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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!
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?
I never hated peas, but never loved them either. 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 the tender, perfectly cooked peas, I understood. They were delicious! So I figured out just what makes those peas taste delicious and now I can share it with you!
Ingredients for Perfect Peas
Just a bag of frozen peas isn’t enough, not for show-stopping, succulent peas like these. Here’s what you need:
- 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 six tablespoons of butter, garlic, and sugar on top.
- Sauté on medium heat until the butter is melted and the peas are cooked through.
- Salt and pepper, then serve!
Basic Tips for Green Peas on the Stovetop
These tips work for any frozen vegetable, not just peas. Try them when cooking green beans, corn, snow peas, snap peas, asparagus, etc.
- 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. 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.
- 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.
Additional Ingredients to Try
Mint – If you want to try something different, try coarsely tearing up a few mint leaves and throwing 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.
Onion – Add a little bit of minced onion during the cooking process.
Lemon – Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the finished product.
Parmesan Cheese / Parmigiano Reggiano – Sprnkle on a little fresh Parmigiano Reggiano over the top
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 garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper is all you need. If you want to make the peas a little more fancy, try adding some mint.
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!
READ NEXT: The Best Traditional Easter Dinner Ideas
More Peas, Please
Try some more favorite recipes with peas! They are a great filler and help give you a delicious and healthy meal combination.
Creamed Peas
Creamed Peas and Potatoes
CrockPot Split Pea Soup
Basil and Sweet Pea Soup
Creamy Pea Salad with Bacon
Beef and Snow Peas
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
- 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 okay, it won’t taste weird and it will bring out the natural sweetness.
- 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.
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!!