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Classic Wedge Salad

Updated August 19, 2025 / By Natalie Mortimer

A classic wedge salad is such a delicious treat! Crisp iceberg lettuce, with thick, creamy blue cheese dressing and topped bacon, everyone’s favorite steak house salad is easy to make at home.

a classic wedge salad topped with homemade blue cheese dressing, blue cheese, bacon, cherry tomatoes and fried shallots
Photography by Gayle McLeod

If I see a wedge salad on a menu, I always order it. However, my favorite wedge salad has become this one: The wedge salad recipe I perfected at home. It’s crispy, savory, refreshing and unabashedly hedonistic. Why? Because it’s topped with the thickest, chunkiest blue cheese dressing, and bacon, too. 

bacon, iceberg lettuce, shallots, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese crumbles & other ingredients in bowls for classic wedge salads

Serve this classic steak house wedge salad with other old-school faves, like a rare rib-eye and an icy cocktail. And remember, this is a true knife-and-fork salad! I even like to use steak knives for cutting it for true steak house vibes. 

crispy bacon pieces cooking in a skillet being scooped out with a spoon onto a paper towel lined plate
thinly sliced fried shallots on a a paper towel lined plate

Classic Wedge Ingredients

  • Iceberg lettuce. For a true classic wedge salad, you must use iceberg lettuce. That said, you can also use romaine lettuce or butter lettuce in place of the iceberg in this recipe with great results.
  • Blue cheese dressing: Homemade blue cheese dressing is always the best, but store bought is OK. This salad is really all about the dressing, so use the best quality you can.
  • Black pepper: This is a recipe where the pepper is far from an after thought! You really want the pepper to cut through the rich dressing. 
mayo, sour cream, Worcestershire, lemon juice, white vinegar, chives, cream & blue cheese in a bowl for blue cheese dressing
homemade blue cheese dressing in a bowl with a spoon to be put on top of classic wedge salads

How To Cut Wedges For Wedge Salad

  1. Remove the outer leaves of the iceberg lettuce, because they’re often slightly wilted.
  2. To get the core of the iceberg lettuce out, you can hold the top of the head and slam it (core side down) on your counter. After that, the core will twist right out!
  3. Cut the head of lettuce in half.
  4. Cut each half into three equal wedges.
  5. Rinse each wedge and lay them out to dry on kitchen towels. 
a whole head of iceberg lettuce on top of a wooden cutting board
a head of iceberg lettuce being chopped into wedges with a knife on a wooden cutting board
a platter with 6 wedges of iceberg lettuce on it
a platter with wedges of iceberg lettuce surrounded by bowls of bacon, fried shallots, blue cheese dressing & tomatoes

More Wedge Salad Topping Ideas

Don't skimp on the toppings! You want every bite to have a little bit of everything. Here are a few I like to add: 

  • Fried shallots
  • Blue cheese crumbles
  • Avocado
  • Diced hard-boiled eggs
  • Cherry tomatoes 
  • Shallots
  • Croutons
a platter of classic wedge salads with homemade blue cheese dressing, blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, bacon and fried shallots

How to Make a Wedge Salad

A wedge salad really is a knife-and-fork situation. It’s gotta be served whole-wedge with a steak knife for cutting. So much about this salad is how it looks—chunky, whole, big, luxurious! That hunk of iceberg lettuce, all drizzled in dressing and bacon-topped, should invite people to just dig right in! 

  1. Fry bacon! Or, to make this wedge vegetarian, just leave the bacon off.
  2. Fry shallots!
  3. Make homemade blue cheese dressing!
  4. Cut a head of iceberg into wedges. Duh!
  5. Top those wedges with all the things! 
a platter of classic wedge salads with homemade blue cheese dressing, bacon, tomatoes & fried shallots surrounded by toppings
a classic wedge salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, bacon, tomatoes and fried shallots on a plate with a fork and knife

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Classic Wedge Salad Recipe

  • Serves:  6
  • Prep Time:  10 min
  • Cook Time:  10 min
  • Calories:  557
Print Recipe

Description

A classic wedge salad is such a delicious treat! Crisp iceberg lettuce, with thick, creamy blue cheese dressing and topped bacon, everyone’s favorite steak house salad is easy to make at home.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head iceberg lettuce
  • 1 cup Blue Cheese Dressing
  • 8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 8 ounces thick-cut bacon, chopped
  • ¼ cup minced, fresh chives
  • ½ cup vegetable oil, for frying
  • 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (optional)
  • Freshly cracked black pepper

Method

  1. Remove the core of the lettuce and cut it into 6 even wedges. Arrange the wedges on a platter. 

    a platter with 6 wedges of iceberg lettuce on it
  2. Drizzle or dollop the dressing over the wedges. 

    homemade blue cheese dressing in a bowl with a spoon to be put on top of classic wedge salads
  3. For the fried  shallots: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the shallots. Cook, stirring often, until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to a paper towel lined plate. Sprinkle with the salt. 

    thinly sliced shallots being fried in vegetable oil in a pan
  4. Cook the bacon: Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate. 

    crispy bacon pieces cooking in a skillet being scooped out with a spoon onto a paper towel lined plate
  5. Sprinkle with the cherry tomatoes, chives, bacon, fried shallots, black pepper, and crumbled blue cheese, if using.

    a platter of classic wedge salads with homemade blue cheese dressing, blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, bacon and fried shallots

Nutrition Info

  • Per Serving
  • Amount
  • Calories 557
  • Protein 12 g
  • Carbohydrates 7 g
  • Total Fat 56 g
  • Dietary Fiber 1 g
  • Cholesterol 35 mg
  • Sodium 720 mg
  • Total Sugars 4 g

Classic Wedge Salad

Questions & Reviews

Rated 5 stars by 4 readers

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  • shelly

    Its a silly question probably, but after coring the lettuce, how do you wash it and dry it? Do you simply drench the cored hole with water till overflowing and turn it upside down to dry? Not wash it?
    Thank you!!

    Yep exactly! you can also rinse it before you cut the core, either way! Hope you enjoy Shelly!

  • Paul

    5-star rating

    This is my go-to recipe for wedge salads. I switch it up though - I cook the bacon first and then cook the shallots in bacon grease.

    Thanks Paul, so glad you love it! And yum! Shallots in the bacon grease sounds delicious!

  • Anna

    5-star rating

    Amazing!!! Always love a wedge salad. Made your blue cheese dressing using avocado mayo…a different taste but so good!!! Will be making again!!

    Thanks Anna, so happy you loved it!

  • Jenn

    5-star rating

    This was fantastic! The homemade blue cheese dressing is so delicious, blows store bought out of the water and the platter of all the wedge salads looked almost too beautiful to eat.

    Thanks Jenn, glad you loved it!