Fresh, vibrant, crunchy and delicious Sugar Snap Pea Salad with fronds of fresh dill and a super tasty, fresh and zingy lemon, mustard, garlic vinaigrette. It feels like summer in the best possible way!
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Okay, here’s the deal. Eating Vegan Spanakopita, Vegan Zucchini Bread and ice creams all summer is pretty nice, but we need a delicious, healthy, fresh Sugar Snap Pea Salad to balance things out.
And anyway, while it’s hot, there’s nothing better than a super crispy, sweet, tangy and cooling salad to eat as a light meal or as a side, so we aren’t making any sacrifices here at all.
A couple weeks ago I came across a recipe for a not vegan, Dilly Beans and Peas on Ricotta Toast on Bon Appetite’s website. That’s what inspired today’s new summer salad recipe, and although mine is just a salad, it would be absolutely amazing used as a topping for my Vegan Cream Cheese or soft Vegan Feta Cheese on garlic-rubbed toast or on a piece of fresh baguette … mouth. literally. watering ….
This salad is crunchy, tangy, fresh and nutritious, and when I made it for the first time we crunched our way through it in silence and all agreed it’s super yum and should be made on repeat all summer long.
Here’s what we’ve got going on:
- vibrantly green, sweet, raw and crunchy sugar snap peas
- large, soft, buttery white beans
- soft, mellow, wispy fronds of mildly anise-like fresh dill
- a fresh, zingy lemony, mustardy, garlicky dressing
It feels like summer in the best possible way.
How to make Snap Pea Salad
FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
It’s all super easy. Here’s what you’ll be needing:
STEP 1 – Whisk up the dressing ingredients or pop them all in a jar, put the lid on and give it a good ol’ shake.
STEP 2 – Open, drain and rinse a can of beans (or cook your own from dried – I use my Instant Pot for that. It’s so quick and easy!).
STEP 3 – Slice the beans and chop the dill then add them with the canned beans to a large bowl.
STEP 4 – Pour over the vinaigrette.
STEP 5 – Toss everything together.
Success Tips
– Don’t skip the fresh dill. It really makes this recipe special and it wouldn’t be the same with dried dill.
– Use fresh lemon juice from a lemon and not from a bottle. They don’t compare.
– Leave it to sit for 15 minutes (or more) after making it so that the flavours can meld together and unite perfectly.
How to store Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Leftover salad will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for a few days. It’s great for packing up for picnics, potlucks and packed lunches because it keeps so well. The sugar snap peas stay perfectly crunchy and, if anything, the flavour intensifies.
Some ways you can adapt this recipe
- Use chickpeas instead of white beans
- Use lime instead of lemon
- Skip the oil and use aquafaba from a can of chickpeas instead
- Use raw broccoli pieces instead of sugar snap peas (or as well as)
So there we have it. If you feel like you need to get back on the healthy train and eat something that tastes like summer, this Snap Pea Salad is here for you.
You really don’t need to pile it high on garlic rubbed toast and vegan cream cheese or anything, but I think it might be a pretty good idea!
Also, if you’re into this summer salad type situation, you’ll probably like my Watermelon Mint Salad and this Strawberry Spinach Salad which are both super fresh, light and delicious with no cooking involved!
Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Ingredients
For the dressing
- 1 medium lemon , juice only
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 small clove garlic , grated finely
- 4 tablespoons / 60 mls extra virgin olive oil , see recipe notes for oil-free option
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
For the salad
- 2 cups / 340 g / 12 oz canned cannellini beans (sometimes called white kidney beans) , or canned lima beans (butter beans) or gigante beans
- 15 oz / 425 g sugar snap peas
- ½ cup / 1 big handful / about 5 g fresh dill , chopped (thick stems removed)
Instructions
- To a small bowl or jar, add the lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, garlic, olive oil, pepper and salt. Whisk to combine or pop a lid on the jar and give it a good shake.
- Drain and rinse the beans and add to a large bowl.
- Wash and chop the sugar snap peas into bite sized pieces (I cut mine in half or into 3 pieces if they were quite big) and add them to the bowl with the beans.
- Chop the dill into small pieces and add to the beans and peas.
- Pour over the vinaigrette and toss to combine.
Long time vegan, creator of A Virtual Vegan & author of the book 
