English pea salad is a creamy, tangy, old fashioned side dish made with sweet peas, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar, and red onion folded into a dill dressing. It takes about 15 minutes to put together plus an hour in the fridge, and it holds overnight, so it is an easy make-ahead for Easter, Thanksgiving, or any potluck.
This is the pea salad I grew up seeing on every holiday table and church supper spread. My great-aunt made hers the Southern way, with diced hard-boiled eggs folded in; I left them out of the base recipe, but I will show you how to add them below.
It sits right next to the turkey on my list of Thanksgiving side dishes, and it is a regular on my Memorial Day cookout menu too. If you are building a whole spread, my full collection of easy side dishes is a good place to start.
Ingredients for English Pea Salad
This salad is only ten ingredients, so each one has a job. The full list with measurements is in the recipe card; here is why I picked the ones that matter most.
- Frozen sweet peas: I use frozen because they are picked and frozen at their sweetest, and they are the same quality in November as they are in April. English peas, garden peas, and green peas are all the same thing here; it is the shelled pea, not a snap pea or snow pea.
- Sharp cheddar, cubed: Sharp cheddar has enough flavor to stand up to a creamy dressing, where mild cheddar fades into the background. I cube it instead of shredding so you get a real bite of cheese in every spoonful; shredded cheese melts into the dressing and disappears.
- Bacon: Cook it until it is fully crisp and let it cool completely before it goes near the salad. Warm bacon softens the mayonnaise and warms up a salad that needs to stay cold.
- Red onion: Red onion brings color and a little bite to balance all that richness. Slice it as thin as you can; if raw onion is too sharp for your family, rinse the slices under cold water and pat them dry before adding them.
- Mayonnaise and sour cream: Mayonnaise gives the dressing body, and sour cream adds tang so it does not taste heavy. Using both is what keeps this from being just peas in mayo.
- Apple cider vinegar and dill: A tablespoon of vinegar brightens the whole bowl and cuts through the bacon and cheese. Dried dill weed is what I call for; it blends into the dressing evenly and gives the salad its classic flavor.
Recipe Card?
To find the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions CLICK HERE to go to the recipe card.
Substitutions and Additions
This is a classic, so I keep the swaps short. These are the ones people ask me about most.
- Fresh peas: When fresh peas are in season, shell them and use them in place of frozen. Blanch them in boiling water for about a minute and plunge them into ice water so they stay bright green and tender.
- Hard-boiled eggs: This is my great-aunt's version, and it is how a lot of Southern cooks make English pea salad. Dice the eggs and fold them in last, so the yolks do not smear through the dressing.
- Celery: Finely dice a rib or two for extra crunch. It adds texture without changing the flavor of the salad.
- Canned peas: I do not recommend them. Canned peas are fully cooked and soft, so they break apart as soon as you fold in the dressing, and the salad turns into mush.
How to Make English Pea Salad
There is no stove time for the salad itself; the only cooking is the bacon. The two places people go wrong are warm peas and overmixing, so I will point those out as we go.
Check the bag and thaw the peas.
Read the label on your frozen peas first; some brands say to cook before eating, and if yours does, blanch them for 60 seconds in boiling water and move them straight to an ice bath. Otherwise, set the peas in a large bowl of warm water for a few minutes until they are thawed but still cold to the touch, then drain them well and pat them dry.
The peas should be bright green and firm enough to hold their round shape when you press one. If they feel warm or squash flat, they sat too long, and they will break apart when you mix.
Prep the bacon, onion, and cheese.
Crumble the cooled bacon, slice the red onion thin, and cut the cheddar into small cubes about the size of a pea. Keeping the cheese close in size to the peas makes the salad easier to scoop and eat.
Make the dressing.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, apple cider vinegar, dill, salt, and pepper. Keep whisking until it is completely smooth with no white streaks of sour cream.
Dressing Tip
Mixing the dressing on its own first means the salt and dill are evenly spread through it. If you add them straight to the peas, you end up with salty spots and bland spots.
