Pea Salad with red onions and cheese is a quintessential recipe for spring and summer with its creamy texture and taste. And talk about an easy and colorful salad recipe!
If you can mix, you can make, which means this classic pea salad is done in mere minutes to free you up for summer fun.
Why you should make Pea Salad!
Not that you would know it by the temperature outside in most of America, but summer IS on its way. That means tons of time at the beach, parks, picnics – which also means plenty of hungry friends and family.
This delicious summer salad dish is so creamy that it’s a perfect combination with bacon, red onions, and cheese that will have your guests begging for more. Always on the table in the south, this refreshing salad recipe is the one you grew up with; flavorful and easy to indulge.
Plus you won’t believe how easy it is to make! With no baking or cooking needed, this simple salad can be ready to walk out the door quite quickly.
Salad Ingredients
Separately these ingredients are delicious but together they make a perfect side dish that will complement all your upcoming meals!
This cold dish is fantastic to be served with fried chicken, BBQ, grilled meats, or even just have in a bowl as a main dish (which is what I do).
- frozen peas – Frozen peas hold up texture (unlike canned peas). Simply remove from freezer and let thaw then drain excess moisture before using in salad.
- bacon – Bacon should be cooked through before adding to salad. In quick cases its fine to use pre-made bacon (think microwave bacon).
- cheese – shredded cheddar cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese work the best in this salad. Many people prefer CHUNKS of cheddar cheese and that is a style choice that is fine.
- diced red onion – Red onion is a fairly strong ingredient. If you like red onion but do not want it to overpower the pea salad, soak red onion pieces in cold water for up to 30 minutes, drain, dry, and then add to salad.
- salt and pepper
- bacon bits – Totally optional, but bacon bits can be added on top for additional crunch and presentation.
How to make Pea Salad with Cheese
- In a large mixing bowl combine thawed peas, bacon, onions, both kinds of shredded cheese, mayonnaise and mix well so that all your ingredients are covered.
- Season with salt and black pepper and mix a few more times, adding a dash here or there to make sure you get full coverage of your spices.
- Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to make sure flavors and creamy homemade dressing blend and are cold upon serving.
- Mix green pea salad well one more time before dishing out.
Transferring cold food for Potlucks
Taking this salad (or any of my salad recipes) on the go? Make sure your food stays super cold in the heat by using a Thermo carrier that protects hot and cold dishes.
FAQ’s
Yes, it’s best to thaw frozen pieces to remove excess moisture in the salad. We tend to leave the frozen bag in the fridge the day before we have to make the salad. However, if you need to make the salad immediately simply remove peas from the bag and rinse with cold water until defrosted.
Pea salad is one of my favorite recipes so I would say it only lasts a day! But this flavorful salad can be stored and eaten for up to 3 days (as with most foods) in the fridge. Because of the shelf life, it’s fine to make a day ahead of time to serve.
Old fashioned pea salad can be stored for quite a few days just fine in the fridge. Seal in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If pea salad is a little dry from the cold, add in a bit of mayo (a little at a time) till creamier consistency. Please note that any bacon in the salad will likely go soft in the salad.
Can canned peas be used in pea salad?
No. You do not want to use canned peas in this salad.
Frozen peas are simply blanched and canned peas are typically soaked in water and are too soft for a servable salad. Save canned peas for other side dish recipes.
Cooking Bacon is Easy
Bacon is a common ingredient in salads like pea salad. There are a variety of ways to make delicious, crunchy bacon that goes perfectly in this salad!
Try Bacon Twists, learn how to make bacon in the air fryer or bake up a whole batch of crispy bacon in the oven.
Recipe Variations
- Try adding more bacon, cut up tomatoes, green onions, or even make your pea salad with boiled eggs (English Pea Salad).
- Substitute bacon with turkey bacon.
- Add in ham our creamy ham and pea salad recipe does.
- You can make pea salad with pasta too!
- Make it Vegetarian: Just remove the bacon!
- Change up the cheese: Add chunks of cheddar cheese (over shredded) or if you are the adventurous type when it comes to altering classic recipes, change up for a more unique cheese like blue cheese, goat cheese, or feta cheese.
Related Summer Salad Recipes
- Looking for a complimentary fruit salad to take with you? Try Old Fashioned Ambrosia Salad – just like grandma used to make!
- Or if you need your salad a little more savory, I love this Amish Macaroni Salad.
- You can always go with old food staples like cucumber feta tomato salad (which is so fresh and light) or favorites like Caprese salad with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella, but everyone loves a gorgeous green pea salad.
- Need a hot side dish option? It’s so hard to pick what green veggie is my favorite because I like so many, but nothing makes me happier than homemade creamed peas. Make sure you grab that recipe too!
