Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

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These Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas make the BEST Black Eyed Peas you ever laid your taste buds on. 

Cooked with andouille sausage, bacon, onions, garlic, herbs, and spices, you’ll want these good luck black-eyed peas not only for New Years Day but any time during the year!

What Are Black Eyed Peas?

According to the Library of Congress, while black-eyed peas are called peas, they are actually beans, which are legumes. They look like peas that are a tan color with an indented black spot on them, which looks like an eye. 

What Makes This The Best Blacked Eyed Peas Recipe?

This recipe uses smoked pork sausage and bacon to add incredible flavor as well as additional good luck since they are both pork products. To add even additional flavor, as well as wishes for good health, I saute onions, garlic, and add stewed tomatoes. Lastly, with the addition of herbs and spices, it has incredible flavor.

What Do I Need To Make Black Eyed Peas In An Instant Pot?

Below are the tools that you will need to make this recipe. These affiliate links will allow you to see the product on Amazon.com. If you choose to purchase one of the items, I will receive a very small commission on the product at no additional cost to you.

Equipment: 

• Instant Pot on Amazon.com (affiliate link)
• Slotted Spoon on Amazon.com (affiliate link)
• Ladle on Amazon.com (affiliate link)

Ingredients:

For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients. For the more detailed list with the specified amount for each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card.

• Sausage. You will need a package of smoked pork sausage. I like to use Andouille sausage for that spicy Cajun flavor. However, you could use any smoked sausage. 
• Bacon. I love the bacon flavor that is infused into the beans. If you prefer, you could use ham. 
• Chopped onion. I used a white onion. However, you could use a sweet Vidalia onion, yellow onion, or green onions.
• Minced garlic. It is your choice of whether you want to use fresh garlic or pre-minced. If you don’t have garlic, then you could add some garlic powder to get that garlic flavor.
• Water. I add about a half cup of water to deglaze the pan after sauteing the sausage, bacon, onion, and garlic. This prevents small bits of food from sticking to the bottom of the Instant Pot and helps to prevent getting a Burn message.
• Chicken Broth. I recommend using a low sodium chicken broth because there will be plenty of salt in the sausage and bacon. Then you can adjust the amount of salt yourself. This will prevent the black eyed peas from becoming too salty.
• Black Eyed Peas. The star of the show. 
• Bay Leaves
• Fresh Thyme
• Stewed Tomatoes
• Salt and Pepper
• Paprika
• Cayenne. This is optional if you want to increase the spice level. 

As mentioned above, for the more detailed list with the specified amount for every ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of this article, just above the comments, for the printable recipe card.

How To Cook Black Eyed Peas In An Instant Pot

• Cook the sausage and Bacon. In The Instant Pot, use the SAUTE feature to cook the sausage and bacon. Remove the sausage and bacon and place it on a plate and set aside. Drain excess fat, if necessary. Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat.
• Saute Onions and Garlic. Add the chopped onions and saute for about 3 minutes until soft. Then add the minced garlic and cook for about a minute while stirring the garlic to keep it from burning.
• Deglaze Pan. Add 1/2 cup of water or chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan. IMPORTANT. DO NOT SKIP.
• Add remaining ingredients. Add the remaining broth, then the sausage and bacon, and then the bay leaves, thyme, and cayenne. Then add the stewed tomatoes last. Add the ingredients in this order. It is important so that you do NOT receive a BURN notice. 

Tips And Tricks For Perfect Black Eyed Peas In An Instant Pot

1. Layer the ingredients in the order specified in the recipe. This is important in an Instant Pot because it needs a think liquid like water or broth at the bottom of the pot to come up to pressure.
2. What Happens If I Don’t Layer The Ingredients In The Specified Order?  Then the food could burn on the bottom of the Inner Liner pot and you could receive a “Burn Notice.” To avoid this, be sure you have enough liquid in the bottom of the Instant Pot and layer the ingredients in the order specified in the recipe.

Why Do People Eat Blacked Eyed Peas For New Year’s Day?

