• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Simply Happy Foodie

Easy Recipes, Instant Pot recipes and slow cooker recipes

  • Home
  • Recent Posts
  • Recipes
  • My Cookbooks
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosures / Disclaimers / Copyright
    • Contact Me
    • Meet Gizmo, Our Foodie Pug
  • Cook’s Shop
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

December 29, 2019 by Sandy 31 Comments

Jump to Recipe
Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas is a delicious, good old fashioned dish that is popular for New Year’s Day feasts. Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s is a tradition, and is said to be lucky. Make a pot of pressure cooker black-eyed peas to ring in the New Year, or any time you want a super flavorful meal!

Southern Pressure Cooker Black Eyed Peas in white bowl next to wooden spoon

Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is said to bring good luck. The swelling of the peas signifies prosperity. Cooked with pork, because pigs root forward, and served with greens, symbolizing money.

My Number 1 piece of advice for the BEST tasting Instant pot Southern Black-Eyed Peas is to make sure your ham hock (or whatever meat you use) is SMOKED.

The smoky flavor makes all the difference in the amazing flavor of this recipe!

Southern Black Eyed Peas in pressure cooker with wooden mixing spoon

do I need to Soak the black-eyed peas before cooking them?

No you don’t. These will cook pretty fast, so no soaking needed (but do rinse them well first).

If you do soak them, or use canned black-eyed peas, you can cut the cook time in half, though the ham hock will not get soft enough in that short amount of time.

I would start the ham hock cooking in some water, about 10 minutes, then cook the rest of the dish, adding the ham hock back in.

This is how my mom made black-eyed peas, and I love them!

Southern pressure cooker Black Eyed Peas can be made any time of the year. They are so delicious!

blue banner with the words you might also like
Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas
Instant Pot Collard Greens
Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans

Pin This Recipe

Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas in white bowl as well as title and Simply Happy Foodie.com logo

If you make this delicious Southern pressure cooker black-eyed peas recipe, please leave me a comment and a star rating below. I would like to know how you liked them!

5 from 19 votes
Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Print
Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
NPR
15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 

Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas is a delicious, good old fashioned dish that is popular for New Year's Day feasts.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pressure cooker black eyed peas and ham recipe
Servings: 8
Calories: 360 kcal
Author: Sandy Clifton
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 lg Onion, chopped
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 6 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1 lb Dry Black-Eyed Peas, rinsed
  • 1 lb Smoked Ham Hock (make sure it is smoked, for best flavor)
  • 4 slices Thick Cut Smoky Bacon, chopped
  • 5 cups Water
  • 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Ham or Chicken Base, low sodium
  • 1/4 tsp Pepper
Instructions
  1. Turn on the Sauté setting. When hot, add the oil and the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to turn translucent.

  2. Add the bay leaves and the garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 20 seconds.

  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Cancel the sauté setting.

  4. Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.

  5. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button, and then the +/- button to select 16 minutes. High Pressure.

  6. When the cook cycle has finished, turn off the pot and let it sit undisturbed for a 15 minute natural release. Then turn the steam release knob to the Venting position to release the remaining pressure.

  7. When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.

  8. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Then remove the ham hocks and get the meat off of the bones. Add the meat back into the pot.

  9. Taste and add a little salt, if needed.

  10. Serve alongside some cornbread. You can also serve over rice for a Hoppin' John style meal.

Recipe Notes

This recipe can be made in a 3 qt by reducing ingredients by 1/3. Keep the cook time the same.

 

This can be a "Dump and Start" recipe if you don't want to do the sautéing steps.


pink button with the words follow my Simply Happy Foodie pinterest board

RESOURCES TO MAKE Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas recipe and more

This post contains Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten-Free, Holiday, Instant Pot, MOST POPULAR, Recipes, Side Dishes

Previous Post: « Instant Pot French Toast Casserole
Next Post: Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy »

Reader Interactions

My Instant Pot Cookbook is Here!

