Snap Pea Salad is so easy to make. Sweet, tender raw peas combined with a few simple ingredients.
Crisp and vibrant. Bursting with fresh flavours. A quick-to-assemble cucumber and cold pea salad tossed with a simple sour cream and dill dressing. My family voted this the best summer salad.
You can never go wrong with cool cucumbers in recipes all summer long. Have you tried my stuffed cucumber boats?
When I was a kid, my mom and baba both had HUGE gardens. My favourite vegetable to pick and eat was fresh, sweet green peas. As I picked them off the stalk I think I ate as many as I put in the basket. No wonder she always found empty pea pods in my tracks.
Still, to this day, fresh peas eaten raw is like eating candy for me. I love adding them to salads and sandwiches or just dipping them in hummus.
Have you ever tried pea shoots? A great burger topping, just like on these Zucchini Burgers.
RECIPE and INSTRUCTIONS for this salad with sugar snap peas can be found at the bottom of this post.
Ingredients for Snap Pea Salad
I love when it only takes a few ingredients to make a great dish. This easy salad recipe combines:
- raw, fresh sugar snap peas
- cucumber
- pickled onions
- sour cream
- dried dill
- salt & pepper
Within a few minutes, you have a quick and healthy salad that is the perfect side to sandwiches, burgers or just a great option. Give this a try alongside fish and chips. The perfect alternative to coleslaw.
Just like my cucumber salad recipe, this salad combines sour cream, dill, and pickled onions. Maybe it is the Ukrainian in me, but sour cream and dill is a match made in heaven.
How about pickled onions, are you a fan? In this recipe, I used sour pickled onions, but feel free to use the sweet variety if you prefer.
Preparing This Simple Pea Salad Recipe
- Wash the peas, pat dry, and thinly slice.
- Wash and cut the cucumber.
- Cut the pickled onions (or not).
- Make the dressing.
- Combine everything in a bowl.
- Done!
The crispiness of the snap peas, along with the cool refreshing crunchy cucumbers, tossed in a luscious creamy dill dressing, creates a harmonious blend of goodness.
Suggestions/Recipe Tips
This creamy cucumber pea salad is best eaten on the day it is made. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container and placed in the fridge for up to 3 days. The leftover salad will not be as crisp.
Fresh dill can be used in place of dried dill. Adjust the amount to your liking.
Greek yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream.
If you don’t like pickled onions, you can leave them out or try green onions instead.
Sugar Snap Peas vs Snow Peas
Who would have known there were so many kinds of peas. When I was a kid the only variety I knew was the garden pea or English pea.
Snap peas are actually a cross between snow peas and garden peas. No wonder I love them so much. You get to eat the whole thing, no shelling necessary.
They are super crisp and super sweet. Most times I eat them raw. Sometimes they have tough strings that need to be removed. Lately, I have found them to be almost stringless.
If you are counting calories, you will be happy to know that snap peas are easy on the calories and are great in the nutrition department too. Zero fat, low carb, high fibre, sounds good to me.
Ways To Eat Sugar Snap Peas
I think you already know my favourite way, but here are some tasty ways to enjoy them:
- raw (perfect for snacking on)
- steamed
- roasted
- sautéed
- stir-fry
Pea Pod Tips
- Look for bright green pea pods that are shiny and look full, almost bursting. Try to avoid dull, yellowing peas.
- Old peas tend to have more fibrous strings.
- Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. I like to keep them in a perforated produce bag (affiliate).
- Always rinse under cold water before eating.
- You can also freeze them. Blanch whole peas for about 2 minutes. Cool, dry and lay on a cookie sheet (be sure they are not touching). Freeze for a couple of hours, then transfer to a freezer bag.
Next time you are looking for a super crisp and refreshing side dish, this green pea salad is an awesome choice.
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You may enjoy this simple pea salad with:
Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 5 ounces snap peas (thinly sliced)
- 3 ounces seedless cucumber (diced)
- ½ teaspoon dried dill (or to taste)
- 1 ½ ounces sour cream
- 2 ounces pickled onions (sour or sweet)
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Dressing:
- In a small bowl combine the sour cream, dill, salt, and pepper. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
- It is best if you combine this at least 30 minutes (or more) prior to using to enable the flavours to develop.
For the Salad:
- Wash snap peas and pat dry.
- Cut into thin slices and place in a bowl.
- Wash and cut the cucumber and add to the bowl with the peas.
