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
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
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