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Pea Salad with Red Onions and Cheese
Ingredients
- 16 oz. frozen peas thawed and drained
- 6 strips bacon cooked and cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup real mayonnaise
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl combine thawed peas (drained of any excess water), cut bacon, diced red onions, shredded cheddar cheese, and mayonnaise, and mix all pea salad ingredients together well.
- Season salad with salt and pepper and mix again to incorporate seasonings.
- Refrigerate pea salad 4 hours or overnight. Mix well before serving to prevent settling.
- Chill for at least 4 hours and keep cold prior to serving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.
Comments & Reviews
Myrna says
I made the salad with a few changes. I added 1/4 cup sour cream with the mayonnaise and some dried dill. I love this salad. It’s perfect to go with grilled burgers, sliders and deli style sandwiches.
Trisha says
I love your alterations! Thanks for chiming in, Ill try it your way too next time we make it.
Shannon says
I made this super simple salad today during my keto weekly meal prep. I omitted salt and pepper (because I have kids and THEIR salt and pepper tastes vary daily, so We add such things individually.) I added the spice called “Sunny Paris” by Penzeys. It has a great blend of purple shallots. CHIves, green peppercorn, french basil, french tarragon, chervil,bay leaf and dill Weed. The addition was very tasty. (I’m not affiliated with Penzeys, just a satisfied customer! )I’ll be checking out more of your recipes and I know I’ll make this salad again and again.
Trisha says
I have never tried Penzeys! I will check it out. Also just so you know, most people on Keto do not eat peas. They are certainly delicious but I believe have too many carbs for a traditional Keto program.
Linda says
What is the nutritional info on this recipe
Trisha says
I dont always provide it as most nutritional guides on recipes are pulled in and automatically calculated and sometimes are not correct. You can drop this recipe link into CarbManager and adjust your personal serving and it will give you an estimate. I am currently looking for a way to provide solid information to readers that can be trusted.
Madelaine says
You can’t go wrong with Penny’s. A lot cheaper than grocery store herbs and spices. Various sizes are sold.
Maddy says
That’s Penzy’s not Penny’s. Doggone auto-correct!
Maddy says
Wow! I hate autocorrect! That’s Penzeys not Penny’s.
Karen says
If you call 19.00 for a 2 oz bottle of spices cheap. That’s ridiculous.
Sara Larsen says
Never added bacon to mine, plus I’ve always cubed the cheese. But a friend told me about this addition and I love it as it adds some crunchiness. She added chopped water chestnuts. It’s very good
Trisha says
Water chestnuts is so interesting! I could see how the crunch in that would be awesome. Thanks for sharing!!
Karen Doris says
Or walnuts
Marianne says
I love pea salad, I always made it with just Hellman’s, but then I discovered Marzettis sweet Vidalia onion salad dressing! Oh wow! I use half mayo and half dressing now and it’s soooo good!
Pat Lucas says
This salad is great made with homemade ranch dressing instead of mayo, and yes – fill weed! Sometimes I add very small pieces of raw cauliflower! But the peas and red onion – yum!! Lots of red onion!
Trisha says
OOH Yes! Fantastic idea for this pea salad!
Michelle Roseberry says
Great recipe! I added eggs to mine!!
Jackie Cox says
I added peppered cashew nuts, chopped hard boiled egg, and lemon juice for tartness. Perfect summer day food!
Trisha says
ooh, love this idea, thanks! Ill def have to try it your way too.
Doris says
Hi, Trisha! I made this recently, but had to switch things up, because I didn’t have any bacon or red onions. I try to use what I have on-hand, so I used Vidalia onions and left out the bacon. I also used 1/2 cup Bolthouse Farms Yogurt Ranch Dressing and 1/2 Hellmann’s mayonnaise. It came out great. My husband and I enjoyed it for days. Delicious!
Trisha says
Doris, this version of the pea salad recipe sounds delicious!! Thanks for sharing your alternate ingredients, Ill have to try it for sure!
Hunter Hoff says
I made this recipe today and along with all the other spices, I added 1-2 tablespoons of sugar and this reminded me sooo much of a seven layer salad minus eggs and lettuce! Very light and good😍
Trisha says
Hi Hunter! Yes, very much like seven layer salad, you are right! I am glad you enjoyed it. I can eat pea salad for lunch as my entire lunch, haha!
Cinthy says
Great idea because my friend cant do mayo because she is allergic to eggs.
Thanks so much,
Terri says
My daughter is also allergic to eggs and uses Just Mayo, which is egg free. It’s actually very good.
Trisha says
thanks for the suggestion!
