The Best Bacon Pea salad is a simple side dish that everyone loves, perfect for potlucks.

Tender sweet peas are mixed with bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, and a bit of red onion. It’s all tossed in a simple creamy dressing for an easy make ahead dish.

Since this uses frozen peas, it’s quick to make and the perfect salad all year long!

The Best Bacon Pea Salad in a bowl

Ingredients in Pea Salad

This is a take on a classic pea salad, jam-packed with flavor. It’s the perfect side dish for a summer bbq or even Thanksgiving dinner!

Peas – Frozen peas are the best option. They’re sweet, tender, and don’t require cooking. To make creamy pea salad with fresh peas from the garden, shell the peas and place them in a pot of boiling water for 5-8 minutes or until tender. Drain well and cool completely.

Add-Ins – We love crisp bacon, cheddar cheese, and red onion. Chopped boiled eggs can be added if you’d like.

  • Use real bacon bits in place of cooked and crumbled bacon.
  • We love sharp cheddar cheese best in this pea salad recipe but you can swap in your favorite cheeses.
  • Green onion or sweet white onion can be used in place of red onion.

Dressing – This pea salad dressing is both tangy and creamy and takes just a couple of minutes of prep. A bit of mayo is mixed with sour cream, a splash of vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Simple yet perfect.

  • For a lighter dressing swap the sour cream with Greek yogurt.
  • The dressing in the recipe is best but you can also use Ranch dressing if you prefer.
Pea Salad ingredients in a clear bowl before mixing together

Do You Have to Cook Frozen Peas for Salad?

You do not have to cook frozen peas to make green pea salad.

Frozen vegetables are blanched before freezing (in other words, partially cooked and quickly chilled.) This prevents the cell walls from bursting and turning vegetables into mush.

To make a sweet pea salad, buy frozen tiny peas, sometimes called baby peas or baby sweet peas. They contain more sugar, and make a nice complement to the saltiness of the bacon.

Simply run the peas under cold water to allow them to thaw/

ve only tried this as written so I can’t say for sure. Let us know how it works out for you!

Closeup of Pea Salad

How to Make Bacon Pea Salad

Here are the steps to making a delicious pea salad with bacon:

  1. Thaw the peas by running them under cold water.
  2. Cook the bacon until crispy and then crumble.
  3. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the peas, bacon, and onion, and stir to coat with the dressing.

Voila. It’s so easy!

Got Leftovers?

Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. This pea salad does not freeze well.

More Veggie Salads

The Best Bacon Pea Salad in a bowl
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The Best Bacon Pea Salad

Bacon Pea salad is a creamy, crowd-pleasing side dish with tender peas, cheddar cheese, and bacon.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cool Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients  

  • 4 cups frozen peas thawed
  • 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese shredded
  • cup red onion diced

Dressing

  • cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • salt & pepper

Instructions 

  • Combine all dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Add peas, bacon, onion, and cheese to the bowl and gently stir.
  • Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Season with additional salt & pepper to taste.

Notes

To quickly thaw peas, place them in a strainer and run them under cold water for a few minutes. They do not need to be cooked.
To save on dishes, whisk the dressing in the bowl you’ll be mixing the salad in.
Additional bacon can be added for garnish before serving. 
Store leftover salad in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Stir before serving. 
4.98 from 150 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 372 | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 352mg | Potassium: 343mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 39.5mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Lunch, Salad
Cuisine American

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About the author

Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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Comments

  1. Taking this to picnic today ! I have taken it before and it was requested again this year5 stars

  2. Made it today for a BBQ. This is crazy good. I feared it would be too sweet, but definitely not – it’s perfect! The only thing I did (and always do) is soak the red onion in cold water for 10 minutes or so to take the bite out. I’ll absolutely be making this again (and again and again :)5 stars

  3. I made this for the second time today, such a nice summer salad. I skipped the cheese (preference) and it is perfect.5 stars

  4. Thank you for sharing your recipe! I made it once and my husband raved over it and asked me to make it for an event he was cooking for at the local Senior Center. Well everyone loved it. I am now using it for my favorite go to recipe especially when we have people over. Again Thank you!

  5. I made your Dill Pickle Pasta Salad and OMG, it was to die for. My sister and my daughter loved it as much as I did.
    Can’t wait to try this one! I love your recipes.