Roasted Sugar Snap Peas (so good!)
Posted: 05/08/2020
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Super sweet and full of flavor, roasted sugar snap peas are like green candy – you won’t be able to leave them alone. Try roasting a batch today!
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After a quick roast at high heat in the oven, naturally sweet sugar snap peas intensify in flavor and sweetness. Oh my goodness, resistance is futile. You’re going to love this easy way to prepare sugar snap peas.
I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to share these roasted sugar snap peas. I mean, duh, I love pretty much every roasted vegetable under the sun. I can’t believe I haven’t been making these for years!
Don’t wait! Fresh sugar snap peas are plentiful in the spring and readily available in grocery stores and farm markets. Maybe you even grow your own. Make these green flavor bombs today!
Know Your Peas
There are three main types of peas:
- sugar snap peas
- snow peas
- garden peas
Garden peas are shelled, i.e. you don’t eat the pods, just the round little peas. The pods are tough and inedible. Sugar snap and snow peas have delicious pods. Snow peas are generally flatter, with smaller peas inside the pods. Sugar snap peas look fatter, and usually taste sweeter than snow peas.
About this Recipe
The key to roasting any vegetable is getting them dry. I use my salad spinner to get rid of excess moisture after washing the peas and sometimes pat them with a paper towel to make sure they’re good and dry.
Roasting Tip
Wet vegetables steam and get soft; dry vegetables caramelize and get crisp. Remember that mantra and you’ll always have perfectly roasted vegetables.
You’ll want a nice hot oven for these babies. Get the oven preheated to 450°F. If I think of it, I even put the roasting pan in the oven to preheat while I prepare the sugar snap peas.
Toss the peas with olive oil, garlic powder, coarse salt, and freshly ground black pepper (or my all-purpose seasoning). Spread them on the baking sheet and slip the peas into the oven. They’ll be ready in about 10 minutes. The peas should be flecked with browned spots and be just slightly wrinkled.
Enjoy immediately piping hot or at room temperature. Either way is great!
Serve roasted sugar snap peas as a side for most any meal or as an appetizer or healthy snack.
You’ll find the printable recipe card near the end of the post. It has complete instructions, measurements, and nutrition information.
How do you clean and trim snap peas?
Rinse snap peas well in a colander under running water. Since you eat the pods of sugar snap peas, you’ll want to remove the inedible stringy part that runs along both sides of the pod. It’s easy to do. You can use a sharp knife or your fingers. If you like, watch this short video to see how it’s done.
Identify the stem end of the pod. The stem end is where the pea is attached to the vine and sometimes has a few little leaves on it. The blossom end sometimes has a soft brownish “hair” hanging on it. Snap or slice off the stem end, pulling down the flat side of the pea as you snap it off. A green string will detach itself from the side of the pea. Do the same thing for the curved side of the pea pod. Ordinarily that string will be smaller, or even non-existent.
Sounds tricky? It’s really not, it’s one of those things that are easy to do and kind of hard to explain. Trust me, you’ll finish this task in a snap! (ha, pun intended!)
FAQs
What is the best way to eat snap peas?
In our opinion, there is no right answer but roasting them yields a delicious result! We also love to sauté them, or thinly slice them and add them to a salad. They’re also wonderful in stir fry recipes like this ginger and basil chicken stir fry.
Are sugar snap peas a healthy snack?
Absolutely! They’re low in starchy carbs and contain vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate. Read more on Healthline.
Can the shell of sugar snap peas be eaten?
Yes, definitely! You could just eat the round peas from the inside, but the outside is absolutely delicious too! We do recommend removing the strings, though.
How to make them your own
This recipe is perfectly simple and delicious as is but here’s a few suggestions if you’d like to jazz it up.
- I use garlic powder, but to intensify the garlic flavor, use minced garlic. Don’t like garlic? Leave it out. Chopped shallot would be good, too.
- Mix in shredded or grated Parmesan cheese before roasting the peas. Or sprinkle the peas with Parmesan after roasting, similar to this roasted cauliflower with parmesan.
