Name: Spinach Salad with Bacon and Poppy Seed Dressing
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 10 oz bag of spinach; 1 cup cheddar cheese; 1 cup bacon fried and crumbled (about 10 slices); ¾ cup granulated sugar; ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 tsp ground mustard; 1 small, sweet yellow onion (quartered); 1 tsp salt; 3 tbsp poppyseeds

Jump to Recipe

This salad is actually one of my very favorite dishes on this planet. It’s made with spinach and topped with crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese. On top goes a Poppy Seed Dressing that is delightfully sweet and just a tiny bit creamy. If you’re not licking your plate (literally) by the time your salad is gone, I’ll be very surprised!

Bowl of spinach salad with poppy seed dressing

Jump to:

Recipe Origins

This Spinach Salad with Bacon and Poppy Seed Dressing is my Aunt Jeanie’s recipe and has been part of my family for years. Every year and Christmas and Easter, my aunt throws together this incredible easy salad.

And when I tell you that people FIGHT over this salad, I’m not kidding. We eat it off of each others’ plates if someone (crazily) doesn’t finish their serving. I can confidently say that it is my favorite part of ANY holiday meal and a recipe that I will continue to make for my entire life.

Im serious: Who wouldn’t love a recipe full of bacon, cheese, and the most delicious dressing known to mankind? I haven’t met a person yet that hasn’t raved about how incredible this dish is.

Make sure to try it out and let me know in the comments below what you think!

Why Make this Recipe

two plates of spinach salad with bacon and poppyseed dressing

Simple: There is no need to spend an hour chopping vegetables or roasting ingredients. Just 3 simple ingredients and your salad base is ready. Then throw everything into a blender and your dressing is prepped for you to pour on top.
A Great Indulgence for Special Occasions: When I call this a “salad”, I definitely don’t want you to think that I’m under any false illusion and think that this salad is healthy. It’s certainly not. But on Christmas or Easter, my family makes this salad and it is the FAVORITE thing on everyone’s plates. It may not be an everyday, weight-loss salad, but it is absolutely, indescribably delicious.
THE DRESSING: Yes, the dressing gets its very own bullet point. Because it is that delicious and I am so very in love with it. This dressing is uniquely sweet and tangy and goes perfectly with the saltiness of the bacon and cheese!

What Ingredients are in this Recipe

Spinach: My aunt has always removed the stems from the spinach leaves, but I think this is too much work. I just use a pre-washed bag of spinach.
Bacon: I love thick-cut bacon.
Cheddar Cheese: I use sharp, pre-shredded cheddar cheese.
Poppy Seeds: These can be found with the spices at your grocery store
Onion: Use a sweet onion. Peel the skin off and cut the onion in half or quarters
Sugar: Granulated Sugar

How to Make this Recipe

Step 1: Make the Dressing

Put all dressing ingredients except poppyseeds in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the poppyseeds into the dressing and mix with a spoon to combine.

Step 2: Combine the Salad Ingredients

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl and pour desired amount of dressing on top. Toss salad and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes for best results.

Expert Tips

hand pouring poppyseed dressing on spinach salad with bacon and cheese

Fry the bacon up as full pieces, THEN cut it into bacon bits. It is so much easier to cut the already cooked bacon
There is no need to chop the onion. Simply cut it in half (or quarters) and place it in the blender from there.The blender will do the rest
Dress the salad about 10 minutes before serving it. Though I don’t normally like soggy salad, this salad in particular is much better when the dressing has had some time to soften the spinach leaves

I could eat this salad as a meal on its own every week of the year. But there are times this could easily be a side salad to a complete meal. Here’s some inspirational recipes of What To Serve with Spinach Salad for healthy and delicious meals!

Recipe FAQs

Where Can I Buy Poppy Seeds?

plate of spinach salad with bacon and cheese

Poppy seeds are available for purchase anywhere that you can buy spices. They will normally be stored in the spice rack at the grocery store!

How Long Will the Dressing Last?

If you have dressing left over for more than a few hours, I’ll be surprised (ours is gone within the day… always!).

Because the dressing has an onion in it, I would caution you against keeping it for longer than a week. Make sure to store in an airtight container in the fridge in the meantime. I always keep mine in a mason jar.

Can I Use a Different Type of Greens?

Of course, but make sure to use a green that is very leafy. Arugula could be another great option. I would caution you against using a crunchy type of lettuce (like iceberg) as the texture of the dish just won’t live up to this version.

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!: