This creamy pea salad has quickly become a spring salad that I make on repeat. It’s incredibly simple, but layered with different textures and flavors that make each bite extremely satisfying.
Why You’ll Love This Pea Salad
Wondering what to make with a bag of frozen peas? This green pea salad is your answer! It’s a distinctly American dish that rose to popularity after the 1950’s when packaged convenience food (like frozen peas, mayonnaise, and packaged cheese) went mainstream. Now, I’m not usually a fan of packaged food, but this classic Midwestern and Southern salad highlights simple, whole food ingredients, which I do love! I also love that it’s super simple to make, it lasts for several days in the fridge, and it’s great for potlucks. Short story, it’s a great all-around spring salad for when the weather starts to warm, and you’d like something easy and economical to enjoy at gatherings and group events. Here are a few more reasons to love it:
- It’s a deli-style salad: Similar to my broccoli salad, potato salad, and coleslaw, this pea salad is a creamy, durable, deli-style salad. The lack of leafy greens means it’ll last for up to 5 days in the fridge!
- Everyone loves peas: Did you know that frozen peas are consistently ranked as a favorite frozen veggie? I sure love them, and during the fall and winter, I make my warm peas and pancetta side dish for Thanksgiving, while in the spring and summer, I make this cold pea salad for Easter.
- It’s super flexible: While I’m sharing the classic version with you today, scroll below for ways to add crunch, protein, and other flavors!
Pea Salad Ingredients
- Frozen peas: It’s amazing what you can do with a bag of frozen peas!
- Bacon: Adds smoky, salty flavor and a little crunch.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: You can use yellow or white cheddar cheese, but I went with yellow for a classic look and flavor.
- Red onion and fresh parsley: I always love adding fresh herbs and crisp onions to salads.
- Mayonnaise and sour cream: The creamy base of the dressing. I like to use my homemade mayonnaise for maximum freshness!
- Apple cider vinegar and honey: The perfect tangy-sweet combo to round out the creamy dressing.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Pea Salad
First, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until crispy and golden. Then, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and let it cool slightly.
Second, make the dressing. Just stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.
Third, assemble the salad. Add the peas, red onion, cheddar cheese, and crispy bacon to a mixing bowl. Then, pour the dressing over the top and gently fold everything together until evenly coated. I always make sure to give this salad a quick taste to see if it needs more salt or pepper.
Lastly, I always cover and refrigerate the salad for at least 30 minutes before serving. This short rest time helps the flavors come together and makes the salad taste even better!
Ways To Customize This Salad
There are several ways I like to customize this salad with ingredients that I may have on hand. Instead of bacon, I’ll often add crispy pancetta or cubed ham. For cheese, feta cheese works great. And for additional crunchy add-ins, I love diced celery! Just remember to keep things diced small and bite-sized.
Storage Tips
Since it’s a deli-style salad with no leafy greens, it holds up well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. And don’t worry, it won’t get super soggy over time, even though it has a creamy dressing! This makes it a great make-ahead salad for upcoming events.
More Potluck Recipes
- Chicken Salad: A potluck staple!
- Cowboy Caviar: Great for summer parties.
- Baked Beans: A July 4th favorite.
- German Potato Salad: Best no-mayo potato salad.
- Lentil Salad: So refreshing and crunchy!
If you try this pea salad recipe, let me know how it turns out in the comments below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re looking for more healthy food inspiration, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Ingredients
For the dressing
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream, or Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
For the pea salad
- 1 pound frozen peas, thawed and patted dry
- 6 slices bacon, sliced into ½-inch pieces
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into cubes about the size of the peas
- 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Cook the bacon. Add the bacon to a skillet over medium heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until crispy and golden, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper.
- Assemble the salad. In a medium bowl, add the peas, red onion, cheddar cheese, and crispy bacon. Add the dressing and gently fold until evenly coated. Taste and add more seasoning as needed.
- Chill before serving. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: Since it’s a deli-style salad with no leafy greens, it will hold up well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. This makes it a great make-ahead salad for upcoming events!
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
I recently took this salad to a friend’s house for a spring potluck and it was a hit! Even those who said they don’t usually gravitate towards peas loved it. So, moral of the story, you might be able to get your kids to eat more peas if you serve them this salad as well! 😉
Sounds great. What would you suggest as a substitute for the bacon if wanting to go non-meat? Sun dried Tomato bits? Capers?
Hi Frankie – I think either of those options would be delicious in this salad!
I haven’t made this yet but your recipes sound amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing them! Now if you would just come cook them for me!
I’m so glad you enjoy them, Tabitha! And I promise you that this recipe is so easy I have no doubt you can make it yourself without hardly any effort! ;) Enjoy!
