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Home > Side Dish > Classic Pea Salad With Bacon And Cheese

Classic Pea Salad With Bacon And Cheese

Modified: Dec 6, 2023 · Published: Jul 3, 2023

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pea salad with bacon in bowl with text
pea salad with text overlay

Classic pea salad is packed with flavors, loaded with bacon and cheese, and dressed in a creamy flavorful mayonnaise dressing. Enjoy this salad all year long using fresh or frozen peas.

You may be interested in creamed corn, creamed spinach, creamed peas recipe.

making pea salad in salad bowl
Jump to:
  • What we love about this English pea salad recipe
  • Ingredients you’ll need
  • How to make English pea salad
  • Fresh or frozen peas
  • How to serve pea salad
  • Tips & suggestions
  • Common questions
  • Storage
  • Can I freeze pea salad?
  • 📋Classic Pea Salad With Bacon And Cheese

What we love about this English pea salad recipe

  1. It’s packed with flavors.
  2. It has a creamy dressing, salty bacon, crunchy onion, and cheese. Hard to resist!
  3. It’s super easy to make and comes together in 5 minutes or less.
  4. You can use fresh peas or frozen peas. Enjoy this salad throughout the year.
  5. This salad with bacon is most popularly made during summer using fresh green peas, but a salad so easy to make and so delicious needs love all year round.
  6. The salad pairs well with any meal. BBQ chicken, grilled meat even with pasta.
  7. This salad is great for making ahead. It’s one of those salads that days better the next day. Make and chill it in the fridge to enjoy the next day.
  8. A salad to be carried for every potluck or picnic or gathering!
  9. There’s something about the sweet and savory combination of this salad that makes it irresistible!
  10. Are you a peas hater?! Try this salad, most probably it will convert you!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here’s what you’ll need-

  • 16oz frozen peas
  • 8 strips bacon
  • ½ cup cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • 2 tablespoon radish (optional)
  • 1 ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
all ingredients for pea salad

Ingredients notes:

  • Pea – frozen or fresh peas can be used.
  • Bacon – cook bacon in the oven or stovetop until it begins to crisp. Crumble into smaller bites and use in the salad. The sweetness from green peas and salty bacon together will be a wonderful combination.
  • Cheese – you can use Cheddar cheese alone or use a mix of cheese. I like sharp cheddar and mozzarella cheese in the salad.
  • Onion – you need a crunch element in this creamy salad. Red onion is a wonderful addition to a salad.
  • Radish – if you like radish add it. It also adds a crunch texture to the salad. Feel free to skip radish if you aren’t a fan or don’t have radish.
  • Mayonnaise – use the best quality mayonnaise for the salad. Your salad tastes as good as the ingredients.
  • Salt & Pepper – use according to taste.

Additions & Substitutions

Substitutions-

  • You can use canned peas too to make this salad. Drain it completely and then use it.
  • Feel free to use a mix of cheddar and Parmesan.
  • Change things up by using cheddar cheese cubes instead of grated cheese. Buy a block of sharp cheddar cheese and cut into small cubes. Makes it look and taste great.
  • Replace mayonnaise with sour cream or Greek yogurt.
  • Add ranch dressing in place of mayonnaise.
  • Radish is optional. I love it in my salad. If you are not a fan use minimal or skip it entirely.

Additions-

Feel free to add diced hard boiled eggs to the salad to make it more nutritious and tasty.

You can also add boiled baby potatoes (cut into halves) for the salad.

You can add 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to mayonnaise for the dressing. Sour cream can be added too.

How to make English pea salad

This is simply one of the easiest salads to make. This classic salad recipe uses simple ingredients and is very easy to customize according to YOUR taste and preference!

