Ranch dressing, bacon, and cheddar make everything better, even cold creamy pea salad. You can take mediocre pea salad recipes from so-so to spectacular with a simple squirt of the ranch, a crunch of salty bacon, and creamy cheddar!
It’s cold, creamy, tangy, and the precious little peas burst in your mouth at just the right time. This nutritious super satisfying side dish dresses up any meal.
If you like delicious potluck-style salads like this, I hope you’ll try my KFC coleslaw, grape salad, and dill pickle pasta salad next! I promise you’ll love them all! ♥
But this cold refreshing tasty salad is a gem that can pair with almost any meal and double as a lunch course without weighing you down.
Let’s make this!
What I Love About This Recipe
It’s got ALL the texture too – firm and creamy green peas, crispy bacon and crunchy red onions, tender-perfect boiled or steamed eggs, all blanketed in the salty, tangy magic that is ranch dressing.
- A simple but flavorful side dish sure to lure even picky eaters to the fridge for leftovers.
- This comes together really quickly – only SIX ingredients – with just a little time needed to hang out in the fridge before serving.
- The ranch dressing makes everything better
How To Make Pea Salad Recipe
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Cook the bacon. Crumble and set aside.
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Blanche the peas for 1 minute. Drain well.
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In a salad bowl, add bacon, onion, cheddar, and ranch dressing. Toss well to evenly coat all ingredients. Add peas and chopped eggs and gently fold into the mixture, so they don’t get mushy.
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Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes minimum up to overnight.
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Serve.
***See the full instructions below***
Pea Salad Ingredients + Tips
If you’re aiming to serve your all-time best green pea salad, I suggest giving this baby some chill time in the fridge. You’ll want a 30-minute minimum to let all the flavors fully develop but a couple of hours to overnight is optimal.
Peas – The overall flavor and integrity of this salad with bacon really depend on the type of peas you use. Canned peas can be…well – mushy. Not an attractive quality in peas salad.
- What you really want for this dish is frozen petite peas. First off, they’re sweeter than their mature counterparts and the skins aren’t as tough. Plus, they’re typically frozen at the peak of freshness and they’re cost-effective. What’s not to love?
Cheese: Sharp cheddar is my favorite cheese for this dish. It adds some cheesy flavor without competing with the ranch dressing. Mild or Longhorn varieties also work well. Feel free to experiment with other firm cheeses, though, and use whatever you like.
- I add it either shredded or cubed, frankly depending on my mood at the time!
- I think shredded cheese gets distributed throughout the salad better, though, so that’s what I use, and I prefer to grate mine by hand. Pre-shredded cheese usually has some anti-caking agents that put a thin powdery coating on each shred, so I prefer not to use that in cold dishes (though it’s definitely a great time saver for warm melty-cheese things).
Onions: There are so many onion varieties, but red works great in this dish mainly for color but also for flavor. Red onions are one of the mildest varieties, but you can always rinse chopped onions in cold water first if they’re particularly strong. Sweet onions like Vidalia are a great substitute.
Storing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This will stay fresh and tangy in the fridge for up to 3-4 days but I have never had one last that long. You’ll want to store it in an airtight container to prevent condensation build-up which can make it runny.
- Make Ahead Tips I love making this a day ahead of serving because it gives everything time to meld together into one cohesive flavor profile. Plus, a deep hard chill does wonders for the flavor. Now, it’s absolutely fine with just an hour or so in the fridge but overnight is best.
- Food Safety: If you’d like more info on food safety check out this link.
Serving Recommendations
The versatility of this salad makes it suitable for pairing with a lunchtime sandwich or dressing up a holiday dinner.
Ina’s potato salad or carrot salad makes a wonderful flavor contrast, but a pasta salad with Italian dressing, classic macaroni salad, or Hawaiian macaroni salad can be hard to beat too! There’s almost nothing you can’t serve this salad with.
Just be sure to reserve the FDA-recommended 2-hour serving rule.
More Fabulous Salad Recipes
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Taco Pasta Salad
- Mexican Corn Salad
- Creamy Ham Salad
- Tortellini Salad
- Frog Eye Salad
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Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 16 ounces frozen petite peas thawed and drained
- 1/3 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese cubed or shredded
- 2 hard-boiled eggs cooled and chopped
Instructions
- In a 12-inch skillet, cook bacon (4 slices) until crispy. Remove cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Crumble and set aside.
- In a large pot, bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Blanche the peas (16 ounces) for 1 minute, drain them into a colander, and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process. Drain well.
- In a salad bowl, add bacon, onion (1/3 cup), cheddar (1/2 cup), and ranch dressing (1/2 cup). Toss well to evenly coat all ingredients. Add peas and chopped eggs and gently fold into the mixture, so they don't get mushy. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes minimum up to overnight. Serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Peas – The overall flavor and integrity of this salad with bacon really depend on the type of peas you use. Canned peas can be…well – mushy. Not an attractive quality in peas salad.
- What you really want for this dish is frozen petite peas. First off, they’re sweeter than their mature counterparts and the skins aren’t as tough. Plus, they’re typically frozen at the peak of freshness and they’re cost-effective. What’s not to love?
- Cheese: Sharp cheddar is my favorite cheese for this dish. It adds some cheesy flavor without competing with the ranch dressing. Mild or Longhorn varieties also work well. Feel free to experiment with other firm cheeses, though, and use whatever you like.
- I add it either shredded or cubed, frankly depending on my mood at the time!
- I think shredded cheese gets distributed throughout the salad better, though, so that’s what I use, and I prefer to grate mine by hand. Pre-shredded cheese usually has some anti-caking agents that put a thin powdery coating on each shred, so I prefer not to use that in cold dishes (though it’s definitely a great time saver for warm melty-cheese things).
- Onions: There are so many onion varieties, but red works great in this dish mainly for color but also for flavor. Red onions are one of the mildest varieties, but you can always rinse chopped onions in cold water first if they’re particularly strong. Sweet onions like Vidalia are a great substitute.
Yum. Love this
I actually made this with fresh peas from our garden. I blanched, then shocked them. I mixed everything together and just before I put in the fridge to meld, I gave my husband a taste test. He was shocked at how good it was, based on how simple the recipe is. His exact words were “That’s good. Wow, that’s really good.” He doesn’t usually comment unless I ask him if he likes it, so that was high praise. Will definitely be making this again!
I’m so happy it was a hit for your family. I LOVE that you made it with fresh peas! I bet it was amazing!
`I use mayo , not ranch…but this is one I could sit and eat everyday…
I think it’s a delicious salad too, Marian!
Looks yummy! Think we’ll make it for Fathers Day.
I hope you enjoy it, Lynessa!
Looks delicious! I love pea salad.
I hope you enjoy!