We always love the chance to highlight our favorite veggies, and the star of the show today is the (crunchy & sweet) snap pea! Our obsession with snap peas started earlier this year when we discovered the magic that is sautéed snap peas, and now we’re bringing you a simple and fresh snap pea salad!
This salad is the perfect balance of bright, tangy, and savory. It’s delicious served with pasta or fish, and it requires just 10 ingredients, 15 minutes, and 1 bowl. Let’s snap to it!
How to Make Snap Pea Salad
This recipe starts with a simple, lemony, mustard-infused dressing that contrasts beautifully with the crunchy, subtly sweet snap peas. It has waves of flavor from fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and shallot with maple syrup to provide a little sweet balance and olive oil for richness.
To minimize dirty dishes, we mix the dressing in a large serving bowl and then add the remaining ingredients straight into that bowl. But feel free to shake up the dressing in a jar if you’re making it ahead or if that’s more your style.
The remaining salad ingredients include fresh basil (or other soft herbs like mint or tarragon) for herby goodness, chopped pistachios for richness and crunch, and optional red pepper flakes for a little heat and color contrast.
Give it a toss, and prepare your tastebuds for deliciousness!
We hope you LOVE this snap pea salad! It’s:
Bright
Tangy
Crunchy
Fresh
Simple
& Addictively delicious!
We love it as a side in spring or early summer (snap pea season!), especially paired with our Easy Beet Falafel, Vegan Pasta Al Limone, Easy Pizza Burgers, or Lemon Baked Salmon.
More Fresh & Simple Sides
- Crunchy Jicama Slaw (1 Bowl!)
- Creamy Vegan Cucumber Salad (German-Inspired!)
- Perfect Roasted Asparagus
- Easy Vegan Polenta (Super Creamy!)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Snap Pea Salad with Zesty Lemon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
DRESSING
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp maple syrup (or honey if not vegan)
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped shallot (optional)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
SALAD
- 4 cups thinly sliced sugar snap peas, ends trimmed, sliced at a diagonal
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (plus more for garnish // or sub tarragon or mint leaves)
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped roasted salted pistachios (plus more for garnish // or sub other roasted salted nut or seed of choice)
- 1/8 -1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
- In a large serving bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, mustard, maple syrup or honey, shallot (optional), salt, and pepper. Whisk to emulsify.
- SALAD: To the same bowl, add the snap peas, basil, and pistachios and toss to combine and coat with the dressing. Taste and adjust as needed, adding more lemon juice for brightness, maple syrup for sweetness, or salt to taste.
- Garnish with additional basil and pistachios and the red pepper flakes (optional). Serve right away.
- Best when fresh. The dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance by adding the ingredients to a jar with a lid and shaking to combine. Let it come to room temperature before tossing with the snap peas, basil, and pistachios. Not freezer friendly.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Rachel says
I’ve made this twice recently for BBQs and it’s been a hit. I save labor by not trimming the ends of the snap peas (mine tasted fine). It’s a fresh-tasting and original salad that’s good for a crowd.
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Rachel! xoxo
Sarah says
I made this tonight and it was quite good, but all the chopping required of the sugar snap peas may not have been worth it, for me at least. It was fun to try though!
Thanks for the feedback, Sarah! Sorry the chopping didn’t feel worth it.
Chris McLaughlin says
Nice. I tossed in some cherry tomatoes I had to get rid of and it worked!
Great! Thank you for sharing, Chris!
Maggie says
So good! We’re overflowing with snap peas from the garden and this salad was a new, delicious way to use them. Very light and fresh. We didn’t have pistachios, so we used pumpkin seeds instead. Will definitely make this again!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Maggie! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Claire says
Yum! This is another simple and delicious MB recipe. I used the sliding scale feature to make 2 servings for my husband and I to try. Now I’ll plan to make it every week I find sugar snap peas at the market!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and will be making the salad again, Claire. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Angela says
Delicious spring salad, have never used snap peas this way. Makes for a really nice fresh and crunchy salad. Love the addition of pistachios. Also really enjoyed the lemon vinaigrette.
We’re so glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for sharing!
Annie says
Another amazing recipe! So fresh, so crisp! You know, you have so many delicious salads – warm, cold, bright, comforting, veg-forward, citrus – wouldn’t it be fun to have a MB Salad Book?! Please?!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Annie. Thank you for the lovely review and great suggestion! xoxo
Alana L says
Made this for Christmas Dinner. Wow this salad slapped!!! The entire family loved it and is requesting it again. So easy and delicious. Really an any time all year round option. Added 3 radishes finely matchsticked and little bit of fresh dill as was a bit shy on the basil! Will be making on repeat.
Whoop! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed it. And love your additions! Thanks so much for sharing, Alana! xo
Amy says
Easily one of my new favorite salads. I literally make it once a week. Super fresh and delicious. I make exactly as written (except once when I forgot to buy shallots so I had to omit lol)
Absolutely fantastic
We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Amy! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Maddie says
Made this with a mix of snap peas and snow peas from my CSA box and it was super delicious!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Maddie. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Michele says
THIS SALAD IS INCREDIBLE. The flavors are so unique and delicious!!!
