Sugar snap peas are sweet, crisp, and amazing picked right off the vine. However, if you are looking for another great way to enjoy them, this roasted snap peas recipe is it! It takes less than 25 minutes to prepare and goes great with any entree including grilled kabobs, steak, and chicken.

It's my first summer gardening in Montana and I'm learning so much! Some plants are right on schedule while others are lagging far behind (yes, the tomatoes). One vegetable that's far outproducing the others is my sugar snap peas! I love eating them off the vine, they taste so sweet! But a woman can only eat so many! What to do with the rest???
Unlike English peas, snap peas can be eaten whole, peas, shells, and all! Unfortunately, if they stay on the vine too long, their shell gets tougher and the peas inside get more fibrous and lose some of their sweetness. So when I noticed mine reaching this stage, I picked the remaining ones and headed into the kitchen to come up with a way to use them.
I had some pomegranate molasses vinaigrette left from the beetroot salad that I had prepared a few days prior. I decided to drizzle them with some of the dressing, then seasoned them with salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. Man oh man, I did not expect this snap peas recipe to be so good! I finished them off with some sesame seeds and a squeeze of lemon juice, perfection!
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🧐 Why This Recipe Works
- This is a very simple recipe with a handful of ingredients.
- The roasted snap peas are ready in under 30 minutes.
- This recipe is a great way to use up an abundance of peas from your garden. Especially at the end of their growing season.
🛒What You Need To Make This Recipe
🔖 Recipe Ingredients And Substitutions
- Sugar Snap Peas: You can use mature snap peas that are no longer suitable for eating fresh or young and tender ones, if you have them.
- Vinaigrette: I used pomegranate molasses vinaigrette but if you don't have the ingredients, you can use one tablespoon of olive oil or sesame oil mixed with one tablespoon of balsamic vinegar.
- Seasoning: All you need is sea salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper. If you don't want the dish to have any heat, leave out the crushed pepper or replace it with a pinch of black pepper.
*A full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🌱How to Make This Recipe
STEP 1: Wash sugar snap peas and remove the end and string at the seams (I left mine on). Add them to a cast-iron skillet and drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of pomegranate dressing or oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss to cover all the peas with the dressing. Season them with sea salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper (or black pepper).
STEP 2: Bake in preheated 400° F oven for 10 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 375° F, stir the snap peas with a spatula, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
STEP 3: Squeeze a few teaspoons of lemon juice over the peas and serve.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
What is the best way to eat snap peas?
Snap peas can be enjoyed straight off the vine or with hummus or your favorite dip. They can also be sauteed, baked in the oven, added to stir-fries, or added to soups and stews.
Young snap peas are tender and delicious. As snap peas mature, the peas get larger and tougher and the pods begin to dry out. More mature snap peas also lose some of their sweetness. Luckily, you can still resurrect their goodness by roasting them!
Cooking snap peas is a snap! Snap peas don't require a very long cooking time. They can be sauteed, baked, boiled, or steamed. Most of these cooking methods only require a relatively short cooking time.
👩🏼🍳 Recipe Pro Tips
- The pods have tough strings running down one or both sides. If you don't want to deal with the strings while eating the peas, you may want to take the time to snap the stem end and remove the strings prior to cooking them.
- Lemon zest would also be a great addition to this dish. Just sprinkle it on top before serving instead of the lemon juice.
- Snap peas freeze well so if you have an abundance of them in your garden and can't eat them fast enough, freezing them is a great option.
- This recipe can be prepared with fresh or frozen peas.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
🫑 Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Roasted Snap Peas
Ingredients
- 3 cups snap peas
- 2 tablespoon pomegranate molasses vinaigrette (recipe)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- 2 tsps sesame seeds
- 2 tsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash sugar snap peas and remove the end and string at the seams (I left mine on). Add them to a cast-iron skillet and drizzle them with 2 tablespoons of pomegranate dressing or oil and balsamic vinegar. Toss to cover all the peas with the dressing. Season them with sea salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper (or black pepper).
- Bake in preheated 400° F oven for 10 minutes. Turn the temperature down to 375° F, stir the snap peas with a spatula, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Squeeze a few teaspoons of lemon juice over the peas and serve.
Notes
- Sugar snap peas have tough strings running down one or both sides of the pods. If you don't want to deal with the strings while eating the peas, you may want to take the time to snap the stem end and remove the strings prior to cooking them.
- Lemon zest would also be a great addition to this dish. Just sprinkle it on top before serving instead of the lemon juice.
- Snap peas freeze well so if you have an abundance of them in your garden and can't eat them fast enough, freezing them is a great option.
- This recipe can be prepared with fresh or frozen peas.
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Kelly Methey says
Sounds quick, easy and most of all delicious!
Hilda Sterner says
So good!!!