You have been cooking frozen peas wrong your entire life. Green peas should not be boiled! You can have sweet, creamy peas in less than 10 minutes. Try them tonight!
The best way to cook frozen peas
I hate to break it to you, but you have been cooking peas wrong your entire life. Peas should not be boiled! Using our improved method, you can have flavorful, creamy peas in less than 10 minutes. Try them tonight!
Ok, I admit, I am totally guilty of ripping open a bag of frozen peas and throwing them into a pot of boiling water 5 minutes before dinner and serving them as a side dish. I have never hated peas, but I have never loved them. They have always just been an easy side dish but they have never been anything special. Until I went to Epi’s (My favorite restaurant in Meridian, Idaho).
On Thursdays, Epi’s offers free peas as an additional side dish to any meal and people specifically go there on Thursdays JUST for the peas. Strange right? But, after trying it I understand why. Her peas, just like everything else on the menu, are amazing. Like, they are craveable. PEAS. That boring side dish that no one cares about can actually be seasoned to the point of actually being delicious.
Basic Tips for Delicious Green Peas
- Don’t boil! Just don’t do it. I know the package tells you to, but don’t. Trust me.
- Add a little sugar to the peas. It’s ok, it won’t taste weird and it will bring out the natural sweet flavor.
- Don’t add salt until ready to serve. Salting them too early can dehydrate them and they (obviously) won’t be as sweet. Salt them after they have cooked and you can salt to taste.
Add a Little Mint
If you want to try something different, and dare I say, “fancy,” try coarsely tearing up a few mint leaves and throwing them in with the peas while cooking. Leave the garlic and sugar out and just cook them with mint and butter. The mint infuses the peas with a fresh and delicious flavor that you are sure to love! It kicks dinner up a notch with very little effort. Try it with Easter dinner!
Some answers to common questions about peas
Petite peas are usually smaller, sweeter, and more delicate than regular peas. Regular peas are meatier, but the skin on them is a little tougher.
If you are using our method for cooking frozen peas, just a little sugar, salt, and pepper is all you need. If you want to make the peas a little more fancy, try adding some mint (see notes above).
Believe it or not, frozen peas taste better than fresh when cooking. Why? Frozen peas are flash-frozen at the peak of ripeness. You can depend on the sweetness and soft texture. Store bought fresh peas tend to become more firm and starchy from the time they are picked to the time they are purchased. Unless, they are picked fresh from your own garden, frozen peas are the way to go!
Want to learn more about the taste difference between fresh and frozen peas? Cook’s Illustrated has a great explanation HERE. It’s definitely worth a quick read.
Now that you know all about peas – it’s time to make them! If we’ve convinced you this is the “right way,” you will also want to check out our tutorials on How to Cook Frozen Corn, and How to Cook Hash Browns. Yum!
How to cook frozen corn (the right way) How to cook hash browns (the right way)
Cook Frozen Peas the RIGHT Way
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen green peas
- 6 tablespoons butter salted, sweet cream
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 cloves garlic fresh, crushed
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine peas, butter, sugar, and garlic in a medium-sized skillet.
- Cook at medium heat until butter is melted and peas are heated through, about 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Remove from heat, add salt and pepper. Serve.
Liz says
This is such good info!! I’ve definitely been making frozen peas wrong this whole time, haha. Thanks for the tips!
Mr. Peace says
I’ve never heard of boiling frozen/cooked peas? I’ve always heated them in a saucepan, or added them as a quick filler for any other dish. I must try boiling them to see what I’ve been missing!
AMY says
It does not say to boil them.
Sandi says
The directions were so easy to follow. Thank you.
Teresa Montoya says
We love frozen peas, I do mine in a similar way only add a little dill and some pearl onions, cook the onions first for a few minutes then add the peas and other ingredients…
Matthew says
My Wife and I had this for dinner last night as a side along with our garlic butter chicken and loved it. Thanks so much for making boring peas something to look forward too!
