Cobb salad is one of America’s beloved salad recipes. It’s a simple, wholesome chopped salad with lettuce, chicken, crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and a sprinkle of blue cheese. The classic version is a winner, but don’t let that stop you from customizing it — I’ve got ideas below!
Nothing Beats A Cobb Salad — Here’s Why
This classic American Cobb salad always hits home, and I think I know why. It uses everyday ingredients I typically enjoy, which makes perfect sense given that this recipe was created with leftover ingredients by Robert Howard Cobb. And if you know me, you know I’m a big proponent of making delicious meals from any scraps I can find in my fridge. But here are a few other reasons why I love this salad and why you should make it at home instead of ordering out at Chick-fil-A or any other restaurant:
- It’s a delicious high-protein meal. Thanks to the baked chicken, hard-boiled eggs, and crispy bacon, it’s packed with protein and will keep you nice and full.
- It’s a meal prep wonder. A little preparation in advance goes a long way. Just prep the chicken, eggs, and bacon for easy assembly throughout the week!
- It’s customizable. As long as you maintain the same proportions of protein and vegetables, you can easily swap ingredients for other seasonal items you love, just as I did in my Turkey Cobb salad.
Cobb Salad Ingredients
- Lettuce: I use a combination of romaine and leafy green lettuce, but you can also use watercress, endive, or iceberg lettuce. Cobb salad is usually a mix of greens, so feel free to use your favorites.
- Bacon: When cooking up several slices of bacon, I always cook bacon in the oven (which I highly recommend). It’s easy, no mess, and no fuss.
- Chicken: I’m using my herb-baked chicken recipe for this salad. But feel free to use roast chicken as well.
- Hard-Boiled Eggs: I’d say 12-minute hard-boiled eggs are the standard. But I boiled mine a little bit less at 11 minutes so the yolk was just a smidge softer. Watch my video on making the perfect hard-boiled eggs (and see the egg chart) to choose your favorite time.
- Tomatoes: I halved grape tomatoes but cherry tomatoes would also be great. Either way, I usually make sure my tomatoes are bite-sized to get a good mix of all the ingredients on a fork.
- Avocado: Not only does the avocado add a naturally creamy touch, but it’s full of fiber and healthy fats.
- Blue cheese: No Cobb salad is complete without blue cheese! For a stronger flavor, go with Roquefort (France), and for a milder flavor, go with Gorgonzola (Italian).
- Cobb Salad Dressing: I’m using my Greek salad dressing for a simple red wine vinaigrette, but I’ve listed more options below.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make A Cobb Salad
- Add the lettuce. Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl to form the base of the salad.
- Layer the toppings. When your eggs, bacon, and chicken are cooked and cooled, add them to your bowl of lettuce, along with the tomatoes, avocado, and crumbled blue cheese. I made a pretty line of each ingredient, but you can simply add each item to the bowl a bit more haphazardly — no need to be perfect.
- Drizzle the dressing. Pour the salad dressing on top, toss everything together, and enjoy!
Common Questions
Traditionally, Cobb salad is served with a red wine vinaigrette, which is what I’m using. But my lemon vinaigrette or Dijon vinaigrette would be delicious. And because this is a hearty salad, ranch dressing and other cream-based dressings can be a little thick and heavy, so I’d steer clear of those.
You can make a lot of swaps with this salad! For protein options, you could use raw or roasted chickpeas, or shredded turkey or even pulled pork. For vegetables, feel free to use whatever is in season, including roasted vegetables. And for cheese, any crumbled cheese (even dairy-free!) works well.
Yes, generally speaking, Cobb salads are healthy, low-carb, and keto-friendly. The caveat is usually the portion size. Because there’s a lot of protein and fat (from the avocado and blue cheese) they can be sneaky calorie bombs. So just keep to a standard portion size and you’ll be fine!
More Filling Salad Recipes
- Chicken Salad or Egg Salad: Both are great options for high-protein ideas!
- Nicoise Salad: Think of this as a Mediterranean version of a Cobb salad.
- Tuscan Tuna Salad: My favorite pantry-friendly salad.
- Broccoli Salad: Add boiled eggs to this for a full meal!
- Taco Salad: Enjoy all the best taco flavors in one salad.
- Or enjoy these other delicious salad recipes!
If you make this cobb salad recipe, I’d love to know how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration (and exclusive content), join my free newsletter.
Cobb Salad
Description
Video
Equipment
- chef's knife My favorite chef's knife for smooth slicing and chopping.