- Slice the pickled onions and add to the bowl. I used small onions and cut them in ½.
- Add the prepared sour cream dressing to the peas, cucumbers and pickled onions.
- Combine and ENJOY!
Mimi
Sour cream and dill – what can be better? I think this combination can make anything taste delicious! I think I am ready to try peas now – it has been a while!
Homemade & Yummy
Sour cream and dill is amazing and the perfect dressing for this salad.
April
I have tried salads with peas before but this one looks so good that it is the first time that I want to make one at home! Delicious way to serve peas!
Homemade & Yummy
This is super easy to make. Give it a try soon.
Lesli Schwartz
This is the crispiest of salads, and the freshest looking! I love getting new salad recipes, so this one is definitely going in the recipe catalog!
Homemade & Yummy
I am making this again tonight as a side salad for dinner. We LOVE this one.
Byron Thomas
Gloria, this salad looks so fresh and so tasty! I can’t wait to try this! We all love snap peas, but we usually just eat them raw or steamed in a stir fry. You may have addressed this in your post, but I couldn’t locate the answer. Is there a reason you choose to use dried dill instead of fresh? And, would using fresh dill be advised?
Homemade & Yummy
Hello Byron…I did mention it in the recipe card…and YES you can use fresh dill. I find dried dill is ALWAYS in the house, so if I have a craving for this delicious salad, I know it is always there. I have used fresh (mom and baba grew that in the garden too). Either way…ENJOY!!
Stine Mari
What a great alternative to the classic coleslaw! It looks so yummy, and I would love to just pick them straight from the garden. This sounds so delicious.
Homemade & Yummy
Yes this is a nice change for sure…and our preferred salad. Cannot get enough of this one.
Julie Menghini
I love fresh peas too and this salad has me drooling. I’d have trouble getting them to the salad because like you, I’d be eating them like candy. The dill dressing sounds amazing too and can’t wait to give it a try. It’s like spring in a bowl! I never knew the difference between snap peas and snow peas so appreciated that information too!
Homemade & Yummy
Well, I hope you can give this recipe a try. I know it is hard not to just eat those peas right out of the bag.
Jolina
This looks so refreshing! We always buy a bag of snap peas at Costco and we usually just steam or stir fry them. I’m so excited to try them in this salad, I bet it will become a new family favourite.
Homemade & Yummy
That’s where I get mine too. They are so great to have in the fridge. I eat them like candy!! Hope you enjoy this super easy and delicious salad recipe.
Denise
I think I am going to crave this until I get a chance to make it! I love the idea of snaps in a salad. I forget about them but they are so crunchy and sweet. The pickled onions sound wonderful too. Now I just have to find some nice snap peas.
Homemade & Yummy
If you have a Costco…they have nice ones. I try to have them in the fridge all the time. I love just grabbing a handful and snacking on them.
Kelly
Gloria, this snap pea salad looks wonderful! I love sugar snap peas but have only had them cooked. When I cook them though, I only cook them for about 60 seconds because I like them nice and crisp. I never thought to have them raw in a salad. I’m sure I would love them this way!
Homemade & Yummy
The only way I cook them (which is not often) is in a stir fry. I love eating them raw, and they are delicious in this salad. Hope you give it a try soon.
susan
I’m craving salads like this right now! My grandmother had a huge vegetable garden, and I can still remember visiting her and seeing a bowl of freshly picked snap peas piled high.
Homemade & Yummy
I wish my childhood peas were snap peas. I only had garden peas, and these are so much more delicious.
Danielle Wolter
I envision making this recipe for a spring bbq. it’s quick and easy and sounds just incredible! so fresh with the peas 🙂
Homemade & Yummy
This is BBQ perfect for sure. Great side to burgers!!
Lisa Bryan
Such a light and fresh salad – which is my favorite kind! Yum!
Homemade & Yummy
Enjoy, we really like this one and have it often.
Sylvie
Sounds like such a perfect summer recipe! I’m planning on growing some snap peas in my garden next year, so I’ll keep this recipe to try then 🙂
Homemade & Yummy
How nice, I would love to have my own grown peas. How wonderful that would be.
Kelly Anthony
I’m loving this fresh snap pea salad. This will be perfect for bringing to a BBQ.
Homemade & Yummy
YES, I cannot wait till grilling season. It will be perfect for sure.
Tisha
This looks so good!!! I love the dill dressing!
Homemade & Yummy
I love dill too…and it works so well with this super simple salad. Hope you give it a try.