Crisp and refreshing iceberg lettuce, salty bacon, sweet and juicy tomatoes, tangy, creamy and salty blue cheese dressing all combine in this vintage Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing recipe to make a hearty salad that is perfect as a light meal or as an appetizer or side dish alongside everything from BBQ to pasta, sandwiches to casseroles.

Best Wedge Salad Recipe

Wedge Salads have been a classic steakhouse and diner staple for almost a century – and for good reason!

This vintage recipe was invented in the 1930s at Delmonico’s Restaurant in NYC, the original version (named “Hearts of Lettuce Salad”) called for a wedge of iceberg lettuce, thick cut tomatoes and crispy bacon along with a blue cheese dressing. It was served on a chilled plate and often the forks and knives were chilled, too.

(Before that, a “Lettuce Salad and Roquefort Dressing” using “lettuce hearts” was published in a 1916 cookbook, but it lacked the toppings traditionally associated with a wedge salad today.)

But it wasn’t until the 1950s that Wedge Salads boomed in popularity thanks to the modern refrigeration, which allowed more restaurants and home cooks to purchase and use perishable ingredients.

Wedge salads seem so fancy (which is fitting, considering they originated in steakhouses) but are super simple to throw together – probably one of the easiest salads I have on rotation.

You simply chop an iceberg lettuce into 4 quarters (wedges), clean the lettuce, whip up the dressing and chop up the minimal toppings.

While a classic wedge salad isn’t exactly hearty, between using a fork and knife to eat it and the crunch and water content of the iceberg lettuce, they are incredibly satiating and I personally don’t often have much room for a main dish after enjoying one.

While making your own blue cheese dressing is super easy (and I include our homemade blue cheese salad dressing recipe below), you can make this recipe even easier by using a store-bought dressing.

For picky eaters, allow them to swap out the dressing and maybe just try a couple blue cheese crumbles on the side.

How to prep a Wedge Salad in advance: The dressing can be prepared up to a week in advance. The bacon can be cooked up to 5 days in advance, and the veggies can be chopped the day before. If chopping the lettuce into wedges in advance, dry well and store in a container or ziptop bag with paper towels to absorb any additional moisture.

Can I use a different lettuce than iceberg lettuce? Iceberg lettuce is refreshing, crunchy and watery, with perfect nooks and crannies to catch dressing and toppings and sturdy enough to hold up to the heaviness of blue cheese dressing. All of that crunch and added water content helps the salad feel heartier, however, if you’d prefer to use another lettuce or green, feel free! Romaine, spinach, butter lettuce – they would all work well in this recipe.

Should I use pre-crumbled blue cheese or a wedge? Either works well for this recipe. Note that not all blue cheeses are gluten-free so if you’re making this as a gluten-free option, ensure your blue cheese is specifically labeled as gluten-free.

Scroll down below the recipe to see our list of suggested optional additional toppings for a Wedge Salad.

Wedge Salad Ingredients

• Iceberg lettuce, quartered
• Bacon, chopped
• Green onions, optional garnish
• Blue cheese dressing, as needed
• Blue cheese crumbles, for garnish

Blue Cheese Dressing:

• Mayonnaise
• Sour cream
• Buttermilk <– I always have this powdered buttermilk in my fridge to make instant buttermilk whenever I need it.
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Apple cider vinegar <– you can use lemon juice if you don’t have ACV (like we did the day we photographed this recipe)
• Blue cheese crumbles

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: You can either mix the blue cheese dressing in a bowl by hand, or combine in a smoothie-style blender.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Mixing Bowl
• Large Spoon or Spatula
• Sharp Kitchen Knife
• Cutting Board

How to Make a Wedge Salad

In a large bowl, beat together all of the blue cheese dressing ingredients.

Taste and adjust to your personal preferences.

Wash the iceberg before and after slicing into wedges to ensure that you clean as many of the crags of the iceberg as possible.

Cut the iceberg into 4 quarters, lengthwise.

If time permits, soak the lettuce wedges in a bowl of ice water to release any additional dirty and firm up the leaves even more.

Place the lettuce wedges on your serving plates.

Spoon 2-4 Tablespoons of the blue cheese dressing onto each lettuce wedge, as desired.

Sprinkle on the chopped bacon, green onions and blue cheese crumbs.

Serve immediately.

Pin this Retro Wedge Salad recipe with Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing for a fancy meal at home that tastes like it came straight from a steakhouse:

Grab your free printable recipe card for our wedge salad recipe:

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Yield: 4-6 servings

Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing

Print

Crisp and refreshing iceberg lettuce, salty bacon, sweet and juicy tomatoes, tangy, creamy and salty blue cheese dressing all combine in this vintage Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing recipe to make a hearty salad

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

Wedge Salad Ingredients:

• 1 head iceberg lettuce, quartered
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• Green onions, optional garnish
• Blue cheese dressing, as needed
• 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles, for garnish

Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 oz blue cheese crumbles

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, beat together all of the blue cheese dressing ingredients.
2. Taste and adjust to your personal preferences.
3. Wash the iceberg before and after slicing into wedges to ensure that you clean as many of the crags of the iceberg as possible.
4. Cut the iceberg into 4 quarters, lengthwise.
5. If time permits, soak the lettuce wedges in a bowl of ice water to release any additional dirty and firm up the leaves even more.
6. Place the lettuce wedges on your serving plates.
7. Spoon 2-4 Tablespoons of the blue cheese dressing onto each lettuce wedge, as desired.
8. Sprinkle on the chopped bacon, green onions and blue cheese crumbs.
9. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 185Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 530mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 6g

Sugar, Spice and Glitter uses an auto-generate nutrition calculator. Nutrition information isn’t always accurate unless analyzed in a scientific lab, so these should be considered more of a guideline than medical information.

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I hope your family loves this wedge salad recipe as much as mine does! It’s one of my daughter’s favorite salads.

For more delicious salads, check out our full salad recipe collection here:

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