Old-Fashioned Hot Bacon Dressing

Spring and summer are all about salads, and my spinach salad with old-fashioned hot bacon dressing will hit the spot on a sunny day.

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Where Did Hot Bacon Dressing Come From?

The Amish community are well-known for this condiment. The original dressing is believed to originate in Germany, where they used a bacon drippings and vinegar sauce to put on potato salad, thus the classic German potato salad variety. The recipe immigrated to the central Pennsylvania region with the Amish communities.

A “PA Dutch” Tradition

In central Pennsylvania, otherwise known as PA Dutch Country, there is a large Amish population in this region, and the recipe has evolved from not just for potatoes, but also for salads. We love our hot bacon dressing and it is a spring tradition in my household. As soon as the dandelions emerge or the spinach grows, you can bet there will be hot bacon dressing on the table!

Variations Of Hot Bacon Dressing

In past research of Amish hot bacon dressing, I have found a few variations depending on the region. Some recipes use eggs, others use milk, some use neither, some use both. My recipe does not use eggs or milk. My recipe is quick and easy to put together. I use simple ingredients: bacon fat, sugar, vinegar, water, and cornstarch. While they are all very tasty, I think this version is the best!

Ingredients List

As I mentioned, the ingredients are simple and you probably have all of them at hand:

• 1/4 c bacon drippings
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c water
• 1/2 c apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

How To Make Classic Hot Bacon Dressing

In a bowl, combine water, vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch. Mix well so there are no lumps.

In a cast iron skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and reserve 1/4 cup of the fat. This is liquid gold!

Carefully add vinegar mixture to the pan and whisk to combine, being sure to scrape all the bacon bits from the bottom of the pan. Be careful! Pour it in slowly so it doesn’t splatter. Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat. Whisk until the mixture gets thick and bubbly.

My Classic Spinach Salad

Spinach salad can be made in so many ways, and they are all delicious! This is my favorite spinach salad mix to enjoy with hot bacon dressing:

• Fresh spinach leaves
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 fresh green onion, chopped (also called scallion – green tails around here)
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

My mouth is watering as I write this! So darn good, you will be eating it all week long!

Don’t Forget Other Salad Greens!

Hot bacon dressing isn’t just for spinach salad. This dressing is absolutely perfect on any bitter green, such as dandelion, endive, and kale. The dressing wilts the greens to a tender, delicious bite.

Have you made this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Old-Fashioned Hot Bacon Dressing

dani

Spring and summer are all about salads, and my old-fashioned hot bacon dressing will hit the spot on any of your favorites.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Calories 265 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Skillet
• 1 bowl
• measuring cups/spoons

Ingredients

  

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup bacon drippings

Instructions

 

• In a skillet, cook desired amount of bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, reserving 1/2 cup drippings and bits on bottom of pan.
• In a bowl, whisk sugar, water, apple cider vinegar, and cornstarch until smooth and well combined.
• Carefully, add vinegar mixture to the bacon drippings in the skillet. Heat over medium high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Stir constantly, scraping up the bacon bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Continue to cook until mixture thickens. Spoon over prepared salad.

Notes

*Calories are approximate

My FAVORITE salad to enjoy this dressing on:

• Fresh spinach leaves
• 2 radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
• 1 chopped scallion (spring onion/green tails)
• 3 strips of crisp bacon, crumbled

Keyword Amish hot bacon dressing, no egg hot bacon dressing