Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow to Eat ThemNutrition DetailsBenefitsPreparation

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

How to Eat Them

Nutrition Details

Benefits

Preparation

Snap peas, also called sugar peas or sugar snap peas, are avegetablethat grows on vines, in cooler seasons.

Snap peas are a cross between snow peas and garden peas. Snap peas and snow peas are identical nutritionally and taste similar, but snap peas tend to be sweeter and more flavorful. Snap peas are rounder, while snow pea pods are flatter and have small, premature peas.

This article will discuss how to eat snap peas,nutrition detailsand benefits of snap peas, and different preparations of snap peas.

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sugar snap peas

How Do You Eat Snap Peas?

When choosing snap peas, look for ones that have an outer shell that is bright green and whose pea pods are firm and blemish-free.

If you are picking snap peas from the vine, do so when the pods have started to fatten, but before the seeds swell a lot. Snap peas that are left on the vine too long can have exterior pods that are too fibrous to eat.

To store snap peas, put them in a perforated bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge. They will keep here for up to two days. When you are ready to eat them, gently rub them as they rinse under cold, running water.

Snap peas can be eaten raw or cooked. The whole crunchy pod is eaten, but you may wish to remove the tough strings at the seams or choose a stringless variety.

Some ideas for raw snap peas include:

Snap peas can also be:

Be careful not to overcook them or they will lose their crisp texture.

They are especially delicious cooked witholive oilandgarlic.

How to Freeze Snap Peas

Snap peas can be bought in the frozen section of thegrocery store, or you can freeze them yourself.

To freeze snap peas:

Nutrition Details: One Serving of Snap Peas

The nutritional details for 100 grams (g) of raw, edible-podded peas are:

How Much Daily Fiber Should You Eat?Dietary fiber can be:Soluble: Dissolves in water.; can help lower glucose levels and blood cholesterol; found in foods such as chia seeds, beans, oatmeal, nuts, apples, and blueberriesInsoluble: Does not dissolve in water; can helpprevent constipationand promote regularity; found in foods such as whole wheat products, wheat bran, brown rice, quinoa,leafy greens, legumes, seeds, almonds, walnuts, fruits with edible skinsAim for at least 25 to 35 g of fiber per day.

How Much Daily Fiber Should You Eat?

Dietary fiber can be:Soluble: Dissolves in water.; can help lower glucose levels and blood cholesterol; found in foods such as chia seeds, beans, oatmeal, nuts, apples, and blueberriesInsoluble: Does not dissolve in water; can helpprevent constipationand promote regularity; found in foods such as whole wheat products, wheat bran, brown rice, quinoa,leafy greens, legumes, seeds, almonds, walnuts, fruits with edible skinsAim for at least 25 to 35 g of fiber per day.

Dietary fiber can be:

Aim for at least 25 to 35 g of fiber per day.

Crisp and Sweet: Snap Pea Benefits

Snap peas are low in calories and have many nutritional benefits, including:

Vitamin C:

Iron:

Vitamin K:

Fiber:

Vitamin A:

Snap Peas and SugarSnap peas arenaturally sweet, but unlike many sweet foods, snap peas have a low glycemic index value, meaning they won’t cause your blood sugar to spike.

Snap Peas and Sugar

Snap peas arenaturally sweet, but unlike many sweet foods, snap peas have a low glycemic index value, meaning they won’t cause your blood sugar to spike.

Different Snap Pea Preparations

Snap peas can be used in countless dishes. A quick Internet search will bring up a bounty of ideas for using snap peas.

Here are three examples of recipes that feature snap peas.

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

From:The University of Arkansas

Ingredients:

Directions:

Pan Grilled Sugar Snap Peas

From:Rutgers University

Spring Salad with Sugar Snap Peas

*add or substitute any vegetables you would like

Summary

Snap peas are a cross between snow peas and garden peas. They are a low calorie, naturally sweet vegetable, with alow glycemic indexvalue.

Snap peas can be eaten raw or sauteed, roasted, steamed, stir-fried, or pan grilled. Snap peas are a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, fiber, and vitamin A. They can be prepared many different ways and used in many different recipes.

9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Nebraska.Snap peas.University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.What’s the difference between green peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas?Rutgers, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.Sugar snap peas.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Peas, edible-podded, raw.Harvard T.H. Chan.Fiber.Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin C.National Institutes of Health.Iron.Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin K.National Institutes of Health.Vitamin A and carotenoids.

9 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.University of Nebraska.Snap peas.University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.What’s the difference between green peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas?Rutgers, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.Sugar snap peas.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Peas, edible-podded, raw.Harvard T.H. Chan.Fiber.Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin C.National Institutes of Health.Iron.Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin K.National Institutes of Health.Vitamin A and carotenoids.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

University of Nebraska.Snap peas.University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.What’s the difference between green peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas?Rutgers, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.Sugar snap peas.U.S. Department of Agriculture.Peas, edible-podded, raw.Harvard T.H. Chan.Fiber.Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin C.National Institutes of Health.Iron.Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin K.National Institutes of Health.Vitamin A and carotenoids.

University of Nebraska.Snap peas.

University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture.What’s the difference between green peas, snow peas, and sugar snap peas?

Rutgers, New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.Sugar snap peas.

U.S. Department of Agriculture.Peas, edible-podded, raw.

Harvard T.H. Chan.Fiber.

Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin C.

National Institutes of Health.Iron.

Harvard T.H. Chan.Vitamin K.

National Institutes of Health.Vitamin A and carotenoids.

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