Creamy and crunchy pea and peanut salad

This pea and peanut salad is a creamy and crunchy vegetarian salad perfect for a hot summer day. Ten minutes and a handful of basic ingredients are all it takes to make this simple pea salad. 

What's needed to make pea and peanut salad?

Here's all you need to make this peanut peas salad recipe.

Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions

• Cooked green peas: You can use fresh as well as frozen peas. Frozen peas are precooked so just microwave them for around 30-40 seconds and then use them in the recipe. If you are using fresh peas, boil them in water until they become slightly tender and are no longer raw. Don't overcook.
• Roasted peanuts: Use plain or salted roasted peanuts (without skin). They add a nice crunch to the salad. You can also add roasted cashew nuts instead of peanuts.
• Onion: Add red onion only not white or yellow onion. It not only makes this creamy salad tastier but its contrasting color also makes the salad more appealing.
• Lemon juice: You can also use apple cider vinegar instead of lemon juice.
• Sour cream: Instead of sour cream, Greek yogurt or mayonnaise can be added too.
• Milk: Adding milk is optional. And, even if you are adding, add very little and just use it to adjust the consistency of the dressing if it's too thick.
• Dijon mustard: The sharpness of Dijon mustard compliments the creaminess of sour cream and Greek yogurt. If you don't have that use mustard powder. The mustard powder will be milder than Dijon mustard but will start tasting stronger after a few hours or the next day.
• Honey: Instead of honey, sugar, maple syrup, or agave syrup can be added too.

Other ingredient details and nutritional information are shared in the recipe card.

How to make (step-by-step instructions)?

Making this creamy peas salad is very easy, just follow the step-by-step instructions given below:

Step 1: In a bowl, mix sour cream, cream cheese, milk, honey, lemon juice, salt, and ground black pepper. Keep it aside.

Step 2: Put cooked peas, roasted peanuts, chopped red onion, and spring onion in a large bowl.

Step 3: Pour salad dressing on top.

Step 4: Gently toss until everything gets mixed well. Garnish with chopped green onions.

Your delicious creamy pea and peanut salad is ready to be served.

Serving green peas and peanut salad

Refrigerate the salad for a few hours before serving. Serve it chilled. It's a great dish for picnics and potlucks.

You can serve this cold green pea salad on top of lettuce or a fresh green salad.

It can be paired with almost every grilled dish, pasta, roasted vegetables, sandwiches, burgers, etc.

How to store?

Store the leftover peanuts salad in an airtight container for a maximum of 2 days. It's better not to make this salad in advance because the roasted peanuts will start losing their crunch texture if left in the creamy dressing for too long. 

If you want to store it for a longer period, skip adding onion and peanuts then store for up to 4 days. Add onion and peanuts before serving.

Don't freeze it.

Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions

• After thawing the frozen peas, drain the liquid otherwise the salad will become runny.
• You may put the cooked peas in ice water for a few minutes. This will make them more crisp and also give them a brighter green color.
• Instead of sour cream, you can also use Greek yogurt or mayonnaise in the salad dressing.
• Ingredients like cooked sweet corn kernels or chopped sweet bell peppers can also be added to this crunchy pea salad.
• To add a slight kick to the dish, add red pepper flakes.
• Add fresh mint leaves to make this summer salad even more refreshing.
• Instead of using plain roasted peanuts, you can also use a flavor of peanuts you enjoy like black pepper peanuts, masala peanuts, etc.
• Cheese lovers may also add shredded cheddar cheese to this crunchy peas salad.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use canned peas in this recipe? 

Canned peas are not a great choice for this salad as they are more cooked than what's required for this recipe.

Do I need to cook frozen peas? 

Frozen peas are pre-cooked so they are not required to be cooked in this recipe. I microwave them just to thaw. 

More vegetarian salad recipes from around the world

If you enjoyed this delicious pea salad and want to try more refreshing salad recipes then don't miss to check out the following links:

1. Greek orzo salad with feta
2. Pesto orzo salad
3. Indian potato salad
4. Indian chickpea salad
5. Middle Eastern tomato salad
6. Middle Eastern bean salad
7. Lebanese fava bean salad
8. Asian enoki mushroom salad
9. Thai rice vermicelli and mushroom salad
10. Moroccan couscous salad
11. Mediterranean lentil salad

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