This is a classic southern recipe that you'll find at family reunions and all kinds of summer gatherings. My mom's cucumber salad and creamy potato salad are both summer favorites, too!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- So creamy!
- Super easy!
- Make ahead!
- Perfect for summer potlucks and picnics!
Sweet petite peas, salty cheddar, crisp salty bacon, and mild red onions are blanketed with a simple mayonnaise dressing in this easy recipe. Add a little smoked paprika and you're ready to go!
🧾 Ingredients
You'll need the following for this delicious pea salad.
- Frozen green peas (the baby peas are best)
- Red onion
- Bacon
- Sharp Cheddar cheese
- Mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
- Sugar
- Salt & pepper
- Smoked paprika
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.
- Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl - set aside.
- Add the frozen peas, diced onion, and diced cheese to a large serving bowl.
- Spoon the mayonnaise mixture over the top and stir gently to coat the ingredients with the dressing.
- Cover the pea salad tightly with plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour or up to 2 days.
- Just before serving stir in the crispy bacon pieces and dust the top with smoked paprika.
- Promptly store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
🥄 Equipment
You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
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- Large mixing bowl
- Large bowl for serving
- Small mixing bowl
- Large spoon
- Whisk
- Measuring cups and measuring spoons
- Sharp knife
🥫 Storage
Store leftover pea and cheese salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
This recipe does not freeze well.
💭 Things to know
Expert tip: Don't leave this delicious side dish at room temperature more than an hour or two. Mayonnaise is notorious for going bad in the heat.
- Summer is hot! Recipes like this classic pea salad were developed because they are quick, easy, and aren't going to heat up the kitchen. If you know you're going to make it in the afternoon you'd cook extra bacon in the morning while it was still cool - problem solved.
- This is delicious with smoked Cheddar instead of sharp.
- Some people like boiled eggs chopped up in theirs. I do not but if you do - go for it!
- Using small Cheddar cheese cubes already cut will save time.
- This easy salad has the best flavor after it's been chilled a couple of hours.
- There's no need to use thawed peas. I just add them frozen.
- Creamy pea salad works as a main dish because the peas and cheddar provide plenty of protein.
👩🏻🍳 Frequently asked questions
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
No. I use frozen peas and just dump them in with the rest of the ingredients while they are still frozen. They stay a gorgeous green color and retain some of their texture. Now, if you were to use fresh peas right from your garden you'd want to steam those until they were crisp-tender. Otherwise no worries.
Please no. You "could" but you would have a bland, starchy, mushy, faded dish that resembles a good southern pea salad about as much as Target resembles Neiman Marcus. Go with the frozen - I promise you'll be glad you did.
Again, you "can" but the results aren't nearly as magnificent as they are when you use tiny cubes of Cheddar. I think cubed cheese looks better and it doesn't get lost in the peas.
You can make it up to 2 days ahead of time but don't put the bacon in until right before serving. Also, I like to keep extra frozen peas on hand so that if it gets a little watery I can add more peas to it on the day of the picnic.
Yes it does. Because it contains mayonnaise you'll want to keep it cold. If you're doing a potluck outside then keep the bowl in a ice chest until you're ready to serve it.
📚 Related recipes
📞 The last word
I think it's because of the heat that life just tends to move at a slower pace here in Texas in the summertime. If you want to weed the garden or mow the lawn, doing so when it's 115F is a health hazard.
Even the air conditioning system can't keep up with that kind of heat so afternoons might be spent reading a book or catching up with a neighbor - certainly not cooking and heating the house up!
No matter where you go in the South if there's a potluck there's going to be a sweet pea salad on the table next to the potato salad. There's just something about this summer side dish that people either love or hate - and I haven't met many that hate it.
Maybe it's the way you bite into the tender-crisp pop of the peas, or the way the salty sharpness of the chunks of Cheddar cheese burst through the sweet dressing.
Maybe it's the crunch of the bacon or the sweet-heat of the red onion or, maybe it's just everything all together and the memories that are wrapped up in the bowl right along with the ingredients.
Because if you don't have memories associated with this iconic southern side dish then you soon will.
I hope you'll try this the next time you grill burgers or need something last minute to take to a potluck or picnic. It's just so easy and it's never too early or too late to start making great memories.
📖 Recipe
Southern Pea and Cheese Salad with Bacon
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 12 ounces frozen green peas, plus one on hand in case you need it
- 1 cup mayonnaise, I suggest Hellmann's
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup diced red onion
- 1 ¼ cup Cheddar cheese, diced small - you can use mild, medium, or sharp.
- 6 bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
- Smoked paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl - set aside.
- Add the frozen peas, diced onion, and diced cheese to a large serving bowl.
- Spoon the mayonnaise mixture over the top and stir gently to coat the ingredients with the dressing.
- Cover tightly and chill for at least one hour or up to 2 days.
- Just before serving stir in the crispy bacon pieces and dust the top with smoked paprika.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Summer is hot! Recipes like this classic pea salad were developed because they are quick, easy, and aren't going to heat up the kitchen. If you know you're going to make it in the afternoon you'd cook extra bacon in the morning while it was still cool - problem solved.
- This is delicious with smoked Cheddar instead of sharp.
- Using small Cheddar cheese cubes already cut will save time.
- This easy salad has the best flavor after it's been chilled a couple of hours.
- There's no need to use thawed peas. I just add them frozen.
- Creamy pea salad works as a main dish because the peas and cheddar provide plenty of protein.
Nutrition Facts
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published May 14, 2019. Last updated May 18, 2021 for better readability and easier to understand instructions.
SUSAN J TURCSANY
This was great! I never thought to make a cold salad with peas. I had all the ingredients on hand so decided to give it a try. Was pleasantly surprised, wasn't sure that I would like it. I used Hellman's mayo, can't stand miracle whip. Will definitely make this again.
Leslie Stevenson
This is a good one. I made this for supper...and only this. We were very happy. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Deborah L Eck
I love this salad, my husband is getting closer! He loves the little baby peas, but we are having a hard time finding them, where do you get your baby peas? Thanks
Marye
I use frozen. 🙂
Tracy Arrington
Oh yeah, 5 stars for sure. Loved this recipe, followed it as written. The crispy bacon element is outstanding. Even better than your macaroni salad with the green olives in it, which is pretty dang good also. Thanks, these recipes are now part of my summer repertoire.
Marye
I am so glad you like it! I love this stuff!