An Old Fashioned Creamed Peas Recipe With Step By Step Instructions
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Find out how to make Old-Fashioned Creamed Peas with this simple, step by step recipe.
Peas in a creamy white sauce is a new way to get your kids (and husbands) to eat this healthy green vegetable. You can make this cream peas recipe in a jiffy with only butter, flour, half and half, salt, pepper and peas.
Simple Creamed Peas Recipe
Do you have a hard time getting your family to eat their vegetables? The buttery white sauce on these Old-Fashioned Creamed Peas will have them asking for seconds. This recipe uses frozen peas and five other simple ingredients to create this classic creamed vegetable side dish.
This cream peas recipe may just be our new favorite behind our Old-Fashioned Pea Salad, Bacon Cheddar Pea Salad, and Creamy Dill Pea Salad.
Creamed peas remind us of visits with our Aunt Peggy growing up. Barbara had never had peas this way (and honestly didn’t really like them at the time). One weekend, Aunt Peggy whipped up creamed peas with our lunch, and she was hooked. Barbara began requesting them to the point that Peggy just knew to make them when she was coming over.
Old-Fashioned Creamed Peas Recipe
She has been on a hunt for sometime to find a written recipe for creamed peas with frozen peas. At last, she turned to her copy of America’s Cook Book. Now this book is definitely old fashioned. It doesn’t have pictures, and it reads like a regular book. We bet there are over 1000 recipes total, and most recipes has a variety of versions and modifications.
Barbara started her search in the vegetable chapter under the peas section. It was here she found a recipe for boiled peas but it referred her back to the creamed vegetables page. When she got to this page, it sent her to the page for a Cream Sauce. So she flipped to this page which then sent her to the page for a basic white sauce. Sounds tricky, but the recipe was spot on.
She made this for lunch for her boys (aka her husband and 2 year old son). In all honesty, her husband, Kevin, doesn’t like peas. But guess what, he loved these old-fashioned creamed peas. And he ate two helpings. Her 2-year-old can be very spotty on what vegetables he eats as well, but he devoured them too.
Ingredients for Creamed Peas
- Frozen Green Peas
- Salted Water
- Butter
- All Purpose Flour
- Half and Half
- Salt and Black Pepper
How to make old-fashioned creamed peas with frozen peas
Step By Step Instructions
- Cook a bag of frozen peas according the directions on the back. We prefer the stove top version as follows. Boil a small amount of water in a saucepan. Once it comes to a boil, pour it over the frozen peas, and let cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir until smooth and then for 30 seconds more to remove raw flour taste.
- Gradually add in half and half, stirring constantly with a whisk.
- Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Cook for 3 additional minutes.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Drain the peas, and add the white sauce.
- Stir to incorporate and cover until peas are hot and bubbly (this only takes a couple minutes). Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Storage Instructions
Let leftovers cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
For the full recipe and ingredient list for old-fashioned cream peas, scroll to the bottom of this post.Â
Recipe FAQs
- An easy way to cook frozen peas is to cover with boiling salted water for 3 – 5 minutes until perfectly tender.
- Season these frozen creamy peas with salt and pepper to taste.
- Substitute heavy whipping cream for half and half, if desired.
- To make a lower-fat version of creamy peas, use fat free half and half.
- Substitute margarine for butter, if needed.
- Check out our Amazon Store for our favorite pantry essentials and kitchen supplies.
Recipe Variations
- Add pearl onions for a classic side dish.
- Sautéed mushrooms are another delicious addition.
- For more flavor, add onion powder and/or garlic powder.
- Use heavy cream or whole milk instead of half and half.
- Stir in bits of ham or fried bacon.
- Garnish with parsley.
Old Fashioned Vegetable Recipes
Want to try other creamed vegetable recipes? We have you covered. Check out some of our favorites below.
Old-Fashioned Creamed Peas
Ingredients
- 16 oz. frozen green peas
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook peas according to package instructions. I prefer this method. In a small saucepan, boil a small amount of salted water (approximately 4 cups). Pour the boiling water over the frozen peas just until they are covered. You may not need all the water. Let sit for 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked.
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter. Add flour and stir until smooth. Let cook for additional 30 seconds to remove raw flour taste.
- Over medium heat, slowly add in half and half to the butter/flour mixture while constantly whisking. Bring to a boil while constantly whisking, and let boil for approximately three minutes until it thickens.
- Add salt and pepper to the sauce.
- Drain the peas, and add to the white sauce; stir. Cover with a lid and cook until the peas are hot and the sauce is creamy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
- Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed.
Notes
- An easy way to cook frozen peas is to cover with boiling salted water for 3 – 5 minutes until perfectly tender.Â
- Season these frozen creamy peas with salt and pepper to taste.
- Substitute heavy whipping cream for half and half, if desired.
- To make a lower-fat version of creamy peas, use fat free half and half.
- Substitute margarine for butter, if needed.
- If you love cream peas, try these other versions: Creamed Peas with Canned Peas and Creamed Peas and Potatoes.
- The carb counts, calorie counts and nutritional information are auto-calculated and can vary greatly depending on the products used. The information should NOT be used for specific dietary needs.
Nutrition
Linking up to Weekend Potluck!
Not knocking your recipe but sharing my grandma’s creamed peas which is out families favorite.
I make a cream sauce, melt butter, add flour then add some milk or cream, stir and keep adding milk or cream. I will thicken as you stir on medium heat. When you’re happy with the thickness add a Tablespoon of sugar and continue stirring so the sugar dissolves. Drain 1 or 2 cans of peas and add to your cream sauté.
I know there are those of you who will object to using sugar so you don’t have to use it but me & mine wouldn’t have it any other way.
Thanks for sharing! We love seeing other people’s family recipes and we’ll definitely try your grandma’s recipe – a little sugar never hurts!
I should’ve posted it his comment years ago!!!!
But I am so grateful for your comment on this recipe. I started doing it your so the very first time I searched and picked out this recipe to follow.
I try to always check reviews and comments first before giving it a go.
So glad I saw your comment.
Been making this twice a month if not more for (I’ve lost count of how many years now) years than I can recall now.
I’ve used heavy cream, half n half, can mail, whole milk. Canned and frozen peas. The sugar is so good and I do add some garlic powder and sometimes cooked bacon pieces crumbled really small.
Just like my great grandmas
Thank you!!!!
This is what I’m looking for but how much milk,butter,and flour? Can I use cornstarch instead of flour?
Robin, the ingredients and amounts are in the recipe card at the end of the post – 2 Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons flour and 1 cup half and half. You should be able to use cornstarch but just don’t use as much (start with 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and see if it thickens to your liking).