Southern Pea Salad

This Southern Pea Salad is cool, crisp, creamy and packed full of sweet flavors and healthy ingredients! It’s a crowd-pleasing, easy side dish recipe for all of your spring and summer gatherings.

I kept this pea salad healthy by using plain Greek yogurt and just a little bit of mayo for the dressing. The bright green peas, the yellow bell pepper, the purple onion, and the red pimientos make it colorful and fresh.

Now that the weather is warmer and folks in Virginia have come out of “hibernation,” it’s the season for outdoor picnics and potlucks! I often volunteer to bring a salad or side dish to these gatherings, but I also don’t want to toss together the same old tired lettuce greens with cucumbers and tomatoes. Potlucks are the most fun when we get to taste a variety of different foods!

What’s in Pea Salad?

This simple fresh pea salad is a beautiful fresh take on Spring! It’s a great option for a brunch or party, but it’s also easy enough to serve with some grilled chicken, ham, or pork for an easy weeknight dinner. Trust me — if Keith and all 3 of my boys enjoy the peas in this recipe, you know it’s a keeper!

You’ll need the following ingredients for this salad with green peas:

• Yellow bell pepper
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Greek style yogurt
• Basil
• Red onion
• Diced pimiento
• Apple cider vinegar
• Seasonings: seasoned salt, garlic, sugar and pepper
• Fresh or frozen peas

How to Make Pea Salad:

This is so simple, friends! Here’s what you’ll do:

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl, except for the peas. Mix well.
2. Gently stir in the peas and coat them with the dressing.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the salad for at least 3-4 hours. Enjoy!

Can you freeze Pea Salad?

I do not recommend freezing this pea salad. The creamy dressing will not hold up particularly well, and the fresh vegetables will get mushy and soft when thawed.

What to serve with Pea Salad:

Here are a few great options that go nicely with this cold sweet pea salad recipe:

• Virginia Brown Sugar Baked Ham
• 5-Ingredient Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze
• Baked Ham and Cheese Omelet
• Garlic and Herb Roast Turkey Breast
• Southern Bourbon-Glazed Beef Tenderloin

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• If you’re serving a smaller family, cut the ingredients in half. The rest of the instructions remain the same! If you have leftovers, the extra salad will keep fresh in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 days.
• This is a Pea Salad without Bacon, but you can make a Pea Salad with Bacon by adding cooked, crumbled bacon to the salad just before serving.
• Make this Pea Salad with Lettuce by serving the creamy pea mixture over a bed of crisp, fresh greens.
• Make a Pea Salad with Ham by adding diced ham to the salad. This would be a great way to use up those holiday leftovers!
• This is a pea salad recipe with mayonnaise, but you can substitute additional yogurt or even sour cream for the mayonnaise if you prefer a pea salad with no mayo.
• Make a pea salad with sour cream by swapping out the Greek yogurt and replacing it with an equal amount of sour cream.

Other spring-inspired pea recipes that you might enjoy:

• Spring’s Finest Baked Omelet
• Dump-and-Bake Spring Pasta
• 4-Ingredient Spring Pesto Pasta
• Dump-and-Bake Southern Chicken Casserole

Southern Pea Salad

5 from 3 votes

Prep: 15 minutes

Chilling Time 3 hours

Total: 15 minutes

Servings 8 cups (about 16 servings)

Calories 78.6 kcal

This Southern Pea Salad is cool, crisp, creamy and packed full of sweet flavors and healthy ingredients! It’s a crowd-pleasing, easy side dish recipe for all of your spring and summer gatherings. 

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Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ yellow bell pepper finely chopped
• ¼ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup plain Greek style yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon finely diced red onion
• 2 teaspoons diced pimiento
• ½ teaspoon apple-cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• 2 lbs. shelled fresh peas or 2 packages (16 ounces each) frozen tiny peas, thawed

Instructions

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except peas. Mix well.
• Stir in peas until completely coated with dressing.
• Cover and refrigerate salad for at least 3-4 hours. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Serving a smaller group? You can easily cut the ingredients in half for a smaller portion. The leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days, too!

Want to Prep Ahead? This salad is best if it’s been sitting in the refrigerator to marinate for a few hours!

• This is a Pea Salad without Bacon, but you can make a Pea Salad with Bacon by adding cooked, crumbled bacon to the salad just before serving.
• Make this Pea Salad with Lettuce by serving the creamy pea mixture over a bed of crisp, fresh greens.
• Make a Pea Salad with Ham by adding diced ham to the salad. This would be a great way to use up those holiday leftovers!
• This is a pea salad recipe with mayonnaise, but you can substitute additional yogurt or even sour cream for the mayonnaise if you prefer a pea salad with no mayo.
• Make a pea salad with sour cream by swapping out the Greek yogurt and replacing it with an equal amount of sour cream.

Recipe adapted from Country Living magazine

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 78.6kcalCarbohydrates: 8.7gProtein: 3.8gFat: 3.4gSaturated Fat: 0.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 3.1mgSodium: 167.3mgPotassium: 97.6mgFiber: 2.4gSugar: 3.4g

Keyword: easy side dish, Pea Salad, Pea Salad Recipe

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Southern

Author: Blair Lonergan

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This recipe for Southern Pea Salad was originally published in April, 2014. It was updated in April, 2017.