Sugar Snap Pea Salad
on Mar 25, 2024, Updated Apr 24, 2025
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A pretty and fresh sugar snap pea salad that takes minutes to put together and brightens up any meal.
This delicious light salad features sugar snap peas and cucumbers and is the perfect side dish in the spring. There are a lot of fresh herbs in this recipe; they are not just a supporting ingredient but a true part of the salad.
Quick and easy to make, the salad’s dressing is a basic homemade vinaigrette made with balsamic and rice vinegars, Dijon mustard, honey, and shallots. It’s full of flavor, and the perfect complement for a fresh salad with sugar snap peas.
Try serving this sugar snap pea salad with Grilled Salmon, Air Fryer Lemon Garlic Chicken Breasts, or a Grilled Flat Iron Steak.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- Sugar snap peas – I like to cut the sugar snap peas in half crosswise so each piece is bite-sized. If you find very small sugar snap peas, you can leave them whole.
- Onion – Adds a nice bite and more crunch to the dish.
- Baby cucumbers – Provide a light and crunchy base for this delicious spring salad.
- Fresh dill and mint – I like to tear the herbs for this salad, just ripping them into chunks and leaving them in larger pieces. You can roughly chop them if you prefer. You could also finely chop them if that’s your preference, but I like the burst of fresh flavor larger bits of herbs lend to the dish.
Kitchen Smarts
There are two kinds of sugar snap peas (also called mangetout): good and disappointing. Good ones are sweet and crunchy and not fibrous, and the peas inside are as fresh and sweet (again with the sweet) as the pods. Disappointing sugar snap peas are not all of these things. Look for firm, plump, non-cracked pods with no dry spots, and taste a couple before buying.
For the Vinaigrette
- Extra-virgin olive oil – The base for any vinaigrette; choose a high-quality olive oil.
- Balsamic vinegar and rice vinegar – A combo of vinegars adds interest to the salad dressing.
- Dijon mustard – For a nice contrast and a bit of a kick.
- Honey – A touch of sweetness balances the vinaigrette. Use agave to make this a vegan salad recipe.
- Shallot – One simple shallot completes the dressing’s flavor profile perfectly.
Variations
- I used dill and mint, but play around with other herbs if you like, such as basil. Chervil would also be lovely.
How to Make Sugar Snap Pea Salad
- Blanch the sugar snap peas.
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, shallot, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble and serve: Drain the cooled sugar snap peas, shake off any excess water, and add them with the onion, cucumbers, dill, and mint to the dressing in the bowl. Toss to combine.
FAQs
Yes! They are best eaten raw when they are very young, fairly small, and very fresh. Sugar snap peas are very nutritious and have lots of fiber, so don’t overdo it with the raw ones; too many can cause stomach distress. This salad mixes sugar snap peas with cucumber, so even people with fiber sensitivities should be ok.
Blanching the beans locks in their bright green color and also makes them a bit more tender. However, cooking them for just a short time and then plunging them into cold water also stops the cooking and keeps them crisp-tender.
Pro Cooking Tips
- You can make this salad with raw sugar snap peas, or if they aren’t absolutely young and perfect, a quick blanching makes them amazing. Blanching involves bringing a pot of salted water to a boil, dumping the sugar snaps in the water for 60 seconds, then draining them and plunging them into a bowl of ice water you have at the ready. When the peas are cool, they are ready to be drained and eaten or used in a recipe.
- If your sugar snap peas are young and don’t have a thick string running down the side of them, you can just trim off the tips on both edges, cutting off just the very end to keep as much of the bean intact as possible.
- If they are more mature, they may have a string running down one or both sides of the bean, where the halves are joined, and that should be removed by peeling it off as you remove the tips. Find a child or helpful guest or family member to help you with this slightly tedious but sometimes necessary task.
Learn more about preparing sugar snap peas.
Make-Ahead
You can make this up to 2 days ahead of time and store it well-sealed in the refrigerator. The beans will soften a bit more in the dressing, and their bright green color may fade a bit, but it will still be delicious.
What to Serve With Sugar Snap Pea Salad
More Light Salad Recipes
- Wedge Salad
- Mixed Greens with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
- Romaine and Slivered Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing
- Tomato, Red Onion, Watercress, Feta, and Olive Salad
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Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound sugar snap peas (trimmed and halved crosswise)
- 1 red or yellow onion (halved and very thinly sliced)
- 3 baby cucumbers (thinly sliced)
- ¼ cup torn or roughly chopped fresh dill
- ¼ cup torn or roughly chopped fresh mint
For the Vinaigrette:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 small shallot (minced)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. When the water is boiling, drop the sugar snaps into the pot and cook for 1 minute. Drain the sugar snap peas and plunge them into the ice water.
- While you are waiting for the water to boil, make the vinaigrette: In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, shallot, salt, and pepper.
- Drain the cooled sugar snap peas, shake off any excess water, and add them with the onion, cucumbers, dill, and mint to the dressing in the bowl. Toss to combine. Taste, adjust seasonings as needed, and serve.
Notes
- You can make this salad with raw sugar snap peas, or if they aren’t absolutely young and perfect, a quick blanching makes them amazing. Blanching involves bringing a pot of salted water to a boil, dumping the sugar snaps in the water for 60 seconds, then draining them and plunging them into a bowl of ice water you have at the ready. When the peas are cool, they are ready to be drained and eaten or used in a recipe.
- If your sugar snap peas are young and don’t have a thick string running down the side of them, you can just trim off the tips on both edges, cutting off just the very end to keep as much of the bean intact as possible.
- If they are more mature, they may have a string running down one or both sides of the bean, where the halves are joined, and that should be removed by peeling it off as you remove the tips. Find a child or helpful guest or family member to help you with this slightly tedious but sometimes necessary task.
I loved this sugar snap pea salad! It was so easy to make and so fresh!
This is an interesting salad. I am always curious about why they are called “sweet snap peas” and they are not sweet at all. Thanks for sharing.
Sooooo good! Fresh and easy. Loved it ❤️
I agree with Kara, I was so impressed! I added some thinly sliced radish, parmesan, pepperoncini, and chickpea pasta (for protein). It was crunchy and bright.
Very bright fresh and tasty!