What Is A Cobb Salad?
Cobb salad is a popular green salad topped with chicken, bacon, hard boiled eggs, avocado, tomatoes, Roquefort cheese, chives, and a Cobb salad dressing (often ranch, blue cheese, balsamic vinaigrette, or honey mustard). It was invented by Robert Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby Restaurant in Hollywood. I originally created this recipe for my Easy Keto Cookbook, but it’s the perfect healthy meal for anyone, even if you don’t have any dietary restrictions. Cobb salad ingredients are super basic and found at any grocery store (much like chef salad!).
Cobb Salad Ingredients
Here I explain the best cobb salad ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
For The Salad:
There are many ways to make a classic Cobb salad, but here is what I put in mine:
Greens – For this recipe for Cobb salad, I used a combination of romaine lettuce and watercress. Arugula, spinach, kale, iceberg lettuce, and mixed greens are all great options that can be found in most grocery stores. Cooked Bacon – I highly recommend baking bacon in the oven, which lets you make a big batch quickly and very consistently. You can also make bacon in the air fryer or microwave, too. Drain on paper towels and then chop or crumble to use in the salad. If you want a healthier bacon alternative, try air fryer turkey bacon. To save time making this recipe, use store-bought bacon bits. Cooked Chicken Breast – You can slice baked chicken breasts, make Instant Pot shredded chicken, or even cut the meat from baked chicken drumsticks or your leftover rotisserie chicken. Grape Tomatoes – Slice them in half. You could substitute cherry tomatoes, diced tomatoes, or even sun-dried tomatoes instead of grape tomatoes. Avocados – You can slice them or dice them. Gently press the top to test ripeness — if it yields slightly, it’s ready to eat. Hard Boiled Eggs – Make hard-boiled eggs ahead of time. You can use my perfect boiled eggs method, air fryer hard boiled eggs, or even hard-boil eggs in the oven. Let them cool completely in cold water, then peel and slice or dice them. If you like your yolks more runny, you can make soft boiled eggs instead. Roquefort Cheese – You can substitute crumbled Roquefort cheese with other types of blue cheese such as Gorgonzola, Stilton, or Maytag Blue. If you’re not a blue cheese fan, you can omit it, or try feta cheese or goat cheese. Chives – Feel free to swap in other herbs and aromatics, such as parsley, green onions, shallots, red onion, or tarragon. Sea Salt & Black Pepper – To taste.
Cobb Salad Dressing Options:
Wondering what the best dressing for Cobb salad is? Traditionally, Cobb salad recipes call for a vinaigrette dressing, but here in Minnesota, it’s usually served with ranch dressing! Choose whatever you like best. Here are a few options: If you like a little crunch, add a handful of walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds.
Ranch Dressing – This homemade ranch dressing takes just 5 minutes and is good on basically everything. I think it’s key for this salad. It’s pictured in the photos in this post. Store-bought also works. Green Goddess Dressing – Fresh, herby, and ready in a flash. Honey Mustard – Choose your favorite brand, or use sugar-free honey mustard, which is my favorite dressing ever. Blue Cheese Dressing – Make this in just 5 minutes with 5 ingredients. So much better than store-bought dressing. Thousand Island Dressing – Just 6 ingredients to make this dressing. Try it on burgers, too. Creamy Balsamic Dressing – If you’re interested in a more traditional dressing, this is a great one. Delicious on so many salads. Ceasar Dressing – This super creamy dressing can be made in just 5 minutes. Plus, it’s good on everything – not just salad.
How To Make A Cobb Salad
This section shows how to make cobb salad, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
Storage Instructions
Store: Keep undressed salad components separately in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Avoid slicing avocado until just before serving, so it doesn’t brown. Meal prep: All the ingredients can be cooked and/or prepped ahead of time so when it comes time to eat, you can throw this salad together in minutes. In particular, I recommend making hard boiled eggs, bacon, chicken, and dressing ahead of time.
More Easy Meal Salad Recipes
If you like this salad, you might like some of these other healthy salad recipes: Please enter your first name for your account. Your saved recipe will also be sent to your email. 📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Cookbook here.
