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
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Bedabrata Chakraborty
I am a big fan of salads and can have them anytime of the day. Your pea salad is so very soul satisfying. It could make a great brunch or dinner. I like my food little sweet so maybe I would add a dash of honey to the dressing.
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip!
Richelle Milar
This look so good! My husband would love this for sure! Can’t wait to try this awesome recipe!
May
I think the one with the bacon is a winner!
I don’t steam my eggs, though I’ve heard of that technique and maybe I should do that, too. At the moment, I boil them for 10 minutes and leave them to cool for another. Maybe I should start dunking them in iced water to make sure they’re not too soft when I take out their shell .
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the heads up. You really should try steaming them. I will not go back to boiling them after stemming them.
Stephanie
I’ve never had a pea salad before. I don’t think this is one I personally would like since I don’t like peas or bacon, but the rest of my family will enjoy it!
Krista french
I add honey roasted peanuts to mine and it’s so amazing
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip!
Lynndee
I love peas in my stew. I’ve never tried having a pea salad, though. It looks delish!
Catalina
Oh my goodness! This is my favorite dish and I made it again tonight! I love how easy it is to make!
Tasheena
This recipe looks really savory, looking forward to making this for my family.
Ave
My mom used to make a similar salad and it was really good. She always added chopped red bell peppers. They added some crunch and a pop of color.
Marysa
My friend made a dish like this for our last get together. I was wondering how to make it, and I’m glad I found your recipe.
Richelle Milar
Wow! That looks absolutely delicious and yummy! I would really love to try this recipe!
Crystal
Looks so good! In high school a friends mom would make something similar but hers had pasta in it, I absolutely loved it. Saving this to make soon!
crystal carder
I’ve never had pea salad, but it looks and sounds delicious!
Terri Steffes
I have had this before but had forgotten how good it is. Thanks for the reminder. Bookmarked!
Jo
How do you bookmark or save?
Tami R
Omg this looks so good! I love pea salad. 🙂
Tara Pittman
I am drooling over this photo.This is the best way to eat peas.