Old Fashioned Creamed Peas Recipe (2024)

Last updated November 7, 2023. Originally posted November 23, 2020 By Jyothi Rajesh 17 Comments

This old-fashioned creamed pea is an easy, quick, and delicious side dish that will never be made. Even fussy eaters wouldn’t mind eating it. Frozen peas cooked and dunked in the white cream sauce come together in no time! It’s a perfect holiday side dish!

Why you’ll love this side dish

1. Hands-down is one of the easiest side dishes that is perfect for holiday gatherings.
2. It’s perfect for small or large gatherings. The recipe is easy to scale down or double up.
3. A side dish that hardly needs any prep time, and cooks in just 10 minutes.
4. Budget-friendly side dish. Why spend $$ when you can make a delicious side dish well under budget?
5. Fussy eaters love it too!
6. One of the easy ways to include more veggies in your meal.
7. Anything in white cream sauce is always a huge hit among many, especially kids!
8. Old-fashioned recipes are a gem! This recipe is close to what your grandmother would make.
9. Above all, it’s not bland at all! This recipe has simple but amazing flavors packed in it.
10. Easy to customize to suit your palate.
11. If you like more gravy, you can easily do that too without much changes to the recipe.
12. It can also be made ahead and stored refrigerated for up to 2 days. When ready to serve simply reheat with a splash of milk added to the pan.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need-

• 16oz frozen peas, about 2 cups
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup milk or half and half
• ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper (adjust to taste)

• Frozen Peas – you can use frozen peas or canned peas. You can thaw peas or use frozen directly. Cook according to packet instructions or use any other way to cook it.
• Butter – to make white cream sauce
• Flour – plain flour. For gluten-free versions use gluten-free flours.
• Milk – use whole milk for a richer creamier sauce. Milk can be substituted with half and half.
• Onion Powder (optional, highly recommended) – adds flavor to peas. Onion powder can be substituted with finely diced onions.
• Garlic Powder (optional, highly recommended) – to enhance flavor. Garlic powder can be substituted with fresh minced garlic.
• Season – salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

How to make it

• Heat a medium pot or skillet (depending on the quantity you are making). Add butter to the pot and melt it.
• Whisk flour in butter. Cook on low heat for 2 minutes with constant stirring.
• Add all the spices quickly– onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground pepper.
• Gently pour milk (or half and half).
• Keep whisking while adding milk.
• Keep whisking on low heat for about 5 minutes or until the sauce is smooth.
• The sauce should be thick but in pouring consistency.

Use frozen or canned peas whichever is easily available. Cook peas as per packet instructions.

Once peas are cooked, drain off excess liquids and transfer to a bowl.

Once the cream sauce is cooked and ready, immediately pour it over hot peas.

Stir everything together until coated well.

Serve immediately.

How to cook peas

Stove top method:

• I prefer this easy method of cooking peas. No need to thaw peas, use them frozen directly.
• Add frozen peas to a saucepan. Add little more than ¼ cup water. Cook on medium flame. Frozen peas don’t take long to cook. It took about 5 minutes for peas to be ready.

Microwave method:

• Place frozen peas in microwave-safe bowl. Add 1 tablespoon water. Cook on full power for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Peas are ready to use.
• You can skip cooking peas and use them directly in the recipe. Simply thaw peas in 4 cups of water. Drain and use it.

Canned peas:

• Empty peas from the can including the liquid into a saucepan. Heat it until it begins to boil. Drain and peas are ready to use.
• Once peas are cooked remove them from heat. Drain off any excess liquids left in the pan. Peas are ready to use.

Frozen peas or canned peas?

Both. You can use either of them whichever is easily available to you.

What to serve creamed peas with?

This easy creamed pea can be served as a side dish with any main dish.

It pairs great with meat. grilled steak, grilled chicken, grilled fish, baked Salmon, or with ham. Almost everything!

Variations

1. Add shallots or pearl onions sautéed in oil or butter to the recipe. It enhances the flavors.
2. You can add fresh minced garlic sautéed in oil or butter for flavors.
3. For herb-flavored peas – consider adding fresh herbs like parsley, basil, or thyme.
4. You can include other vegetables to the recipe. Peas and potatoes are one of the most popular variations that is widely popular. If adding potatoes, it’s best to use baby potatoes (sliced into half).
5. You can also use frozen chopped carrots or fresh carrots chopped and steam-cooked. Carrots added to peas are more appetizing to look and colorful.
6. Button mushrooms sautéed in butter can be mixed in.
7. For extra texture, crispy bacon bits can be added just before serving.

Storage and reheating

Leftovers can be stored in air-tight containers refrigerated for 2 days, making it ideal for make ahead recipes.

You can make this dish a day or 2 days before, cool it completely, and store it refrigerator in air-tight containers.

I wouldn’t recommend freezing. The white sauce does not freeze well. The sauce will split when frozen and reheated.

Reheat in sauce pan on stove over medium heat until warmed through. You can reheat in microwave using microwave safe bowl too. If sauce is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk while reheating.

Tips

1. Use frozen or canned peas for this recipe. Highly advisable to cook peas (frozen or canned) for 2 to 4 minutes. Peas are softer and better tasting when cooked than using they are directly thawed.
2. Always cook peas to your desired level of doneness. Cook peas a little longer for soft texture and if you like firm crisp-texture peas, don’t cook them long, remove from heat before it’s done.
3. Onion powder and garlic powder are optional in the recipe but highly recommended. It enhances the flavor and taste of the dish.
4. It’s best to use whole milk or half and half for rich, creamier white sauce. Cream sauce needs the fat. Everything tastes better with fat!
5. Make sure to keep whisking butter-flour-milk to prevent it from burning until it reaches right consistency.
6. Gradually pour milk while whisking butter and flour mix, so the roux absorbs the liquid and form smooth sauce.
7. You can add other vegetables too. Vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms are the best choices.

Common questions

LOOKING FOR MORE VEGETABLE SIDE DISH?

Check these side dishes:

• Creamed Spinach
• Roasted Butternut Squash
• Cheddar Drop Biscuits
• Smashed Sweet Potatoes
• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Savory Roasted Sweet Potatoes

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