressing!

Did you like this recipe for Spinach Salad with Bacon and Poppy Seed Dressing? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes that I picked out just for you!:

Spinach Pie (another Aunt Jeanie speciality)
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Pesto Tortellini Pasta Salad

If you tried this Spinach Salad with Bacon and Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!