Creamy Pea Salad is a great potluck and bbq side for pea lovers. With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of time, a bag of frozen peas gets turned into a super flavorful vegetable side.
It’s creamy and flavored with lots of crispy, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and chopped red onion.
Make In Advance
Creamy Pea Salad can be made a day or even two in advance. The flavor only gets better. Plus it tastes great when it is super chilled, especially on a hot summer day.
Ingredients Needed
A combination of mayonnaise and sour cream forms a super creamy base. A little apple cider vinegar perks up the flavor and a spoonful of sugar adds some sweetness.
But the best part is definitely all that salty bacon!
- Mayonnaise– use a good quality mayo like Duke’s or Helmann’s.
- Sour Cream– can use Greek yogurt instead. Either one will add just a little tang.
- Apple Cider Vinegar– just a touch of acidity perks up the flavor so much.
- Sugar– just a little sugar adds a hint of sweetness.
- Black Pepper– I love to use a good amount of black pepper.
- 4 Cups Of Peas– I use frozen peas, but some people like this recipe with canned Leseur Peas. It is a matter or preference.
- Red Onion– very finely chop it.
- Cheddar Cheese– I use sharp cheddar but medium cheddar is fine. I like to shred it but some people cut it into cubes.
- Bacon– I only add 4 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon. Feel free to add a little more bacon if you wish. To simplify things, you can use bacon bits.
Recipe Tips
- Add some chopped hard-boiled eggs for another flavor componenet.
- Fresh dill also makes a great addition.
- You can add cubed ham in addition to the bacon or in place of the bacon.
- To spice it up a little, use Pepper Jack cheese.
How To Store
Leftovers of this classic pea salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. After that it will get a little watery.
More Salad Recipes
- Seven Layer Salad
- Tex-Mex Cobb Salad
- Frito Corn Salad
- Italian Layered Salad
- Barbecue-Ranch Cornbread Salad
- Easy Grape Salad
- Pea, Cucumber, and Radish Salad
Creamy Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups peas
- 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and black pepper.
- Add peas, onion, and cheddar cheese and mix well.
- Season to taste with salt.
- Sprinkle bacon on top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally posted June 20, 2017.
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Family Favorite! Make several times a week in summer and some in winter also! A must try!!
Easy, and delicious side!! A family favorite!! A must try! Only improvement is to double amount of mayonnaise!
looks amazing
I made this once and had it several times.. I used frozen sweet peas I thawed in hot water and drained well. They were perfect fresh tasting and slightly crisp..using canned peas I think would turn the peas to mush I would think and it doesn’t seem like it would have the taste of fresh peas
I actually prefer canned peas for pea salad… must be a memory from my Mom’s kitchen! Smile…
Can you use canned peas like LeSeur?
Yes, if you like canned peas you can use them.
great salad….
If you cook peas…..how long do you cook them? Do you put bacon on top before you refrigerate or at serving time?
If I use frozen peas, I microwave them slightly less then the recommended time on the box or bag. You can put the bacon on top before refrigerating or just before serving. Whatever your preference is.
Can I use frozen sweetlet peas? Cook or uncooked?
Yes. I actually use frozen peas and microwave them. Just be careful not to cook them too long.
No need to cook. Place in ice water when you do prep work.
I add chopped boiled eggs in mine. So good.
Yum!!
Love this stuff!!
I would not cook the green peas as I don’t when using them in a seven layer salad and they are delicious!
Fresh, frozen or thawed peas?
I would partially cook the peas! I plan to make this.
There is no need to cook the peas at all. In fact if they are still partly frozen after I give frozen peas a quick rinse, I like them that way. If you need it to chill quickly, for a last minute side dish, that helps. And they have a fresh snap to them when you the a bite. It makes the salad to soft in my opinion to cook them at all… it also spoils the pretty bright green color too.
Enjoy!!
Pea perfection!