What Are Split green peas and How Can I Use Them?
If split green peas have turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use them with confidence and how to choose them, cook them, store them, what to substitute, and 23 recipes to try them in.
Key Points
- Dried, skinned, split field peas from a green variety; sweeter and grassier than yellow split peas.
- No soaking needed: they simmer tender in 45 minutes to an hour and self-thicken.
- The classic use is split pea soup, especially with a ham bone or smoked hock.
- Add salt and acid late; acid early keeps the peas firm and slows softening.
- Old peas refuse to thicken, so buy a vivid green bag with fast turnover.
What are split green peas?
Split green peas are mature field peas that have been dried and skinned, then split along their natural seam into two halves.
The green ones come from a green-seeded pea variety, and they carry a sweeter, grassier, more vegetal flavor than the earthier yellow split peas grown from a different cultivar.
They are a pantry legume built for soup. Because they are split and skinless, they cook without soaking and break down into a thick, creamy puree on their own, which is exactly what you want in a classic split pea soup.
Cooking With Split Green Peas
Rinse them and pick out any grit or stray stones, then simmer. There is no soak step. Covered in water or stock at a gentle simmer, split green peas soften in 45 minutes to an hour and dissolve into a coarse puree as they go.
That self-thickening is the whole appeal. A pot like Mom's Thick Split Pea Soup or Old Fashioned Pea Soup relies on the peas collapsing to body the broth, so no flour or cream is needed.
Two things help. Add salt and acid such as lemon or tomato only near the end, because acid added early keeps the peas firm and slows the breakdown. And give the pot an occasional stir near the finish, since the puree sinks and scorches easily on the bottom.
For a smoother result, an immersion blender takes it the rest of the way. For a chunkier, more rustic soup, just simmer longer and stir.
Pairings and Common Mistakes
Smoked pork is the classic partner. Green split peas carry it beautifully in a Split Pea & Ham Soup or the hearty Dutch Pea Soup built around ham, sausage, and winter root vegetables. A ham bone or smoked hock simmered in from the start gives the deepest flavor.
Their sweetness also takes to warm spice, which is why they turn up in Ethiopian and Indian cooking, from Atar Allecha to dal. Carrots, celery, onion, bay, and thyme round out almost any pot.
The most common mistake is hard acidic water. Cooking the peas in heavily salted or tomato-heavy liquid from the start can leave them stubbornly firm even after an hour. Old peas behave the same way, so use a fresh bag.
The other pitfall is walking away at the end. Once the puree thickens it catches and burns fast, so lower the heat and stir.
Substitutes
Yellow split peas are the closest swap, with nearly identical cooking behavior and a slightly earthier, less sweet taste. They make a paler soup. Whole green or yellow peas work too, but they need soaking and a longer simmer and hold more of their shape.
Red or yellow lentils break down even faster and give a similar thick, pureed body, though the flavor leans more toward lentil than pea.
For a true green pea flavor in a pinch, a handful of frozen peas stirred in at the end adds back the sweet, fresh note.
Buying and Storing
Look for split peas with a vivid, even green color and few broken bits or loose skins at the bottom of the bag. A dull, faded, yellowish-green tint signals old stock that will resist softening no matter how long you cook it.
Stored airtight in a cool, dark cupboard, split green peas keep their cooking quality for about a year and stay safe far longer.
The catch is that the older they get, the longer and more stubbornly they cook, which is the single biggest reason a pot of pea soup refuses to thicken.
Cooked split pea soup keeps four to five days in the fridge and freezes well for a few months. It thickens further as it sits, so loosen reheated soup with a splash of water or stock.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 cup (197g)Quick facts
Where to find split green peas: Split green peas are usually found in the rice & beans section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Split green peas are a member of the Legumes and Legume Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 拆分青豆
- British (UK) term
- Split green peas
- en français
- petits pois cassés
- en español
- divide guisantes
How much do split green peas weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 cup | 197 grams |
| 1 lb | 453 grams |
Related
Legumes and Legume Products
Recipes using split green peas
There are 23 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Dutch Pea Soup
Dutch pea soup (snert): slow-cooked split peas with ham, leek, celery, and carrot. The hearty winter soup that gets thicker and better overnight in the fridge.
