A Classic Pea Salad Recipe with canned green peas, crunchy celery, and pimentos, covered in light mayo dressing. This simple salad is the perfect side dish for barbecues, showers, and potlucks.
I am happy to be sharing with you my mom's pea salad recipe. My mom has made this pea salad for years, and her mom made it before her.
Pea salad is a classic midwestern side dish, especially this time of year. Great for holidays like Easter, as well as summer barbecues, this sweet pea salad is a light and easy side dish! So easy in fact, it is a couple ingredients and can be made in 5 minutes or less.
A lot of old fashioned pea salad recipes will have extras in them, such as hard boiled eggs, cheese cubes, bacon, and onions. My mom's recipe is very simple and minimal in ingredients, and that's the way I kept it here.
Enjoy this delicious salad as is, or add any of the optional add ins.
For more classic side dishes, try tuna casserole, broccoli crunch pasta salad, and red skin potato salad.
Best Peas for Pea Salad
This recipe is my mom's, who originally got it from her mom, and they both used canned peas. I love it that way! The brand my mom suggests is La Sueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas. Canned peas are tender and softer than fresh or frozen peas. I have made this pea salad recipe with frozen peas as well, and it is just as tasty.
Ingredients
- Green peas- I make this using La Sueur Petite Green Peas. I have made this salad using frozen peas, and that works too!
- Celery- 1-2 ribs of celery add a nice crunch to the salad.
- Mayonnaise- Mayo is what makes the pea salad dressing. Start with ¼ cup and add more if you prefer a thicker coating. Sour cream or greek yogurt could be used as a substitute.
- Jarred pimentos- Can't have pea salad without them! They are very mildly flavored, not spicy at all.
Optional Add ins
Some other common add-ins are bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and a splash of apple cider vinegar for tang. My mom's pea salad recipe is super simple (just the way I like it), but feel free to try out different ingredients and see how you like them!
- Onion: An optional ingredient that I sometimes add is very finely diced yellow onion or red onion!
- Bacon: Add ¼ cup of crumbled bacon for added saltiness.
- Cheese: A lot of pea salads you will see shredded cheese or cheese cubes added in, often cheddar.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Sliced hard boiled eggs are a common addition to the salad. They also add protein.
How to make Classic Pea Salad
Step 1. Grab a medium sized mixing bowl and add canned peas that have been well drained, along with diced celery, well drained pimentos, mayo, salt and pepper.
Step 2. Stir well and serve chilled.
Recipe Tips
- Chop the celery in a small uniform dice so that it doesn't overpower the delicate peas.
- Drain the peas and pimentos really well to avoid a watery salad.
- This salad can be made ahead. As a rule of thumb, any type of mayo based salad will generally get better after sitting a little while and allowing the flavors to marinate. This is a cold pea salad so it will be going into the fridge before serving. I wouldn't make it more than 24 hours before you plan to serve it so that the celery stays crunchy!
What to Serve with Pea Salad
Looking for dishes to serve with this sweet pea salad recipe?
Grilled meat: Try marinated steak bites using this Bourbon Brown Sugar Marinade.
Burgers: Try pairing it with these Mini Onion Smash Burgers or the Best Venison Burgers.
Other potluck recipes: Interested in other salads to pass around the table? This BLT Salad is a fun twist on the classic sandwich, and Mexican Street Corn Salad is the perfect way to use fresh summer sweet corn.
Did you enjoy this Pea Salad? I would love for you to let me know by leaving a comment and star rating. I can't wait to hear from you!
Pea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 can peas 15 oz.
- 2 celery stalks finely diced
- ¼ cup mayo
- 4 oz. jarred pimentos drained
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grab a medium sized mixing bowl add canned peas that have been well drained)
- Add diced celery, well drained pimentos, mayo, salt and pepper.
- Stir well and serve chilled.
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