This easy Creamy Pea Salad Recipe is one of our favorite side dishes. It combines sweet peas, crispy bacon, red onion, and cheddar cheese cubes in a creamy dressing. The slight crunch and saltiness from the bacon adds texture and flavor to this salad. This tasty salad comes together in less than ten minutes, and it is a favorite at family reunions, potlucks, barbecues, and picnics.
The Best Ever Pea Salad Recipe
Looking for the perfect dish to bring to a potluck or picnic? This delicious pea salad recipe is sure to impress with its combination of fresh peas, bacon, and creamy dressing. Follow our step-by-step instructions for a crowd-pleasing and easy-to-make dish. This salad is a nice change from potato salad or pasta salad. The only thing you need to do in advance is to defrost the peas. You don’t have to cook them, as frozen peas are already blanched to kill any enzymes.
Pea Salad Ingredients
For the dressing, you need sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper for the dressing.
For the pea salad, you need frozen baby peas, red onion, cheddar cheese, and cooked bacon.
How to Make Pea Salad
Whisk together the mayo, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Next, add the thawed peas, red onion, cheddar cheese, and crisp bacon. Stir gently to combine. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe Tips
- Mix the dressing up to 3 days in advance and store in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Substitute hard-boiled eggs for the bacon, or better yet, add them. I have found that the best way to hard-boil eggs is to steam them. The water should boil, and the steam should be present before adding the eggs. Steam 15 minutes for large eggs and plunge into ice-cold water.
- Use frozen peas for this recipe. Canned peas do not hold well. Frozen peas have already been blanched. All you need to do is thaw them for a salad. The easiest way to do this is in the fridge for about 24 hours, but if you have forgotten, use the shower option on the kitchen sink and spray the frozen peas with cool water in a colander, letting the excess water drain down the sink.
- Mix this pea salad up to 2 days in advance. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge. Reserve cooking and add the bacon until ready to serve so it stays crisp.
Recipe variations
- Use shredded cheddar or a shredded cheese blend instead of the cubed cheese.
- Add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- If you’re in a hurry, skip the dressing and add about 1/2 cup of your favorite ranch dressing.
- Add a little finely chopped red bell pepper or pimentos for extra color and flavor.
- Substitute finely chopped ham, turkey bacon, or Canadian bacon instead of the bacon.
- Add slivered almonds, sunflower seeds, or chopped walnuts for more texture and crunch.
- Try chopped fresh herbs like chives, dill, parsley, or mint.
Storage
This salad will stay fresh for up to three days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. If stored properly in the fridge, this dish can be prepared up to two days in advance. Reserve cooking and adding the bacon until right before serving. This will help ensure that the bacon stays crisp and tasty.
More Salad Recipes
Creamy Pea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Pea Salad Dressing
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Pea Salad
- 16 ounces frozen sweet baby peas thawed
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese cut into very small cubes
- 6 slices bacon cooked crispy finely chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
- Add thawed peas, red onion, cheddar cheese and bacon; stirring gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Use shredded cheddar cheese or a shredded cheese blend in place of the cubed cheese
- Add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Substitute hard-boiled eggs for the bacon or better yet just add them. I have found that the best way to hard-boil eggs is to steam them. The water should be boiling and the steam should be present before adding the eggs. Steam 15 minutes for large eggs and plunge into ice cold water.
- Use frozen peas for this recipe. Canned peas do not hold well. They will become mushy in this salad.
- In a huge hurry? Skip the dressing and add about 1/2 cup of your favorite ranch dressing.
- For extra color and flavor add a little finely chopped red bell pepper or pimentos.
- Substitute finely chopped ham or Canadian bacon in place of the bacon.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Are you on the hunt for more delicious recipes? Follow Small Town Woman on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Ebony Robinson
This recipe as outstanding! My family truly enjoyed it and wished I actually added more bacon! 🙂
Abida
Creamy pea salad is an old recipe to me. Since I have tried this already. However your content was also helpful. I appreciate it
Nicz Escat
That looks absolutely delicious! This is such a really amazing recipe! I’m surely gonna try this!
Rose Ann Sales
Wow! That was a really great recipe! I would really love to try it! I bet it taste so good!
Nicole Anderson
This looks like such a yummy salad to add to my list of go-to’s. It will be the only one that features peas which I think is great. I love the flexible options here for alteration and adding/switching things around to suit taste and guests. Can’t wait to give this a try.
Caroline
I love that it can stay fresh for up to three days in the refrigerator. This means one can make it earlier especially if it’s part of a busy day meal where more than one type of food has to be cooked.
Talya Stone
I love peas but have never thought of using them in a salad. What a great idea! Will have to try making this.
Sandy
I’ve made this 2x now…..using greek yogurt instead of sour cream, and paleo mayo. I used fresh garden peas, green onions instead of red and added a yellow bell pepper for color….fantastic!! Thanks for such and easy recipe!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Sandy! Thanks for all the great tips. What is paleo mayo?
Hannah
Could fresh from the garden peas be used?
Beth Pierce
Yes
sharon louise brebner
I put the peas in the salad frozen….they thaw while your sitting the table and then they have a little crunch to them
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip!
Marci
One of my all time favorite salads! My mom used to make it with canned peas, but now, I’m so glad that I discovered frozen peas! One new item everyone should try in their pea salad is chopped , smoked almonds, OMG, so good!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip Marci! Almond slivers would be good too! Get some of that good old fashioned crunch!
Elaine
I wondered what to make with a big batch of peas that I have now. This is it! Fantastic recipe and just what I have been looking for. Yum, too!
Monica
No doubt about it, peas and bacon are a match made in heaven! Thanks for the great tip about quickly defrosting peas, too – super helpful, since I’ve almost never thought to defrost them well in advance of dinner!
Abigail Raines
Love that it takes just mere minutes to make this and what comes out is a tasty, mouth-watering salad!
Anita
Such an easy and delicious way to enjoy frozen peas. Now I must ensure I always have some frozen peas at home to quickly whip up this salad.
Bhawana
pea salad looks fantastic. I love making it at home in a small gatherings. Looking so creamy and delicious.