I doubled the garlic and the pistachios.
Thank you minimalist baker!!!
Thank you for the lovely review, Michele! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Aliza Friedman says
Omg this was the best spring-y salad I have ever made. And I could’ve drank the dressing! Me and my partner literally fought over who could finish it haha. The only nuts I had were almonds and walnuts so I toasted them in the oven and they were delicious. I didn’t have a lemon so I used lime zest and it was perfect. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Aliza. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
S.P. says
Delicious! We sliced peas and made dressing the day before (refrigerated separately, but you may be able to dress the peas a day ahead), then chopped basil and pistachios and assembled before serving. A different, crunchy salad with other sides, as we are all trying to eat more veggies. Our guests loved it.
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the great review, S.P., we’re so glad everyone enjoyed!
Claudia says
Made it exactly as the recipe – it was delicious!
Woohoo! Thanks, Claudia!
VICKY says
Loved this salad! So fresh! Flavors I’d never imagine combining! So good!
Yay! Thank you for the lovely review, Vicky! xo
Katy says
So yummy and refreshing. Perfect for lunches or as a side for social/family gatherings
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Katy! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jennifer Richardson says
Such a wonderful summer salad with a fresh crisp. I just love your recipes.
Yay! Thanks so much, Jennifer!
Tree says
My husband and I love this salad! Very straightforward. We added some chopped mint and made it with baked brown sugar salmon and it was a great, light meal.
Yum, sounds delish! Thanks for the lovely review!
Celeste Johnson says
We get soooo many snap peas in our weekly CSA veggie box & I don’t know what to do with them! Thank you for this recipe! Making it tonight. It looks so yummy.
Yay! Let us know how you like it, Celeste! xo
Beth says
Does the dijon mustard make it taste mustard-y? If so, any suggestion for an alternative to that?
Hi Beth, it’s a noticeably mustard-y dressing. You could leave it out and sub more shallot. Hope that helps!
Nancy B says
This was excellent! Both my young kids enjoyed it. I made some fish that was covered in a spicy sriracha Mayo and this paired really well with it!
Yum, that sounds like an amazing meal! Thank you for sharing, Nancy! xo
Jennifer says
Yowza ! Good stuff !! This is going to be my go-to salad of the summer. Didn’t have a shallot but I will add next time. I added to the crushed red pepper to the dressing to distribute better.
Yay! Thanks for the lovely review, Jennifer. So glad you enjoyed this salad!
Maaike Maurizi says
SO DELICIOUS!! Make this! This beauty of a recipe landed in my inbox and I just had to try it. Especially after the fantastic celery, date and mandarin orange salad that was insanely good. This salad was simple and affordable to make and also quick. The only changes I made were I used mint instead of basil, and cashews and sunflowers seeds instead of pistachios. The crunch of the snap peas is addictive and the slightly garlicky lemony dressing has a great punch to it. Thanks for the terrific recipe! MB has become my go-to for creative and quick salad recipes (among many other types of recipes too). Thank you!
Aw, this makes us SO happy, Maaike! Thank you so much for the lovely review! xoxo
Dorit says
This is such a delicious salad.
I added lettuce , cucumber, fresh spinach and it was amazing. You have made being vegan so easy for me!! Your recipes are fantastic. Easy to follow and so tasty.
Wow , I’m so grateful I found your blog.
Thank you so much
Aw, we’re glad you enjoy our recipes, Dorit! Thank you so much for sharing! xoxo
Melania Barrantes says
Dear minimalist baker,
It’s me again fascinated by your delicious creations!!
This time I won’t write about how good the recipe was but, I’m wondering if you could create like a profile in your website 🤔
We’re we could put like 👍🏻 Or ❤️in the recipes we like and a ✅in the ones we’ve done and a wishlist ✨for the ones we’ll like to do but don’t have the ingredients ready or time to prepare before we forget🙈
Sending love to your hands of light and wonderful creations
Melania 💞
Aw, thank you for your sweet words and suggestion, Melania! xoxo
C says
Hi, I love your recipes, and this looks amazing. All of my favorite spring ingredients. I don’t do super well with eating lots of raw veggies. Do you think this would still work well if I steam the snap peas and then let them cool a bit?
Thank you!
That should work! Let us know if you try it!
mary beth says
Had a large bag of sugar snap peas waiting for a recipe like this. Made it tonight to go with dinner, we really enjoyed it, so crunchy and delicious. Great combo of flavors!
Thanks so much for the lovely review, Mary Beth. We are so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo
Anitra says
Do you cook the sugar peas first or keep them raw? thank you
Hi Anitra, they’re raw for this recipe. Hope you love it!
Jen says
Excellent! This salad took all of 10 minutes, and made for a delicious lunch today! I reserved some of the dressing (there was plenty) to save some fat calories and to use on salads or potatoes this week. The basil + pistachios = brilliant (just add these later, if you don’t plan on eating it all in one sitting).
You’re fast! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jen. Thank you for sharing! xo