Green Pea Puree (Quick & Easy)
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Looking for the perfect side dish that looks like Michelin-starred cuisine but takes hardly any time? Here’s one of my absolute favorite recipes for guests: this green pea puree with fresh mint and lemon is super refreshing, and sophisticated on the table. Plus, it’s done in less than 15 minutes. Let me show you my recipe!
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I love mashed potatoes as a side dish because they go with almost everything – but sometimes I need a lighter alternative to classic mashed potatoes that adds more vegetables to the plate. This pea puree is just that: a sophisticated, green alternative that isn’t heavy on the stomach.
My 3 Tips For The Perfect Green Pea Puree
To ensure that your puree not only tastes great, but also looks nice and green on the plate, I have summarized my three most important tips for you here:
- 3-minutes: The biggest mistake with green peas is to cook them for too long. To keep their beautiful, bright green color, I only leave them in the boiling water or vegetable broth (for more taste) for about 3-4 minutes. As soon as they are tender but still brightly colored, I take them off the heat immediately.
- Lemon: I love the natural sweetness of peas, but the puree is only really refined with a good portion of lemon juice. The acidity balances out the sweetness perfectly and also ensures that the color doesn’t oxidize and turn grey.
- Control the right consistency: Be careful with the liquid! I always drain the peas completely first and only add the stock back a spoonful at a time when blending.
A little tip for you: I often use frozen peas for this recipe because it’s unbeatably quick. But if they’re in season, you can of course also use fresh green peas – they taste particularly delicious!
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Green Pea Puree (Quick & Easy)
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Ingredients
- 1,5 lb frozen peas
- 1 shallot peeled and chopped
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 lemon for the juice
- 10 leaves fresh mint
- 1 tbsp chives chopped
- 2 tbsp cream cheese or sour cream or olive oil for a vegan version
- 1 drizzle of olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- In a medium-sized pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté the shallot over medium heat until translucent. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.
- Add the frozen peas. Once the brothj returns to a boil, simmer for exactly 3 minutes to keep them tender and retain their bright green color. Drain the peas and reserve the broth in a bowl.
- Place the peas along with the mint leaves, chives, cream cheese or sour cheese, and lemon juice into a blender (or use an immersion blender).
- Gradually add about 3 tbsp (50 ml) of the reserved broth and blend until smooth. Add a little more broth if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Finally, season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve.
Nutrition
How To Serve Pea Puree?
The good thing about this easy green pea puree is that it is a relatively healthy side dish that goes with almost anything. I particularly like to serve it with:
- Fish: A pan-seared salmon fillet, cod or fine scallops are my favorites.
- Meat: It harmonizes wonderfully with tender lamb, veal or crispy roast chicken.
- Herbs: Experiment with coriander, basil or cress as a topping.
Looking for a change from peas? Try my celeriac and parsnip puree. Both are particularly delicate and light, perfect if you’re planning a big dinner.
How To Store Pea Puree
One of the reasons why I love this recipe so much: it’s absolutely stress-free! You can prepare the pea puree in advance, which makes it the perfect side dish for guests.
- Prepare in advance: You can prepare the puree a few hours or even a day in advance. Cover it in the fridge with cling film directly on the surface so that no skin forms and the color stays nice and fresh.
- Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2 to 3 days.
- Reheat: Heat the puree over a low heat in a small pan. As it often becomes a little firmer as it cools, simply stir in a small sip of warm vegetable stock or a dollop of cream to bring back the creamy texture.
- Freezing: Yes, you can freeze green pea puree. After thawing and reheating it, just blend again for a few seconds (with a hand blender) so that the emulsion is perfectly smooth again.
FAQ – Green Pea Puree
Theoretically yes, but for this recipe I definitely recommend frozen or fresh peas. Canned peas have a rather brownish color and a very distinct taste. So it won’t taste a fesh and good.
This is the most important point: drain the peas well after cooking and collect the vegetable broth. Only add the liquid a tablespoon at a time when blending. Stop as soon as the consistency is creamy and smooth. If it does become too runny, you can mix in a small piece of cold butter or a little more cooked peas.
Simply replace the cream cheese or sour cream with a plant-based alternative (e.g. cashew cream) or use a high-quality olive oil instead.
If you want a particularly fine puree, you can pass the puree through a fine sieve after blending. This removes the last remnants of the peel. For everyday use, however, I find it perfect straight from the blender!
Two things are crucial: the short cooking time (only 3 minutes!) and the lemon juice. If you are preparing the puree in advance, you can plunge the peas briefly in ice water after cooking before blending them. They will stay bright and green.