Ingredients
- 2 hard boiled eggs, quartered (see how to hard boil eggs)
- 4 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled (see how to cook bacon)
- 1 cooked boneless skinless chicken breast, diced (see how to bake chicken)
- 6 cups romaine and green leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 recipe Greek Salad Dressing
- chopped chives, salt and pepper, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the lettuce. Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl to form the base of the salad.
- Layer the toppings. When your eggs, bacon, and chicken are cooked and cooled, add them to your bowl of lettuce along with the tomatoes, avocado, and crumbled blue cheese.
- Drizzle the dressing. Add the simple Greek salad dressing (which is a simple red wine vinaigrette), toss the salad together, and enjoy!
Lisa’s Tips
- You can assemble the Cobb salad toppings in straight lines for presentation or simply toss them all in a bowl before serving. This is my favorite bowl for serving salads!
- While this salad recipe serves two, you can easily double or triple it for more people.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally published April 2019, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
Really Good!! Enjoyed making it, serving it and eating it. Thank you!!
Hi Vicky – Glad you loved this cobb salad recipe!
I know its supposed to be low carb but this salad screams for my croutons.
Husband and I are on new DASH diet-this Cobb Salad recipe made my husband so happy because he was actually satisfied with the content and the portion was very filling-next- test salad is the protein bowl!!!
Wonderful, so happy your hubs love this Cobb salad, Judi! I too am a fan of salads that eat like full meals. Enjoy!
At what level do you put oven rack to cook bacon in oven
I normally put it right in the middle.
Delicious summer meal! Meal prepped this one for a few meals.
Glad this worked out for a meal prep salad!
What if a person doesn’t like blue cheese?
You could swap it with goat cheese or feta.
I am always up for a salad! This is going on my lunch menu this week! Great photos too!
Hi Haley – Wonderful! Enjoy the recipe :)
How incredible is this salad? Perfect for a whole meal or as a side to share with the family! I love how easy it is and yet the flavours will surely pack a punch. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jeannette – Definitely a hearty but delicious salad :)
This is a beautiful and hearty salad. I really enjoyed the dressing.
Hi Alison – So glad you enjoyed this salad! Definitely a hearty one with tons of delicious flavors :)
I love a salad with hard boiled eggs in them and yours look so good!! Great tasting too I bet, yum!
Hi Adrianne – Boiled eggs in salads are the best! :)
Everything I want in a Cobb Salad — delicious!
Hi Tara – Glad you enjoyed it :)
What’s not to like about this salad? It’s perfect! Oh so delish!
Hi Becky – It’s definitely a salad staple :)
Made the salad and also made the Champagne Vinaigrette, both came out fantastic.
Perfect, Melinda! So glad you loved the Cobb salad and then vinaigrette! :)
Delicious. Easy to make with simple instructions. I omitted the bacon and cheese and added cucumbers and two varieties of tomatoes. Perfect for quick summer dinners.
I’m happy you loved the recipe Marianne! And it’s definitely a flexible and versatile salad. Love your version with more fresh veggies. :)
Salad impressed my husband and I used turkey bacon in place of real bacon. Loved the dressing.
Wonderful! I’m happy you both loved the recipe and turkey bacon is a great sub as well. :)
Going to make this Cobb salad when we go camping this weekend. I will be the envy of everyone with their 2 min noodles. Ha ha!
Haha! I hope you enjoy the salad on your camping trip, Teresa!
I am all about low carb salad recipes at the moment and this one sounds fantastic. I never made a cobb salad at home before and it’s about time!
It’s a great low-carb salad and so easy to make! Definitely a great salad recipe to make at home. Hope you enjoy the recipe Neha!
What a fantastic looking salad!! I love salads at the best of times and this one looks brilliant, yum!! I will give it a go!!
Thanks Adrianne! Cobb salads definitely impress will all their toppings. :) Hope you enjoy it!
Cobb salad is one of my favourites! As you say it’s a meal on its own not a side! But it’s a great meal!
It’s definitely a filling meal – and a tasty one! I’m happy you love it as well. :)
This looks amazing!!! I had no idea where the name came from either!! I love that you serve this salad big enough to serve others, not just for one. I’m definitely going to try that this summer!!
Isn’t it funny to always learn those tidbits of knowledge? :) You could certainly double or triple this recipe for a large crowd as well. Hope you enjoy it!
I love a good salad. I’m really loving the homemade Greek dressing you suggest for topping this Cobb salad. Wishing I had this in front of me for my lunch.
I’m definitely a salad lover myself! And yes, the red wine vinaigrette (aka Greek salad dressing) is the perfect accompaniment to this Cobb salad. I hope you enjoy it Jill!