I made this for meal prep for this week along with another salad from this website. This is easy to make and tastes great. Thank you Lisa for creating healthy and easy recipes.
You’re so very welcome, Bryan! And kudos to you for thinking ahead and meal prepping!
I love green peas, so I really enjoyed this recipe. I also made the home made mayonnaise to go in it. Delicious!
I’m so glad you loved this pea salad, Joy!
FABULOUS!!! I made this for my Girls Group Dinner this week. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. Super simple, quick, and tasty!😋 I substituted lemon juice for vinegar (allergic) and used sharp white cheddar instead of yellow. I found I didn’t need all the dressing. Next time I will experiment with using all yogurt, (no mayo/sour cream) extra herbs, and 1 TBS of honey to offset the sour Greek yogurt. I can eat this as a meal…or a side. Try it…people are bound to be happy eating it. I’m going to make it for our neighbor potluck next month. HELLO spring!!!😊
Yay, I’m so happy you loved this pea salad, Lauren! It really is a flexible recipe and super adaptable, so have fun with it!
Love this recipe.
I am however on a drive to drop 8kg (17lb) of body weight so wanted some inspiration on substituting the bacon and cheese.
I’m happy to swap bacon for lean chicken or ham but the cheese is a little more challenging.
Thanks for posting by the way. Loving your work.
Hi James – you could always swap in turkey bacon, but yes, the cheese is a bit more challenging. What about a goat or feta cheese? Or even shavings of parmesan? I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying all of my recipes as well!
This one’s a keeper. My daughter absolutely loves pea salad and she said this is the best. Simple, delicious and perfect for spring. Your recipes are the best Lisa!
Yay, so happy she loved it! Thanks, Leone.
This recipe is a keeper. I had pea salad years ago when my mom made it. Her recipe called for canned peas. okay but not the best. This is soooo much better. Thank you for sharing. Im going to make a double or triple batch for an upcoming pot luck.
I’m glad you found the perfect pea salad recipe now, Helen!
Very, very good! Easy and tasty!
Happy to hear you loved this pea salad, Elisabeth!
Yummy yummy. Even my husband was impressed.
Glad you both loved this pea salad, Diana!
I have to tell you that this Pea Salad was amazingly delicious!!! Even my 15 yr old picky eater grandson loved it!!!! It truly signifies the tastes of Spring. I didn’t have any leftovers so I’m going to make it again just for me!! Thanks for this recipe Lisa!
Yay! Thrilled to hear everyone loved this pea salad, Barbara!
Delicious salad with perfect flavors!
Happy to hear you’re loving this pea salad, Melissa!
Just to be clear you don’t cook the frozen peas – correct? This sounds wonderful and I am eager to give it a try!
Nope. You just let them thaw, that’s it! Hope you enjoy it!
Did you put the parsley into the salad or put it on top?
I stir it in. But you can always garnish with a little bit more. Enjoy!
I added frozen corn. What do you think about that.
Sounds great! Enjoy, Donald.
My husband loves peas in cooked food, especially spaghetti sauce. I’m wondering if the frozen peas should be cooked first. Are they raw in the frozen package?
Hi Mary Anne – frozen peas are blanched, so they can be eaten cooked or raw (as in this salad). Enjoy!
I don’t add any cubed cheese and I prefer leftover cubed spiral ham over bacon but pea salad is one of my spring salad favorites.
There’s plenty of room for customization, but glad you love this salad, Hillary!
Turning 30 and figured it’s probably time to learn how to cook… your recipes have helped me so much. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear you’re enjoying my recipes, Regina! It’s never too late to learn how to cook. :)
Mayonnaise hater here. Any suggestions for substitute?
Hi Susan – you could do a mix of yogurt (or creme fraiche) and sour cream. Enjoy!
Hi Susan,
I make cashew mayo for even my vegan macaroni salad-yummy! I always get compliments!
My youngest son is very picky about his food and he cooks for himself after a divorce so I texted this recipe to him with very detailed instructions on how he could leave out or add things to it.
He can use it over Organic Salad Greens or inside Burrito Shells or Taco Shells, or on Hamburger Buns or Bread.
He can use bottled Salad Dressing as I knew he would do anyway and to use Turkey Bacon or another Meat or another ingredient to replace the Pork we do not eat due to heart disease and strokes in both sides of his family.
i cannot wait to hear his reaction.
I love that you sent the recipe to him with those tips. What a wonderful dad! Please do share his reaction after he tries it. :)
Can you use canned peas if you dont have frozen? I love peas & eat a lot of canned peas. I can’t wait to try this.
Yes, no problem! Just make sure to drain and rinse them. Hope you enjoy!
Hi. Can you substitute drained and dried canned peas?
Yes, no problem! Enjoy!