Instant Pot Cookbook Cover

Comments

  1. Heath Holden

    February 5, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    My wife said that this is now her favorite thing that I cook. I followed the directions exactly except I added some Tony’s. I add Tony’s to everything so it wasn’t because I think the recipe is lacking in any way. Thanks for this recipe!

    Reply
  2. Jay

    February 3, 2021 at 8:09 am

    Delicious! Literally “lick-the-bowl it’s so good! We didn’t make the collard greens, but will next time! Thank you for the recipe!

    Reply
  3. Kathryn Murray

    January 24, 2021 at 6:59 am

    Do you use uncooked bacon?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 25, 2021 at 7:41 am

      Yes I do.

      Reply
  4. Alex

    January 3, 2021 at 7:16 pm

    I got an Instant Pot from my mom for Christmas so wanted to use it. Normally I cook in a Crock Pot on low for 12 hours and this made even more tender beans but the ham hock did not become super tender with jelly soft skin like in the crock pot. So I think may have to go back to slow cooker or use only bacon instead.

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 4, 2021 at 12:13 am

      You can pressure cook the ham hock first, then add the peas, etc. and make the recipe as stated. I have had to do this with really tough hamhocks.

      Reply
  5. Joni

    January 2, 2021 at 4:07 pm

    This black eye pea recipe was absolutely delish. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The best part is I could make in my instant pot. Such a time saver. I love the symbolism that goes along with the food. Definitely going to be a new New Year tradition.

    The one ingredient I added was 1/2 tsp of liquid smoke which added to the Smokey flavor from the ham hocks and bacon.

    Reply
  6. Rebecca Rotello

    January 1, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    First thing this was my second dish using the instant pot, That being said it was the best version of blackeyed peas and ham. The recipe was so easy to follow and was wonderfully surprised with how good this turned out. I would not change a thing! My husband ranted and raved all throughout the meal. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 1, 2021 at 8:24 pm

      I’m so happy to know you both enjoyed it! Here’s to a much better year!

      Reply
  7. Beverly

    January 1, 2021 at 4:02 pm

    I used the bottom end of my Christmas spiral ham to cook with the black-eyed peas; everything else was the same. Best New Year’s meal we’ve had in a long time. Great recipe!!

    Reply
  8. Heather

    January 1, 2021 at 1:48 pm

    I’m new to instant pot cooking. I’ve had many fails with it. This recipe was the most perfect that I’ve done. I was a little nervous to try it on a life-long tradition such as New Years black eyed peas. Thank you! This is the recipe that I will be using from now on! Have a Happy New Year!

    Reply
  9. Kate

    January 1, 2021 at 11:31 am

    So good!!! I forgot to soak my black eyed peas and this recipe saved New Years 🙂 Absolutely delicious as is!

    Reply
  10. Barbara

    January 1, 2021 at 6:59 am

    Delicious! I followed your instructions for the Southern BEP version, omitting the thick sliced bacon. My husband is not a black-eyed pea fan and he LOVED them. I didn’t add any salt at all. this will be my go-to recipe from now on. Thank you for sharing and happy New Year!

    Reply
  11. Elaine

    December 31, 2020 at 1:34 pm

    My husband and I agree, this recipe is delicious!

    Reply
  12. Tom

    December 3, 2020 at 8:10 pm

    I’ve probably made this 15 times by now, and every time it’s delicious. I always add collards. The only change I make is cutting back a bit on the salt. I also increased the cooking time to soften the beans a bit more. Usually I end up boiling off some of the extra liquid at the end. My wife and I usually get 2 meals out of every batch. Thanks so much for this great recipe!

    Reply
  13. Jim

    May 23, 2020 at 7:04 pm

    Super simple basic ingredients awesome

    Reply
  14. Cecily

    March 17, 2020 at 10:37 am

    Pre-Soaked Beans Experience:
    I had to make adjustments as I pre-soaked my beans (11 hours).
    After cooking (8 minutes as recommended), there was a substantial amount of liquid left, more akin to a watery broth than a thicker sauce. My liquid was 5 cups total per the recipe (2 water, 3 turkey broth). My thinking is pre-soaked beans simply do not need as much liquid.
    To help thicken, I removed a cup of beans, blended them to a puree, and put them back in the pot. I used the sauté setting to reduce the dish by about a third (or desired consistency). It was a great texture as well as a more concentrated flavor. I recommend stirring regularly to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot, especially as it gets thicker.
    The dish is delicious, and it will be a regular meal moving forward.

