Snap Pea Salad with Chili Crunch Sesame Dressing
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I’m straight up hooked on this sugar snap pea salad. The salad itself is simple with crunchy snap peas, cool cucumber, sweet frozen peas, cilantro, green onion and sesame seeds. But the real reason for my newfound addiction is the dressing.
Tahini, toasted sesame oil, chili crunch, fresh ginger, garlic, honey, and lime all whisked together into the most gorgeous dressing. It’s rich, spicy, a little sweet and turns a pile of vegetables into one of those fancy salads from an insanely expensive lunch spots you’d find on the coast of California.
The best part? No cooking. Steam the frozen peas, let them cool, chop everything up, pour the dressing on, done. We’re talking 15 minutes start to finish.
This healthy crunchy salad is delish on it’s own but if you need to up your protein, try it with breaded chicken cutlets, blackened shrimp or blackened salmon. If you want to turn it into a full bowl situation, serve it over crispy rice bowls.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 15 minutes, no real cooking
- Sesame lime dressing that can be used other ways
- Meal prep friendly
- Works with any protein you can imagine
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this snap pea salad. See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and instructions.
Sugar Snap Peas: chop them into bite-sized pieces so they’re easy to toss and eat, and so the dressing actually gets into all the nooks. They stay totally crisp raw, which is exactly what we want.
Frozen Sweet Peas: this is what makes this different from every other snap pea salad out there. Steam them and let them cool completely before adding. They add a soft, sweet little pop of flavor that contrasts perfectly with the crunch of the snap peas. You can also use shelled edamame.
Persian or English cucumbers: these are less watery than regular cucumbers, so they won’t make your salad soggy. Quarter them lengthwise and slice. The chunkier pieces will hold up against the dressing.
Sesame Seeds: white, black, or mixed all work. If you have two minutes to toast them in a dry pan first, do it. It makes them nuttier and way more flavorful. Totally optional, but worth it.
Toasted sesame oil: the base of the dressing and the reason it smells incredible the second you open the jar. Toasted, not regular — the flavor difference is huge.
Tahini: adds that creamy, nutty body that makes this dressing feel more like a sauce than a vinaigrette. It also helps everything emulsify so the dressing coats every single piece of veg instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
Chili crunch: the whole personality of this dressing. Spicy, savory and a little crunchy from the bits of crispy garlic and chili. Laoganma is the one in the recipe and it’s widely available at Walmart, but any chili crunch you love will work.
Honey: balances the heat from the chili crunch and rounds out all the bold flavors. Don’t skip it.
Lime juice: the brightness that cuts through the richness of the tahini and sesame oil. Fresh squeezed makes a difference.
Soy sauce: adds depth and that savory umami backbone. Use coconut aminos if you need it gluten free.
Fresh garlic and ginger, grated to a paste: this is the tip that makes the biggest difference. Grating them on a microplane instead of mincing means they almost dissolve into the dressing — no chunks, just pure flavor distributed evenly in every bite. Takes an extra 60 seconds and is 100% worth it. You can also use store-bought paste if you don’t feel like doing this step.
Dietary Modifications
- This recipe is, dairy-free, as is.
- For gluten-free, swap the soy sauce for coconut aminos.
Tips on how to make this chili crunch salad
- Chop the snap peas on a bias: they look better and the dressing clings more
- Don’t skip the cooling step on the frozen peas
- Grate the garlic and ginger to a paste: skip the mincing and use a microplane if you have one. They almost dissolve into the dressing leaving no chunks, just pure flavor in every single bite. Takes 60 extra seconds and makes a noticeable difference.
- Dress right before serving for max crunch; if prepping ahead, keep dressing separate
- Toast your sesame seeds even if they’re labeled “toasted”. 2 minutes in a dry pan wakes them back up
Storing tips for this chili crisp salad
- Best eaten the day it’s made, but it holds up well great meal prep if you keep things separate. Store the dressing in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- The chopped vegetables stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 2 days — just toss with dressing right before eating so the snap peas stay crisp.
- Once dressed, everything starts to soften after a few hours, so don’t dress the whole batch if you’re planning on leftovers.
- Not freezer friendly.
Recipe FAQs
You can prep the vegetables and dressing separately up to 24 hours ahead. Keep them stored apart and toss right before serving so the snap peas stay crisp. Once dressed, the salad is best within a few hours — the peas will soften overnight.
Sambal oelek or a drizzle of sriracha works in a pinch. You can also use regular chili oil if you want the heat without the texture. The flavor will be slightly different but still delicious.
Sugar snap peas are plumper and rounder with a sweeter flavor and satisfying crunch — the whole pod is edible. Snow peas are flatter and more tender. Either works in this salad, but sugar snaps hold up better to the dressing.
Absolutely. Shredded rotisserie chicken, grilled shrimp, edamame, or a sliced hard-boiled egg all work great. It turns this into a solid high-protein lunch without changing the vibe.
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Pea Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. sugar snap peas, chopped
- 3-4 stalks green onion, chopped
- 2 cups English or Persian cucumbers, quartered (or halved for smaller cucumbers) and sliced
- 2 cups frozen sweet peas, streamed and cooled
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, (white, black or mixed)
Dressing
- 2 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. tahini
- 2 Tbsp. chili crunch
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 small clove garlic, grated to a paste
- 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, grated to a paste
- 1/4 tsp. salt + more to taste
Instructions
- Chop all the veggies and herbs. Add them to a large bowl. Chopping them on the bias makes them beautiful and easier to grab with a fork.
- In a small bowl, add all the dressing ingredients. Use a whisk to blend everything well. Taste and add salt if needed.
- Toss the salad in the dressing and enjoy!
