Pea shoots or pea sprouts are the tender, immature tips of the pea plant, cultivated as a leaf vegetable to be eaten. Its flavor is described as being nutty and spinach-like. Pea shoots are generally believed to have been first cooked with and introduced by the Indigenous Hmong people in China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Over the last couple decades, pea shoots has gained popularity in the United States, being increasingly featured in both Chinese and fine dining restaurants.

As a winter crop, pea shoots grows best in cool weather and is best planted in early spring or late summer. The shoots are 2–6 inches long (5–15 centimeters) and their thin stems hold 2–4 leaves and immature tendrils. There are two types of leaves that develop while the plant grows. The first one, known as cotyledons, have a sweeter and lighter flavor and are the first to appear. The true leaves that appear later connect to create a slender, light green, and crunchy stem.

Pea shoots are the translation of dou miao (豆苗) in Mandarin or dau miu in Cantonese. Dou (豆) means bean or pea, and miao (苗) means sprout or shoot. It is known as tōmyō in Japanese and sitsaro talbos in Tagalog. In English, the following names are used interchangeably: pea shoots, pea tips, pea vines, and pea stems.

Its popularity in Asian communities has led to a variation, where growers harvest the plants whole before they have reached adulthood. These two variations are distinguished in name by denoting their size, with the young sprouts being called xiao dou miao (小豆苗) and the mature sprouts being called da dou miao (大豆苗), or small pea shoots and big pea shoots, respectively.

Wild peas are believed to be domesticated in the Eastern Mediterranean region about 11,000 years ago. They are also believed to be native to other regions including parts of Western Asia and North Africa, and are considered one of the oldest cultivated crops. They spread throughout Asia and Europe through trade routes and were introduced in China during the last century BCE. Green peas made their way to the New World through explorers in the 15th century, but pea shoots weren't traditionally used in Western cuisine until the Hmong people introduced them in the late 20th century.

The Hmong people, native to Southwestern China, introduced pea shoots to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia, in part due to increasing restrictions on their freedoms during the 17th century, which caused them to migrate out of China into Southeast Asia. In the late 20th century, some Hmong farmers traveled to the United States as refugees due to post-Vietnam War persecution, settled in the Pacific Northwest, and introduced pea shoots to markets in western Washington.

When they were first introduced to stores in the United States, pea shoots were often pre-packed in plastic bags, but as they have gained in popularity, many Asian markets keep them in piles where customers can hand pick the bundle they desire. Pea shoots are now used worldwide in a variety of applications and cuisines, and they can be found in Asian markets, farmer's markets, specialty grocers, and home gardens.

Pea shoots can be eaten fresh in salads, stir-fried, or used as garnishes, and are best for fresh or lightly-cooked applications, including steaming, sautéing, and stir-frying.