What can I make with frozen peas?
Frozen Peas deserves better than being boiled as a side. These recipes make frozen peas the centre of the plate, and the notes below cover roasting temperature, pan space, and seasoning order.
12 recipes with frozen peas
Classic Hummus
Silky chickpea dip with tahini and lemon.
Middle Eastern10m6Egg Fried Rice
Wok-tossed day-old rice with egg, scallion, and soy.
Chinese15m4
Creamy Hummus
Smooth chickpea dip with tahini, lemon, and garlic.
Middle Eastern20m6
Shrimp Fried Rice
Quick wok-style fried rice with shrimp and eggs.
Chinese20m3Suya
Grilled skewered beef crusted in spicy peanut yaji.
Nigerian23m4
Bulgogi
Sweet-savory marinated beef, quickly grilled.
Korean25m4Kung Pao Chicken
Sichuan stir-fry with peanuts, chiles, and tongue-tingling peppercorns.
Chinese25m4Couscous
Steamed semolina with buttery vegetables.
North African25m4Beef Bulgogi
Sweet-savory Korean grilled marinated beef.
Korean30m4
Spring Rolls
Fresh rice paper rolls stuffed with shrimp, herbs, and vermicelli.
Vietnamese30m4
Pad Thai
Stir-fried rice noodles with shrimp, peanuts, and tamarind sauce.
Thai30m4
Vegan Buddha Bowl
Quinoa bowl with roasted veg, chickpeas, and tahini.
American35m2
How to get the most flavour out of frozen peas
- 1Cut into even pieces so everything finishes at the same moment.
- 2Roast at 425F on a preheated sheet pan for caramelised edges, or sear hard in a skillet if you want it fast.
- 3Do not crowd the pan; steam is the enemy of browning. Use two trays if you have to.
- 4Season in layers: salt before cooking, then acid and fat after, so the frozen peas tastes finished rather than plain.
What goes well with frozen peas
Frozen Peas is at its best with olive oil, garlic, lemon, parmesan, chili flakes and flaky salt. Any two or three of those, plus frozen peas, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing frozen peas
Store frozen peas unwashed - moisture is what causes rot. Leafy types last longest wrapped loosely in a towel inside a bag; roots prefer somewhere cool and dark, not the fridge door. Anything starting to soften is ideal for soups, stocks, and roasting.
Substituting frozen peas
If you are out of frozen peas, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Frozen Peas recipes: common questions
- What can I make with frozen peas and not much else?
- Plenty. With frozen peas plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest frozen peas recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute frozen peas?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover frozen peas?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover frozen peas without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.
- Are these frozen peas recipes vegetarian-friendly?
- Many are, and the vegetarian and vegan collections filter the whole library down to recipes with no meat or no animal products at all. In the chat you can also say "vegan" or "no dairy" and every suggestion will respect it.