Tracy says
Can this be made with drained canned peas? I recently “inherited” 24 cans of Le Sueur peas and am looking for recipes.
Trisha says
hi Tracy! You COULD do that if drained well, but you may want to lessen the mayo content as canned peas are really soft and the mayo may weigh it down. Frozen veggies always work better in salads because they are crisper as far as taste, but peas are pretty versatile and I think I would give it a shot on the pea salad if I had that may cans. Again, you will need to make sure there is no additional water content so drain well.
Randy says
What about home-made pea soup? Or create a canned pea casserole with some carrots, cream sauce and a crunchy topping?++
Mary Albert says
You can have a heavy cycle of tuna casseroles in your near ‘pea-pickin'” future, Tracy! Salad recipe is perfect, Trisha ~ I’d do it with the addition of cooked tiny shell macaroni, because there’s something so sweet and comforting about shells and peas together. 🙂
Trisha says
Hi Mary! Thank you for the feedback!Great minds do think alike because I have a slight variation of my pea salad that does include the mini pasta shells. Its more filling of course but totally delicious.
The recipe is here https://www.saltysidedish.com/ranch-pasta-salad/
Trisha says
and I also have a pea and ham salad w/ chunks of cheese… honestly I could eat pea salad every week so I had to have quite a few recipes https://www.saltysidedish.com/ham-pea-salad/
Lulu says
Split pea soup?
Kay says
I love this salad! I have only used canned Le Sueur peas. I drain them and place in the freezer first. It works.
Linda Johnson says
Always love this salad. Always do frozen peas because of the “crunchy” texture. Thanks for the recipe because I lost my original one. Will be eating a large dish for my supper tonight.
Trisha says
Linda, its my very favorite salad myself!
Madonna says
I added a couple hard boiled eggs, some celery and a little sugar. Turned out great. I will be making this a lot in the future. Thanks!
Trisha says
Yum, hard boiled eggs sounds great in an egg salad! Thanks for your feedback on this recipe, Madonna!
Monica kuhr says
Just a couple of tweaks on this recipe.
I use a large can of sweet peas and add a 20 Oz can of pineapple chunks, drained. Instead of a cup of mayo I use 1/4-1/2 cup and add the pineapple juice to it until desired consistency Refrigerate until ready to serve
Ellen says
Great recipe!! My only alterations were replacing the bacon with 1/2 cup cashews and reducing the mayonnaise to 3/4 cup. Yummy!!
Trisha says
Ellen, that sounds delicious. I cant say I have ever had cashews in my pea salad but yum!!
Rhonda says
I love this recipe and have made it for years. I first ate it at a neighborhood cook out. I add fresh spinach to my big bowl first, place the salad on top then toss right before serving. It seems to always be a hit at any summer or holiday function no matter what changes you make to it.
Trisha says
I agree, pea salad is SO good!! I also love to make it with little macaroni shells. Yum!!
Bob says
I added some beets. Very goog
Idelle says
I put chopped up lettuce in the salad right before I serve it.
Trisha says
that sounds like a great pea salad addition! Thanks for sharing!
Danikia McCarley says
I made this yesterday and my family loved it! I used mayo and sour cream and a shallot as I didnt have any red onion. I have saved this recipe on my phone and wrote it in my notebook! Absolutely delish!
Trisha says
Thank your coming back to share with me!! I am so glad you enjoyed this pea salad- its one of my VERY favorites!! I think peas are so underrated in cold salads.
Ret Yeager says
I always add raw cauliflower cut in small pieces to my pea salad. Adds a yummy crunch and flavor.
Trisha says
Yum!! That crunch in the pea salad does sound amazing!
Debi says
I’ve never been a big fan of pea salad… Until now! This is the best recipe I’ve ever come across, and it’s so simple. We did not even give it a chance to sit in the fridge for four hours, we ate it immediately while the bacon was still crunchy. There was a little bit left over, so we’ll see if it’s different after sitting in the fridge for a while. Thank you for this recipe! My mom used to make it but I did not have her recipe. This is my go-to recipe from now on.
Trisha says
Debi, thanks for the amazing feedback for my pea salad. I am so glad that your family enjoyed it – that warms my heart!
~trisha
Lisa Painter says
Can fresh peas be substituted for frozen? I am going to have an abundance of fresh peas from the garden??
Trisha says
Hi Lisa, I dont see why not. You will just need to make sure you pre-prep your fresh peas so they are soft and ready to eat before moving onto the salad. My guess is you boil them?
