What Are Snow pea pods and How Can I Use Them?

Snow pea pods rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 272 recipes to cook with them.

What are snow pea pods?

Snow pea pods are flat, bright-green pea pods eaten whole, shell and all, while the peas inside are still tiny and undeveloped. They're crisp and sweet with a tender bite.

In French they're the mange-tout, literally "eat it all."

The flatness is the tell. A snow pea is harvested young and stays nearly two-dimensional, so the pod is thin and snappy rather than plump. That young pod is the whole vegetable, which is why it needs almost no cooking.

Snow Peas vs Snap Peas

The two get confused constantly, and the difference is easy to see. Snow peas are flat with barely-there peas inside; sugar snap peas are round and plump, a cross with a fuller pod and developed peas.

Both are eaten whole and both are sweet, but snow peas are crisper and more delicate, while snap peas are juicier and crunchier. In recipes they mostly swap one for the other.

How to Use Snow Peas

Cook them fast and barely. The whole appeal is the snap, and 30 to 60 seconds of high heat is all they need; any longer and they go limp and drab. They were made for the stir-fry, as in this Chinese Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables or Chicken Lo Mein.

A quick blanch and shock, 60 seconds in boiling water then straight into ice water, sets their color brilliant green for salads and noodle bowls like this Brown Jasmine Rice Salad or Asian Rice With Shrimp & Snow Peas.

They're also excellent raw, sweet and crunchy on a veggie tray or sliced into a fresh salad.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Snow peas sit right at home in Asian flavors: soy, ginger, garlic, sesame, and a splash of rice vinegar all flatter their sweetness. They also pair cleanly with shrimp, chicken, cashews, and bright citrus.

The biggest mistake is overcooking. These pods are tender from the start, so a couple of minutes too long turns crisp to soggy and the vivid green to army drab. Add them last and pull the pan early; they keep cooking off the heat.

The second is skipping the strings. Mature pods carry a tough fiber along the seams. Snap off the stem tip and pull it down the straight side to zip the string away; very young, slender pods often have none.

Substitutes

Sugar snap peas are the closest swap, with the same fresh sweetness and a rounder, crunchier bite; use them one for one.

Green beans, cut thin and cooked a little longer, cover the green snap in a stir-fry. Asparagus tips or thinly sliced bok choy also stand in where you want a quick-cooking green with crunch. Frozen snow peas work in cooked dishes, though they lose some of the raw snap.

Buying and Storing

Choose pods that are flat, firm, and bright green with a crisp snap when bent. Pass on any that look yellowed or limp, and on swollen pods, since a bulging snow pea is overgrown and tough. Smaller, flatter pods are the sweetest and most tender.

Store them dry and unwashed in a loosely closed bag in the crisper, and use within 3 to 5 days while the sugars are high.

Like all peas, snow peas start converting sugar to starch the moment they're picked, so the sooner you eat them the sweeter they taste.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find snow pea pods: Snow pea pods are usually found in the produce section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Snow pea pods are a member of the Vegetables and Vegetable Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

雪豌豆荚

British (UK) term

Snow pea pods

en français

pois mange-tout

en español

tirabeques

How much do snow pea pods weigh?

Related

Vegetables and Vegetable Products

Recipes using snow pea pods

There are 272 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Lemon-Pepper Glazed Udon Noodles with Snow Peas & Coconut

A modern Asian twist brings this pasta salad to new heights. Udon noodles with crunchy snow peas glazed with a lemon-pepper coconut dressing and bursting with fresh basil and cilantro.

Japanese Beef Stir-Fry

Japanese-style beef stir-fry with thinly sliced flank steak, snow peas, red pepper, escarole, and fresh ginger in a soy-brown sugar glaze. A fast, colorful skillet dinner.

Chicken Vegetable Stir-Fry

A colorful and nutritious dish that combines tender chicken pieces with crisp vegetables in a savory sauce. The combination of flavors and textures in this stir-fry creates a delicious and visually appealing dish that is sure to please everyone at the dinner table.

Seafood in Coconut, Ginger & Lemongrass Sauce

A delightful gourmet recipe brought to you by Real Food Direct

Vegetable Pilaf

This made for a very tasty side to some salmon filets. I skipped the 2 hour soak time. Didn't need it, since my rice cooks in about 20 minutes anyway. I used shiitakes for the mushrooms.

Chicken & Vegetable Stir Fry

Chicken stir fry with broccoli, snow peas, carrots, and bell pepper in a savory onion soup-mix sauce. A pantry-friendly weeknight dinner in 30 minutes.

Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry with Vegetables

This was very easy to prepare, but I would double the chili paste next time and add some "red" to it- i.e. red bell pepper or carrots.

