This recipe for pea purée, (kind of like a pea dip or a hummus, without chickpeas), is such an easy way to transform a bag of frozen peas! It’s packed with fresh flavor from mint, parsley, and lemon, with a healthy dose of extra-virgin olive oil. Use it as a dip or spread with fresh bread, pita, or crackers. Or, serve it underneath seared scallops or grilled chicken for a “fancy” dinner idea.
Do you have a bag of peas hanging out in your freezer that you haven’t used yet? This is the perfect way to use them up. Frozen pea hummus, or pea purée, is healthy, delicious, and takes mere minutes to whip up in your food processor!
It’s made similarly to chickpea hummus but is much different in taste and texture. It’s sweet from the peas, with aromatic spring flavor from fresh mint and parsley. And it has a more rustic texture than chickpea hummus, which is usually quite smooth and creamy.
We had this for lunch paired with freshly baked homemade bread. It would be great served as a vegan/vegetarian appetizer with pita bread or chips, crackers, or crostini.
Or you could get fancy and spread it on the bottom of your dinner plate, and top with seared scallops, sliced steak, or grilled chicken, drizzled with any cooking juices.
You could even use this as a food for babies just starting on solids (lucky baby!).
How to make frozen pea purée
- Add thawed frozen peas, fresh mint and parsley, lemon zest and juice, a smashed clove of garlic, salt, and pepper to your food processor.
- Turn on for thirty seconds or so, until everything is chopped up nicely.
- Drizzle in some extra-virgin olive oil as the food processor is running until it’s a smooth consistency.
- Remove to a plate, drizzle with more oil and garnish with whole peas, and serve!
Tips and tricks
- I suggest using a silicone spatula to scrape down the pea dip as needed while it’s puréeing, and also to remove it from the food processor to a serving dish.
- Make sure you thaw, but don’t COOK, the frozen peas. The dip will be too water-logged if you cook the peas to smithereens before making this.
How to thaw frozen peas
Remove the peas from the freezer the day before and let them sit in your fridge. Or, let them sit on your counter for a few hours before making this.
You can also add the frozen peas to a colander and run warm water over them until they’re defrosted.
My frozen peas came in a microwaveable steamer bag, so I just popped them in the microwave to steam for a little less than the recommend amount of time, since I didn’t actually want them to cook. I did two minutes, and the directions said 5-6 minutes.
Can I use fresh peas?
You can, if you have them! I recommend blanching them in boiling water for 30 seconds to a minute, cooking them just on the outside (as frozen peas are), then rinsing with cool water to stop the cooking and cool them off before making this.
BUT. Here’s the thing. Frozen peas are wayyyy tastier than fresh. Hear me out.
Peas are sweetest just after picking. They lose their sweetness as time goes on after they’ve been picked.
Because frozen peas are packaged almost immediately after they’re picked, they will be sweeter than fresh, which were picked, packaged, shipped, and sat on the shelf until you bought them.
While I do recommend frozen peas for this purée recipe, don’t let that stop you from making it if all you have is fresh!
What if I don’t have fresh mint or parsley?
Using a combination of fresh mint and parsley is ideal, but there are alternatives.
You can use all mint, or all parsley, if you want. Other herbs that may work are basil, chives or green onions, or cilantro. You could also leave out the herbs entirely! The lemon and garlic are enough to flavor the purée.
Other hummus recipes, dips, and spreads
- Quick and Easy Classic Hummus
- Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus
- Sriracha Carrot Hummus
- Easy Dill Dip
- Avocado sauce
- Tzatziki Sauce
Browse all my snack and appetizer recipes here.
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Five-Minute Pea Purée / frozen pea dip
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Silicone Spatula
Ingredients
- 16 oz. frozen peas (thawed, a handful reserved for garnish if desired)
- 1 small clove garlic peeled and smashed
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh mint and/or parsley whole leaves
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except for olive oil to a food processor and turn on for about 30 seconds, until ingredients are finely chopped up, scraping down sides with a silicone spatula if necessary.
- Drizzle olive oil (1/4 cup) in while running the food processor, until very smooth consistency forms, scraping down sides if necessary.
- Use a silicone spatula to transfer purée to a serving bowl or dish. Serve drizzled with olive oil, garnished with whole peas, with fresh cracked pepper if desired.
Notes
- Serving suggestion: I like serving this with fresh bread or toast to spread on top, or with pita or crackers for dipping, for an appetizer or light lunch. It's also great as part of dinner, spread on a plate, topped with seared scallops, grilled chicken, or other protein.
- To thaw frozen peas, transfer the bag to your fridge the day before, leave them out at room temp for a few hours, or put them in a colander and run warm water over them. If they come in a microwaveable bag that's OK for steaming, just cook them in the microwave for a little less than half the recommended time.
- To use fresh peas, blanch them first for 30 seconds to a minute in boiling water, drain, rinse to cool, and proceed with directions.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Dallas
This is great and a good high protein spread for sandwiches and snacks. I had it is a restaurant and then looked for a recipe. So pleased I found this one as it was even better than the restaurant one. So green yummy.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Gwyndolyn
Can this be made with canned peas and enhanced with the herbs?
Elizabeth Lindemann
I haven’t tried it with canned peas but I think it would be fine! They have a bit of a softer texture so it might come out a bit thinner.
Anneliese
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I am not good at cooking, but this seems so simple, even I can do it! And now I’m off to see other recipes on your blog!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope it works well for you!
Fiona
Haven’t made it yet but it is exactly what I was looking for – all the other pea puree dip recipes have chickpeas in them and I was looking for one that didn’t. I am trying to wean myself off shop bought guacamole and indeed avocados because of food miles so this seems perfect.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Hope you like it!