This easy pea salad features crunchy bacon, shredded cheese, and a flavorful dressing. This no cook picnic favorite comes together in 10 minutes with just 6 ingredients.
Pea salad is one of those dishes that can be paired with almost any picnic or BBQ foods. Consider grilled chicken, burgers, or grilled pork tenderloin. Summer brings a lot of things to mind. One of my favorite memories is of going to Grandma’s and eating a picnic dinner with her. She made everything taste good. At home, I never wanted to eat peas, but at Grandma’s it was a different story. She made the best pea salad!
It’s the perfect side for any summer entree. One secret to eating vegetables? Add cheese, bacon, and mayonnaise. It will work every time. 😉
My favorite part of this pea and cheese salad is the perfect bite of all the ingredients in one fork. The slight pop of the peas and the crunchiness of the bell pepper and onion are amazing. The creaminess sets it apart from almost any salad you’ll make this summer. It will have you going back for just one more bite. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.
When I eat this recipe I am instantly transported back to Grandma’s table. The memories of my Grandma are special and this pea salad encapsulates all of those memories. Use this recipe to make your own memories. I hope you’ll love this pea salad with bacon as much as I do.
My Grandpa also always called peas Bee Bees. Pew pew lol! Try it it might help you kids eat their veggies.!
You guys know I like to keep it easy. This recipe is no exception. This recipe will take you fifteen minutes or less to make with just a few ingredients.
Bonus: I love sticking my head in the freezer when getting the peas out. Sometimes I honestly want to live in there in the summer, serious lol. With no heat you could even have your kids help you make it
Why I Love This Salad
- Easy: No cooking required. Just dump everything in a bowl, stir, and you’re good to go.
- Bacon: Crispy smoky bacon gives this dish great flavor.
- Common Ingredients: This dish only uses 6 pantry ingredients and is easy to whip up on a whim.
Ingredient Notes and Shopping Tips
- Bell Pepper: Feel free to use precut bell pepper from the grocery store to save you some time. However, I never suggest precut onion as the flavor gets stronger once an onion is cut.
- Peas: I like using frozen petite sweet peas. They have a sweet flavor, and stand up with with dressing. Since frozen peas are already blanced, no cooking is required. Avoid using canned peas which can be mushy.
- Bacon: I like using microwave bacon to make prep easier. Hormel Black Label is my preferred brand.
- Onion: Use a sweet onion like Vidalia if available. Red onion would also be yummy here.
- Cheese: I used shredded cheddar. We’ve also made this recipe with cheese cubes would also be a fun twist.
Fun Variations
- English Pea Salad: Add 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs.
- Dressing: No a mayo fan? Use Greek Yogurt with a little bit of vinegar/sugar instead. You can also use a bottled dressing like ranch or caesar.
- This recipe can also be doubled or cut in half depending on how many people you’re serving.
How To Make Pea Salad
- Prep: Rinse peas with water.
- Mix: Pour peas into a bowl with cheese, veggies, mayonnaise, and salt/pepper.
- Fold in bacon.
- Chill: Refridgerate for 1-2 hours. Serve cold.
Leftovers:
Room Temperature: Be sure to leave out no longer than 1-2 hours (less if it is super hot).
Refridgerator: Store in the fridge for up to 3 days
Freezing: Freezing isn’t the best idea for this cold pea salad. The dressing is made of mayonnaise and freezing mayonnaise never works well when it thaws.
Make Ahead: You can make your pea salad a day or two ahead of time. This makes it perfect if you’re having guests over for a July 4th party, or just a casual picnic. Just be sure to gently stir the salad before serving. You may want to taste it just before serving to see if you need to add a little more mayonnaise.
Do You Have To Cook Frozen Peas For a Salad?
No ma’am! You don’t have to cook them at all. Simply rinse them before adding your other ingredients. How perfect is this for these hot summer days we are having? Unlike pasta or potato salad, you don’t even have to flip on a stove burner.
More Summer Sides To Try
Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 2 Bags Frozen Peas ~5 Cups
- 1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese Shredded
- ½ Cup Red Onion Finely Diced
- ½ Cup Green Pepper Diced
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- 6 Slices Bacon Cooked Crisp and Roughly Chopped
Instructions
Notes
- Bell Pepper: Feel free to use precut bell pepper from the grocery store to save you some time. However, I never suggest precut onion as the flavor gets stronger once an onion is cut.
- Peas: I like using frozen petite sweet peas. They have a sweet flavor, and stand up with with dressing. Since frozen peas are already blanced, no cooking is required. Avoid using canned peas which can be mushy.
- Bacon: I like using microwave bacon to make prep easier. Hormel Black Label is my preferred brand.
- Onion: Use a sweet onion like Vidalia if available. Red onion would also be yummy here.
- Cheese: I used shredded cheddar. We've also made this recipe with cheese cubes would also be a fun twist.
My mother-in-law would have LOVED this salad. Very similar to a 7 layer salad, but not nearly as much work. Super delicious with the peas, the dressing, the cheese and the bacon. The onions add a nice sharpness.
My kids are extremely picky and loved this meal. This is one of the only ways I can get them to eat vegetables to thank you.
This compliments any main dish! It’s a delicious way to use peas & so creamy!
This is interesting and would love to try this. I have never had a pea salad in my life. So I am very excited.