Are you in a vegetable rut? Try these bright and crunchy sautéed sugar snap peas with sesame seeds. Seared for 4 minutes in nutty sesame oil on the stovetop. Stunning enough for a dinner party.
If you are getting tired of the usual vegetable side dish, scout out the small bags of sugar snap peas in the produce aisle. Even better, ask about sugar snap peas at your local farmers' market in late spring or find a u-pick farm to harvest your own.
I prefer to omit the water from steaming and boiling and blister them in a hot pan to intensify their flavor. It's my favorite way to cook them.
The secret to sautéed sugar snap peas? Use a hot skillet and leave them alone while they caramelize, then get them out of the skillet to prevent overcooking, just like my sautéed asparagus recipe. It’s the perfect way to celebrate this spring peak-season veggie.
I almost always serve sugar snap peas with my miso-marinated sea bass or these Asian grilled chicken thighs when I'm hosting guests. For a quicker meal, serve them with oven-roasted bone-in chicken breasts or a juicy, thick pan-seared pork chop.
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- It’s a very quick vegetable dish, ready in just under 10 minutes.
- It doesn’t require much prep, an oven, or boiling water.
- It’s SO easy. You can make it with 5 ingredients.
Ingredients
You only need a few pantry ingredients to make sautéed sugar snap peas!
- Sugar Snap Peas: These pea pods are edible with large, fat seeds inside, so don't shell them. They can be served raw in salads or cooked as a side dish. You can find fresh snap peas pre-bagged in the produce aisle of stores like Target, Whole Foods, and Walmart. Smaller grocery stores may not carry them. Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Frozen sugar snap peas will not work in this recipe.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: This oil provides a pleasant, nutty flavor to the peas.
- Sesame Seeds: Small, white, and oval seeds with a mild nutty taste and texture. They are sold in the spice aisle of the grocery store. I buy roasted sesame seeds at the Asian market for a little extra flavor, but they can be unroasted.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for seasoning.
See the recipe card below for ingredient measurements.
Sugar Snap Pea Versus Snow Pea
Sometimes, people mistakenly buy snow peas instead of sugar snap peas. They can be used interchangeably, but here are their differences:
Sugar Snap Peas:
- Round and plump pods with large, fat seeds inside
- Crunchy texture
- Flavor is slightly sweet and refreshing from their higher water content
- Sometimes, tough strings need to be removed from the seam
- Harder to find at the store
Snow Peas:
- Flat pods with very small seeds inside
- Flexible, longer pods are not as crispy as snap peas
- Flavor is sweet with slight grassy undertones
- Almost always need to remove the strings before cooking
- Commonly available at the store
Variations & Substitutions
Here are some other variations or substitutions you can make to sautéed sugar snap peas if you are looking for a bit more to add to them.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: You can substitute ghee, olive oil, canola, or vegetable oil for sesame seed oil. I suggest avoiding butter because the milk solids will scorch.
- Sesame Seeds: Substitute chopped peanuts for a different crunch.
- Snow Peas: Snow peas are a good substitute for sugar snap peas.
- Acid: Build additional flavor with a drizzle of 1 tablespoon of fresh lime, lemon juice, or rice vinegar over the snap peas.
- Aromatics: During the last minute of cooking, add 1 teaspoon of finely minced garlic or minced ginger (if you love ginger).
- Spicy: If you like a spicy kick, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon of dried Gochugaru Korean chili pepper flakes, or 1 teaspoon of sriracha sauce at the end.
- Fresh Herbs: Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon of chopped mint, dill, or chives on top before serving.
Avoid This Mistake
Don't buy frozen sugar snap peas if you want to sauté them.
During testing, I wanted to see how frozen would perform compared to fresh snap peas. I let them defrost overnight in their bag. They were so soft and mushy, I didn't even try to sauté them.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat the skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Test to see if the skillet is hot by adding drops of water to the skillet. It should jump, sizzle, and evaporate quickly.
Add the toasted sesame oil followed by the sugar snap peas. Spread the snap peas evenly across the skillet, then leave them alone for 3 minutes.
Step 2: Peak under one snap pea to see if it has caramelized. If not, give them another minute longer. If caramelized, toss them around in the skillet and sauté 30-60 seconds longer. Turn off the heat.
Season with salt and pepper. Add the toasted sesame seeds. Toss again and serve.
If not serving immediately, transfer the snap peas to a dish to stop cooking and prevent steaming.
Make Ahead Instructions
For the best-sautéed sugar snap peas, make them right before serving. It takes just minutes to cook, and the texture is just not the same hours later.
If you need to make them ahead of time for an event like a picnic, cook them within 1 hour of serving. Place the sautéed sugar snap peas on a serving dish or cookie sheet to cool and set them aside on the counter. Serve them at room temperature.
Storage Information
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Note that reheated snap peas will be softer. Consider chopping leftovers to use in salads or grain bowls.
Freezing is not recommended.
FAQ
Most of the time, you won't need to remove the string from snap peas. However, as they age on the vine, their strings become tough and inedible.
Taste a fresh snap pea from your batch to see if the strings are tough. If yes, take the time to string your snap peas. The string is located in the seam of the pod.
The most common culprits are overcrowding the pan and cooking at too low a temperature. Use a large pan or make 2 batches, arrange snap peas in a single layer, and cook on medium-high heat. Stick with searing 3-4 minutes. Taste as you go to check the texture.
Sauté them at the end of your meal prep. If you are still waiting for the rest of the meal, transfer the snap peas to a cookie sheet and place them towards the back of the stove to keep warm. Also, warm your plates before plating to help retain some heat.
Did you try any of these tips? Leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out! Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas
Equipment
- 12-inch skillet
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh sugar snap peas
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (toasted or untoasted)
Instructions
- Taste 1 snap pea to see if the strings are tough. If yes, string the peas.
- Heat the skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Test to see if the skillet is hot by adding drops of water to the skillet. It should jump, sizzle, and evaporate quickly.
- Add the toasted sesame oil followed by the sugar snap peas. Spread the snap peas evenly across the skillet, then leave them alone for 3 minutes.
- Peak under 1 snap pea to see if it has caramelized. If not, give them another minute longer. If caramelized, toss them around in the skillet and sauté 30-60 seconds longer. Turn off the heat.
- Season with salt and pepper. Add the toasted sesame seeds. Toss and serve.
- If not serving immediately, transfer the snap peas to a dish to stop cooking and prevent steaming.
Notes
Nutrition
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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