Deanne says
Fabulous recipe! We discovered multiple bags of frozen peas in our freezer today and wanted to use one (aka make more room) and wanted something more flavorful than just boiling them. My husband thought sugar and garlic sounded a little nuts but he was game. We loved them! We keep jarred minced garlic in the fridge and used that since we didn’t have any fresh. Definitely a repeat recipe. Thank you!
Jamee says
Is this a good method for peas other than green peas (English peas)? Specifically, purple hull peas, pink lady peas, black-eyed peas, etc.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried it with other types of peas! Let me know how it goes if you do try it.
Thomas says
Thanks for teaching me how to cook peas–the right way
NT says
hi. what about in an instant pot (electric pressure cooker)? thank you.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I haven’t tried cooking peas in an instant pot, so I’m not sure!
Miriam says
What if you don’t care for garlic? I like garlic only when it is a hint rather than a direct statement (exception: garlic bread with tomato-sauced pasta).
Should I omit the garlic? Use less (what if my preferred amount is less than one clove)? Use a whole unbroken clove? Substitute? (I like other alliums, and if the garlic were minced I’d use shallots.)
Also, doesn’t salted butter defeat the purpose of leaving out the salt until the dish is finished?
Favorite Family Recipes says
If you don’t like the garlic, you can just omit it! It should still taste good. Hope this helps!
Trent Jeffries says
Great solution to blah frozen peas
rose says
good peas
Kristyn says
I’ve been doing it wrong the whole time! Thanks for the tips!
katerina @ diethood.com says
My favorite way to eat frozen peas! This is fantastic!
Anna says
This is so helpful! I always have a bag of peas in the freezer. Thank you for the recipe!
ian says
I found this recipe by searching “peas recipe,” and mine came out pretty good even though I didn’t follow the recipe exactly. Still better than boiled. Thanks for sharing.
I was scared of the sugar, so I didn’t add as much, and I used 3T unsalted butter and 3T margarine (because it’s all I had), and it ended up being WAY too much butter, so I’d recommend cutting back on the butter/margarine if you alter the recipe like I did.
Janice says
Wait, so does Epi’s put mint in their peas or not? (Trying to decide whether it’s worth going on a Thursday to try them . . . I love peas., but despise mint!)
Favorite Family Recipes says
Epi’s does ~not put mint in their peas. It was just a fun addition we mentioned.
Sandra says
I love peas, but my family does not. So I am always looking for other ways to cook them. I tried this recipe yesterday and all my family liked it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Andrea says
this is a very interesting post!
Sylvie says
Thank you for this recipe, what a delicious surprise!
Denay DeGuzman says
What a fantastic frozen pea tutorial. Following your instructions, my peas turned out beautifully.
Charlotte says
Can you cook them in advance and do they stay soft when you reheat them?
Favorite Family Recipes says
We haven’t tried cooking them in advance. I would think they would get too soft and mushy.
Chef Mireille says
I’ve actually never thought of cooking peas on their own. I usually add them to rice, pasta or soup. However, this way especially with the butter flavor would make a delicious side dish to any meal.
Alexandra says
This is how I will cook frozen peas from now on! Fantastic!
Sue says
What a novel approach to making peas!
Ashley says
Yum!!! These sounds perfect for anytime during the year, but especially in the winter months when a fresh veggie is lacking!
Jay Prakash says
Great and simple receipe
Becky Starnes says
I have always steamed my peas and thought they were pretty good, that was until I fixed them like this! They are FABULOUS and I will never make peas any other way !!!! Thanks for sharing.
V says
whoa.. I didn’t think it was possible. I bought some pea pies, they tasted like peas, I didn’t like them. not sure why I bought a bag of frozen peas after that! it’s baby peas, but still tastes like peas. out of curiosity, I Googled how to cook peas. so glad I came here. thank you!
Alli says
Can you do it with oil instead of butter? I have a dairy free kid bc of allergies.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Sure!
Dixiegirl48th says
So good. This is a game changer. I have been cooking for 40 years and had no idea! Thanks!
Jeannie says
Do you thaw the peas first or use frozen?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You use them straight from the freezer!