Tofu & Vegetables Stir-Fry

This flavorful and tasty stir-fry takes no time to cook, a wonderful meatless dish can be served with rice, noodles or steamed buns.

Walnut Chicken/Shrimp Stir-Fry

So quick and easy to put together, and it tastes delicious with a good amount of flavorful sauce that's perfect with a bed of rice. Don't have Chinese cabbage? Use bok choy or other similar leafy greens, or even broccoli instead.

Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables

Much better than the take-out meal, and the best is that I can control what go into my dish. Quite easy to make, and it tasted delicious.

Stir Fried Asian Marinated Tofu with Boy Choy, Bell Pepper & Snow Peas

Sesame oil, soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, garlic and ginger make a succulent sauce that is perfect for marinating the tofu. Then cook tofu until crusted. Stir-fry with several fresh vegetables, and pour the delicious sauce to thicken up at the end. This Asian inspired stir-fry can be served with cooked rice, quinoa, or any your favorite grain.

Fettuccine Primavera

A quick, easy yet delicious one pot meal, perfect supper for busy week days.

Asian Stir-Fried Spaghetti with Veggies

A twist on a different oriental spaghetti recipe I found created this easy yet flavorful Asian stir-fried spaghetti with veggies for dinner last night!

Sweet & Sour Vegetables

The flavor was combination was excellent. Next time will add some whole dried chili peppers to give it a bit more kick. We served it over brown rice and could hardly stop eating it.

Stir-Fry Pork with Pea Pods

Thin-sliced pork chops browned and simmered in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame seeds, then tossed with tender snow pea pods. A homestyle pork stir-fry that's comforting and straightforward.

Stir Fry Ginger Chicken

Delicious stir-fry chicken with varieties of vegetables. Serve over a bed of rice to make a complete meal.

Chicken 'N' Vegetable Stir Fry

Chicken stir fry with broccoli, snow peas, carrots, and bell pepper in a soy-ginger sauce. A 30-minute weeknight one-pan dinner served over rice.

Spicy Korean Noodles with Wild Mushrooms

This recipe was absolutely divine. The Korean spicy-sweet sauce was the key, which gave the dish an authentic Korean taste. Assorted mushrooms and vegetables added layers of great textures. The combination was just delicious!

Wok-Sauteed Tofu & Vegetables

Crispy oven-baked tofu tossed with stir-fried broccoli, asparagus, bok choy, snow peas, and bell peppers in sesame-ginger sauce. Plant-based vegan main that beats takeout.

Wok-Seared Mahi Mahi with Stir-Fried Vegetables

Wok-Seared Mahi Mahi with Stir-Fried Vegetables recipe

Chinese: Orange Chicken

Asian flavors ring true in this orange scented Chinese chicken with snow pea pods.

Angel Hair Pasta With Shrimp

A simple and succulent pasta dish that is the perfect meal to enjoy while watching the evening news.

Chow Fun (Fan)

Definitely a five star recipe. I used salami instead of ham, because that was all I had at the moment, and it came out delicious. If you are a big fan of Chinese food and would't mind cooking in your own kitchen, you should give it a go. By the way, chow fan (fun) is how Chinese say fried rice. Happy Cooking :)

Garlic, Shrimp, & Vegetable Stir-Fry

Shrimp are stir fried with fresh vegetables and Chinese stir-fry sauce. Serve it with rice to make a complete meal. Quick, easy, tasty and packed with goodness.

Ginger Shrimp with Snow Peas & Water Chestnuts

Ginger Shrimp with Snow Peas and Water Chestnuts recipe

Szechuan Beef Stir-Fry

A quick, easy and delicious sichuan beef stir-fry with varieties of fresh veggies. Frozen vegetables also work perfectly well.

Chicken Stir Fry

Nothing is quicker and easier than a Chinese stir-fry, agreed?! This dish took me less than half an hour to make, and it tasted wonderfully delicious. Served it over a bed of rice, and our dinner was served with tons of goodness and yumminess.

Curry Rice Salad

Loved the idea of infusing curry, chili powder and cumin seeds in the oil, which made the curry oil so flavorful. The combination of apples, bell peppers, celeries, raisins, and peas (I used peas instead of snow peas) was delicious with the curried rice.

Easy Beef Stir Fry (Low Fat)

Turn on the wok and try this scrumptious recipe that you will want to make every single week.

Pasta Stir-Fry

Certainly a quick, easy yet tasty week-night meal. I used sugar snap peas instead of snow peas, the sauce was thickened during the simmering, then coated vegetables and pasta. Delicious.

