Creamed Onions and Peas

by Sabrina Snyder

Last Update:

16 Comments

4.86 from 7 votes
6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
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Creamed Onions and Peas is a velvety, comforting side that’s sweet and savory. It’s the perfect addition to any holiday table.

I’m always searching for the perfect Side Dish, and nothing compliments a holiday main course as much as creamed vegetables like this recipe or Classic Steakhouse Creamed Spinach.

Sabrina’s Creamed Onions and Peas Recipe

Creamed Onions and Peas is a creamy, savory side dish that has just a touch of sweetness coming from the pearl onions. It’s the perfect side dish to serve with steak or chicken and takes less than 20 minutes total to make. Because they’re so quick and easy, I love to make them on weekdays and for holiday parties.

Recipe Card

Dinner, then Dessert

Creamed Peas And Onions Recipe

Creamed Onions and Peas is a velvety, comforting side that's sweet and savory. It's the perfect addition to any holiday table.
Yield 6 servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
pot of creamy veggies
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Ingredients
 

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 20 ounces frozen pearl onions
  • 20 ounces frozen peas

Instructions

  • Fill a pot with water and bring it to a boil on medium-high before adding in the pearl onions and cooking for 10 minutes.
  • Drain the water and the onions before adding in the butter, garlic, salt and pepper and letting it melt and become aromatic, about 1 minute, while stirring.
  • Add in the onions and frozen peas and heavy cream, stirring to combine until the cream starts to thicken and the peas are warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.

Notes

Note: click on times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer while cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 214mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1425IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg

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Table of contents

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Cooking Tips and Tricks

  • Peeling Tip: Easily peel fresh pearl onions by boiling them in water until they just soft, then putting them right into an ice bath. The skins should be easy to remove at this point.
  • Lighten Up: You can lighten this recipe up by using light cream or half and half instead of heavy cream, for fewer calories and fat.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I substitute regular onions for pearl onions?

Pearl onions tend to be sweeter than their full-sized counterparts. If you don’t have any available, you can substitute a regular chopped white or sweet onion. You can add some sweetness back to the larger onions by caramelizing them in a pan with some butter for 2-3 minutes first.

Can I add cornstarch to thicken it?

If you want a thicker sauce, you can use cornstarch. Cornstarch has to be added cold, then gradually heated to thicken properly.

Are pearl onions and cocktail onions the same thing?

Pearl onions are sweeter than full-sized onions, making them ideal for creamy or savory dishes, such as creamed onions and peas. If you use raw pearl onions, you should peel them before cooking. Pearl onions are found in the produce section or frozen aisle, and are raw. Cocktail onions are pearl onions that have been pickled and usually come in a jar. You can use the pickled version in martinis or on salads.

Variations

  • Topping Tip: You can kick this recipe up a notch by adding some cooked chopped bacon on top when serving. The salty bacon goes perfectly with the creamy sauce! You can also add small pieces of ham if you have some to use up.
  • Onion Swap: If you’re not a big onion fan, you can swap out the onions for your favorite type of mushrooms in this recipe.

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pot of creamy veggies

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cooked peas and onions in pot

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. In my family we called these “Nix Rice Peas”. They were named for the lady who brought them to the Thanksgiving table, That was in the 1940s. She served them in their own small dish on a plate. Even as a child I loved them. She also used fresh peas.

    Reply

  3. When it can apply you can add instant mashed potatoes for thicken gravies. Pot roast or veggie beef stew if thickened with instant mashed potatoes makes an awesome gravy.. Be careful not to add to much… That would work for the peas and onions.. ( Not to much haha)

    Reply

  5. I love this, it’s kind of like a cool retro recipe! We sometimes forget that the oldies are the goodies. I have to try it.

    Reply