Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas is the perfect recipe to make to help ring in the new year. With no soaking required, this is a one-pot meal that cooks in less time than traditional cooking methods but is just as delicious, hearty, and satisfying.
Do you have any New Year’s Day traditions? In our house, we do a mix of Filipino New Year food and American New Year’s Day traditions, and one of them is making the best black eyed peas dish!
Black eyed peas are a traditional New Year’s Day food in the southern United States. The tradition is thought to date back to the Civil War. You’re supposed to eat them as the first food of the new year to bring good luck and prosperity in the year ahead.
Black eyed peas recipes are often served with collard greens, cornbread, and rice. When served with rice, the dish is known as Hoppin’ John, which is perhaps the most traditional and popular New Year’s Day recipe.
This Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas recipe is a warm, comforting, and oh so delicious recipe that’s perfect for serving on New Year’s Day. It’s also great for any family dinner, any time of the year!
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🌟 Why this recipe works
Cooking this simple side dish in the Instant Pot is sure to become your favorite way to cook black-eyed peas.
- No soaking required. Because we are cooking the beans in a pressure cooker under high pressure, there’s no need to soak the beans beforehand!
- Shorter cook time – No soaking and using the Instant Pot helps cut the normal cooking time in about half!
- Simple ingredients – This recipe calls for pantry staples and basic everyday ingredients that you can find in most grocery stores.
- One Pot Meal – Another reason it’s the perfect meal: everything cooks in one pot. Less dishes to clean, and makes cooking super simple!
🛒 Ingredient notes
Instant Pot black-eyed peas are made with basic ingredients that make a super flavorful dish. The full list of ingredients with measurements is in the recipe card below, but here are some notes about some of the ingredients.
- Black eyed peas – We use one (1 pound) package of dried back-eyed peas in this recipe. With this recipe, you do NOT need to soak the beans before cooking! However, if you want, you can soak them for 2-3 hours or up to overnight, but be sure to adjust the cooking time in half.
- Meat – The smoky saltiness of bacon and smoked sausage add a delicious rich savory flavor to this black-eyed peas recipe. You can substitute ham hock or leftover ham (try our Air Fryer Ham recipe) if you like.
- Greens – Collard greens are a great addition to this dish and the most traditional greens added. However, you can substitute mustard greens or turnip greens.
- Broth – You can use chicken broth or vegetable broth. If you have homemade broth, it will likely be more flavorful than canned or cartons. But store-bought broth works just fine!
✅ Step-by-step instructions
More detailed instructions are in the printable recipe card below. Here is a quick look at the easy cooking process with step-by-step photos.
- Sauté the bacon in olive oil in the Instant Pot.
- Then sauté the sausage.
3. Add the onions and celery. Then sauté the garlic, and add the Cajun seasoning, thyme, and bay leaf.
4. Deglaze the bottom of the pot with some chicken broth or vegetable broth, then pour in the rest of the broth.
5. Add the black eyed peas, Cajun seasoning, and collard greens to the pot and submerge in the liquid.
6. Secure the lid, ensuring the pressure valve is in the sealing position. Press the pressure cook setting (or the manual button, depending on your pressure cooker), then set the cook time to 20 minutes on HI. Once pressure cooking is complete, allow for Natural Release for 15 minutes, then Quick Release by moving the valve to the venting position.
7. Once all remaining pressure has been released, carefully open the lid. Remove the bay leaf.
8. If you want the dish to be thicker, turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode and stir constantly as the mixture boils and thickens for up to 4-5 minutes.
9. Season to taste with kosher salt and black pepper.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
This recipe does not require soaking beforehand. But if you do soak the black eyed peas overnight (or for at least 3 hours), you can cut the pressure cooking time in half.
Allow the food to cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can also freeze black eyes peas for up to two months. Simply thaw at room temperature, and then reheat in the Instant Pot on Sauté mode, or in a saucepan on the stove.
🍽 Serving ideas
Serving this for family dinner? Make a traditional Hoppin’ John by serving it with rice, like our Instant Pot Garlic Rice. It’s also great with some Homemade French Bread and a simple salad.
If you’re making this Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas recipe for the new year, enjoy it with other dishes that also symbolize good luck.
- Lentils – Lentils are a symbol of prosperity. Try our delicious Instant Pot Lentil Stew recipe.
- Noodles – Long noodles symbolize a long life. Try our Vegetarian Soba Noodles, Chili Garlic Noodles, Pancit Canton, or Vegan Thai Red Curry Noodles.
- Round fruits – Filipinos believe placing 12 round fruits on the table and/or eating 12 grapes at midnight will bring good luck. In both traditions, the number 12 is for each month of the year. Round fruits are thought to symbolize prosperity in the new year.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
Black eyed peas are great with a dry white wine like a Pinot Gris.
But if you’re enjoying them for New Year’s Day, think brunch cocktails like Champagne Margaritas or Raspberry Mimosas.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make the best black-eyed peas recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you’ll need:
- Electric Pressure Cooker – you’ll need a 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker, Ninja Foodi, or other electric pressure cooker.
More Instant Pot recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry black eyed peas
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 6 slices bacon, chopped
- 3 smoked sausage links, chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 7-8 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cups chopped collard greens
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Press SAUTE mode on your Instant Pot. Add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is heated up a bit, add the chopped bacon. Stir and sauté the bacon for about 3 to 4 minutes, just until it's cooked through but not yet crispy.
- Add the chopped sausage to the pot and sauté with the bacon for 2 to 3 minutes, just until the outside gets browned.
- Add the onions and celery, and sauté for about 2 minutes, just until the onions are soft and fragrant.
- Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir to combine and sauté for 1 minutes.
- Then pour in a little bit of the chicken broth or vegetable broth and use a wooden spoon to deglaze the pot and scrape up any brown bits at the bottom of the pot.
- Pour in the remaining broth. Stir in the black eyed peas, Cajun seasoning, and collard greens. Press CANCEL to turn off the sauté mode.
- Secure the lid, ensuring the pressure valve is in the SEAL/SEALING mode. Press PRESSURE COOK (or MANUAL, depending on your pressure cooker), then set the cook time to 20 minutes on HI.
- The Instant Pot will take up to 10 minutes to come to pressure, then it will start pressure cooking and counting down. Once pressure cooking is complete, the Instant Pot will display WARM and the time will start counting up. Allow for Natural Pressure for 15 minutes (meaning: do not touch the Instant Pot but rather allow pressure to release out the valve naturally/slowly).
- After 15 minutes of Natural Pressure, use tongs, a wooden spoon, or thick oven mitts to carefully move the pressure release valve over to VENT/VENTING mode to allow for Quick Release. Once all of the pressure has been released, and the pressure pin has fallen all the way down in the lid, then very carefully twist and open your Instant Pot lid.
- Stir the ingredients together, and if the mixture is too thin for your taste, press SAUTE and continue stirring as the black eyed peas thicken up. Season with salt and pepper, adding more if necessary. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This black-eyed peas recipe is so delicious and flavorful. Perfect for the weather.
Hearty and flavorful this is a perfect meal to bring in the New Year with.
Love when you don’t need to soak the beans in advance, who has time to remember to do that? The black eyed peas are delicious!
It’s a cold rainy day here where I live so this is the perfect recipe for dinner tonight!
This is what I’m going to make for New Year’s Eve! I make black eyed peas every New Year’s Eve, and I love this twist.