Sugar Snap Peas Nutrition Calculator — Calories & Nutrition per Serving

Raw sugar snap peas (FDC 170010) contain 42 calories per 100g with 2.8g protein, 0.2g fat, and 7.55g carbohydrates — a balanced profile for a vegetable snack. The USDA classifies sugar snap peas alongside snow peas as 'peas, edible-podded,' though the two differ significantly in pod shape, texture, and typical use. Sugar snap peas have plumper, rounder pods with more developed peas inside, producing a distinctly sweeter crunch ^[1].

Fiber at 2.6g per 100g (9% DV) contributes to the satisfying snap when you bite through the pod. Combined with 4.0g natural sugars, sugar snap peas have a noticeable sweetness that makes them one of the few vegetables children and adults readily eat raw without dressing or dip. One cup of whole snap peas (~63g) has just 26 calories while providing a filling, crunchy snack ^[1].

The protein-to-calorie ratio is 6.7g per 100 kcal — high for a vegetable snack. For comparison, carrots have 2.1g protein per 100 kcal, celery has 5.0g, and cucumber has 4.7g. When packed as a lunchbox snack, sugar snap peas deliver more protein per calorie than most raw vegetables typically used for snacking ^[1].

Sugar snap peas and snow peas share identical USDA nutrient values — both are classified under FDC 170010 ('peas, edible-podded, raw'). The taste difference comes from pod structure, not nutrient composition: sugar snap peas have thicker pod walls with higher turgor pressure, trapping more juice and dissolved sugars inside each cell. When you bite through a snap pea, the cell walls rupture audibly, releasing sweetness in a way flat snow pea pods do not ^[1][2].

The 4.0g sugars per 100g — primarily sucrose, glucose, and fructose — is the same in both. But the perceived sweetness of sugar snap peas is amplified by the pod's cylindrical shape concentrating more flesh per bite. Snow peas distribute the same sugar content across a larger, thinner surface area, producing a milder flavor. For nutrition logging, the per-100g values are interchangeable ^[1].

Sugar snap peas were developed in the 1970s by crossing snow peas with shelled garden peas — inheriting the edible pod from snow peas and the plump, sweet pea from garden peas. This hybrid origin explains why they occupy a middle ground: more substantial than snow peas (which have minimal peas inside) but lower calorie than shelled green peas (81 kcal per 100g) because the edible pod dilutes the starchy pea content ^[2].

Sugar snap peas deliver 2.08mg iron per 100g (12% DV) alongside 60mg vitamin C (67% DV) — a pairing tracked in nutrition research on plant-based iron. Ascorbic acid has been shown to enhance non-heme iron absorption in controlled digestion models when present alongside pea-derived iron ^[3]. Having both nutrients concentrated in a single food means the vitamin C is present in the same serving as the iron ^[1].

This combination puts sugar snap peas ahead of most iron-tracking vegetables: spinach has more iron (2.71mg) but its high oxalate content inhibits absorption. Green beans have less iron (1.03mg) and less vitamin C (12.2mg). Among common vegetables, only Swiss chard and kale offer comparable iron-plus-vitamin-C pairings — but at very different calorie costs and flavor profiles ^[1].

One cup of raw snap peas (~63g) delivers 1.3mg iron (7% DV) and 38mg vitamin C (42% DV) at just 26 calories. As a pre-dinner snack or salad addition, this provides meaningful iron alongside the vitamin C needed to absorb it — all in a food that requires zero preparation beyond rinsing ^[1].

Raw sugar snap peas preserve the full 60mg vitamin C and 42mcg folate — the optimal baseline for nutrient logging. They're the most common preparation for snacking, crudité platters, and salads. The audible snap and burst of sweetness are unique to raw preparation, and no cooking is needed — just trim the stem end and pull the string if desired ^[1].

Steaming for 2-3 minutes preserves approximately 70% of vitamin C (~42mg remaining) and most minerals. This is the gentlest cooking method: it softens the pod slightly while maintaining the crunch inside. Steamed snap peas retain their bright green color and most of their volume — unlike leafy greens, they don't wilt dramatically ^[2].

Stir-frying is the most popular cooked preparation, especially in Asian cuisine. Brief high-heat cooking (2-3 minutes) preserves roughly 67% of vitamin C (~40mg) while adding oil-based calories (~62 kcal per 100g cooked). The added fat enhances absorption of fat-soluble vitamin K (25mcg) and beta-carotene (630mcg). Boiling causes the greatest nutrient loss — potassium drops ~20% and vitamin C drops ~53% due to leaching into water ^[2].

By calories and carbs: sugar snap peas (42 kcal, 7.55g carbs) sit between green beans (31 kcal, 7g carbs) and shelled green peas (81 kcal, 14.5g carbs). Edamame (frozen, prepared, FDC 168411) is the outlier at 121 kcal and 8.9g carbs — nearly 2.9x the calories of snap peas. For calorie-conscious snacking, sugar snap peas offer substantially more flavor and crunch than green beans at a modest calorie increase ^[1].

By protein: edamame dominates at 11.9g per 100g — 4.3x more than sugar snap peas. Shelled green peas have 5.4g — nearly double snap peas. If protein is the primary tracking target, edamame or shelled peas are clearly superior. Sugar snap peas' advantage is their lower calorie density combined with snackable convenience — no shelling, no cooking required ^[1].

By vitamin C: sugar snap peas lead decisively at 60mg (67% DV) versus green peas (40mg), green beans (12.2mg), and edamame (6.1mg). For a snacking vegetable, this vitamin C concentration is exceptional — eating 10 snap pea pods (~34g) with lunch adds 20mg vitamin C (22% DV) at just 14 calories, which no equivalent portion of the other three pods can match ^[1].