Easy Pea Salad Recipe
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This easy Pea Salad Recipe, with creamy dressing, cheddar cheese, and red onion is a simple but flavorful side dish, perfect for Easter or a summer barbecue.
If you’re looking for an easy side dish for spring and summer menus, this Pea Salad Recipe is the perfect easy side dish for any spring time celebration. Some recipes seem so simple that you may pass them by. Like this Pea Salad Recipe. This salad may appear to be a simple side, not worthy of much ado. It is simple. That, it is. Simple to prepare. Simple ingredients. Simple ingredients that come together to become something so much more. Yes it does. Early sweet peas, shredded cheddar cheese, crunchy bits of red onion, and creamy mayonnaise to tie it all together create big flavor with humble ingredients.
This Pea Salad Recipe has been around as long as I can remember. It appears every year during spring, first emerging at Easter. No Easter spread in our home is complete without this salad. It and ham are the best of friends. Of course, it gets along well with others. It is good with fish too, and chicken, or steak. But I do think ham is its best partner. Peas and ham, ham and peas … they just play well together, don’t you think?
When it comes to preparing Easy Pea Salad, this easy recipe is great for making ahead of time, which makes it a perfect side dish option when preparing a large meal for a crowd. I actually think it gets better when made a day or two ahead of time, and left to mingle covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then pack it up to take to a picnic (chilled, of course), or your next holiday gathering with your favorite people.
Ingredients for Pea Salad Recipe:
- Canned Early Sweet Peas, Drained
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Diced Red Onion
- Mayonnaise
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Make Pea Salad Recipe:
- Simply stir together all the ingredients in a large bowl until combined.
- Then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
More favorite side dish recipes for your springtime celebrations:
- Spicy Ginger Carrot Salad Recipe
- Broccoli Slaw Recipe
- Roasted Asparagus Recipe
- White and Black Bean Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad Recipe
I hope you enjoy this easy Pea Salad Recipe as much as we do. Happy spring!
Easy Pea Salad Recipe
Easy Pea Salad
This simple salad is especially delicious with ham or fish, and can be made up to two days ahead of time.
Ingredients
- 30 ounces (weight) canned early sweet peas, drained
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients until combined.
- Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.
Notes
Pea Salad is good for up to two days in the fridge.
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Originally published March 27, 2014. Updated March 19, 2026.
We are big fans of peas any way you make them! Love this salad and I bet that the red onion really makes the flavor in this pop!
You always cook food I want to eat! I’m absolutely going to be making this LONG before Easter… Maybe even TODAY! 😀
Ham and peas are the perfect combo 🙂 Love this!
Simple is the best! beautiful salad!
Oh gosh, I love peas and this salad looks excellent! I’m kind of glad that my husband doesn’t like peas, more for me 🙂
I don’t LOVE peas, but holy heck…I want to go at that entire bowl with as many spoons as I can maneuver!
I love peas, but never cook with them. This salad looks so good and I cannot wait to make it!
Love this pea salad, Amy. Looks devine!
Perfect potluck salad for spring. I am adding this to my pile of ideas for Easter meals we’re attending.
I love peas, but unfortunately, I am the only one in my house who does, so I don’t make this very often. When I do, I usually add a finely chopped hard boiled egg.
A perfect spring time dish! Love dishes with peas! Sharing!
I make a version of this but with thawed, frozen peas, and as some crumbled bacon, sometimes hard-boiled egg, and mustard powder.
I grew up on this and still make it M A N Y years later. We always added cheese chunks or shredded cheddar and a big spoon of pickle relish to it. Always good.
making this tomorrow for Easter brunch!
My family loves this salad, but we add bread and butter pickles and cubes of Velveeta cheese. Yum!
Pickles! Yum!
Yum, this sounds delicious, but I’m going to have to make this and take it to a group dinner or potluck, because both the other people I live with hate mayonnaise. 🙁
More for you, huh? 😉
Thank you for this recipe. We were displaced during hurricane Andrew staying a few days in No Florida. I had never had Pea Salad. I went to a salad buffet one day and therebit was. I loved it. I have been looking for a recipe for it ever since. This is it! Yum, can’t wait to make it.
I hope you enjoy it, Elaine!
This recipe is looking so good. I will definitely try it with some healthy juice.