- Add cherry or grape tomatoes to the pan and roast them along with peas. Or mix them in afterwards.
- Add dried Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, or fresh thyme. Try a teaspoon of my homemade all-purpose seasoning stirred into the oil instead of the salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Roast the peas with a heaping teaspoon of black sesame seeds. If you like, stir in a bit of toasted sesame oil.
- Garnish roasted peas with chopped fresh chives or mint leaves, a squeeze of lemon, or a drizzle of hot honey.
- Can you use frozen sugar snap peas? You know, I haven’t tried that yet but I did a little research and it appears that frozen vegetables can roasted pretty much the same way. Don’t thaw them first. It may take just a bit longer so add 5 minutes to the roasting time.
- Rather leave your oven off? A quick sauté will yield yummy results, too. Learn how to saute snap peas.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Roasted sugar snap peas are best eaten right away. Should any happen to survive, leave them on the counter for ten more minutes and I’m sure they’ll disappear. Mine certainly do!
Or wrap them well, and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in microwave in 20-30 second intervals until warm, or just allow to come to room temp and eat them as a snack. You can also reheat them in the oven or air fryer.
Want to try roasting more vegetables?
I have a fantastic 40+ collection of recipes for roasted vegetables to peruse, or take a look at a sampling here:
- Spicy sweet roasted butternut squash
- Roasted green beans with Parmesan and basil
- Roasted carrots with cumin seeds
- Roasted carrots with thyme and nutmeg
- How to roast broccoli – for the best broccoli ever!
- Lemon roasted broccoli with Parmesan
- Roasted cauliflower – How to roast cauliflower
- Crispy roasted potatoes – get them nice and crisp with this method
- Roasted Brussels sprouts with Asiago cheese
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
servings
Super sweet and full of flavor, roasted sugar snap peas are like green candy – you won't be able to leave them alone. Try roasting a batch today!
Ingredients
- 1 pound sugar snap peas, stems and stringy parts removed, washed and dried
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- On a rimmed baking sheet, toss snap peas with oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until desired tenderness.
- Serve immediately as a side dish, or on a salad, or as a yummy snack.
Notes
- The drier you get the peas before roasting them, the better they will be. A salad spinner works great!
Nutrition Information
Calories: 78kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 269mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Irene says
These sugar snap peas roasted were delicious and so easy to make! I am amazed that I have never thought of roasting snap peas before. Thank you for the inspiration and a wonderful new side dish for dinner or really anytime.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m happy you liked them! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Lisa says
Looking forward to trying these. Question though, can they be roasted, then eaten cold (or room temp) for salads and snacks? Or are they just better hot?
Rachel Gurk says
In my opinion, they are better freshly made and hot but they can definitely be eaten cold or at room temperature as well. I often put leftover roasted vegetables on salads.
Adolfo Guerrero Jr says
I’ll be making this for dinner tonight will be my 1st te making it wish me luck.
Rachel Gurk says
I hope you loved them!
Gerry says
Done perfectly, with no fuss.
Rachel Gurk says
So glad to hear it!
Gerry says
This has become my go-to cooking method for preparing sugar snaps. We’ve had them roasted this way almost every day since our harvest has begun. Thanks, Rachel.
Rachel Gurk says
I’m so glad! They’re irresistible this way.
Beth says
I can’t believe I’ve never roasted sugar snaps before! I usually eat them raw because I like them crispy and I always overcook them when I sauté.
These were perfect, crisp tender and SO sweet!
Rachel Gurk says
They’re so yummy, aren’t they? I’m glad you liked them – thanks for taking the time to comment!
Tina says
Haven’t made them yet but can they be done in a convection oven?
Rachel Gurk says
Yes, that will work! You might want to decrease the cooking time slightly.
Nanette says
sabrina says
great idea to add garlic with these, don’t know why I’d never thought of adding garlic to them before since they’re kinda bland for my taste, thank you
Rachel Gurk says
You’re welcome! I hope you love them!
denise says
never thought of roasting them. yummy idea.
Rachel Gurk says
They’re soooo good! I’ve made them countless times already.