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There’s actually a correct way to cook frozen peas, and it isn’t boiling! You can have sweet, crisp, vibrant green peas in less than ten minutes. Never mushy, never bland. Try them tonight!
5-Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Omgosh! Best frozen peas I’ve ever had! Loved it! Ty, ty! Followed exactly! – Pam
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 to! – Matthew
SO SO SO delicious and flavorful! My pea disliking husband even liked it! Thank you for the recipe! – Maria
The Best Way to Cook Frozen Peas
I hate to break it to you, but you have probably been cooking peas wrong your entire life. I admit, I am guilty of ripping open a bag of frozen peas and throwing them into a pot of boiling water 5 minutes before dinner. Sure, it gets a a vegetable on the table fast, but did you know you can have your peas and enjoy them too?
The secret? Don’t boil, sauté! I discovered this surprisingly easy secret by trying Epi’s famous Thursday peas, a dish so popular it draws crowds. I learned how to recreate their tender, flavorful magic at home, transforming my view on frozen peas forever. I know you’ll love them!
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Peas – Use frozen green peas for this recipe. They are firm and will soften in minutes.
- Butter – Salted, sweet cream butter is a rich and flavorful butter that gives you just enough deliciousness to the peas that is not overbearing.
- Sugar – I know it sounds weird, but it won’t make the peas too sweet, I promise!
- Garlic – Use fresh, crushed garlic for optimal aroma and flavor.
Step by Step Instructions
- First, empty a bag of frozen peas into a large skillet.
- Add butter, garlic, and sugar.
- Sauté on medium heat until the butter is melted and the peas are cooked through.
- Salt and pepper, then serve!
Flavor Tips and Easy Add-Ins
These simple tips and add-ins will take your frozen peas from good to great. They work with many frozen vegetables, not just peas. Try them when cooking green beans, carrots, corn, snap peas, asparagus, etc.
- Skip the boiling – sauté instead. I know the package tells you to, but don’t. A quick sauté keeps the peas crisp, bright, and flavorful.
- Add a little sugar. Just enough to enhance the natural sweetness of the peas. It’s ok, it won’t taste weird and it will bring out the natural sweetness.
- Wait to salt. Salting too early can dehydrate peas and dull their flavor. Season to taste after cooking.
If you want to add a little something to your frozen peas for extra flavor, try one of these additions:
- Fresh Mint – Coarsely tear up a few mint leaves and toss them in the pan with the peas while cooking.
- Cream– For a creamier texture, add a splash of heavy cream. If you want really creamy peas try our creamed peas recipe.
- Minced Onion – Sauté with the peas for a savory boost.
- Lemon – Add a squeeze of lemon to the finished dish to brighten the flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese / Parmigiano Reggiano – Sprinkle on a little fresh Parmigiano Reggiano over the top.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, the frozen peas don’t need to be thawed. They go straight from the freezer to the skillet.
You can, but they won’t taste as fresh and good. They also want have the same bright color and crisp texture. However, preparing canned peas as outlined in the recipe below will taste much better than simply boiling them in water.
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. Both petite peas and regular peas work great in this recipe.
Absolutely! Frozen carrots or frozen corn would taste great in this recipe. Add them to the skillet when you are adding the frozen peas and cook according to the recipe. They will be delicious!
Believe it or not, frozen peas taste better than fresh ones 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 garden, frozen peas are the way to go!
It’s not a good idea to refreeze cooked peas. They will lose their texture and become mushy. You can keep cooked peas in the refrigerator and reheat them with in a few days for best results. I recommend adding them to our Basil and Sweet Pea Soup in place of canned peas, or our Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon.
More Peas, Please!
Can’t get enough of those sweet little green gems? These pea-packed recipes are full of flavor, fun, and plenty of reasons to say “yes, peas!” to seconds.
Who knew frozen peas could be this tasty? If you give this easy method a try, drop us a comment and tell us how it went! Did you go classic, cheesy, or minty? And don’t forget to leave a star rating – it helps other readers find this recipe!
How to Cook Frozen Peas (the RIGHT way)
Video
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.
- Add salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
- Wait for it! Be sure to add salt at the end. Adding salt during the cooking process dehydrates the peas.
- Veggie add-ins: Frozen peas combine well with other frozen veggies like diced carrots, corn, and green beans. Try one or them all for a vegetable medley side dish.
- Flavor add-ins: Mix in fresh mint, a splash of cream, lemon juice, minced onion, or Parmesan for extra flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Perfection
I tried this recipe for a 2nd time, and it came out wonderfully! (The 1st time, the peas never got tender. They must’ve been freezer burned.)
This time I followed the recipe but used 1/2 the butter. I also sautéed 1/4 C onion and the garlic in the butter before adding the peas. I added 1/2 t
sea salt and 1/4 t pepper after the peas were done. #DELICIOUS
We loved how these tasted, however, my peas were shrunken! Did I cook them too long?
You may have cooked them at too high of a heat. When peas reach a boiling point the middle expands and then when you take them out they shrink again. Try cooking them just under a boil next time! Hope this helps!
Thank you. Will keep a better eye out the next time I make them!
This is such good info!! I’ve definitely been making frozen peas wrong this whole time, haha. Thanks for the tips!
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!
It does not say to boil them.
This is seriously cracking me up. If it’s an intentional joke thank you, it landed.
The directions were so easy to follow. Thank you.
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…
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!
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!
Is this a good method for peas other than green peas (English peas)? Specifically, purple hull peas, pink lady peas, black-eyed peas, etc.
I haven’t tried it with other types of peas! Let me know how it goes if you do try it.
Thanks for teaching me how to cook peas–the right way
hi. what about in an instant pot (electric pressure cooker)? thank you.
I haven’t tried cooking peas in an instant pot, so I’m not sure!
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?
If you don’t like the garlic, you can just omit it! It should still taste good. Hope this helps!
Great solution to blah frozen peas
good peas
I’ve been doing it wrong the whole time! Thanks for the tips!
My favorite way to eat frozen peas! This is fantastic!
This is so helpful! I always have a bag of peas in the freezer. Thank you for the recipe!
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.
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!)
Epi’s does ~not put mint in their peas. It was just a fun addition we mentioned.
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!!