Easy Pea Salad Recipe

5 from 17 ratings

Apr 02, 2024, Updated Nov 08, 2024

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This tasty green Pea Salad couldn’t be any easier! It’s a simple make-ahead vegetable dish that‘s packed with flavor and uses frozen peas and Greek yogurt.

a white bowl with green pea salad and a bronze spoon.

I assume you love make-ahead dishes that taste incredible, come together in minutes, and will cause people to hunt you down at parties to ask “what THE HECK is in that amazing pea salad?”? If so, this recipe is for you!

Even better, this dish is served cold, so there is no need to heat before serving. That makes it perfect for the summer and all your party needs.

Looking for other recipes that substitute Greek yogurt for mayonnaise? Check out our no mayo chicken salad, Greek yogurt deviled eggs, Instant Pot potato salad, and Greek yogurt egg salad.

Ingredients

A bowl of peas, smoked almonds, green onions, Greek yogurt, cumin, and water chestnuts on a white wooden board.

This recipe uses:

Frozen green peas – you don’t even have to defrost these bad boys!
Water chestnuts – you’ll often find these cans in the grocery store’s “Asian” section or with other canned vegetables.
Smoked almonds
Green onions
Greek yogurt – plain, please and thank you
Cumin

If you can’t find smoked almonds, smoked pistachios are a great substitute. And if you can’t find those, use regular salted/roasted almonds and add 1/2-1 tsp smoked paprika.

How to Make Pea salad

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.

Start by grabbing a food processor and chopping the almonds into small pieces. No food processor? Just chop everything using a sharp knife, a cutting board, and a wee bit of patience.

Transfer the chopped almonds to a medium mixing bowl and then chop the water chestnuts in the food processor. Pro tip: chopping the almonds first prevents the liquid from the water chestnuts binding the almonds together during the chopping process.

6 photos showing step by step how to make frozen pea salad

Add the rest of the ingredients together, and stir until it is thoroughly combined. Cover the mixing bowl and then pop that bad boy into the fridge for at least 12 hours.

While you can serve this right away, I recommend waiting at least 12 hours to give all the flavors time to meld. If you eat it before it has rested, the flavors will be underwhelming. And you’re too special for an underwhelming pea salad.

What Peas Work Best For Pea Salad?

I use frozen peas (related: How to Freeze Peas) because they’re so dang easy. Additionally, frozen peas are picked and flash-frozen at their peak of freshness. This makes them an easy choice all year long.

You’re welcome to use fresh peas that you parboil, or canned peas (related: How to Can Peas). If using canned peas, make sure all the liquid is drained before adding them to the bowl. Please note, the salad will not be as crispy and crunchy if using canned peas.

How to store

Store your pea salad in the fridge for up to four days. After that, the whey from the Greek yogurt will start to water down the salad.

If you like mayo, using mayo in the salad will allow it to be stored for six days without compromising the flavor.

Pro/Recipe Tips:

Don’t defrost the peas before adding them to the salad. Frozen all the way!
I used Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt but if you’re a mayo fan, try this homemade Whole30 Mayo.
Make this dish the day before you want to serve it. It gives the flavors a chance to meld together, and um, it makes your life easier.
Need to make smoked almonds: Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 cup of almonds. Stir and toast for 8-10 minutes. Allow to fully cool before pulsing.

a white bowl with pea salad and a bronze spoon

5 from 17 ratings

Green Pea Salad

By: Sarah Cook

Servings:

Prep: 10

Chilling time: 12

Total: 12 10

This tasty green pea salad couldn't be any easier! It's a simple make-ahead vegetable dish that's packed with flavor and uses frozen peas and Greek yogurt.

Equipment

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup smoked almonds
▢ 1 8 oz can water chestnuts {drained}
▢ 16 oz frozen peas {do not thaw}
▢ 3 green onions {thinly sliced}
▢ 1 tsp ground cumin
▢ 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain {you can sub in mayo}

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

In a food processor, pulse almonds until the pieces are small. Add to a medium-sized mixing bowl.
1 cup smoked almonds
In a food processor, pulse the water chestnuts until the pieces are small and uniform. Add to the mixing bowl.
1 8 oz can water chestnuts
Add peas, green onions, cumin, and Greek yogurt to the bowl.
16 oz frozen peas, 3 green onions, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, plain
Mix thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for at least 12 hours.

Notes

Do not defrost the peas before adding them to the salad.
If you are unable to find smoked almonds: heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 tsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 tsp smoked paprika, and 1 cup of almonds. Stir and toast for 8-10 minutes. Allow to fully cool before pulsing.
Chop the almonds in the food processor before the water chestnuts to avoid the almonds clumping together from the leftover water chestnut liquid.
This dish will keep in the fridge for 4 days if using Greek yogurt, or 6 days if using mayo.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 6gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 8mgPotassium: 265mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 385IUVitamin C: 19.1mgCalcium: 65mgIron: 1.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.