This Pea salad recipe is a simple side dish that everyone loves.
Sweet peas, bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and a bit of red onion is tossed in an easy creamy dressing.
Since this uses frozen peas, it’s quick to make all year long!
Ingredients in Pea Salad
This easy pea salad is jam-packed with flavor. It’s the perfect side dish for potlucks or next to a holiday meal like Easter brunch or Thanksgiving dinner!
Peas – Frozen peas are the best option for this salad as they’re sweet, tender, and don’t require cooking. To make pea salad with fresh garden peas, shell them and boil them for 5-8 minutes or until tender. Drain well and cool completely.
Add-Ins – I add crisp bacon, cheddar cheese, and red onion.
Variations
- Use real bacon bits in place of cooked and crumbled bacon.
- We love sharp cheddar cheese best in this pea salad recipe but you can swap in your favorite cheeses.
- Green onion or sweet white onion can be used in place of red onion.
- Chopped boiled eggs can be added if you’d like.
Dressing—This tangy and creamy pea salad dressing takes just a couple of minutes to prepare. Mayo is mixed with sour cream, a splash of vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Simple yet perfect.
- For a lighter dressing, replace the sour cream with Greek yogurt.
Holly’s Tips
- You do not need to cook frozen peas to make green pea salad – run them under cold water to thaw.
- Any frozen peas work but tiny peas, sometimes called baby peas or baby sweet peas contain more sugar and are preferred.
- The dressing in the recipe is quick and adds the best flavor; you can replace it with Ranch dressing or premade coleslaw dressing in a pinch.
How to Make Bacon Pea Salad
Here are the steps to making a delicious pea salad with bacon:
- Thaw the peas by running them under cold water.
- Cook the bacon until crispy and then crumble.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients (recipe below) in a large mixing bowl. Add the peas, bacon, and onion, and stir to coat with the dressing.
Voila. It’s so easy!
Got Leftovers?
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This pea salad does not freeze well.
More Veggie Salads
This classic pea salad is perfect on any potluck table. Here are more favorite quick salads.
The Best Bacon Pea Salad
Bacon Pea salad is a creamy, flavorful side made with sweet baby peas, cheddar cheese, bacon, and red onion.
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In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, and white vinegar. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper.
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Add peas, bacon, onion, and cheese to the bowl and gently stir to coat.
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Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Season with additional salt & pepper to taste.
To make pea salad with fresh garden peas, shell them and boil them for 5-8 minutes or until tender. Drain well and cool completely.
To save on cleanup, whisk the dressing in the same bowl where you’ll be mixing the salad.
Garnish with additional bacon and cheese if desired.
Leftover salad can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Stir before serving.
Calories: 301 | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 331mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 39mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Lunch, Salad
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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