Sauteed sugar snap peas with soy sauce and sesame oil is a simple, easy to make and very tasty side dish. A nice variation on eating them raw!
These sugar snap peas are so delicious. I love how easy it is to make them, and how flavorful this nutritious recipe is. Plus, my entire family loves them – even The Picky Eater! So I tend to make them quite often.
I’m too lazy to wash and trim the peas, so I usually buy them pre-washed, pre-trimmed and ready to eat, which truly makes this a 10-minute dish. But even if you prep them yourself, this is not difficult to do.
Do you need to cook sugar snap 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 or hummus. 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. And needless to say, this particular recipe also makes the perfect side dish to Asian-style main dishes.
The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
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:
Avocado oil: This oil has a neutral flavor and a high smoke point, making it an ideal cooking oil. I almost always use it for high-heat cooking.
Trimmed sugar snap peas: I sometimes buy them already washed and trimmed (hey, I’m a lazy cook). But you can obviously trim them yourself.
Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work.
Sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil tastes wonderful.
Soy sauce: Or you can use a gluten-free alternative. I almost always use reduced-sodium soy sauce. I find the traditional sauce too salty.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you might want to reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty.
Sesame seeds: Used mostly for garnish, so if you don’t have any on hand, you can skip them.
How to make sauteed sugar snap peas
It’s an easy and quick recipe. It’s actually one of my easiest, especially when I use pre-washed peas. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps for making this recipe:
1. Saute the peas and garlic in a neutral oil such as avocado oil.
2. Remove them from the heat and season with sesame oil, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. That’s it! How easy is that!
What to serve with them?
They’re very versatile and can go with almost any main dish. But since the flavor profile of this particular sugar snap peas recipe is Asian, I like to serve them with Asian-style main dishes such as baked soy sauce chicken and Asian meatballs.
What about 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 on 50% power. They won’t be as good as fresh – some of the crispiness will be lost – but they’ll still be pretty good.
More Asian-style side dishes that you might enjoy
These cabbage pancakes are amazing. I actually sometimes serve them as a main course, they are so substantial and filling.
And if your digestion can handle shirataki noodles, these shirataki sesame noodles are very close to the real thing!
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Sauteed Sugar Snap Peas
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 lb. sugar snap peas, end and strings removed
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or use a gluten-free alternative and add salt as needed)
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the snap peas and stir-fry until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring, one more minute.
- Remove from heat and stir in the sesame oil, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.
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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, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.