Fold everything together.
Put the peas, cheese, bacon, and onion in a large bowl, add the dressing, and fold with a rubber spatula by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top. Stop as soon as every pea is lightly coated; stirring hard will crush the peas and turn the dressing green.
Chill before serving.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour. This gives the flavors time to marry together and gets the salad cold all the way through, which is where it tastes best and where it needs to be for food safety.
Give it one gentle fold right before serving to bring the dressing back up from the bottom of the bowl.
Keeping Pea Salad Safe at a Potluck
This salad is made with mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, and bacon, so it has to stay cold. Keep it in the refrigerator at 40F or below until you walk out the door, and carry it in a cooler with ice packs.
Once it hits the table, it has 2 hours out of the fridge, or 1 hour if it is above 90F outside. After that, throw it out; do not pack it up for leftovers.
To buy yourself more time, nest the serving bowl inside a larger bowl of ice. I also like to set out a smaller bowl and refill it from a backup container in the cooler, instead of topping off a bowl that has been sitting in the sun.
English Pea Salad FAQ
While I try to share all the information you need to make this recipe in your home with restaurant-quality results, there still may be a question or two. Or these are questions I have received from the community about this recipe. I do my best to answer them as clearly as I can. I hope this helps.
Can I make pea salad the night before?
Yes, you can make this salad recipe ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. Just make sure to store it in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap.
Do you have to cook frozen peas for pea salad?
Follow the label on your bag. Frozen peas are blanched before they are frozen, and if the package does not say to cook them, thawing is all you need. If it does say to cook before eating, blanch them for 60 seconds and chill them in ice water; they stay firm and sweet either way.
Can I use canned peas?
No. Canned peas are already cooked soft, and they fall apart when you fold in the dressing. Stick with frozen or fresh.
How far ahead can I make English pea salad?
You can make it the day before you plan to serve it. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and give it a gentle fold before it goes to the table.
Can pea salad be frozen?
No. The mayonnaise and sour cream separate when they thaw, and the peas turn soft and watery.
Ingredients
- 32 Ounces (907 ⅕ g) Peas
- 8 Ounces (226 ⅘ g) cheddar cheese cubed
- 3 Ounces (85 g) Bacon crisped and crumbled
- 1 (1) Red Onion slivered
- ⅓ Cup (78 6/7 ml) Mayonnaise
- ⅓ Cup (76 ⅔ g) Sour Cream
- 1 Tablespoon (1 Tablespoon) Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Dill Weed
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Salt
- 1 Teaspoon (1 Teaspoon) Black Pepper
Instructions
Prep the peas
- Gently bring peas out of a frozen state in a large bowl with warm water, and drain once they are thawed.32 Ounces (907 ⅕ g) Peas
Add the base ingredients
- Once you've prepped the peas, onions, and cheese, combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and fold until fully combined.8 Ounces (226 ⅘ g) cheddar cheese, 3 Ounces (85 g) Bacon, 1 Red Onion
Make The Dressing
- In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream,apple cider vinegar, dill salt and pepper, to fully incorporate into a dressing.⅓ Cup (78 6/7 ml) Mayonnaise, ⅓ Cup (76 ⅔ g) Sour Cream, 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar, 1 Teaspoon Dill Weed, 1 Teaspoon Salt, 1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Combine
- To the bowl of peas, bacon, cheese, and onion and add the dressing and gently fold until completely combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Sarah's Culinary Insight
These are the things I pay attention to every time this salad goes in my fridge.
- Dry peas make a better dressing. Thawed peas carry water, and any that is left on them thins the dressing and pools in the bottom of the bowl. Drain them well and pat them dry before they go in.
- Everything goes in cold. Cold peas, cooled bacon, and cheese straight from the fridge keep the salad in a safe temperature range from the start, and it chills through faster.
I am Sarah Mock. Welcome!
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and a graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 17 years, Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
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