Hot Bacon Vinaigrette
You’re going to want to dress up every salad with this Hot Bacon Vinaigrette! Made with bacon fat, honey, mustard and spices, this delightfully tangy salad dressing is wonderful on everything, from veggies to your favorite salads.
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Hot Bacon Vinaigrette Recipe
Salads get a bad rap, but let me tell you: They do NOT have to be boring!
In addition to using your favorite greens and the best toppings, a great salad dressing can really make them shine.
This hot bacon dressing recipe is a favorite at my house. We love every use of bacon, from bacon burgers to bacon pancakes.
Served warm, this dressing is a great way to bring some extra bacon flavor to your salads. (We love you, bacon bits, but this is next level, OK?)
Why I love this recipe:
This hot bacon vinaigrette is going to be your new go-to salad dressing!
Here are a few reasons I adore it:
- It goes well on just about any green salad.
- It’s a great way to use leftover bacon fat.
- You can also drizzle it over pasta, use it as a dip OR brush it on sandwiches.
More salad dressings to try: Catalina Dressing | Strawberry Vinaigrette | Creamy Honey Mustard Dressing | Red Wine Vinaigrette Salad Dressing | Blueberry Salad Dressing
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Bacon fat separator
- Bacon fat jar
- Mason jar or salad dressing shaker
- Salad dressing cups, for taking it to-go in lunches
- Whisk
- Skillet for cooking bacon
- Tongs
- Microwave bacon cooker
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need to grab at the grocery store:
- Warm bacon fat — whether you use a skillet, the microwave or your oven to bake bacon, save the fat. We’ll use it as the oil in this dressing.
- Large garlic clove — a fresh clove is most flavorful but you can use minced garlic from the store too.
- Apple cider vinegar — you can substitute other types of vinegar like white wine vinegar here.
- Dijon mustard — you’re looking for the grainy kind here.
- Honey — your favorite local honey will work well. Feel free to substitute maple syrup for a fall twist to make it a warm maple bacon vinaigrette.
- Black pepper — freshly ground black pepper adds lots of flavor to this dressing.
Since bacon tends to be salty, I do not add kosher salt to my dressing. However, you can and should add a pinch if yours doesn’t have enough salt.
How to make Hot Bacon Vinaigrette
Here’s how to make this Hot Bacon Vinaigrette recipe:
Cook the bacon until the fat has rendered and the bacon is crispy in a skillet. You may use a nonstick or cast iron skillet.
DID YOU KNOW?
“Rendered” means you are essentially melting the fat from the meat into an oil. You may use thick cut bacon or regularly sliced bacon.
With tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the bacon from the pan, and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Leave the fat in the skillet.
You can also bake your bacon or cook bacon in the microwave. As long as you have grease at the end of it, you’re ready to make this dressing.
If you’re the kind of person who keeps a jar of bacon grease in your fridge, you can use that. Just warm it up in the pan until it is liquid and warm.
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant.
Remove the fat and garlic from the skillet. Transfer to a small jar or another heat-safe container.
Add the apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey and black pepper.
Place the cap on the jar and shake until combined. Shake really hard to emulsify the oil and vinegar together. You can also do this in a blender if you like.
Set the dressing aside until time to serve the salad.
Pro tip!
You can make this salad dressing in advance. When ready to serve, reheat in 5-10 second bursts in the microwave to warm through. Then drizzle on your salad.
Uses for bacon salad dressing
This warm vinaigrette really shines on this bacon and apple salad. It’s sweet, salty and crunchy and oh-so-perfect for casual lunches, fancier dinner parties and holiday meals.
Bacon goes with lots of other proteins, from shrimp salad to steak salad to chicken salad and spinach salad, too. It also could star as the only protein, such as in this grilled peach salad.
You can add this bacon dressing to any green salad that you love. Maybe add some extra crispy bacon bits with this spicy praline bacon while you’re at it?
You can also drizzle this dressing over pasta, brush it on sandwiches or use it as a dip or sauce. It’s especially great on potato salad or a veggie like brussels sprouts or steamed green beans.
How to store/freeze
Store this salad dressing in a mason jar or other food-safe, airtight container in the fridge.
It may coagulate, so you should reheat it uncovered in the microwave and give it a good shake before using.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
If you want to use this warm bacon vinaigrette while entertaining friends and family, I think that’s amazing.
Here are a few things I would do:
- Make it early, then reheat this dressing just before serving. It’s best served hot.
- Serve the dressing warm in a gravy boat* (affiliate link).
- Let guests dress their own salads. People like different amounts of dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bacon dressing is made from bacon fat, vinegar, honey, mustard and spices. The oil and vinegar are shaken or blended together to emulsify the ingredients and prevent separation.
Typically, we make vinaigrettes with oil and an acid like vinegar (red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar are both popular). Sometimes, other spices and herbs are blended in. The ingredients are blended together to prevent separation, a process called emulsifying.
Quick tips and tricks to making the best Bacon Dressing
- Every time you make bacon for breakfast, store the bacon drippings in a grease jar* (affiliate link). Then you always have bacon grease on hand.
- Shake or blend the dressing well to emulsify the ingredients.
- Serve it warm — this is a hot dressing and it is so good when it’s heated!
More salad recipes
Hot Bacon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons warm bacon fat from 4-5 slices of bacon
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
- 1 ½ teaspoons honey
- Black pepper to taste
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until the fat has rendered and the meat is browned and crisp in a nonstick or cast iron skillet
- Remove the bacon from the pan, and set aside. Leave the fat in the skillet.
- Add the garlic to the skillet, and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the fat and the garlic from the skillet, and transfer to a mason jar (or another container that can withstand heat.) Be careful… this is hot!
- Add the apple cider vinegar to the jar, as well as the Dijon mustard, honey and black pepper.
- Place the cap on the jar, and shake until combined.
- Set aside until time to serve the salad. (If this is made in advance and the vinaigrette cools, reheat in 5-10 second intervals in the microwave until the desired temperature.)
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
So, there’s NO bacon in your dressing?? smh
Hey Chef,
Nope. No bacon in the dressing. Just a lot of bacon fat for that bacon flavor without the wet bacon texture. I add bacon to the salad so that it doesn’t steep in the dressing and get soggy. Hope that helps.