Pam says
Omgosh! Best frozen peas I’ve ever had! Loved it! Ty, ty! Followed exactly!
Zorina Bennett says
Check for typos. Kosher _____ salt not sale
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks for catching that!
Elaine says
So I had no veggies for dinner and have had these frozen peas in the freezer from making chicken pot pie, I googled best way to cook frozen peas and this was the first recipe, I made it and my boyfriend absolutely loved it! He even asked for them again the next night.
Paul says
I take out the peas I’m going to use from the freezer just before cooking main meal in pressure cooker. When meal is cooked I add the peas to the other food in the still extremely hot water in the pressure cooker pan for a minute and I find they’re cooked just right.
Heather says
When I lived in London, the grocery store sold little individual packages of fresh peas to microwave and they cooked perfectly. I miss those in America! Used to eat peas for a quick breakfast all the time. My favorite recipe was peas, butter, salt, pepper, and fresh shaved Parmesan. Try adding a little fresh Parmesan (maybe not with the mint in there), it makes a huge difference!!
william.reibel says
5 star needed
Erica Walker says
Thanks for the 5-stars!
Pt says
Made these for an early Thanksgiving feast . They were a big hit. Did use less butter and less garlic than called for. Used sucanat (natural dark brown sugar) and YES to the added broken up mint leaves. Super simple, quick and delicious. You’ve truly inspired me with this oh so simply, delicious recipe. I will also experiment with the veggie stock, and alternate oils. These left over would be delicious to top a salad or rice. Thanks for sharing this. 💟
Jane Watterson says
Someone said something about listeria with frozen vegetables not being boiled.. What do you think about this! Is this something to be concerned snout?
Erica Walker says
I have never heard that before. We rarely boil any frozen vegetables. We get the frozen stir fry veggies all the time and on the packaging they recommend pan cooking them. I don’t think they would recommend it if there were any kind of health risk but ultimately the decision is yours. Hope this helps!
Rochelle says
Thank you! This recipe is amazing!
Erica says
Thank you! So glad you liked it! Thanks for the 5-stars!
David says
I just don’t know why anyone would sugar to these? They’re already sweet enough and sugar is the white devil
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can definitely leave the sugar out if you want to 🙂
Mary Jane says
Is butter salted, “sweet cream” a type of butter? Or do you also add “sweet cream”? I’m confused by this.
Erica Walker says
Yes, it is a type of butter. You don’t need to add any extra cream. Hope this helps!
Ashley says
I have never commented on a recipe I’ve tried before but I just had to with this one. BEST PEAS EVER!!! I can’t stop raving about them to my friends and family. Thank you for sharing!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
You are very very welcome! Thanks so much for the nice comment– and the 5-stars!
adina says
hi. i would love to try this recipe. Can I keep it vegan by using coconut butter instead?
Erica Walker says
You can but it will definitely give the peas a coconutty taste. You might be better off using avocado oil or any other kind of plant-based oil that doesn’t have a strong taste. Hope this helps!
henri says
It would be helpful to know how much fresh mint to put in and if the pan should be uncovered or covered after putting in the butter.
Favorite Family Recipes says
I just use 1-2 leaves of mint or it will be too overpowering. No need to cover the pan. Hope this helps!
Jeff says
Exactly what I was thinking when I saw that much butter for 1 lb peas.
Mandy says
I’d go one better and say never boil ANY vegetable. Boiling veggies just means you’re pouring half the nutrients and half the taste down the drain. Steam, roast, saute, microwave (if you just have to) but please don’t abuse our vegetable friends by boiling. The only time they should come in contact with a hot liquid is in a soup recipe, where nutrition and taste don’t go to waste.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes! I agree completely! Boiling vegetables also makes them taste so bland. Thank you for sharing!
Mackenzie says
This recipe looks good and I plan to make it. But don’t you want to sauté the garlic in the butter first? Otherwise you’re eating raw garlic and that doesn’t be sound appealing.
Erica says
You can do either way. The garlic doesn’t taste raw in the peas. It still gets some cooking time and is able to infuse the peas with flavor. Hope this helps!
