Treat yourself to a hearty bowl of INSTANT POT BLACK EYED PEAS made in just a few minutes. A wonderful way to give your leftover turkey a new life without all the kitchen mess. Let this flavorful dish simmer and cook while you enjoy some rest.
After a long and tiring day, all I want to do is prepare a hassle-free dish for my family. There are so many ways to prepare black-eyed peas, from Hoppin’ John to Akra, it’s so hard to choose! Luckily, this Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas recipe takes all the hassle away. It basically cooks itself!
Who says that instant pots were only made for meaty dishes?
This versatile Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas perfectly utilizes leftover proteins. My favorite part about this dish is that you can pair it with any carbs or enjoy it as it is!
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Not to be confused with the hip-hop group, black-eyed peas are legumes that you can find around the world. It’s a popular ingredient in making southern soul food. Trust me, you can’t miss this in the grocery because of its iconic black spot contrasting its pale body.
Cooking this ingredient in an instant pot is quite easy and efficient if you ask me. It normally takes longer to cook and soften which the instant pot can take care of for you. The instant pot makes your life easier with its automatic sensor and food presets.
The great thing about this ingredient is that it cooks well along with other meats. You can throw in some leftover ham or turkey or some fresh cut meats and it’ll totally end up great!
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Recipe
It’s amazing how fast a few basic ingredients can turn into a hearty and lovely dish. What’s even more amazing is how hassle-free this dish is made because of the instant pot.
No need to worry about overcooking and turning the whole dish mushy because it’s all automatic.
All you have to think about is what flavors and ingredients you can mix and match in the pot. Here are the ingredients I used for this black-eyed peas recipe for your reference.
- Black Eyed Peas
- Bacon Slices (Check my Oven Baked Bacon HERE)
- Smoked Turkey or Sausage
- Onion
- Celery
- Minced Garlic
- Jalapenos
- Minced Thyme
- Bay Leaf
- Creole seasoning (Check this easy Homemade Creole Seasoning Recipe HERE for the complete process)
- Paprika (Optional, if you want a smoky kick)
- Collard Greens
- Salt and pepper to taste
These are just a handful of ingredients you can use for this dish. Personally, I encourage you to add your own twist to this recipe and let me know how it works out. I also tweaked it sometimes and I have a few recommendations below.
Alternative Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are quite simple and are readily available in some grocery stores. However, I do understand that you might want to change some of the ingredients to fit your diet. So here are some ingredient alternatives that will give you a similar taste to this Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas.
Total Veggies
If you’re not into bacon, sausages, and poultry, you can change it to a more vegan-friendly alternative. Shitake Mushrooms are an amazing alternative for these meats and they have a natural earthy flavor perfect for the dish. It’s also great at carrying spices and seasoning for that meat-like taste.
Controlling the Spice Levels
Jalapenos are an essential part of this dish as it brings just the right kick of heat. However, if you have a different heat tolerance, you can change the type of pepper you’re going to use. If you want a hotter experience, I suggest using a scotch bonnet pepper. Want to tone it down a bit? Try using poblano or ancho peppers instead.
Toning Down the Flavor
If you find this being too flavorful for your taste, I have just the right trick for you! Get a potato and peel it, cut it into quarts or halves and place it in the pot. Let it simmer for around 10 minutes and you’ll notice that the potatoes will have absorbed the excess flavors. An easy remedy you can use for other dishes too.
What to Serve with Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas?
Finding a good pair for this black-eyed peas dish is really easy. The taste profile of this dish pairs well with many easy recipes because of its versatile ingredients. I highly suggest trying these pairings out for yourself.
More Flavorful Bean Recipes
- Red Beans and Rice
- Southern Homemade Baked Beans
- Caribbean Rice and Beans
- Red Red (African Stewed Black Eyed Peas)
How to Cook Black Eyed Peas in an Instant Pot
Set Instant Pot to SAUTE. Once hot, add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Add turkey or sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove bacon and sausage mixture, set aside. Add onion, celery, garlic, jalapeno, thyme, bay leaf, and sauté 1-2 minutes or longer.
Add broth and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in black-eyed peas and collard greens and bacon and sausage. Season with creole seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes:
Press the PRESSURE COOK button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time. Note that it takes about 10 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. (During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.) Let it release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. And then manually release the rest of the pressure. Set to sauté mode and adjust to the correct consistency. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and season with creole seasoning and salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with rice.
Watch How To Make It
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Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
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Ingredients
- 1 pound (453 g) black eyed peas
- 4 - 5 slices bacon , chopped
- 1 cup smoked sausage or turkey, diced
- 1 large onion , diced
- 1 stalk celery , diced
- 2 - 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 jalapenos , minced (optional) replace with cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme , minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups or more collard greens , substitute with kale
- 1-2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika , optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to SAUTE. Once hot, add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Add turkey or sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove bacon and sausage mixture, set aside.
- Add onion, celery, garlic, jalapeno, thyme, bay leaf, and sauté 1-2 minutes or longer.
- Add broth and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in black-eyed peas and collard greens and bacon and sausage. Season with creole seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes: Press the PRESSURE COOK button, making sure the “High Pressure” setting is selected, and set the time. Note that it takes about 10 minutes for the pot to “preheat” and come up to pressure before it starts cooking. (During cooking, avoid touching the metal part of the lid.)
- Let it release pressure naturally for 10 minutes. And then manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Set to sauté mode and adjust to the correct consistency.
- Remove the bay leaf. Taste and season with creole seasoning and salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with rice.
Tips & Notes:
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Traci B says
Going to make this tomorrow. Do I need to soak them?
Imma says
Hi Traci. No you don’t if you are using an instant pot.
Simone Cooper says
Are these dried black-eyed peas, or canned? If dried, did you pre-soak them?
Simone Cooper says
Ah, I figured out it was for dried black-eyed peas. The recipe came out rich and amazing! I didn’t have sausage, so I used extra bacon at the start and a bit of extra spice. Delicious. Another great recipe!
Edna says
Love this, please keep posting more instant pot recipes. Thank you
Aziza says
Thank you for this recipe! I’m trying this in a couple days for New Years and I’m excited. Making a vegan option and wondering if 6 cups of collards would be too much?
ImmaculateBites says
It definitely wouldn’t be . Enjoy!