Loaded Pea Salad

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
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This creamy Loaded Pea Salad with bacon and cheddar cheese is served chilled and bursting with fresh flavor! It’s the perfect summer potluck dish that everyone loves!

Easy Creamy Pea Salad With Bacon

This refreshing and creamy Pea Salad is the perfect side dish for spring and summer! You might be thinking, why would I want a salad filled with peas? Trust me, you do. It’s also full of bacon bits, cheddar, and creamy mayonnaise dressing. But tasting is believing… so try it! You won’t regret it.

While it will pair wonderfully with whatever you’ve got on the grill this summer, it’s also one of my favorite side salads to put together year round. It takes literally 5 minutes to prepare, and then you’re done! This pea salad is easy to toss together, can be made ahead, and travels great, making it the perfect potluck or party side dish!

Mixing bowl with pea salad in it.

Ingredients Needed

For this chilled pea salad you’ll need 9 simple ingredients. Round up the following:

  • Frozen Peas: I like to use frozen peas because they have the best texture once thawed.
  • Bacon: I used 6 slices, sliced into ¼ inch pieces, cooked and crumbled. This is my favorite way to cook bacon in the oven.
  • Cheddar Cheese: you’ll need an 8 oz block, cut into small cubes. You can also use shredded cheese if you want or already cubed cheddar cheese.
  • Sour Cream: You can substitute plain full fat greek yogurt for the sour cream.
  • Mayonnaise
  • Fresh Dill: I like to use fresh minced dill for the best flavor, however you can also use ½ teaspoon dried dill.
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Red Onion: You’ll only need a few thin slices, so I recommend picking up a small red onion. If you aren’t a raw red onion fan, you can use a shallot instead.

How to Make Pea Salad

Like I said above, this pea salad won’t take you more than 5 minutes to throw together. All you have to do is mix the ingredients and the dressing together, and you’ve got yourself a creamy side salad!

Combine Ingredients: In a large bowl, place peas, bacon, cheddar cheese and toss to combine.

Make Dressing: Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, salt and pepper together and pour over peas. Add onions and stir to combine.

Serve or Store: Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Loaded pea salad with mayonnaise dressing.
Pea salad with red onions mixed in.

Tips for Success

Here are some tips and tricks for the best pea salad results!

  • To Defrost the Frozen Peas: run them under cold water; you don’t have to cook them because frozen peas have already been blanched.
  • Canned Peas vs Frozen Peas: you can use canned peas, but they won’t have the same crunch as thawed frozen peas. If you are using canned peas, be sure to drain them well.
  • Refrigerate Salad Before Serving: I usually serve the salad immediately, but if you let the salad sit in the fridge for a little bit, you can serve it extra cold and crunchy.
  • Ranch Flavored: Another option for this pea salad is to skip the salt, pepper and fresh dill and use a tablespoon (or more!) of ranch seasoning!
Spoonful of pea salad with cheese and bacon.

What Goes with Pea Salad?

You may be wondering what to prepare with this pea salad. To me, pea salad goes great with a variety of dishes, but I have had it most commonly served at potlucks (where everything goes!), with grilled dishes or bbq. Here are a few suggestions:

Loaded pea salad with cheddar cheese and bacon.

How to Store Leftovers

Store any leftover pea salad in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Do not freeze – the mayonnaise dressing will separate.

Can I Make This Ahead?

Yes! This pea salad makes a great make ahead party side dish. Follow all directions in the recipe, but DO NOT add the bacon. Save the crispy bacon in a separate container and add it right before serving, this will make sure it doesn’t get soggy.

Two bowls of pea salad.

More Easy Salad Recipes

Bowl of loaded pea salad with bacon.
4.6 from 5 votes
Print Pin Recipe
Yield: 8 servings

Loaded Pea Salad

Loaded Pea Salad is a side salad for all meals and occasions! Made with bacon bits and cheddar cheese cubes, this tasty vegetable salad is totally irresistible.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups frozen peas
  • 6 slices bacon, sliced ¼ inch pieces, cooked and crumbled
  • 8 oz block cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced or ½ teaspoon dried dill
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 thin slices red onion

Instructions 

  • In a large bowl, place peas, bacon, cheddar cheese and toss to combine.
  • Mix sour cream, mayonnaise, dill, salt and pepper together and pour over peas. Add onions and stir to combine.
  • Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 281kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 44mg, Sodium: 566mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g

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Jessica
For the past 15 years, Jorge & Jessica have loved getting to share their families' favorite recipes with all of you. They live in Florida with their 3 kids.