On the lighter side, this healthy pea salad recipe uses canned or frozen peas, crunchy celery and pimentos, and a light dressing using very little mayonnaise!
Sharing with you my mom's pea salad recipe. Pea salad is a classic 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 only 4 ingredients, 6 if you count salt and pepper.
Mayonnaise may not be considered healthy, but in moderation it can be a part of a healthy diet. This sweet pea recipe only uses ¼ a cup of mayo, and spread over 6 servings, that's not too bad at all! You can always sub in light mayo or even greek yogurt if you would like to lighten up the salad even more.
Looking for main dishes to serve with this sweet pea salad recipe? Try pairing it with these Mini Onion Smash Burgers or marinated steak bites using this Bourbon Brown Sugar Marinade. 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.
Ingredients
- green peas
- celery
- mayo
- jarred pimentos
- salt and black pepper
Substitutions and Variations
- Onion: An optional ingredient that I sometimes add is very finely diced yellow onion or red onion!
Some other common add-ins are bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, and apple cider vinegar. 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!
Basic Instructions
- Grab a medium sized mixing bowl and add thawed peas (or canned peas that have been well drained)
- Add diced celery, well-drained pimentos, mayo, salt and pepper.
- Stir well and serve chilled.
Can you use canned peas?
Of course! In fact, 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 Sueuer, Very Young Small Sweet Peas. I personally always have frozen peas on hand so that is what I used this time around.
Can you make this salad ahead of time?
Yes, you can. 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. Also this is a cold pea salad so it will be going into the fridge anyway, before serving. I wouldn't make it more than 24 hours before you plan to serve it so that the celery stays crunchy!
Recipe FAQs
I would say so! Peas are a great source of fiber, pimentos and celery both have vitamins A, K, and C, and a little mayo is ok in moderation. If you would like to make this a green pea salad without mayo, you could try substituting in sour cream or greek yogurt instead. The flavor will be slightly tangier, and you may need to thin it out a bit to get the correct consistency.
Most recipes for pea salad call for either canned peas or frozen and thawed peas. Both of those will be softer and/or cooked. You can use fresh shelled peas if you prefer, they will just be firmer and give more crunch to the dish.
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Healthy Pea Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen green peas thawed
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 small jar pimentos drained
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Grab a medium sized mixing bowl and add thawed peas (or 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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