Marinated Vegetable Salad
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jun 30, 2025 
Southern Marinated Vegetable Salad Recipe – Put together this tangy, delicious, and refreshing side dish in just 20 minutes! It’s perfect to make ahead and keeps well in the fridge for at least a week.
Why We Love This Marinated Vegetable Salad Recipe
This tried-and-true Southern Marinated Vegetables Salad recipe was passed on to me from a friend who grew up deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It came from his sister, a notable southern cook, and is a truly unique salad dish I have never tasted before.
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Our tweaked version of Marinated Vegetables includes a lovely combination of fresh, canned, and frozen vegetables. My rendition of her recipe has only two slight variations (in case you want to make the original shoepeg corn and pea salad.) I reduced the sugar and the marinade by half, and then added a little bit of garlic powder for depth of flavor. The combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture makes this salad unforgettable!
This is a great make-ahead dish for summer parties and potlucks. It can be made several days in advance, and because the marinade is made with sugar and vinegar, it can keep for up to 10+ days!
Ingredients You Need
For the Marinade –
- Apple cider vinegar (white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar)
- Granulated sugar
- Olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
For the Vegetable Salad –
- Frozen or canned petit peas
- Canned shoepeg corn
- Chopped pimentos
- Sweet onion (or red onion)
- Celery
- Green Bell pepper (or yellow, orange or red bell pepper)
How to Make Marinated Vegetable Salad
Find the full Marinated Veggies recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Serving Suggestions for Marinated Vegetables
To serve this pea salad, you can either drain off the marinade before serving or serve it with a slotted spoon, allowing people to spoon up as much marinade as desired to dip with bread.
It is a great addition to the table at potlucks, picnics, and cookouts! Enjoy the marinated vegetables as a side with summertime favorites like simple Grilled Blackened Chicken, or BBQ Chicken, Hamburgers and Hot Dogs, or other crowd-pleasing proteins.
The fresh and crunchy veggies also provide a tasty balance to other Southern side dishes. Serve with Corn Spoon Bread, Cheesy Hominy Casserole, or Stewed Okra and Tomatoes for a proper comfort food meal.
Southern Marinated Vegetable Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Marinade –
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For the Vegetable Salad –
- 12 ounces petite peas frozen or canned
- 11 ounce can shoepeg corn
- 4 ounce jar chopped pimentos
- 1 cup diced sweet onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced bell pepper
Instructions
- Set a small sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the apple cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mix well. Bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling stir and remove from heat. Allow the marinade to cool as you prepare the salad ingredients.
- Drain the petite peas, shoepeg corn, and pimentos. Finely dice one cup each of onion, celery, and bell pepper.
- Set out a large mixing bowl. Combine the canned and fresh vegetables in the bowl. Pour the cooled marinade over the top. Mix well.
- Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least six hours, or overnight.
- To serve, drain off the marinade and serve as a side salad. Or serve the marinated vegetables in the marinade and allow people to spoon up extra marinade with the vegetables as a sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely, you can, and you should! The veggies get infused with more and more flavor the longer they sit in the marinade. I like to prepare the veg salad at least a day or so before serving.
This salad is terrific as-is, with no extra goodies necessary! However, if you like, you can sprinkle on fresh chopped herbs like parsley right before serving.
This salad will keep well in the fridge for up to 10 days! Store it in a sealed container or cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and keep it chilled until ready to serve.
Sure, you can! Finely diced carrots, cauliflower, chopped green beans, or broccoli florets are all good options.
My mom made a similar one without the garlic and add a can of French green beans.We all think that our moms made it best!
Made this up last night & it turned out delicious! In fact, my daughter is enjoying some right now & ask me if we can make it up again. That is a true testament to success! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
This southern marinated vegetable salad is awesome! A great way to use peas and corn. And the marinade tastes great! Nice side dish.
I love pairing this Southern marinated vegetable salad with any BBQ recipe. It is incredibly delicious and satisfying. I’m impressed!
Wow, this salad is incredible! Love the tangy flavors in it and how easy it was to prepare, thank you!