Sunny Splits Soup
Vegetarian split pea and red lentil soup with sunchokes, carrots, and caraway seeds. A hearty, high-fiber bean soup that's naturally vegan and packed with plant protein.
Lemony Split Pea Soup
Split pea soup brightened with lemon zest and juice, loaded with carrots, potatoes, bacon, and Canadian bacon. A hearty, make-ahead soup with an unexpected citrus lift.
Split Pea & Ham Soup
Slow cooker split pea and ham soup made with a meaty ham bone, green split peas, and aromatic herbs like marjoram, thyme, and celery seed. Just load the pot and let it go for 10 hours.
Yummy Split Pea Soup
Vegetarian split pea soup, slow-simmered with onions, celery, potato, and carrot. Half-blended for the perfect mix of creamy and chunky. Naturally gluten-free.
Split Pea Soup-1
Vegetarian split pea soup with potatoes, carrots, celery, and a touch of Worcestershire. Slow-simmered for hours, then partially blended for the ideal thick-and-chunky texture.
Spicy Pea Soup
Spicy split pea soup: a vegan one-pot soup with split green peas, carrots, celery, and a cayenne-paprika kick. Naturally thick, high-fiber, and budget-friendly comfort food.
Green Pea Soup
Indian-spiced split pea soup with turmeric, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and a finishing dust of garam masala. A warming, fiber-rich vegetarian soup with deep heat.
Kae Atar Wot
Kae Atar Wot, an Ethiopian split green pea stew spiced with chow and tomato paste. Vegan, high-protein comfort food meant for scooping with injera.
Green Split Pea Soup
Creamy green split pea soup pureed smooth with browned onions and marjoram, finished with skim milk. A simple, high-fiber soup from just 7 ingredients. No ham needed.
Susan's Turkey Soup
Susan's Turkey Soup: a hearty post-Thanksgiving soup made from the turkey carcass with yellow and green split peas, chickpeas, small pasta, and aromatic vegetables. Three legumes, one pot.
Hungarian Soup
Hungarian vegetarian soup with pearl barley, split peas, potatoes, and carrots simmered in white wine, thickened with a butter roux and finished with vegetable juice and liquid smoke.
Dutch Green Split Pea Soup
Dutch green split pea soup (erwtensoep) with kielbasa, leeks, celeriac, potatoes, and Canadian bacon. A thick, hearty traditional Dutch pea soup simmered low and slow.
Farm Market Soup Stew
Farm market soup stew packed with carrots, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, zucchini, Swiss chard, split peas, and tomatoes in vegetable broth. A hearty vegetarian garden harvest pot.
Five Dahl Soup
Five dahl soup, an Indian vegetarian classic blending mung beans, pigeon peas, chickpeas, and yellow and green split peas with ghee, turmeric, ginger, and a fragrant tarka of cumin, chilies, and asafetida.
Old Fashioned Pea Soup
Old fashioned pea soup with a smoked ham shank, whole green peas, and split peas simmered low and slow. Five ingredients, four hours, zero fuss.
Emily's Bean Soup
Emily's bean soup simmers seven dried beans and lentils with a meaty ham bone, tomatoes, and vegetables into a thick hearty pot. Old-fashioned cold-weather comfort.
Atar Allecha
Atar allecha is a mild Ethiopian split green pea puree gently spiced with turmeric, fresh green chili, and a base of sautéed onion and garlic. Vegan, naturally gluten-free, and the perfect scoop for warm injera.
Falafel Sandwiches
Falafel sandwiches with split pea and chickpea flour fritters stuffed into pita pockets with tomatoes, onions, pickles, and your choice of homemade hummus or tahini sauce. A vegan Middle Eastern lunch.
Mom's Thick Split Pea Soup
Thick, vegan split pea soup made with just dried peas, carrots, onion, celery, and bay leaf. A no-ham, no-stock version that proves simple ingredients make the best comfort food.
Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks with Split Peas
Try this slow cooker recipe that is made with succulent lamb shanks, beef broth and split green peas.
