Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Southern Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas is a New Year’s staple that is so comforting and easy to make using this no-soak method. Tender and creamy black-eyed peas are cooked with smoky beef bacon, chicken broth, onions, and celery to make part one of the holy Trinity of Southern New Year’s food. Enjoy with collard greens(or these Southern Turnip Greens with Turkey Bacon!) and a slice of Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread for the best start to your New Year!
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It’s tradition to eat black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day in African-American households to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year. Collard greens and ham hock are oftentimes added to the black-eyed peas as well. In this recipe, beef bacon steps in for the traditional ham hock to provide some of the same smoky and savory flavors.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- It’s a cheap and budget-friendly dinner idea! Whether you are preparing a New Year’s Eve or Day meal or a big Sunday dinner, Instant Pot black-eyed peas are always a favorite go-to dinner. It’s filling and easy to make in under an hour and everyone loves it! Serve with collard greens, steamed rice, Baked Mac and Cheese, or Blue Corn Cornbread Muffins and dinner’s done!
- Use an Instant pot or pressure cooker to save so much time. Black-eyed peas can take up to 2 hours to cook over the stove, but about 40 minutes using the Instant Pot. Everything is made inside the pressure cooker so there’s no mess.
- This is a no-soak method. Most bean and legume recipes need to be soaked before cooking. But if you are using a pressure cooker you can completely skip this step! Simple rinse the black-eyed peas before cooking, and that’s it.
Recipe Ingredients
- Black-eyed peas – You’ll need 1 cup of dry black-eyed peas. Make sure to pick through them and remove any bad beans.
- Beef bacon – Bacon adds a hint of smoky flavor to the black-eyed peas without taking over the flavor. Black-eyed peas take on the flavor of whatever you cook with it. Beef bacon, sausage or smoked turkey can all add a deeper flavor to this classic southern dish.
- Vegetables – Chopped onions, celery and garlic.
- Spices – Ground paprika, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Because we are using smoky beef bacon we don’t need to add too many spices.
- Broth – Using broth instead of water is another great way to add more flavor to black-eyed peas. Homemade or low-sodium store-bought broth makes this dish even better.
How to Make Southern Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas
All ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Set your Instant Pot to the “SAUTE” function. Add cubed bacon, onions, and celery with a little bit of oil to the pot. Allow it to cook for 5 – 7 minutes or until the bacon is crisp and the vegetables are soft.
- Next, add minced garlic and spices. Cook for another 1 – 2 minutes or until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth, water, bay leaves, and rinsed black-eyed peas. Top with the Instant Pot lid then set the pressure to “High” and the timer for 35 minutes. Once done, allow the steam to release naturally for 15 minutes.
- Taste and adjust for salt as needed, then serve hot with cornbread or a bed of rice. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions —
Nope! You can put them right into the Instant Pot with the rest of the ingredients and they will cook up beautifully.
Black-eyed peas take about 35 minutes to cook in an Instant Pot, plus 15 minutes to release the steam naturally.
You can. When black-eyed peas are done they are creamy on the inside but they still have some of their shape. They are overcooked when they are mushy and falling apart.
A general rule of thumb for cooking beans in the Instant Pot is 3:1, 3 parts water or broth and 1 part beans.
Looking For More Recipes?
- How To Make Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soak Method)
- Instant Pot Chili
- Blue Corn Cornbread Muffins
- Cornbread Muffins Recipe
- Cast Iron Skillet Cornbread
- Rosemary Polenta Cornbread
- Jalapeno Honey Cornbread
- Cajun Smothered Turkey Wings
- Smothered Turkey Necks
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Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- 1 Chef knife
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 slices beef bacon cubed
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup water
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup black-eyed peas dry rinsed
Instructions
- Turn on the Saute function on the Instant Pot. Add the chopped bacon, onion, and celery. Stir, then cook until the vegetables have softened, 5 – 7 minutes.
- Next, add the minced garlic, dried thyme, ground paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and ground black pepper. Stir to combine, allowing everything to cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute to allow the spices to become fragrant.
- Pour in chicken broth, water, rinsed and drained black-eyed peas, and bay leaves. Stir to combine, then top with a lid. Turn off the saute function then set the pressure to "HIGH".
- Set the timer for 35 minutes. Once finished, then allow the steam to release naturally for 15 minutes.
- Taste and adjust salt as needed then serve hot with cornbread. Enjoy!
Notes
How To Store/ Make Ahead
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat in the microwave or over the stove with a splash of water or chicken broth until hot.
Tips and Tricks
- Bacon or sausage: Sometimes the meat can lose it’s flavor and become tasteless when pressure cooked/ boiled in soups. To avoid this you can cook the bacon or sausage separately from the onions and celery, then add it back to the black-eyed peas after it’s finished cooking.
- Make it vegetarian: Skip the bacon and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Use a vegan “chicken” bouillon cube for added flavor!
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
