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This easy Green Pea Salad is an old-fashioned classic side dish served cold. Made in one bowl with frozen green peas, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, and cheddar cheese in a creamy mayonnaise based dressing.

Green Pea Salad Recipe (Classic Pea Salad)

This pea salad is a creamy salad that is the perfect side dish for all the summer potlucks, gatherings, and get togethers. It does not look like much, but trust me when I say that it is always, surprisingly, a crowd favorite.

The texture and sweetness of the peas pairs perfectly with the sharp cheddar cheese cubes, and the mild soft hard-boiled eggs. Smother it all in an easy creamy dressing made with mayo and sour cream, and you have the perfect side dish for dinner.

A spoon with a bite of the pea salad on it above the bowl of pea salad.

Simple Ingredients Needed

Frozen Peas : I only recommend using frozen sweet peas because they are firmer, which means they’ll hold their shape better, and frozen peas will maintain their bright green peas color (where as canned peas are darker in color which doesn’t look appetizing in the easy pea salad).
Cheddar Cheese : Buy a block of cheddar cheese and cut it into small cubes for the delicious pea salad. You can use mild cheddar cheese, medium cheddar cheese, or sharp cheddar cheese.
Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
Hard-Boiled Eggs : Try my fail-proof method for Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs.
Finely Diced Red Onion : This is the best onion to use because it tastes the best when eaten raw, and it gives the salad a pop of color. It’s also sometimes referred to as purple onion – because technically it is purple in color, but the common name is red onion.
Salt & Pepper : This can be adjusted to taste. I always end up adding pinch of kosher salt and just a small amount of black pepper to the salad. Taste the salad once it’s made and add salt if needed.

How To Make Creamy Pea Salad With Frozen Peas (Printable Recipe Card)

In a large bowl, or serving bowl, add the thawed peas, cubed cheddar cheese, chopped hard-boiled eggs, mayonnaise, sour cream, red onion, salt & pepper. Stir together until everything is well combined and coated in the creamy dressing.

Cover the bowl with a lid, or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours before serving.

How To Store Leftovers of Pea Salad

Green pea salad should stored be stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. You can cover the bowl of the salad with a lid or plastic wrap, or transfer leftovers to a storage container. I do not recommend freezing this salad, because the texture will be extremely mushy and unappealing once frozen and thawed.

What Are Some Substitutions I Can Make?

Green Peas : I recommend using frozen peas for the best texture and pop of color, however, you can use canned green peas if wanted. Canned peas are more likely to mush when mixed as the canning process makes them softer. They also will not be as bright and the dish will be a different color versus using frozen peas that retain their right green color better.
Cheddar Cheese : I would recommend using sharp cheddar cheese or extra sharp cheddar cheese to help cut through and stand out in the dish against the other flavors. Although any kind of cheese can be used if wanted.
Red Onion : You can use any kind of onion you prefer. Red onions are known for being the best to eat raw and they add a nice pop of color to the dish. A sweet onion would be the next best choice if you wanted to use something different.

Recipe FAQ’s

Can I Use Shredded Cheese or Does It Have To Be Cubed?

If you prefer to use shredded cheese, you can, and it will still be a great dish. You can also choose to cut the cubes of cheese real small or in larger pieces, depending on preference.

Can I Add Meat To The Pea Salad?

Yes, if you like to add meats, some great options are diced or shredded ham, or try using some crispy bacon – either bacon bits or cook bacon your preferred method.

I Don’t Want An Intense Raw Onion Flavor, What Can I Do?

If you want the onion in the dish but don’t want that sharp bite of raw onion, there are two things you can do to fix that. First, you can take the red onion and soak it in cold water for 5 minutes before adding them to the dish. Ensure that they are drained well and then pat them dry with a paper towel; you don’t want to put additional moisture in the pea salad. Another option is to use shallots or green onions, which have a much more mild onion flavor.

Do I Need To Cook The Peas Before Adding Them To The Salad?

No, you do not need to cook the peas before adding them to the salad. However, you will want to ensure they are thawed completely so that it does not cause your dressing to clump when mixing all the ingredients together.

Up close pic of the green pea salad in a creamy dressing.

More Salad Recipes

Green Pea Salad

Author Jessica – Together as Family

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Chill Time 1

Total Time 1 15

This easy Green Pea Salad is an old-fashioned classic side dish served cold. Made in one bowl with frozen green peas, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, and cheddar cheese in a creamy mayonnaise based dressing.

Ingredients

▢ 32 ounces frozen green peas completely thawed
▢ 1 block (8 oz) sharp cheddar cheese cubed small
▢ 4 hard-boiled eggs chopped
▢ 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
▢ 1/2 cup mayonnaise
▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
▢ kosher salt & black pepper (to taste, see notes)

Instructions

In a large bowl, or serving bowl, add all the ingredients. Stir together until everything is well combined and coated in the creamy dressing.
^{*It's super important to use completely thawed peas or else the dressing will clump and won't be creamy at all.}
32 ounces frozen green peas, 1 block (8 oz) sharp cheddar cheese, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 1/2 cup finely diced red onion, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream, kosher salt & black pepper
Cover the bowl with a lid, or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before serving chilled.

Notes

Salt & Pepper : This amount will vary for this salad depending on your salt preference and what salt you use. I end up using about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and just a pinch of black pepper when I make this salad. I would start with about 1/4 teaspoon salt and then add from there as needed.

Cheese : Sharp cheddar cheese is best to use because the bold flavor stands up to all the other flavors in the salad. You could also use medium cheddar, mild cheddar, or even extra sharp cheddar; whatever you prefer.

Red Onion : This is the best onion to use because it tastes the best when eaten raw. If you want the onion but not that strong onion flavor then soak the diced red onion in cold water for 5 minutes before adding into the salad. Make sure to drain the onion well and use paper towels to soak up any remaining moisture on the onion, you don’t want to add additional liquid to the salad.

Nutrition

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