This quick and easy Pea Salad with Bacon recipe is a delicious addition to any meal! Perfect for small or large gatherings, this easy side salad can be pulled together in just minutes and can also be made up to three days in advance. We love serving this salad with grilled chicken made with our favorite Chicken Marinade, Cornbread, and a slice of Nana’s To Die For Carrot Cake for dessert – so good!
Pea Salad
Peas have been my favorite vegetable as long as I can remember so this easy salad is a personal favorite of mine. If peas aren’t your favorite, you may be surprised at how much you love this old fashioned creamy pea salad!
Classic Pea Salad is a delicious combination of sweet peas, bacon, cheddar cheese, red onion and a simple, zesty dressing that is whisked together in seconds. This simple side dish is perfect for the summer months and is a welcome addition to potlucks, cookouts, BBQs, and baby showers!
The best part is that this simple, classic side dish can be made in just minutes!
How Do You Make Pea Salad
Ready for this? It’s crazy easy and so delicious!
- Place peas in a colander and allow to slightly thaw while preparing the dressing.
- Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
- Add the peas, bacon, cheddar cheese, and red onion and fold/stir to combine.
- Chill the salad for at least one hour before serving.
- The pea salad can be made up to 3 days in advance.
What You’ll Need
This pea salad recipe is so simple and I’m betting you already have most of the ingredients on hand.
- frozen peas – you can use any that you like but I tend to buy the petite peas. I like the flavor and size better.
- sharp cheddar cheese – I like the cheese cubed in this salad recipe but some prefer it to be shredded, either way works
- red onion – you want a nice, fine dice for this salad. I love the color and flavor it adds.
- bacon – the bacon adds a lovely savory, saltiness, and crunch to this salad. Bake up the bacon nice and crisp and chop it for the salad. I like to reserve a couple tablespoons or so to sprinkle on top of the salad right before serving
Pea Salad Dressing
The dressing reminds me a lot of this broccoli salad dressing. Super easy to make. Just combine the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
- sour cream – adds a bit of a tang to this delicious, creamy dressing
- mayonnaise – creates a fabulously creaminess in the dressing
- granulated sugar – the sugar and vinegar balance each other out
- apple cider vinegar – see above
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
FAQs
Do You Need to Cook the Frozen Peas? No, you sure don’t, which is what makes this salad so appealing. Frozen peas and blanched so they have already been partially cooked.
Can You Freeze Pea Salad? Definitely not a great idea. The dressing will most likely separate and the peas will get soggy. This salad is best prepared the day you are serving or up to a couple days in advance.
How Do You Store Leftovers? Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days from the day the salad was prepared.
Can You Use Canned Peas? While it’s possible to use canned peas, the flavor isn’t going to be great and the salad won’t look as appealing because canned peas have a darker, muted color as opposed to the bright green of frozen peas.
Do You Need To Defrost the Peas? Yes, at least partially. You can do this one of two ways:
- place the frozen peas in a colander and let them defrost at room temperature while you prep and assemble the rest of the salad and dressing OR
- run the frozen peas under cold water for a few seconds and then set aside in a colander to let the water drain
Variations To Try
- shredding the cheddar cheese instead of cubing it or using a different type of cheese such as Monterey jack
- pea salad with eggs is also a popular variation, sometimes referred to as English Pea Salad. Simply dice up a few hard boiled eggs and fold them in with the rest of the ingredients
- a healthy pea salad variation is simple – substitute turkey bacon or omit the bacon entirely and also sub in Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise
- substitute bacon bits for the bacon to make this salad even easier to prepare
- try ranch dressing in place of the mayonnaise or sour cream
More Salads To Try
How To Make Pea Salad
Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 16 ounces frozen petite peas
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese cubed
- 1/2 small red onion diced
- 1/4 pound bacon cooked and finely chopped
Dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Remove peas from freezer and place in a colander and allow to slightly thaw while preparing the dressing.
- In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, and black pepper.
- Add the peas, bacon, cheddar cheese, and red onion and fold/stir to combine.
- Chill the salad for at least one hour before serving. The salad can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Lanelle Lord says
I found this recipe online and I’ve been making it ever since! It’s easy and everyone loves it! It fact, I decided to finally give it a review because I am making it yet again for the Memorial day BBQ I’m going to today!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I appreciate that so much! One of our favorites 💚
Patty says
My whole family loves this recipe! I’ve made it for several occasions and it’s always a favorite. I also add some macaroni to stretch the quantity. I usually make a little extra dressing to add if needed, because I tend to be generous with the cheese and bacon. Delicious!!!
Rochelle says
I’ve been making this salad for at least 25 years, we love it. The main difference is that I add 3 or 4 chopped hard boiled eggs. I have made it adding small shell macaroni when I need a really big salad, which I have made for many small weddings, (half peas, and half small macaroni), but the rest is the same. For a change, try it sometime.
Missy says
I followed plus added 1/2 tsp salt. Too much for me since bacon adds salt too. Love it nxt time not adding salt only bacon. It’s yummy
Heather M Hilles says
I have found the only changes my family requests is a little less peas so I use 12 oz bags and the addition of diced ham since we use this as a meal instead of a side and everyone loves it! I also usually add a little fresh garlic.
Barbara says
Could you use canned peas and carrots? I think it might add flavor to this salad??? What do you think??
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Canned peas are a bit too soft for this recipe. When combined with the rest of the ingredients, they’ll just get mushy.
Rhonda says
I’ve used canned peas. After everything is mixed together completely add 2 cans of drained, COLD peas and gently mix. Mine didn’t mush and was very flavorful. I like onion powder and garlic so I added a little of this also.
Sharon says
Yeah! I have been craving a pea salad for months now. Used to have it often 30 years ago.. I looking forward to preparing this salad.
CATHERINE LEE says
It is the BEST pea salad ever!
Allyson says
The BEST Pea salad ever!! I made this for a side dish and was cooking the bacon when my bff came over. She and I ate ALL of the peas. Every. Last. One.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you so much Allyson! I’m glad you loved it as much as we do!
Sammy says
Matter of opinion, but I have been making with green giant baby sweet peas vs frozen peas for years and the flavor is a heck of a lot better. To each their own. That’s why we all have different tastes.
Leonie Smith says
Made the recipe. So good. I left out the bacon, because we are already having steak. Tomorrow. I will add the bacon with the left over salad, as lunch.
2 meals sorted!
Stacey R Tarbox says
I prefer to combine peas, ham chunks, dita-lini , chopped peppers and mayo and bar-b-que sauce. it makes a great cool summer salad!
Catherine Prusinski says
Haven’t made this yet, but wondered if you could use Miracle Whip in place of the Mayo. I am not a real fan of mayo.Cathy
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Absolutely! I love it that way too!