These Instant Pot black-eyed peas are the best ever, coming from a Southerner! They’re easy to make, thanks to the Instant Pot, and are absolutely loaded with flavor from easy-to-find ingredients. Perfect for New Year’s Day or anytime you’re craving delicious black-eyed peas.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s rich, hearty, flavorful and the perfect warm meal for those cold-weather months.
- The Instant Pot makes this the easiest black eyed peas recipe you’ll ever make! Other than the occasional stirring and mashing, you’ll have a delicious dinner with minimal effort.
- It’s great for freezer meals! Freeze prepared black eyed peas in covered, airtight containers for up to 6 months.
- No soaking necessary! This recipe uses dry beans and they still come out perfectly tender, which means less prep work for you!
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Ingredients
Black Eyed Peas – Hailing from West Africa, black eyed peas are actually beans, and they are a staple in Southern soul food. A traditional New Year’s meal in the South consists of black eyed peas and collard greens – the beans symbolize prosperity and eating them on New Year’s Day supposedly brings good luck and good health in the new year. Of course, they’re perfect to eat any day – they’re a great source of fiber, protein, and antioxidants.
Bay Leaves – These herbs have a scent similar to oregano and thyme, and help bring out the other flavors and spices in a dish. Dried bay leaves have a more intense flavor than fresh bay leaves.
How to Make Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!
Making Instant Pot black eyed peas could not be easier! Start by sautéing bacon, onion, and garlic in oil in the Instant Pot, then add in everything else and cook on manual high pressure for 25 minutes.
Once the cooking is done, release the pressure naturally for 15 minutes and then vent the rest. Mash them with a potato masher until you’ve got the desired consistency, then sauté them again to thicken up.
Ladle a helping of black eyed peas into a bowl. Garnish with black pepper, olive oil, and Tobasco, and serve with cornbread and collard greens!
Chef’s Tips
- The age of your dried beans can affect your cook time. If you’re using black eyed peas that have been in the pantry for a while, you may need to add a few more minutes to step 2 of the cooking instructions.
- Don’t worry if there’s a lot of liquid in the pot after the beans cook – that’s what gives them the ideal texture! As you stir and mash the beans, they’ll combine with the liquid to form a creamy sauce.
- As good as they are fresh, they’re even better the next day. Reheat them on the stove top over medium heat until heated through. Add a little water if needed.
- Serve your black eyed peas on top of rice for an easy Hoppin’ John dish.
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Turkey Chili
- Sausage and Peppers in the Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
- 50 Low Carb Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Carrots
- Instant Pot Eggs
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Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 strips thick sliced bacon cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 4 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 8 ounces smoked ham diced into ½-inch cubes
- 2 cups water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- olive oil for drizzling
- Tabasco or hot-pepper vinegar as desired
- cornbread for serving, optional
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to sauté mode and add oil. Once heated, add bacon, onion, and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring, until the onion and garlic are lightly browned, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Add black pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder. Cook until entire mixture is coated in spices, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add chicken stock, ham, water, bay leaves, and black eyed peas. Stir to combine. Secure lid and cook on Manual High Pressure for 25 minutes at high pressure. It will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
- After cooking is finished and Instant Pot beeps, allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then vent to release remaining pressure. Remove bay leaves, stir in salt. Using a potato masher, mash peas until desired consistency is reached.
- Turn Instant Pot to sauté mode. Let simmer 5 minutes or until desired thickness is reached. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil, and Tabasco to taste.
Notes
- Serve with cornbread and collard greens for a truly Southern meal.
- Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking. Store in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
- Make it Vegetarian: Use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock, and leave out the ham and bacon. It won’t have quite the same flavor, but your beans will still be great!
Nutrition
Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
Ramona says
Hi,
Came across this recipe yesterday and had everything needed for this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly. My husband grew up in the south and is 78 years old, he says it is the best black-eyed peas he has ever had.
Thank you for the recipe.
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
We agree with your husband! We had these on NYE, and they were so yummy!
Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Beth says
Do the peas need to be soaked first?
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
They don’t! 🙂
Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says
Hi! We haven’t tried it, but we think it could work. Sauté the bacon, onion, garlic with oil for 6-8 minutes, then add the seasoning/spices. Cook for an additional two minutes, then add all of the remaining ingredients to a crockpot and cook on high for about 7 hours. Let us know how it goes!
Sheila says
Can you share how to make this on a stove top? Love the ingredients
Jenna says
Hi! Can this be done in a slow cooker?