BLT Salad Bites (Mini Lettuce Wraps)

I love lettuce wraps, especially to serve as appetizers at a party! My BLT Salad Bites are like a miniature BLT salad all wrapped up in a mini lettuce wrap – flavorful, crispy and delicious!

I first started making my favorite dishes into lettuce wraps back in graduate school, and I haven’t stopped yet! Lettuce wraps are such an easy and clever way to serve up your favorite foods. They have always been a hit at my parties.

I especially love to use mini lettuce wraps (more tips on creating these mini lettuce wraps below) to make these BLT Salad Bites even more appetizer-friendly!

BLT Salad Bites

These BLT Salad Bites are a ridiculously easy appetizer to make to make – which is one of the many reasons why I love making them for parties – but let me share a few ingredient notes below, just to make things even easier!

MINI LETTUCE LEAVES: In the produce section of your grocery store, look for the lettuces that are smaller in size such as little gem, sweet gem, green gem or the smaller leaves of romaine lettuce. You could also substitute endive too.

BACON: I like to crisp up my bacon in the oven, but cook your bacon slices however you like and then crumble them to use in these salad bites. Substitute in bacon bits if you are in a hurry!

TOMATOES: My mom grows the most amazing Candyland Cherry Tomatoes (they’re even tinier than typical cherry tomatoes) so I love to add on a couple to each lettuce wrap in the summer, but you can use any small cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or bite-sized tomato variety! I suggest slicing them up into small pieces if they are larger than marble size so it’s easier to eat.

ROMAINE LETTUCE: I like to add some shredded romaine lettuce tossed in my dressing rather than drizzle the dressing directly on the lettuce wedges. You can totally leave this off if you prefer, I just find it makes the lettuce wraps a bit fuller and sturdier.

MAYONNAISE & RANCH DRESSING: I like to toss a 1:2 ratio of mayo to ranch dressing to lightly coat the shredded lettuce before I add it on top of each lettuce leaf! You can totally switch this up to your favorite dressings (blue cheese, just mayo, just ranch, honey mustard, etc).

SHAVED PARMESAN CHEESE: I love to top each BLT Salad Bite with a thin slice of parmesan cheese. You can also substitute in grated or shredded parmesan or completely leave off cheese if you prefer.

GREEN ONION: I love the flavor of diced green onion on these BLT lettuce wraps. You can substitute in chives (or leave off if you like).

SALT & PEPPER: Add a good sprinkle of sea salt and course black pepper when you’re done!

The rest of this simple recipe is all just assembly! Layer on all the ingredients for these little BLT bites and plate on a larger serving platter or tray.

Can you make BLT Salad Bites in advance?

You can! I suggest prepping everything no more than 24 hours in advance – except for the bacon and tomatoes, then wrapping tightly to keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready, add on the crispy bacon and tomatoes and enjoy!

These yummy BLT Salad Bites are a delicious addition to any backyard gathering from summer all the way through fall. I love them for birthday parties, baby showers, a lighter appetizer option for game day parties and any time you want a low carb appetizer that packs a ton of flavor into a finger food size appetizer!

More Party Appetizers to Try:

• BLT Deviled Eggs (another delicious BLT appetizer!)
• Olive Dip (with Cream Cheese)
• Smoked Salmon Cheese Ball
• Chilled Marinated Shrimp Appetizer