Geri-Lynn Mineau says
I think I would like them fresh from the garden. They would pop in your mouth. I made your recipe for dinner tonight. My taste testings were delicious. Will maybe try the water chestnuts next time 😊. Yummy, so many options. Thanks
Jill says
Add ham & boiled eggs.
Dottie says
Two delicious additions to pea salad are green onions and peanuts.
Heather says
Just in case anyone else is wondering (like me) I put this into My Fitness Pal and ran the macros for the recipe exactly as it’s posted.For 8 servings it breaks down to 331 calories per serving, with 9.3 carbs, 9.1 g protein, and 28.3 g of fat. I’m interested to try some of the variations of this delicious sounding recipe that are posted in the comments.
Trisha says
Thanks Heather!
Retired but not tired - yet!! says
Thank you for the recipe & your gracious nature about all the different takes on your original recipe. Well I wanted to have the pea salad as a side dish to a pico de Gallo/cheese/chicken bake recipe for dinner so I added 1/4 cup Aldi’s Chipotle Ranch Dressing to 1/2 cup of mayo. I also added 1/4 cup pico de gallo, garlic pepper, chopped celery & low salt salami chopped (I didn’t have bacon). It was delicious! I really think I will use shredded rotisserie chicken instead of the salami next time. I totally agree this is a meal in itself & I always enjoy pea salad for days when I make it! Loved all the ideas/additions too!
Trisha says
I think adding pico to anything is delicious!! I love how creative you got with this recipe! ~Trisha
Elaine Harpe says
Love this salad. So versatile. I chop up a couple of hard boiled eggs in mine.
mae beech says
after reading all these ideas for this pea salad, i am so hungry for it now i will be making it as soon as i get a bag of peas. thanks so much. can’t wait for tomorrow for some pea salad. Mae
NeeNee says
Five stars! Great recipe. I used sweet white onion, water chestnuts, no bacon, elbow macaroni, 1/2 Kens Sweet Vidalia dressing, 1/2 Mayo.
Also made it hot one night for supper. DH liked it.
Trisha says
Thank you! I am so so happy that you loved this pea salad!! Love the addition of the chesnuts, yum!
Vickie says
Love this recipe! Made slight changes – I was out of bacon, so I used 1/2 cup chopped ham. We’re not all fans of mayo, so I used 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup mayo with 1 tablespoon of sugar. It was delicious! We devoured it!
Trisha says
Sour cream and mayo always work great! So glad you enjoyed it!~
Gabby Marshall says
Have just finished reading all comments. It is nearly midnight in NZ and I can’t wait to make pea salad tomorrow…..thankyou.
Gibay says
Oh my Gosh, this was wonderful!!!! Thank you. Believe it or not I’m making it to go with Christmas dinner just for a mix up in sides variety! And Penzey’s is a beautiful addiction for me. They may be a little more pricey, but the robust flavors help reduce how much I’m using. I love their homemade vanilla, or when I have time I order the vanilla beans (madagascar is a favorite) and out it in my container with vodka and I let soak until I get the strength I desire. Ok, I dont sell it or anything but if you haven’t tried it yet please try Penzey. (Cardamom, pumpkin pie spice hooked me in) Oh and they throw in samples!
Trisha says
I think pea salad is great for Christmas! Plus, its green 🙂
Debbie says
Any chance that the Nutritional Facts can be added to this posted recipe? Over one hundred people have commented and more have saved it for future go to recipe. Seems to be a lot of effort if everyone is self calculating. Thank you in advance.
Trisha says
Hi Debbie, I added them but remember that it calculates based on the recipe and is more of an auto situation. In the end we always recommend that each person, if nutrition and counting macros or carbs, are best served in an app you trust. I like to use CarbManager.
Diane says
I really loved it and a go to salad for me in the summer.
Trisha says
Diane – it’s one of my favorite summer salads too! So glad you enjoyed it!
trisha
Dennis M says
My Absolute Favorite Salad!
It’s the exact recipe I’ve made for years, but with the addition of a can of sliced waterchestnuts chopped up..
Ridding it of excess moisture cannot be stressed enough!!
I spread the peas out on paper towels til dry.. Same with the sliced waterchestnuts , pressing another layer of towels on top.
It makes a huge difference
Leslie says
I’ve had salad like this but with peanuts. Would that be an option to add ?
Trisha Haas says
You can always test out any additional ingredients. I don’t see any reason why peanuts wouldn’t be a great additional ingredient for you.
Phyllis says
I tried this and it was great. Thanks for sharing!
I have made something very similar many times using cottage cheese instead of the mayo and adding diced ham and sunflower seeds.
I just love summer salads!
Susana says
Just picked our first harvest of peas and they went right into this salad. I had a yellow pepper that I added to the mix. This is a great summer salad.