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    Home » Vegetable Recipes » Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

    Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

    Last updated: Nov 10, 2022 · Recipes developed by Vered DeLeeuw and nutritionally reviewed by Rachel Benight MS, RD · This website generates income via ads and uses cookies.

    Jump to Recipe Card

    I love this easy and delicious everyday recipe for sugar snap peas sauteed in butter and garlic.

    It's such a nice variation on eating them raw, and it's a simple side dish that you can make in just 20 minutes!

    Sauteed sugar snap peas served on a white plate with a fork and a napkin.

    This is one of my favorite side dishes to make on a busy weeknight. It's so incredibly fast and easy, and cooking vegetables in butter and garlic is always delicious.

    I'm too lazy to wash and trim sugar snap peas and remove their string, so I usually buy them stringless and ready to eat, which truly makes this a 10-minute dish. But even if you prep them yourself, this is not a difficult recipe to make.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Expert tip
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Variations
    • Serving suggestions
    • Storing leftovers
    • Related recipes
    • Recipe card

    Ingredients

    You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty side dish. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

    • Butter: Yum! Need I say more? It's delicious, but it does have a relatively low smoke point. If it seems to be browning too much, you can lower the heat to medium.
    • Stringless sugar snap peas: I make life easy and get bags of them already trimmed and stringless.
    • seasonings: For this simple everyday recipe, I simply use kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
    The ingredients needed to cook sugar snap peas.

    Instructions

    This is actually one of my easiest recipes, especially when I use bagged sugar snap peas. Scroll down to the recipe card below for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:

    • You start by heating the butter in a skillet.
    • Next, add the peas to the skillet. Cook them, stirring, for a minute or so, then add the seasonings.
    • Keep cooking until the peas are tender-crisp. They should still be bright green, and only browned in a few stops, from the brown butter.
    • That's it! Remove them from the heat as soon as they are done.
    A six-photo collage showing the steps for cooking sugar snap peas.

    Expert tip

    It's really important not to overcook the peas. While this is true for many vegetables, it's especially true here. This is the kind of vegetable that tastes best when very minimally cooked.

    It truly needs no more than 2-3 minutes of cooking, so make sure to remove the pan from the heat as soon as the pods are tender-crisp and then remove the pods from the pan onto a plate so that they don't keep cooking in the pan's residual heat.

    Frequently asked questions

    What are sugar snap peas?

    They're peas with a thick, rounded, edible pod. They are delightfully crunchy and slightly sweet when eaten raw. When cooked, they take on a more savory flavor profile.

    It's important to cook them just until tender-crisp, to preserve their beautiful green color and fresh taste.

    Do you need to cook these peas?

    You don't have to. I actually love eating them raw. They are crunchy, subtly sweet, and wonderful on their own or dipped in ranch, tahini sauce, or Greek yogurt dip. I also like them as a vehicle for scooping up guacamole or salsa (or both!).

    Having said that, their texture and flavor change pretty dramatically when they're cooked. So this dish makes a very nice variation on eating them raw.

    Do you cut the ends off before cooking?

    You don't have to. It is a good idea to remove the string that runs down the middle of the pods since they are difficult to chew and digest. You can buy bags of stringless pods, and I often do that. To me, the convenience is worth the extra cost.

    Variations

    I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you'd like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:

    • You can definitely use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder.
    • You can cook the peas in olive oil instead of butter, but lower the heat to medium if it gets too hot. You don't want it to smoke.
    • Enjoy spicy food? Try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper when you add the other seasonings.
    • Try sprinkling the finished dish with bacon bits and/ or grated parmesan.

    Serving suggestions

    This side dish is very versatile and can go with almost any main dish. I often serve it with blackened chicken, meatloaf, or baked scallops. But you can truly serve it with any main dish you'd like!

    Storing leftovers

    If you have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge in a sealed container for 3-4 days. Reheat them gently in the microwave at 50% power. They won't be as good as fresh - some of the crispiness will be lost - but they should still be very good.

    Sugar snap peas sauteed in butter and served on a white plate with a silver pork.

    Related recipes

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    • Spaghetti Squash Noodles
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    👩🏻‍🍳 I typically publish a new or an updated recipe once a week. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe! You can unsubscribe at any time.

    Recipe card

    Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas.
    4.97 from 124 votes
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    Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas

    Sauteed sugar snap peas with butter and garlic is a simple, easy to make, and very tasty side dish. It's a nice variation on eating them raw! 
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time5 mins
    Total Time10 mins
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: Asian
    Servings: 2 servings
    Calories: 92kcal
    Author: Vered DeLeeuw
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    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 8 oz sugar snap peas strings removed
    • ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder

    INSTRUCTIONS

    • Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to foam.
    • Add the snap peas and stir-fry for 1 minute.
    • Add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
    • Keep cooking, stirring constantly, until the pods are tender-crisp, about 2 more minutes.
    • Immediately remove from the heat and serve.

    WATCH THE VIDEO:

    NOTES

    This is the kind of vegetable that tastes best when very minimally cooked. It truly needs no more than 2-3 minutes of cooking, so make sure to remove the pan from the heat as soon as the pods are tender-crisp and then remove the pods from the pan onto a plate so that they don't keep cooking in the pan's residual heat.
    A few variations on this recipe:
    • You can use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder.
    • You can cook the peas in olive oil instead of butter, but lower the heat to medium if it gets too hot. You don't want it to smoke.
    • Enjoy spicy food? Try adding a pinch of cayenne pepper when you add the other seasonings.
    • Try sprinkling the finished dish with bacon bits and/or grated parmesan.

    ADD YOUR OWN NOTES

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    DISCLAIMERSMost of our recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes.

    NUTRITION PER SERVING

    Serving: 0.5recipe | Calories: 92kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 321mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g
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    About the Author

    Vered Deleeuw Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. Click to learn more about Vered.

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    Healthy Recipes Blog was founded in 2011 by Vered Deleeuw. It features real-food recipes with a focus on low-carb and gluten-free ingredients. All recipes are nutritionally reviewed by a Registered Dietitian. Contact us at HealthyRecipesBlog@gmail.com.


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