  1. Thaw frozen green peas and drain well. If not drained well, the dressing may thin down making salad liquid.
  2. Add well-drained green peas into a salad mixing bowl. Add the ingredients – bacon, red onion, radish, and mayonnaise to the bowl. Toss salad gently.
  3. Add both cheddar and Mozzarella cheese to the salad.
  4. Toss everything together.
  5. Cover and chill the salad for at least 4 hours.
  6. This salad is best served chilled.
step by step picture collage of pea salad

Fresh or frozen peas

You can use fresh peas or frozen peas. Fresh green peas when in season are best tasting. The crisp fresh peas are wonderful to be used in the salad.

You can use canned peas during the rest of the year. However, I prefer frozen peas over canned peas when pea is not in season.

If using canned peas or frozen peas, make sure you drain them well before use. Any liquids in the peas will make turn dressing watery and thin diluting the taste of the salad.

How to serve pea salad

This salad tastes great when served chilled. Like most summer salads this salad too tastes best the next day as the flavors have time to come out and mingle while resting in the fridge.

Tips & suggestions

  1. You can use canned peas too to make this salad. Drain it completely and then use it.
  2. To change things up, consider using cheddar cheese cubes instead of grated cheese. Buy a block of sharp cheddar cheese and cut into small cubes to the size of peas. Makes it look and taste great with a bite of cheddar.
  3. Replace mayonnaise with sour cream or Greek yogurt.
  4. Add ranch dressing in place of mayonnaise.
  5. Radish is optional. I love it in my salad. If you are not a radish fan use minimal or skip it entirely.
  6. Feel free to add diced hard boiled eggs to the salad to make it more nutritious and tasty.
  7. You can also add boiled baby potatoes (cut into halves) for the salad.

Common questions

Can you use fresh peas to make the salad?

You can use fresh peas when in season. The crisp fresh peas are wonderful to be used in the salad.

Which is better, canned or frozen peas?

Both work great. If using canned peas make sure you drain them well before use. Any liquids in the peas will make turn dressing watery and thin diluting the taste of the salad.
If using frozen peas thaw them completely in the refrigerator, drain excess liquids before use.

What other ingredients can you add to the salad?

Feel free to add diced hard-boiled eggs to the salad to make it more nutritious and tasty.
You can also add boiled baby potatoes (cut into halves) to the salad.
You can add 1 ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to mayonnaise for the dressing. Sour cream can be added too.

Storage

This is one of those salads that tastes even better when made a day ahead. Resting it for a day in the refrigerator gives the salad time for the flavors to come out and mingle together making it taste the BEST next day, especially chilled.

You can make this salad 2 days ahead and store refrigerated.

It can keep good for up to 3 days refrigerated.

Can I freeze pea salad?

NO. I do not recommend you to freeze the salad.

The dressing will not hold up if frozen. Salad may get to mushy when you try to reheat frozen salad.

BE SURE TO TRY OUR OTHER SUMMER FAVORITE RECIPES TOO!

  • Classic Egg Salad
  • Watermelon FETA Salad
  • Easy Potato Salad (Vegan)
  • Deviled Eggs With Bacon
  • Greek Pasta Salad
  • 3 Bean Salad
  • Israeli Couscous Salad

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pea salad with cheese, bacon and red onion in ceramic bowl
pea salad with cheese, bacon and red onion in ceramic bowl
5 from 8 votes

📋Classic Pea Salad With Bacon And Cheese

Jyothi Rajesh
Classic pea salad is packed with flavors, loaded with bacon and cheese, and dressed in a creamy flavorful mayonnaise dressing. Enjoy this salad all year long using fresh or frozen peas.
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Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Chill Time 4 hours hrs
Course Salad, Side Dish, Sides
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 446

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounce frozen peas thawed and drained well
  • 8 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
  • ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese grated or cut into small cubes (size of peas)
  • ½ cup mozzarella cheese grated
  • ½ cup red onion diced
  • 2 tablespoon radish optional, diced
  • 1 ⅓ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions
 

  • Thaw frozen green peas and drain well. If not drained well, the dressing may thin down making salad liquid-y.
  • Add well drained green peas into a salad mixing bowl. Add the ingredients – bacon, red onion, radish, mayonnaise to the bowl. Toss salad gently.
  • Add both cheddar and Mozzarella cheese to the salad.
  • Toss everything until it comes together.
  • Chill salad cover in a bowl for atleast 4 hours.
  • This pea salad is best served chilled.

