This vibrant and refreshing Creamy Dill Pea Salad Recipe blends tender sweet peas, crispy bacon, fresh vegetables, and roasted cashews in a delicious creamy dressing. It’s a no-cook classic perfect for potlucks, backyard barbecues, or a simple summer side. Serve it well-chilled for the most flavor and crunch.
Do you love peas and want more? Then try our Creamy Sugar Snap Peas with Bacon or our Fresh Asparagus Pea Lemon Pasta.
I love a nostalgic pea salad recipe, but I wanted to upgrade the texture and balance so that it felt fresh and not heavy. I omitted the cheddar cheese often found in the salad and added lots of texture and flavor with diced veggies, dill, bacon, and cashews. It presents beautifully with bacon, cashews, and dill sprinkled over the top. It can appear quite elegant, even.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Great use of peas
- Crunchy and delicious
- Unique salad offering
- Fresh and fun looking
- Fast and easy using frozen peas
Helpful Items for This Recipe
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Salad Servers, Wood Salad Tongs, 10.2in Salad Spoon and Fork Set
9.8” Serving Bowls, 86 oz White, Large Ceramic Serving Dishes, Fruit Bowl, Set of 2
Cutting Board Double Sided Food Grade, Pure Titanium and Wheat Straw PP, Dishwasher Safe,16”×11”
What Ingredients are in Pea Salad?
The ingredients for the pea salad recipe are easy to find in any grocery store. If using fresh peas, then just blanch them quickly in hot water and shock in ice water before using in the salad.
Recipe Ingredients
Bacon, diced celery, diced green bell pepper, roasted cashews – Pea Salad needs a little something extra in the texture department. Diced vegetables, bacon, and cashews bring a gentle crunch and subtle sweetness to this salad, which ties it together.
Diced red onion – Red onion can be sharp, especially when the salad is eaten right away. I finely diced it so the flavor was dispersed more evenly and skipped pre-soaking for convenience. If you’re sensitive to onion bite, a quick soak in cold water will mellow things out.
Mayonnaise and Sour cream – A 50/50 blend of mayonnaise and sour cream gives the perfect balance—creamy with a tang that brightens everything up. A little fresh dill brings it all together.
Fresh dill, plus more for garnish – This adds a freshness to the salad like no other.
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – Two of my favorites and both are a must for seasoning.
Frozen green peas – The great part about this salad is that there is no need to thaw; they go directly in frozen. Buy a brand that you trust will give you great results.
How to Make Pea Salad?
Over medium heat, cook the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crispy, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cool, crumble into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Use pre-cooked bacon to save time.
While the bacon cooks, dice the celery, green bell pepper, and red onion. Set aside. I like to dice the vegetables about the size of the peas.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped dill, salt, pepper, and diced vegetables. Stir well until everything is evenly coated in the dressing.
Gently fold in the frozen peas. See “In a Hurry” below for using thawed peas.
Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or until the peas have thawed and the flavors have melded. Stir once halfway through chilling to redistribute the dressing. Make this salad the morning of or even the day before needed.
Just before serving, fold half the crumbled bacon and half of the chopped cashews into the salad. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining bacon and cashews over the top. Garnish with additional dill, if desired. Serve chilled.
Chill Time
The salad needs at least 3–4 hours to chill so the peas thaw and soak up all the flavor. Stirring it halfway through chilling helps redistribute the dressing and thaw the peas more evenly. I prefer the ease of making the salad in advance with frozen peas and letting the salad meld in the fridge. Alternatively, rinse the peas in cold water and dry them before adding them to the salad to shorten or eliminate the chill time completely.
Recipe Pro Tips!
FAQS
In a Hurry?
To thaw the peas quickly, place the frozen peas in a colander and rinse under cold water for 1–2 minutes until they are no longer icy but still firm. Drain well, and dry them on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels.
Tips & Variations
For the best flavor, serve well-chilled.
Make this salad up to 24 hours in advance. Ultimate flexibility!
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Use dried dill if fresh isn’t available. Substitute with two teaspoons of dried dill. No dill? Try tarragon or parsley.
The recipe easily doubles!
For nut-free versions, try crunchy chickpeas, sunflower seeds, or even diced cucumber.
DO YOU LOVE SALAD FOR SUMMER AND WANT MORE?
I adore a fresh summer salad and could eat them every night of the week. Here are some of our favorites.
Pea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 ounces bacon about 4-6 slices
- 1/2 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1/4 cup red onion diced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces frozen green peas no need to thaw
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews chopped
Instructions
- Over medium heat, cook the bacon in a large skillet until browned and crispy, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cool, crumble into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Use pre-cooked bacon to save time.
- While the bacon cooks, dice the celery, green bell pepper, and red onion. Set aside. I like to dice the vegetables about the size of the peas.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped dill, salt, pepper, and diced vegetables. Stir well until everything is evenly coated in the dressing. Gently fold in the frozen peas. See “In a Hurry” below for using thawed peas.
- Cover and refrigerate for 2–3 hours or until the peas have thawed and the flavors have melded. Stir once halfway through chilling to redistribute the dressing. Make this salad the morning of or even the day before needed.
- Just before serving, fold half the crumbled bacon and half of the chopped cashews into the salad. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle the remaining bacon and cashews over the top. Garnish with additional dill, if desired. Serve chilled.
Comments & Reviews
Heather says
This is my favorite pea salad recipe! It is so fresh and looks so pretty on the table. Thank you!
Tara Noland says
So glad you like it. Thanks for letting us know.