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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 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!
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!
Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas
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Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
Instant Pot Cuban Black Beans
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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!
Southern Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 lb Dry Black-Eyed Peas (rinsed & sorted)
- 1 lb Smoked Ham Hock (make sure it is smoked, for best flavor)
- 4 slices Thick Cut Smoky Bacon (chopped, uncooked)
- 5 cups Water
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Ham Base (or Chicken. Low sodium)
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
Sauté the Aromatics
- Turn on the Sauté setting. When hot, add the oil and the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to turn translucent.1 Tablespoon Olive Oil, 1 large Onion,
- Add the bay leaves and the garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, for 20 seconds.2 Bay Leaves, 6 cloves Garlic,
- Close the lid and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Cancel the sauté setting.1 lb Dry Black-Eyed Peas, 1 lb Smoked Ham Hock, 4 slices Thick Cut Smoky Bacon, 5 cups Water, 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Ham Base, ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Pressure Cook
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button, and then the +/- button to select 16 minutes. High Pressure. Press Start if needed. The pot will take several minutes to come to pressure.
Natural Release
- 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.
- When the pin in the lid drops back down, open the lid.
Finish and Serve
- 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.
- Taste and add a little salt, if needed.
- Serve alongside some cornbread. You can also serve over rice for a Hoppin' John style meal.
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Sandy omg thank you so much for this recipe. Not only is it super fast and easy, but also very affordable (especially for those seeking more nutritional/whole foods). All my life I’ve disliked black eyed peas and now I know it was all a matter of seasoning. Today I’m a black eyed peas fan thanks to you and this amazingly fresh and flavorful recipe. I don’t even add any of the meat/pork and they’re still the best I’ve ever had, anywhere. Bless you and many thanks!!
Super easy to make, added some chard at end. Everybody loved it! Will definitely make again. Thank you so much
Tried this yesterday and it was delicious! I added a little hot sauce for some extra zing.
Is it possible to double this recipe in the 8 qt instant pot?
I wouldn’t recommend doubling this particular recipe in an 8-quart Instant Pot. With 2 pounds of dried peas, 10 cups of water, and the ham hocks, you’d likely exceed the half-full limit for foods that expand during cooking. For safety, I’d suggest making two separate batches instead.
Iv’e commented on your black eyed peas before, but I must say again, they are so wonderful !!! This dish gets me a lot of compliments !!! I love it over white rice and make it a Hopin John !!! This recipe is also economical because it goes a long way, as food is so darn expensive now uggggh !!!
Hi, This was excellent yummmmm !!!! I added chopped celery and chopped green and red bell pepper, to the chopped onions and garlic !!! Oh, and I added chopped carrot to the mix with some Slap Your Momma seasoning !!! Served it over Hot White Rice, making it a Hopping John !!! This is absolutely delicious !!!!! Happy New Year !!! (:
These turned out great! I wish I had read the recipe first because I did do a quick soak on the stove when I could’ve just done everything in the Insta pot. I didn’t have any bacon, but I did use the ham hock. I also add it a can of fire roasted tomatoes and a jalapeño that I de-seeded and de-vein before adding to the beans.
Do the black eyed peas need to soak before cooking? Would it be detrimental?
If using soaked black-eyed peas, reduce the pressure cooking time by about half. You can also reduce the broth by about ½ cup, since soaked peas won’t absorb as much liquid during cooking. This variation hasn’t been tested. If the peas are too firm after that, just put the lid back on and pressure cook them some more, just a couple minutes.
Made this for New Year’s Day and it was absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe exactly except I sauteed the bacon with the onions (just a few minutes). My husband is not a fan of legumes, but he had multiple servings of this! Definitely a keeper!
Excellent flavor! Personal preference on my part, is have liked more juice. Ialso put it back on for another 4 minutes to make the peas just a bit softer. Other than that I followed the recipe with very minor substitutions (smoked neck bones and jowls.) I was out of better than bullion so used a couple of cans of chicken broth. Everyone here enjoyed it