Simple Green Pea Salad
This simple green pea salad is the perfect summer side dish, made with frozen peas tossed with cherry tomatoes, onion, cheddar, and bacon in a creamy dill sauce, ready in under 10 minutes!
This green pea salad is sweet and savory, and the perfect side dish for spring potlucks or family gatherings. I like to make this ahead of time, because it just gets better as it sits in the refrigerator. From start to finish, this salad only takes about 10 minutes to throw together. Serve this with grilled meats, like my BBQ chicken thighs!
If you loved this recipe, you’ll also love my Creamy Cucumber Salad, and my Summer Grilled Corn Salad!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Make-Ahead Friendly. This easy pea salad recipe is the perfect summer side dish to make the day before, because the flavors come together in the refrigerator as it sits. Save some extra dressing on the side to mix in right before serving.
Fridge & Pantry Staples. This salad is made using a few staples you probably already have at home like frozen peas, mayo, cheddar cheese, and veggies!
Ingredient Tips & Substitutions
Frozen Green Peas. I use frozen peas because I always have them in my freezer. Make sure they’re mostly defrosted when you make the salad, so they don’t water down the dressing.
I don’t like to use canned peas, because they can get mushy. You can use fresh peas, but blanch them first.
Mayonnaise. This makes the dressing creamy and adds a rich flavor. Sometimes I make this with light mayo if I’m trying to make this a little lighter.
Sour Cream. This adds a tangy flavor and creamy texture to the dressing. For a lighter version, you can substitute with plain greek yogurt.
Shredded Cheddar Cheese. You can use cubed or shredded cheddar. I like sharp cheddar because it has more flavor.
White Vinegar. This adds a tangy flavor that balances the savory notes. You can also use apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Granulated Sugar. This balances out the tangy savory notes in the dressing. You only need a pinch! You could also use honey.
Veggies. You can add any veggies to this really, but I like some red onion and cherry tomatoes.
If you want to make the red onion a little less intense, add the pieces to cold water for about 20 minutes. Drain before adding to the salad.
Fresh Dill. A handful of fresh herbs helps give the salad a nice brightness. You can also use fresh parsley, fresh chives, or a handful of fresh mint.
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Spices. This is really simple, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
Kitchen Tools
For this easy pea salad recipe you’ll need a large mixing bowl.
How to Make Green Pea Salad
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, dill, and spices until well combined.
Add the drained peas, tomato, diced red onion, bacon, and shredded cheddar to the bowl. Toss everything together until evenly coated in the salad dressing.
Top with additional dill or bacon pieces. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate.
Recipe Variations
- Add a few squeezes of Ranch dressing to make a bacon ranch version. Or add my Buttermilk Ranch Dressing if you want to make sure it’s gluten free.
- Give this a kick with pickled jalapenos, red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper.
- Make this mediterranean with some feta instead of cheddar, Kalamata olives, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar.
- Try adding other veggies like green beans, baby spinach, or chickpeas.
- Add some crunch with sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or walnuts.
- Try adding something sweet like grapes, pitted cherries, dried cranberries, or raisins.
- Instead of cheddar cheese, try pepper jack, mozzarella, or Monterey jack cheese.
- Try adding some leftover baked ham or even rotisserie chicken pieces instead of bacon.
Recipe Tip! Make sure the peas are almost completely defrosted and drained before adding to the salad. This keeps the dressing from getting watered down.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use fresh peas instead of frozen peas, but they need a little more prep first. Blanch the fresh peas in boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then drain them. Let the peas completely cool before adding to the salad.
Recipe Tip! The bacon needs to be crispy before adding it to the salad, so it stays crunchy. This is a great way to use up leftover bacon from breakfast!
More Summer Salad Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate green pea salad for 2-3 days in an airtight container.
I don’t recommend freezing recipes that have a mayo-based dressing, because it won’t defrost well.
Cooking Tips
- This salad is best after being refrigerated for at least 30 minutes, because the flavors have a chance to come together.
- Taste the dressing before adding the peas. If it’s too tangy, add a little bit more sugar. If it’s too sweet, add a little bit of vinegar.
- If you don’t have cooked bacon leftover from another meal, you can cook it in a pan, or in the microwave. To microwave bacon, place a layer of paper towels on a plate. Put a few strips of bacon over it, then add a final layer of paper towels. Make sure all of the bacon is covered. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, then check and add time as-needed until crispy.
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Green Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen green peas, thawed and drained
- 1 small red onion, finely sliced (or half of a large onion)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup crispy bacon pieces, cooked and crumbled
For the Dressing
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, dill, and spices until well combined.
- Add the drained peas, tomato, diced red onion, bacon, and shredded cheddar to the bowl. Toss everything together until evenly coated in the salad dressing.
- Top with additional dill or bacon pieces. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate.
Notes
- The bacon needs to be crispy before adding it to the salad, so it stays crunchy.
- Make sure the peas are almost completely defrosted and drained before adding to the salad, so it doesn’t water down the dressing.
- This salad is best after being refrigerated for at least 30 minutes, because the flavors have a chance to come together.
- Taste the dressing before adding the peas. If it’s too tangy, add a little bit more sugar. If it’s too sweet, add a little bit of vinegar.
Nutrition
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