Snap pea salad is a celebration of crunch, tang, spice and freshness! This salad uses sugar snap peas, fresh veggies, herbs and a spicy zesty dressing with added crunch from nuts. This snap pea salad recipe is super filling, versatile and so tasty!
While we have so many salads on this website, we love how different this snap pea salad is! It has a hint of sweetness, a lot of spice and tang from the dressing, with lots of crunch and flavor from the veggies.
It has an Asian profile and so it pairs so well with lots of Asian dishes. We especially love it with Chili Lime Shrimp, Miso Sea Bass, Grilled Halibut, Orange Chicken and more!
If you’re still skeptical about eating raw veggies, give this salad recipe a try! It will pleasantly surprise you with an amazing profile of flavors and textures.
What is Snap Pea Salad?
A snap pea salad is mainly made of sugar snap peas (raw) combined with veggies like carrots, peppers and scallions. The salad also has plenty of fresh herbs, sometimes shallots and a variety of nuts to finish off.
The salad dressing is mainly a tangy based vinaigrette which we have. upgraded here by adding honey and our homemade Chili Oil Recipe. The dressing is SO GOOD! Like it’s the kind of sauce you can drizzle on anything and it would taste phenomenal.
Why you’ll love Snap Pea Salad
- Tasty salad recipe, a blend of sweetness and a spicy tangy sweet dressing.
- The textures in this snap pea salad are impeccable!! Crisp veggies, chewy others, crunchy nuts and smooth dressing.
- Super quick salad that takes 10 minutes to make! No cooking required, but you still got your veggies in.
- This recipe is super versatile, you can swap ingredients, adjust spice levels and more!
- This salad makes a great lunch, and also makes a perfect side dish to any main.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sugar Snap Peas. You can also use snow peas, make sure they are raw. Use fresh and crisp snap peas, the earlier in the season, the sweeter the peas are.
- Bell Peppers. We used red bell peppers, thinly sliced. You can use any color.
- Carrots. Grated carrots are perfect to add the sweetness needed here.
- Scallions. The mild onion flavor matched the sweetness in the pea. You can likewise use shallots or red onions, or garlic.
- Herbs. For the flavor profile here we preferred cilantro. However you can use dill, fresh parsley. chives, mint or basil, or a blend of them.
- Nuts. We used cashews here, you can try peanuts, almonds, pistachios, toasted sesame seeds, pepitas, or toasted pine nuts.
- Optional. While we don’t feel it is necessary, I know many of you like cheese. You can try crumbled feta, goat cheese or shaved Pecorino.
Snap Pea Salad Dressing Ingredients
- Chilli Oil. This is our homemade recipe which we LOVE and have on hand 24/7. The rich flavor of the chilli oil not juts adds spice, but also a really deep flavor of other aromatics. You can use store-bought as well, or use olive oil.
- Lime Juice. The ultimate freshness and zest in the salad! We love lime versus any other citrus here (even lemon juice) as it creates the perfect fresh pop in the salad dressing.
- Honey. You can try Maple syrup or any other sweetener. We love honey for it’s rich flavor here and it’s a perfect balance of sweetness to the heat from the chilli oil.
- Seasoning. Salt and black pepper of course as needed.
How to make Snap Pea Salad
- Start with the peas. Trim the stem and pull string (if present), then rinse and dry the peas.
- Now slice the pods on a an angle, about ¼″ thick. Thin slicing increases surface area for the dressing to coat the peas so it adds more flavor. It also makes it easier to eat.
- We did NOT blanch our peas here. They were baby peas and they were fresh , sweet and crunchy.
- If you want to blanch, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Drop peas in for 20–30 seconds, then plunge into an ice bath. Drain and dry the peas.
- Now slice and prepare the other salad ingredients, slice and dice and add them to a bowl.
- To make the dressing: You can use a mortar and pestle if you want to crush the flakes in the chilli oil. This will give you a smoother dressing. We however just whisked them all together and it came out just good for us.
- Mix the honey, chilli oil and lime juice in a bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Pour the dressing generously over the salad ingredients in the bowl.
9. Toss well and it’s ready!
Snap Pea Salad Recipe Tips
- Chose baby snap peas as they are sweeter than the larger size. Also use seasonal, firm to the touch and peas that are not bruised or mushy.
- Treat peas like delicate produce. trim and slice close to serving the salad. Raw, thinly sliced peas yield the best crunch, however you can blanch them if you’d like a deeper color and softer texture.
- Use an acid plus a touch of sweet for the dressing always. This balances the heat from the chilli oil and it also emulsifies the dressing.
- Toast nuts or seeds before adding them to the salad to increase the flavor and texture.
