Name: Pea Salad
Yield: 8

Pea Salad Recipe is a satisfying, quick, and creamy side dish with sweet peas, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, and a simple from-scratch dressing.

Author’s Notes

Straight From My Mom’s Recipe Box

As a born and raised Utahn, I’m very familiar with all kinds of creamy potluck style salads. I grew up on my mom’s famous orange fluff salad, my all-time favorite raspberry fluff, this bacon-filled broccoli salad, and yes, even the interestingly named frog eye salad.

So it’s about time I share a salad my mom made nearly every Spring and one that definitely showed up at a few church potlucks. This creamy pea salad recipe!

I honestly love frozen peas. Like a ridiculous amount. I know peas can be a bit controversial, but I truly don’t know a better way to eat them than in this salad!

This salad is creamy, comforting, and packed with flavor. The reliable straightforward side for so many mains.

All the ingredients in this recipe prepped out for straightforward assembly including the peas, parsley, onion, cheese, bacon, and dressing.

Pea Salad Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient	Let’s Chat About It
Frozen peas	Thaw completely and dry well with paper towels so the dressing stays creamy and doesn’t get watery.
Bacon	Cook until crisp so it keeps its texture in the salad. Let it cool before mixing in.
Red onion & parsley	Dice the onion very small so it doesn’t overpower this pea salad recipe. Parsley adds a nice freshness, but can be skipped.
Sharp cheddar cheese	Grate from a block for the best flavor and texture. Sharp cheddar adds more flavor than mild.
Dressing	Whisk until smooth. The mayo and sour cream make it creamy while the vinegar and Dijon add a nice tanginess.

Quick Tip

Many recipes cube the cheddar, but I prefer it grated so it blends more evenly throughout the salad.

The dressing ingredients for this pea salad recipe prepped for straightforward assembly including mayo, Dijon mustard, sour cream, sugar, vinegar, and seasonings.

How To Make My Mom’s Pea Salad Recipe

Cook bacon: Cook until crisp; move to a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
Make dressing: Whisk everything together in a large bowl until smooth.
Combine salad: Add the peas, onion, cheese, parsley, and cooled bacon; stir.
Chill: Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to let the flavors develop.
Serve: Stir gently, taste, adjust seasoning if needed, and enjoy!

the cook’s Notes

Thawing & Drying Frozen Peas

This pea salad recipe works best when the peas are fully dried so they don’t water down the salad.

Rinse: Place peas in a colander and rinse under cool water until thawed.
Drain: Shake well to remove excess water.
Dry: Spread on paper towels and pat dry before adding to the salad.

All the salad ingredients added in a bowl, dressed, and ready to be tossed together.

Storage

Store pea salad recipe leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir before serving. For best flavor and texture, add the bacon and red onion just before serving.