It is a tradition in the South, as we call the Southern United States, to eat black eyed peas for New Years Day to bring good luck for the new year. The black eyed peas look similar to coins and are often served with collard greens or cabbage to represent money and wealth. If you serve blacked eyed peas with stewed tomatoes then it is said to represent health and wealth. Therefore, I add stewed tomatoes to my black eyed peas because I want both health and wealth. Yes, I’m greedy! LOL! When I was growing up, black eyed peas were the most popular of Southern Recipes on New Year’s Day.

Why Do Black Eyed Peas Symbolize Good Luck In The South?

Based on family stories that have been passed down generation over generation, it is believed that black eyed peas and pork became symbols of good luck during the American Civil War. During the Union Army’s march through the South, they took the food supplies but left the black eyed peas and pork, believing that those were the feed for animals.  Therefore, the people in the South survived on pork and back eyed peas and they have since represented good luck.

Why Make Blacked Eyed Peas In An Instant Pot?

1. Cooks Faster. The Black Eyed Peas cook much faster in an Instant Pot and can be ready quickly so everyone can eat sooner and be sure to get their fair share of good luck on New Year’s Day.
2. Flavor. While they cook up fast, the black eyed peas still have all the flavor of black eyed peas that cooked for hours.
3. No Soaking. You don’t have to soak the black eyed peas overnight.
4. Easy. They are just so easy to make in the Instant Pot. I would say that they are one of the easiest Instant Pot Recipes I have made, and I have made many!
5. One-Pot. Everything can be done in one pot. You can cook the bacon and sausage, saute the onions and garlic and cook the black eyed peas all in the one Instant Pot. It makes for fewer pots and pans to wash and saves you clean up time so you can spend your evening however you want.

Do I Need To Soak Black Eyed Peas Overnight?

No. You don’t have to, especially when cooking them in a pressure cooker. Some people choose to soak the black eyed peas overnight to clean them and remove some of the sugars that some people have difficulty digesting, which can cause discomfort and gas. But it is not required.

What Do I Serve With Black Eyed Peas?

We like to serve black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day with Instant Pot Pulled Pork, Fried Cabbage with Bacon, Southern Squash Casserole, and Homemade Buttermilk cornbread, and chocolate cake. That is our traditional New Year’s Day menu.

More Southern Instant Pot Recipes

• Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
• Instant Pot Chicken And Dumplings
• Instant Pot Beef Stew

FAQS:

1. What If I Don’t Have An Instant Pot, Can I Make Black Eyed Peas On The Stove? Yes. You can make this in a Dutch oven on the stove. Cook the sausage and bacon, remove any excess fat, and add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Then add the minced garlic and cook for a minute while stirring. Add back the sausage, bacon, all chicken broth, black eyed peas, stewed tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper, and cayenne (optional). Simmer on low for 1 hour 15 minutes.
2. Can I Modify This Recipe To Make It Vegetarian? Yes. Leave out the sausage and bacon. Add a tablespoon or two of oil so you can saute the onions and garlic. Then use water or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. 
3. Can Dogs Eat Blacked Eyed Peas? Yes. It is safe for dogs to eat black eyed peas. However, don’t give them too much because it can give them indigestion and smelly doggy farts, and there is nothing worse than smelly dog farts!  In addition, you have to be careful about what else was cooked with the black eyed peas. For example, this recipe has onions in it, and dogs should not eat onions. Also, the spices, like cayenne, may upset their stomach. Furthermore, as we learned with our previous dogs, sometimes any sudden change in their diet, can cause digestive issues.

Recipe

Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

By Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

4.65 from 14 votes

These Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas, made with pork sausage, bacon, onions, garlic, herbs and spices, are the best blacked eyed peas you ever tasted!