- You can add fried onions, crispy rice papers fried or fried tortilla strips for texture. Try some Pita Chips as well!
Variations
- Rich Asian: Make a sesame vinaigrette similar to our Ahi Tuna Salad. Add in toasted sesame seeds, edamame and more scallions.
- Mediterranean: Toss the snap peas with a lemon coregano vinaigrette, crumbled feta, toasted pistachios and oregano.
- Burrata Cheese. Make a luscious style salad instantly when you add burrata cheese to the snap peas. Add in some lemon oil, basil and pistachios.
- Grain bowl: Turn the salad in to a bowl by tossing it with some cooked quinoa or farro, add roasted squash and roast chickpeas for a hearty main.
Should snap peas be cooked for salad?
Not necessarily. In fact early season sugar snap peas are tender and delicious raw, you just need to slice them thin for best texture. If you prefer more vivid color and slightly tender texture, blanch the peas for 20–30 seconds and shock in ice water, then cool before using.
How do you store snap pea salad?
Store components separately if possible (dressing, nuts, cheese if using). Prepared and dressed salad will stay best for up to 24 hours refrigerated, but peas will soften over time. For meal prep, if you have a grain bowl, store it for up to 48 hours and add extra nuts at serving.
What dressing pairs best with snap peas?
Bright, acidic sweet dressings with a hint of spice! Our salad dressing recipe is just 3 ingredients here and it’s PERFECT! You can likewise make a simple lemon dijon vinaigrette. A sesame based dressing like Ahi Tuna Salad.
Can snap pea salad be made as a main course salad?
Yes! Turn it into a bowl by adding cooked quinoa or coconut rice, and add in proteins of you choice!
How thin should I slice snap peas?
For raw use, it’s best to thinly slice on an angle at about 1/8 inch thickness.
Snap Pea Salad
Ingredients
Snap Pea Salad
- 1 bag snap peas cut thinly into slices on a diagonal, about 3 cups
- 1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper thinly sliced
- 4 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup minced cilantro
- 1/3 cup chopped nuts cashews or peanuts
Dressing
- 1 Tablespoons Chilli Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Honey use more to offset the spice
- 1 Tablespoon Lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
-
For the Salad: Mix all the salad ingredients in a bowl.
-
To make the dressing: Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Use more honey to offset the spice.
-
Toss the salad with the dressing and sprinkle the nuts on top.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
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Snap Pea Salad Recipe Tips
- Chose baby snap peas as they are sweeter than the larger size. Also use seasonal, firm to the touch and peas that are not bruised or mushy.
- Treat peas like delicate produce. trim and slice close to serving the salad. Raw, thinly sliced peas yield the best crunch, however you can blanch them if you'd like a deeper color and softer texture.
- Use an acid plus a touch of sweet for the dressing always. This balances the heat from the chilli oil and it also emulsifies the dressing.
- Toast nuts or seeds before adding them to the salad to increase the flavor and texture.
- You can add fried onions, crispy rice papers fried or fried tortilla strips for texture. Try some Pita Chips as well!
Variations
- Rich Asian: Make a sesame vinaigrette similar to our Ahi Tuna Salad. Add in toasted sesame seeds, edamame and more scallions.
- Mediterranean: Toss the snap peas with a lemon coregano vinaigrette, crumbled feta, toasted pistachios and oregano.
- Burrata Cheese. Make a luscious style salad instantly when you add burrata cheese to the snap peas. Add in some lemon oil, basil and pistachios.
- Grain bowl: Turn the salad in to a bowl by tossing it with some cooked quinoa or farro, add roasted squash and roast chickpeas for a hearty main.
Should snap peas be cooked for salad?
Not necessarily. In fact early season sugar snap peas are tender and delicious raw, you just need to slice them thin for best texture. If you prefer more vivid color and slightly tender texture, blanch the peas for 20–30 seconds and shock in ice water, then cool before using.
How do you store snap pea salad?
Store components separately if possible (dressing, nuts, cheese if using). Prepared and dressed salad will stay best for up to 24 hours refrigerated, but peas will soften over time. For meal prep, if you have a grain bowl, store it for up to 48 hours and add extra nuts at serving.
What dressing pairs best with snap peas?
Bright, acidic sweet dressings with a hint of spice! Our salad dressing recipe is just 3 ingredients here and it's PERFECT! You can likewise make a simple lemon dijon vinaigrette. A sesame based dressing like Ahi Tuna Salad.
Can snap pea salad be made as a main course salad?
Yes! Turn it into a bowl by adding cooked quinoa or coconut rice, and add in proteins of you choice!
How thin should I slice snap peas?
For raw use, it's best to thinly slice on an angle at about 1/8 inch thickness.
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