Pea Salad with Bacon
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This creamy pea salad with bacon is a classic side dish and a great way to use a bag of frozen peas. The peas are mixed with some cheddar cheese cubes, crunchy celery, red onion, and a creamy yogurt-based dressing. A little bacon at the end makes this taste like a real treat.
If you’re a fan of peas (like I am!), this recipe is for you. It’s easy to make, travels well for picnics and BBQs, uses ingredients you likely already have on hand, and pairs beautifully with just about any main dish.
The combination is what really sells it: sweet peas mixed with crunchy celery, salty bacon, sharp cheddar, and a bit of onion, all tossed in a creamy dressing. It’s simple, familiar, and completely irresistible.
Tips for making the best pea salad
- Add celery. It’s not an ingredient usually found in pea salad, but it gives it the best little crunch.
- Chop the celery, cheese, and red onion so that they are all roughly the same size.
- Let the salad rest while cooking the bacon; it will help the flavors blend together.
- Add the bacon last. Crispy bacon is best in this salad. Add it right before serving so that it doesn’t turn soft and chewy.
- To bring this to a picnic, make the salad up to a day ahead and bring the bacon to mix in before you serve it.
What goes well with pea salad
This is a great recipe as it goes well with so many main dishes. Here are a few of our favorites:
Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups frozen peas
- ½ cup diced cheddar cheese
- ½ cup minced celery
- ⅓ cup minced red onion
- ½ cup yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- 4 slices bacon
Instructions
- Place the peas in a colander and run them under water to remove any ice. It’s ok if they’re not completely thawed. Drain them well and place them in a large bowl with the cheddar cheese, celery, and red onion.4 cups frozen peas, ½ cup diced cheddar cheese, ½ cup minced celery, ⅓ cup minced red onion
- In a small bowl, mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pour this creamy sauce over the peas and mix well. Set the peas aside on your counter while you cook the bacon – or up to 3 days in your fridge.½ cup yogurt, ¼ cup mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, ½ teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- In a medium-sized pan over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Cool then chop.4 slices bacon
- Just before serving, mix the bacon into the peas.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
Love, love, love it!!
It’s an improved, tastier version of a pea salad my mom made during my childhood. It was just OK as a kid, but now I REALLY enjoy it. Thank you!
I love hearing that!!
I found the recipe to be dry. I added more mayonnaise but still found the recipe to be bland.
Cure for blandness, use more bacon & add more apple cider vinegar –
guaranteed to work!
I made this twice and loved it both times. The second time, I didn’t have red onion so I semi-carmelized sweet onion then added a spoonful of pesto. That was an even better version.
Hi Kristen, the creamy pea salad with bacon looks and sounds amazing!! I have one question, it calls for 1/2 cup yogurt, what kind of yogurt do you use?
Thank-you!!
Hi! I like to use thick, plain yogurt.
Do you bake the pork with a lid on or off?
I believe you’re referring to this recipe: https://www.theendlessmeal.com/baked-pork-tenderloin/. If you are, it’s baked covered. 🙂
If I don’t have any plain yogurt, could I use something else as an alternative?
You could use extra mayo instead. 🙂
Oh my goodness, I would give this 10 stars if I could. Such a refreshing side salad. I served it to my dinner guest the other night and it was the hit of meal. I made it exactly like you wrote. The little that was left over still tasted delicious the next day. Thank you so much.
You’re so welcome!!
OMG! This recipe is delicious and couldn’t be any easier to put together. Any Endless Meal recipe I have made has always been delicious and loved by all. This one as well! Thank you!
That’s so wonderful to hear, Erika! Thank you for letting us know!!