Creamed Peas

This easy creamed peas recipe is the perfect comforting side dish for dinner! Made from simple ingredients, these cream peas are easy enough for a weeknight, and special enough for a holiday meal.

First off: I know that creamed peas are not for everyone.

But, if, like me, you grew up in a house where they made an occasional appearance, this nostalgic side dish might have some fond memories for you.

If you’ve never had them before, creamed peas are tender cooked peas in a creamy white sauce. Much like creamed corn, these creamy peas are comfort food side dish that’s common in the south. They’re easy to make, inexpensive, and surprisingly similar to the elegant French-style petit pois a la Francaise.

Made from super simple ingredients, this easy pea side dish is great for your favorite comfort food dinner, but also makes a great addition to a holiday meal. My mom used to serve them as a sort of pea gravy over creamy red skin mashed potatoes, and that combination is *chef’s kiss.*

Ready to make a batch? You’ll just need a few basic ingredients to get started…

Simple Ingredients To Start

So what goes into our creamed peas recipe? Let’s take a look at our ingredient list:

• Frozen Peas. I always make creamed peas with frozen peas, since they’re easy to keep on hand, picked and frozen at their peak (so they sometimes even have MORE nutrients than fresh!), and they hold up well in this recipe. I especially like petite frozen peas, since they tend to be more tender and sweet.
• Butter. Unsalted butter or salted butter works here. If you use salted butter, you may find you need less salt than I call for below.
• Flour. We’re gluten-free, so we make gluten-free creamed peas by using a gluten-free measure-for-measure gluten-free flour blend, like King Arthur Measure-For-Measure or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 flour. If you’re not gluten-free, regular all-purpose flour will work in this recipe.
• Cream or Half and Half. Then, you’ll need a little heavy cream or half-and-half. Cream will give your creamed peas the richest, thickest texture, while half-and-half will be a bit thinner and lighter. I do not recommend milk (even whole milk!), since it just doesn’t get quite thick enough.
• Kosher Salt & Black Pepper. You’ll use plenty of both of these simple seasonings to elevate the flavor.
• Garlic Powder. While you absolutely can add a finely minced fresh garlic clove, I usually keep things easy with a little garlic powder for savory flavor. It’s a lovely complement to the sweetness of the peas.

How To Make Creamed Peas, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

1. Bring Water to a Boil. To start, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat. You’ll use this to cook the peas, but you want to wait until the last minute!
2. Make The Cream Sauce. While the water comes to a boil, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add gluten-free flour and whisk 1-2 minutes to toast the flour a bit. (This will help remove any floury taste.) Pour in the cream or half-and-half and whisk until smooth and thickened, 4-5 minutes.
3. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and whisk to combine. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, or garlic, to taste.
4. Cook Peas. Add the frozen peas to the boiling water and cook just 1-3 minutes, or until the peas look vibrant and bright green.
5. Combine. Drain peas in a colander and add the bright green peas to the cream sauce. Top with 1 Tablespoon butter and gently stir to coat peas evenly. Garnish with additional salt & pepper or fresh herbs, if desired.
6. Serve & Store. Enjoy creamed peas warm right away and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. The sauce will thicken quite a bit in the fridge, so you can gently warm leftovers on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water, as needed.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Creamed Peas

Can I Use Fresh Peas Instead? Yes! If you want to make creamed peas with fresh peas, just plan to add an extra 2-3 minutes to the cook time, since fresh peas take longer to cook.

Can I Use Canned Peas? I don’t really recommend them. I find canned peas tend to be too mushy to work well for creamed peas. They can disintegrate or impart an “off” flavor to the recipe. If you like the flavor and texture, you could probably get away with using a few cans of peas.

Peas Not Very Sweet? You can fake it with a *tiny* pinch of sugar. A little goes a LONG way in this simple side dish, so, when I say pinch, I mean start with 1/16th or 1/8th of a teaspoon and go from there.

More Easy Side Dish Recipes To Try

Gluten-Free Creamed Corn

Seasoned Green Beans

Easy Glazed Carrots

Recipe Card

Easy Creamed Peas

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Tender sweet peas in a simple, creamy sauce. This comfort food side dish is easy enough for a weeknight, and delicious enough for a special occasion. 

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 (10-12 ounce) bag frozen peas*
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour*
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half*
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, or more to taste
• 1 Tablespoon butter, to finish

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Instructions

1. Bring Water to a Boil. To start, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat. You’ll use this to cook the peas, but you want to wait until the last minute to cook them!
2. Make The Cream Sauce. While the water comes to a boil, melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add gluten-free flour and whisk 1-2 minutes to toast the flour a bit. (This will help remove any floury taste.) Pour in the cream or half-and-half and whisk until smooth and thickened, 4-5 minutes.
3. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and whisk to combine. Taste and add additional salt, pepper, or garlic, to taste. (If your sauce is thicker than you’d like, you can add another splash of half-and-half here!) 
4. Cook Peas. Add the frozen peas to the boiling water and cook just 2-3 minutes, or until the peas look vibrant and bright green.
5. Combine. Drain peas in a colander or sieve and add the bright green peas to the warm cream sauce. Top with the last 1 Tablespoon butter and gently stir to coat peas evenly. Garnish with additional salt & pepper or fresh herbs, if desired.
6. Serve & Store. Enjoy creamed peas warm right away and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge 2-3 days. The sauce will thicken quite a bit in the fridge, so you can gently warm leftovers on the stove or in the microwave on low power with a splash of water, as needed.

Notes

• Peas. I like petite frozen peas, since they tend to be more tender and sweet. Use what you can find! If using fresh peas, plan to add 2-3 minutes to the cook time, since they take longer to soften than frozen peas.
• Flour. We’re gluten-free so we make gluten-free creamed peas by using gluten-free measure-for measure or 1:1 gluten-free flour. If not gluten-free, regular all-purpose flour will work here!
• Half-and-Half. You can use half-and-half, like we do, or you can use heavy cream for a richer, thicker sauce.
• Variations. Feel free to add a little freshly grated parmesan cheese, fresh herbs (fresh dill, fresh parsley, fresh thyme, or fresh mint), or 2 slices cooked, crumbled bacon.
• Peas Not Very Sweet? You can fake it with a *tiny* pinch of sugar. A little goes a LONG way in this simple side dish, so, when I say pinch, I mean start with 1/16th or 1/8th of a teaspoon and go from there.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American