Snow Peas, Carrots & Water Chestnuts Stir-Fry with Asian Sauce

Snow peas, carrots and water chestnuts give this stir-fry the very crunchy texture, and the Asian sauce adds the sweetness, sourness and spiciness. A quick, easy and tasty stir-fry is great for a weeknight.

Stir Fried Fresh Lotus Root

Fresh lotus root stir-fried with black mushrooms, tree ears, water chestnuts, and snow peas in a ginger-sesame glaze. A crunchy, earthy vegetarian dish that's as beautiful as it is satisfying.

Amazing Asian Millet Salad

This Asian flavored millet salad is so refreshing and tasty, it is full of nutriton and loaded with delicious flavors!

Quick Chicken Stir-Fry

Let your wok do the job with this tasty and scrumptious chicken dish that will have you licking your lips!

Oriental Spaghetti

A quick, easy and tasty dish, and it's a perfect week-day supper.

Chinese Fried Rice with Bell Pepper, Peas & Carrots

This quick and easy fried rice is very flavorful. The bell pepper, peas and carrots add some beautiful colors and crunchy texture into the fried rice, the Asian flavor from the sauce brings all the ingredients together and gives the fried rice tangy taste.

Cashew Chicken Improved

Many versions of Cashew Chicken are sickly sweet and goopy salty with dried out chicken. Not this one, a brine marinade keeps the cubes of chicken juicy with crunchy cashews in every bite! All prepared in one skillet for easy cleanup.

Secret Shrimp Stir Fry

Quick and easy to prepare. Crispy veggies, perfectly cooked shrimp with a nicely balanced sweet and sour glaze that highlight the flavor of the tender shrimp.

Best Ever Chinese Chicken

This recipe deserves at least 5 star, it is that good. Made it for dinner last nigh. The sweet-sour sauce was a hit, perfectly balanced flavours and textures.

Chicken & Pea Pods

An excellent super quick and easy Chinese stir-fry that highlights the crisp textures and flavors. Very nicely balanced and it's ready in less than 15 minutes flat! Faster than Chinese take out.

Brown Jasmine Rice Salad

A vibrant chilled rice salad tossing wild and basmati rice with snow peas, green beans, cucumber, oranges, and Granny Smith apples in a ginger-soy-honey-lime sauce. Fresh, crunchy, and full of contrast.

Oriental Beef & Pea Pods

Microwave beef and snow pea stir-fry with cauliflower, green pepper, and a soy-cornstarch sauce served over rice. An Asian-inspired weeknight dinner made entirely in the microwave.

Asian Rice With Shrimp & Snow Peas

This vibrant, Asian-inspired dish combines fluffy long-grain rice with succulent shrimp and crisp snow peas, all brought together by a zesty sauce of soy, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a hint of spice. Topped with crunchy almonds and fresh scallions, it’s a balanced, flavorful meal that’s both satisfying and easy to prepare. Ideal for a weeknight dinner, this recipe is light yet hearty, with bold flavors that make it a crowd-pleaser.

Mushrooms Tofu & Snow Peas in Soy Ginger Sauce

Tofu stir-fry with mushrooms and snow peas in a soy-ginger sauce served over rice. A quick vegetarian dinner with fresh ginger and garlic, ready in 30 minutes.

Stir-Fried Scallops in a Basket

Scallops stir-fried with bamboo shoots, carrots, and snow peas in a ginger-gin sauce, served inside a crispy deep-fried potato basket. A Chinese banquet showpiece you can pull off at home.

Sesame Chicken Salad

Light sesame chicken salad with rice, snow peas, cucumber, and red pepper tossed in a soy-sesame dressing. No cooking required, just toss and serve for a fresh, filling meal.

Asian Stir-Fry Topper

Crunchy topping mix combining crispy noodles, toasted almonds, and sesame seeds with savory seasonings. Sprinkle over stir-fries, salads, or rice bowls for instant texture and Asian-inspired flair.

Cajun Chicken Pizza

No tomato and not very cheesy but very delicious. Recipe for the pizza base as well as the topping. Use your own pizza base recipe if you prefer or a store bought one.

Satay Vegetable & Sprout Pancakes

Savory whole wheat pancakes wrapped around snow peas, sprouts, mushrooms and carrots, drizzled with peanut-butter satay dressing. Vegetarian Asian-style fusion lunch.

Gabrielle Carteris's Chicken Nest with Tomatoes Beans & R

Layered chicken nest platter with breaded chicken cutlets, sun-dried tomato rice, beans, and steamed asparagus, peppers, and snow peas over lettuce. A colorful all-in-one dinner.

All 272 recipes