Video

Notes

    • You can use canned peas too to make this salad. Drain it completely and then use it.
    • To change things up, consider using cheddar cheese cubes instead of grated cheese. Buy a block of sharp cheddar cheese and cut into small cubes to the size of peas. Makes it look and taste great with a bite of cheddar.
    • Substitute mayonnaise with sour cream or Greek yogurt. Or add ranch dressing as a replacement for mayonnaise.
  1.  
    • Radish is optional. I love it in my salad. If you are not a radish fan use minimal or skip it entirely.
    • Feel free to add diced hard-boiled eggs to the salad to make it more nutritious and tasty. You can also add boiled baby potatoes (cut into halves) to the salad.
  1.  
 
Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 446kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 10gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 620mgPotassium: 225mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 584IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Follow @CurryTrail and tag #CurryTrail to share your creation!

Created by Jyothi Rajesh

Thank you for stopping by.

I’m Jyothi Rajesh (Jo for short) and i’m the founder of the food blog, Curry Trail where I share my culinary Adventures. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m a mom of two beautiful kids. My passion is creating and sharing delicious and easy recipes for the home cook. I have been blogging since 2007 and many of my recipes have appeared in both online and print publications over the years. Learn more about Jyothi Rajesh.

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    5 from 8 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Mary says

    October 16, 2024 at 4:52 pm

    I love peas I got to try this pea salad very soon

    Reply
  2. Mama Maggie's Kitchen says

    March 08, 2021 at 2:29 pm

    5 stars
    It looks incredibly delicious. I wish this Pea Salad is in front of me right now!

    Reply
  3. Alex says

    March 08, 2021 at 12:42 am

    It’s just ridiculous that I’ve never tried pea salad! Especially now that I see that it’s so easy. Totally saving this for the summer!

    Reply
  4. Erin says

    March 08, 2021 at 12:13 am

    I love that you can use frozen peas in this! I am all about frozen veggies. I’m excited for it to get warmer so I can make this for the next picnic (for my family of three ;)) Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Loreto Nardelli says

    March 07, 2021 at 7:53 pm

    5 stars
    I never would have thought pea salad. It sounds amazing! Love the combination of flavors and texture. Bacon, cheddar, mozzarella all in a creamy dressing. Totally yummy! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  6. Kushigalu says

    March 06, 2021 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    Love the combination of ingredient in thos pea salad. So creamy and flavorful. I will soon try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  7. Adriana says

    March 06, 2021 at 3:53 am

    5 stars
    Yummy, making this salad for Easter. Gret idea as I have never included this choice in the menu. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      March 06, 2021 at 9:30 pm

      Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  8. Amy Liu Dong says

    March 05, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    5 stars
    I have never tried to have a pea salad before, but this one looks really delicious. I’ll be making it this weekend.

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      March 05, 2021 at 6:56 pm

      Hope you like it Amy!

      Reply
    • Kate says

      March 07, 2021 at 5:09 am

      This pea salad tasted great. I love it that I can use frozen peas. I have this bookmarked, definitely making this salad again!

      Reply
  9. Natalie says

    March 05, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    5 stars
    What an interesting salad. Sounds so delicious with all this added cheese. Yum! I can’t wait to make this for my family. Lovely recipe. A keeper!

    Reply
    • Jyothi Rajesh says

      March 05, 2021 at 6:56 pm

      So glad to hear you loved the recipe!

      Reply

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Jyothi - Author of Curry Trail.

Welcome, I'm Jyothi

My food philosophy is simple, fresh and full of flavors! I love ‘spicy’ food. In fact so much so that I can skip dessert for extra spicy savory food!

More About Me
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