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This pea salad recipe is creamy, cheesy, and topped with crispy bacon, a classic side dish that’s perfect for any occasion. Take it to a potluck, serve it at a BBQ, or make it for a quick and flavorful side for dinner! This salad comes together in minutes and delivers big flavor.
It’s the perfect side dish for Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. I don’t know where English pea salad originated from, or why it’s so dang good considering it’s the world’s shortest list of ingredients, but I do know that any time someone shares a photo of a potluck or church spread, there’s that pea salad!
Last Fourth of July, we had Cade’s mom, brother, and his family and a friend over for a fun day of swimming and eating. Yes, I did wear a red bathing suit. Yes, I did get mistaken for the lifeguard 100 times. We swam, the kids became exhausted, and we headed back to the house where we cooked up classic burgers and a selection of our favorite summer salads including this English pea salad and our tomato cucumber salad. We finished the night off with our gooey Rice Krispie treats! God Bless America!
Ingredients for Pea Salad
- Mayonnaise: Provides a creamy, rich base that binds all the flavors together.
- Sour Cream: Adds tanginess and smooth texture for the perfect balance.
- Cheddar Cheese: Sharp, cubed cheddar adds bold flavor and bite to the salad.
- Red Onion: Gives a mild crunch and subtle sweetness for extra depth.
- Sugar: Balances the tangy dressing and enhances the peas’ natural sweetness.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds a bright, tangy note to the creamy dressing.
- Salt: Enhances all the flavors in the salad.
- Bacon: Crispy, crumbled bacon adds smoky, savory flavor and crunch.
- Frozen Peas: Sweet and tender peas form the heart of this classic salad.
Tips for Making English Pea Salad
- There’s a BIG FAT SECRET to making English pea salad. Do you know what it is? It tastes best with only slightly defrosted, never cooked frozen sweet peas. That’s right, grab your bag of peas and throw them into the fridge to defrost them a little, and when you pour them into the bowl you should hear them falling and they should have a small crunch to them as they are still a little frozen.
- When chopping the red onion, dice it into small bits and not slices as that’s more cumbersome to eat. If you’re not a huge fan of raw onion, try running it under cold tap water for a few seconds to remove its bite. Remember to pat it dry before tossing it in the English pea salad.Â
How to Make Pea Salad
This easy potluck dish takes just 15 minutes to prep and can be served immediately. Here’s how to make this salad recipe:Â
- Make the Dressing: In a large bowl, mix together the mayo, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, sugar and salt.Â
- Make the Salad: Add in peas, cheese cubes and chopped red onion.Â
- Combine: Gently fold everything together, then add the crumbled bacon, giving it one last fold to incorporate.
Some recipes also call for hard-boiled eggs, which we left out this time as I’m really enjoying it as a straight up pea salad lately. I’ve added it into the recipe as optional in case you want to add them.
So simple, right? Keep in mind that you’ll need to slightly defrost the frozen peas before making this salad with bacon, so take that into account beforehand.Â
Can You Prepare This Salad Ahead of Time?
English pea salad can be prepared — but not assembled — ahead of time. No one wants soggy bacon or cheese!Â
Here’s how to prep this side dish recipe in advance:Â
- Leave the peas in the freezer until an hour before assembly. Or even up to 3 hours before you can move them to the fridge.
- Cook and chop the bacon and store in a bag in the fridge.
- Cook, cool, and chop the eggs (if using) and store in the fridge.
- Chop the cheese and, you guessed it, back in the fridge.
- Ditto with the onion.
- Mix the dressing and store in the large mixing bowl with saran wrap over it in the fridge.
When you’re ready, just toss everything together and serve immediately. If you must mix it ahead of time, still leave the bacon until you’re ready to serve.
Pea Salad FAQs
No, please don’t ever cook your peas for this salad. It’s meant to be a cold salad much like potato salad.
Yes, if you’ll be serving vegetarians or simply prefer not to eat it, you’re welcome to omit the bacon. You could also serve the crumbled bacon on the side and let guests help themselves if they want to eat this pea salad with bacon. The flavor and texture of the bacon in this salad really sends it over the top for me!
Not that I’m aware of! Real mayo is a must for us in this recipe. However, you could always experiment with using part plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and part real mayo, or use all Miracle Whip. If you try a different variation of this recipe and like the results, please let us know in a comment below!Â
Green pea salad is considered to be low-carb, gluten-free, and a slightly healthier option to pasta salad (though we have a pasta version of this recipe too if you prefer). But this doesn’t mean it’s straight up healthy — it contains bacon, cheese, and mayonnaise, after all.
How Long Does Pea Salad Last?
Because the mayonnaise breaks down the bacon and cheese, we don’t much enjoy pea salad more than a day or two later, and it must be stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Can You Freeze Pea Salad?
You cannot freeze this salad no matter how badly you want to keep it. The mayonnaise separates and the ingredients become tender and yucky from the freezer.
This English pea salad is a quick and flavorful side that everyone will love. Creamy, cheesy, and loaded with bacon, it’s perfect for potlucks, BBQs, or any time you want an easy, crowd-pleasing dish. Try this recipe today and make it your go-to pea salad!