    Reply
    • Sandy

      March 17, 2020 at 4:15 pm

      Thanks for sharing. I never soak my black-eyed peas. But you made it work!

      Reply
  15. John

    January 16, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    Black Eyed peas and collard greens were both delicious. Thanks

    Reply
  16. Theresa Palmer

    January 3, 2020 at 2:44 pm

    Love all your recipes. I have been using my Instant Pot since 2013 and named it Brad. We have cooked everything together. I made a batch of black eyed peas on New Year’s
    Day, much like your recipe, a little different (because that was the way mama taught me) and they were awesome. I cooked about two pounds of peas, used about two pounds of smoked ham hocks, half of a large yellow onion unchopped, two cloves of garlic crushed, two 32 oz boxes of unsalted vegetable stock, black pepper to taste and some crushed red pepper flakes. I cooked my peas for 20 mins on high pressure allowing the natural pressure release.

    Reply
  17. Karen

    January 1, 2020 at 5:08 pm

    This is one of my first instant pot meals … Creamy and delicious. Will be my go to recipe. Used smoked cubed ham and 14 oz Eckrich smoked sausage -sauteed sausage prior to onion, removed and added after pressure release .

    Reply
  18. Bianca

    January 1, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    This is so good!! I’m currently devouring a bowl of it!! This will definitely be my new go to recipe for my New Year dinner. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  19. Rhonda

    January 1, 2020 at 3:27 pm

    Worked perfectly and was delicious. I’ll be trying your recipe for collard greens next!

    Reply
  20. Anne

    January 1, 2020 at 10:09 am

    can anyone estimate serving size in cups? Trying to track as close as possible my calories. I would have just figured it out myself by measuring the. Umber of cups and dividing by eight but my kids got to it first. And if you ask a teenager to estimate how many cups he ate he will look at you funny and tell you he put it in a bowl.

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 1, 2020 at 6:42 pm

      A serving size is 1 1/4 cups.

      Reply
  21. Jennifer Blount

    January 1, 2020 at 8:44 am

    Would I need to adjust the cooking time if I double the recipe?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 1, 2020 at 6:42 pm

      Nope.

      Reply
  22. Karen Wall

    December 30, 2019 at 4:21 am

    Can I cut this recipe in half if I’m using an 8 Qt Instant Pot?

    Reply
    • Sandy

      January 1, 2020 at 6:47 pm

      Yes. Keep cook time the same.

      Reply
      • Annie

        January 1, 2021 at 9:02 am

        Couldn’t find a ham hock (always see one when I don’t want), so used extra bacon…..husband LOVED them! I couldn’t believe how quickly these cooked!

        Reply
  23. Tony

    December 29, 2019 at 12:16 pm

    Excellent! We had never made black eyed peas before and these did not disappoint! Will make again!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi there!

Sandy wearing a black shirt and a red apron I’m Sandy - foodie with a passion for cooking and sharing my tasty recipes. My hubby Paul, our Pug Gizmo, and I live in Washington.

Reader Favorite Recipes

Instant Pot Pasta E Fagioli in a white bowl

Instant Pot Pasta e Fagioli

Beef Taco Bowl in a beige bowl

Instant Pot Beef Taco Bowls

Top view of Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy on a blue plate

Instant Pot Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy

Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

Instant Pot Baby Back Ribs

See More Favorites

free email course

New to Instant Pot?

5 Foolproof Instant Pot Recipes for Beginners

Footer

Privacy Policy

Copyrighted Content
This website and its contents are the copyright of Simply Happy Foodie LLC – © 2016-2020.  All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2021 Simply Happy Foodie

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT