Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon & Hard Boiled Eggs

Close up on serving silver serving spoon of creamy pea salad with bacon and hard boiled eggs
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Posted On: March 17, 2015
Last updated: March 28th, 2024

If you love peas and crispy bacon this delicious pea salad is for you! It’s a perfect cold side for Spring holidays like Easter or “green” addition for St. Patrick’s Day.  It’s also a great salad for summer barbecues or picnics and crowd pleaser for family gatherings.  If you’re also tired of the same old potato or macaroni salad and just need a low carb option, this will hit the spot. 

I actually wasn’t too familiar with pea salad until a few years ago when I was introduced to it at a friends’ holiday party.  It just wasn’t something that was made in my family growing up. I was instantly in love with this creamy side including chopped eggs, onions and crunchy bacon.  I realized very quickly after watching other people’s reactions to it that this there is a love or hate reaction to pea salad.  I’ve been on the love side since my first bite.  This simple recipe will make many pea salad lovers quite happy!

Bacon Pea salad with hard boiled eggs in white serving bowl with hard boiled eggs beside on white napkin
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Bacon Bites

If you are a pea salad lover like me, adding bacon just gives it the best flavor! Instead of just cooking the bacon till it’s crispy and then crumble it into the salad, I find that the bacon is nicer chopped into small rectangles before cooking.  That way you get chunks of bacon; consistent small bite size pieces throughout the salad.  It also makes for a more attractive presentation of the salad. If you prefer just crumbling the bacon though be my guest, it will still taste just as great!

Creamy pea salad in white bowl with serving spoon and bluish green vase behind with light green napkin
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Family Favorite Salad

My kids aren’t the biggest fans of peas, but even they enjoy this creamy bacon pea salad!  I try to sneak peas into their pasta or rice dishes often, but at times depending on their mood they pick them out or eat around them.  This pea salad somehow has surprisingly become a favorite of theirs now.  My kids love the combination of  flavors and textures in this recipe with bacon and hard boiled eggs.  They wouldn’t even touch my other pea salads I used to make.  For this version I used to use dehydrated onion so you still get the nice onion flavor, but not the raw onion bite that some people shy away from.  Now that they’re older and their palate is expanding, they like the onion in it.  If you have picky eaters though, you can just used onion powder or rehydrate a little onion.  

This salad has also quickly become an instant favorite with visiting family members (I use family as guinea pigs of course to try my recipe concoctions).  Family members who have sampled this salad can’t get enough of it, asking for the recipe, so here it it! Now you all have it!

Creamy pea salad with bacon in small bowl with small fork and large white serving bowl with salad in background
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What goes well with Pea Salad

This is a great multi-seasonal cold side dish.  It’s a great addition to holiday meals or summer picnics.  Instead of fries, serve it as a side with burgers, BBQ meats or all beef hot dogs!  Since I’ve found it pretty popular with friends and family, it’s a great salad to bring to pot lucks or family reunions!  It has that comfort food element to it without the heavy carbs like a pasta or potato salad. 

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Creamy Pea Salad Ingredients

  • Peas– I like to use frozen peas, the sweet organic peas at Costco are perfect for this recipe.  Feel free to use fresh peas from the garden if you prefer.  You can also used canned peas, but I prefer bright green crunchy peas over mushy pale peas for this recipe.  I just think canned peas won’t do this salad justice.  
  • Bacon– A little salty bacon adds a nice crunch and taste to a classic pea salad.  I like to cut it up into bite size pieces to make crunchy bacon bits. 
  • Eggs– I didn’t realize that hard boiled eggs weren’t common for pea salad, but I think it’s the way to go to make the best pea salad.  I believe it’s more of a “Southern” addition to pea salad.  It adds more richness to the salad. 
  • Onion– I like to use sweet white onion here, but if you have “onion picky” people you’re serving you might want to opt for rehydrated dried onion or onion powder instead of raw onion.  Also, it helps to soak the sliced onion in water for about 10 minutes to take out some of the harsh bite.

Creamy Dressing

  • Mayonnaise– I only use real mayo for this, but you could also use whole milk Greek yogurt in a pinch.  If you’re a tad short on either of those, I have used sour cream and it still gives it the great creaminess you’re looking for. 
  • Apple Cider Vinegar 1-2 tsp. to add a little acid to balance out the sweetness of the peas.  Lemon juice is fine if you do not have ACV on hand.  
  • Salt– I like to use fine ground sea salt.
  • Pepper– Fine ground black pepper
  • Garlic– I prefer granulated garlic
  • Paprika– I like to use smoked paprika
Making Pea salad collage with 7 pictures from cooking bacon to final bowl of salad
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Optional Pea Salad Additions

  • Cheddar Cheese– A lot of people like to add cheddar cheese cubes to pea salad.  I’m not the biggest fan of cheese cubes in this salad because I feel it doesn’t need it, especially with the egg in it already, but but go ahead and add it if you want.  We almost always have smoked cheese on hand, so I sometimes like to add some shredded smoked cheddar for a nice change and extra YUM!
  • Red Onion– red onion has a little more bite, but it does look nice if that’s all you have.  I would slice it almost paper thin and soak it for about 10 minutes to mellow out the onion flavor.
  • Green Onion– I love green onion or chives in almost every hearty salad.  It looks good and tastes great. 
  • Parsley– some fresh parsley is an herby addition if you want to elevate it even more. 

Happy Cooking and Enjoy!

Bacon Pea salad with hard boiled eggs in white serving bowl with hard boiled eggs beside on white napkin
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Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon & Hard Boiled Egg

Katia
A family favorite! Great for holidays, BBQ or parties. If you're making it for a crowd, I suggest doubling the recipe.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Cold Side Dish, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 12
Calories 116 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz. frozen sweet peas thawed
  • 4 oz. thick apple-wood smoked bacon chopped and cut small
  • 3 hard-boiled eggs peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. real mayonnaise
  • 1.5 Tbsp. sweet onion very thin quarter slices (can soak in water for 10 mins to reduce bite if you like)
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
  • 1/4 tsp. black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1-2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese (Optional)

Instructions
 

  • Chop up bacon really small while raw and then cook in a pan till crispy, remove from pan and place atop paper towel lined plate
  • Add thawed peas to a medium mixing bowl.
  • Make your creamy dressing in a small mixing bowl by combining mayonnaise, salt, garlic, pepper, paprika and 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar in a small bowl (you can always add more ACV later if you like). Stir till well combined.
  • Add dressing to the bowl with the peas and stir.
  • Add chopped hard boiled eggs, bacon and combine (*Optional leave a small amount of chopped egg and bacon out of mixture and sprinkle on top of salad serving bowl for presentation) If you're adding any optional additional ingredients like shredded cheese add them now as well.
  • Enjoy immediately or chill in the refrigerator till ready to serve.
  • Once ready to serve, adjust ACV, salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within 3-5 days although I truly doubt it will last that long. 

Nutrition Disclaimer:

The nutritional information provided is only an estimate based on a third party nutritional plugin. Different online calculators may give different results depending on their own sources. The estimates may also change based on the ingredients you use. If you have dietary restrictions and need to accurately calculate the nutrition of this recipe, Whole Made Living recommends consulting a professional nutritionist.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.33cupCalories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 183mgPotassium: 135mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 411IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
Keyword BBQ, Easter, potluck, summer dish
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