Nani Snyder says
We prefer to bake our potatoes, skin on. Cool and shred! Much more flavorful than boiled potatoes and they make the best hash browns or American fries.
Phoebe says
I’m going to try this recipe, but I have to say, add that much butter to anything and it’ll be tasty. No big secret there.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Lol yep.. it’s true! That’s a big part of why these are so tasty!
Susan Pjetraj says
Best peas ever!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks Susan!
James says
This recipe ROCKS, and all other recipe’s are just average! Simply the best peas EVER!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thank you so much for the 5-star rating!! We are so glad you love this recipe!
Ashley Smith says
I followed your recipe to a T. Best peas I ever ate in my life. And I’m in my forties and I love peas!
Favorite Family Recipes says
I am so glad you liked them!! Thanks for the 5-star rating!
Carolyn Kanoy says
I add vegetable or chicken bouillon to my peas and that’s all you need.
Lynda says
I bring water to a boil, add peas when water is boiling…the water will cool somewhat because of the cold pears. wait till the water boils again then shut off stove. Peas float to the top when hot…drain and stir in butter. They taste like they were just picked.
Tamars says
Hi there! Time to comment because I have used your recipe for a year now. My family never ate peas before, but now the veggie is requested weekly! ( “you’re making the good ones, right?”) thank you!
Favorite Family Recipes says
This comment just put a big smile on my face! Thank you so much for coming back to let us know how much your family has enjoyed this recipe!
Margaret says
Ummm. I’m not certain I did this right. I followed your instructions, and even cooked them for a bit longer, but my peas are still pretty hard and fibrous, not soft and supple like my kids and I are used to from boiling them. Is this normal? Was I supposed to defrost the peas first?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Hmm that is really weird! They should soften up just as much as boiling them. No defrosting needed. Did you just use typical frozen peas?
Nipsey says
I think your peas are freezer burned. Right now my peas are only halfway cooked and they aren’t hard!
Tonya G. says
THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
My PEA LIFE will never be the same…I was not a big fan of peas until I tried cooking them this way. DELICIOUS!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
haha so glad we were able to take your “pea life” to a whole new level! This comment totally made my day. And I am going to start saying “pea life” now lol
Patty says
The package tells you to boil them for 5-7 minutes to kill bacteria like Listeria, which has become a problem with frozen foods. They need to be fully heated to 165 degrees. Other than that, I’m going to try the mint & butter recipe. It sounds yummy. Thanks!
ian says
interesting! thanks.
Ana says
Thank you! These were amazing!
Rhonda says
I tried this and they are amazing, thank you.
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you liked them Rhonda! 😀
Mandy says
I am from the Boise area but have never heard of Epi’s. I’ll have to look it up now! Can’t wait to try these tips.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Oh my goodness! You will love Epi’s. I have never had anything there that I haven’t liked. Book in advance because they fill up fast!
Lisa Weber says
Really tasty. I never boiled peas before, but the seasonings were a fresh idea!
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you liked them 😀
Kat says
What about canned peas? Just kidding! Canned peas are super nasty ???? This really is the best way to make peas! Thanks for sharing!
Felicia says
I’m even too lazy to boil them–just stick them in a bowl with a little water and put it in the microwave. (Maybe this is why I don’t love peas!) I’m excited to try this! Have you tried it with other frozen veggies? (like corn or a mix?)
Nicole P says
I’ve done the same thing with frozen “peaches and cream” corn. Tastes amazing and I feel like by not boiling it you’re not losing some of the nutrients in the water.
Monique says
Mom has a similar recipe but adds quinoa and parsley. The buttery peas make the quinoa actually taste much better. We’ll have to try the no boil method. Oh, and don’t let the quinoa over cook. Mind your peas and Q’s.
Erica Walker says
LOL, love it! I am sure the peas with quinoa is delicious! I am guessing it almost tastes like a risotto (especially if you add a little cream…)? We will have to try that next time! Thanks for the suggestion!