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Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Pressurization 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8

Calories 415

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo60 from Amazon.com (affiliate link)

Ingredients

Meat, Onion, and Garlic

• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ 8 ounces andouille sausage, sliced (or other smoked sausage)
• ▢ 8 slices bacon, chopped
• ▢ 1 onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

Liquid

• ▢ 1/2 cup water
• ▢ 4 cups chicken broth (recommend low sodium)

Seasonings

• ▢ 3 bay leaves
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)

Black-Eyed Peas

• ▢ 16 ounces dried black eyed peas (1 bag)

Tomatoes

• ▢ 14-1/2 ounces stewed tomatoes (1 can)

Instructions 

• SAUTE The Bacon and Sausage. Press the SAUTE button so it selects "More" and wait until the display says "Hot" and then pour in 1 Tablespoon oil. When the oil is hot, add the 8 ounces of sliced andouille sausage and 8 slices of bacon that have been chopped and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 or 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the bacon and sausage to a paper towel covered plate and set aside temporarily.
• SAUTE The Onion and Garlic. Add the chopped onion and cook in the fat from the bacon and sausage for about 3 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon of minced garlic and stir for about 1 minute. Press CANCEL to stop the SAUTE function.
• DEGLAZE The Pot. Pour in about 1/2 cup water and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove the brown bits from sticking to the bottom. This accomplishes 2 things: 1) It adds flavor to the broth, and 2) It prevents the food from sticking to the bottom of the pot and helps to prevent receiving a BURN Message from the Instant Pot. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.
• Add the Rest of Ingredients IN THIS ORDER. 1) Add the browned sausage and bacon back in the pot. 2) Then pour in 4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth, and 3) add 3 bay leaves, 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional if you want it a little spicy). 4) Add in the dried black eyed peas and 5) add the stewed tomatoes last. DO NOT STIR.
• Pressure Cook. Close and lock the lid, move the pressure release valve to the SEALING position. For NON-SOAKED Black Eyed Peas, press PRESSURE COOK and HIGH PRESSURE and use the + or - buttons to select 20 minutes. For SOAKED Black Eyed Peas, press PRESSURE COOK and HIGH PRESSURE and use the + or - buttons to select 10 minutes. NOTE: The display will show "On" while the Instant Pot is coming up to pressure, which can take about 10 minutes. After it has come to pressure, and starts to pressure cook, the display will change to count down the minutes of pressure cooking.
• Natural Release 15 Minutes. After the Instant Pot has finished pressure cooking, it will beep and the display will change to read L and start counting up. DO NOTHING and let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally, called a NATURAL RELEASE, for 15 minutes. After a Natural Release of 15 minutes, do a QUICK RELEASE, by carefully moving the pressure release valve to the VENTING position to release any remaining pressure.
• Open The Lid And Serve. After the pin drops and the pressure has been fully released, turn and open the lid. Remove the bay leaves and stir the black eyed peas. Serve with collard greens, cabbage, rice or cornbread.

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Notes

• I made this recipe in a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo-60.

Tips And Tricks For Perfect Black Eyed Peas In An Instant Pot

1. Layer the ingredients in the order specified in the recipe. This is important in an Instant Pot because it needs a think liquid like water or broth at the bottom of the pot to come up to pressure.
2. What Happens If I Don't Layer The Ingredients In The Specified Order?  Then the food could burn on the bottom of the Inner Liner pot and you could receive a "Burn Notice." To avoid this, be sure you have enough liquid in the bottom of the Instant Pot and layer the ingredients in the order specified in the recipe.
3. What If I Don’t Have An Instant Pot, Can I Make Black Eyed Peas On The Stove? Yes. You can make this in a Dutch oven on the stove. Cook the sausage and bacon, remove any excess fat, and add the onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Then add the minced garlic and cook for a minute while stirring. Add back the sausage, bacon, all chicken broth, black eyed peas, stewed tomatoes, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper, and cayenne (optional). Simmer on low for 1 hour 15 minutes.

What Do I Serve With Black Eyed Peas?

• Instant Pot Pulled Pork
• Fried Cabbage with Bacon
• Homemade Buttermilk cornbread
• Chocolate cake. 

More Southern Instant Pot Recipes

• Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
• Instant Pot Chicken And Dumplings
• Instant Pot Beef Stew

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 1014mg | Potassium: 929mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 278IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 6mg