Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas are so tender and flavorful made with bacon and garlic! No soaking needed in this easy pressure cooker recipe. Perfect black eyed peas in less than an hour, and they couldn’t be simpler to make.
I love making beans in an Instant Pot because it’s always so fast and tender, much like my Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup!
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Whether you’re celebrating the new year or just satisfying a craving, this Instant Pot black eyed peas recipe always hits the spot! Thanks to the pressure cooker, you can have perfectly tender black eyed peas with tons of bacon flavor ready in under an hour. No soaking required!
If you’re not familiar with the Southern tradition, it’s believed to be good luck to eat black eyed peas on New Years Day. Some people believe that black eyed peas symbolize coins, so eating them on the first day of the year can bring forth financial prosperity for the days to come.
Whether it’s all true or not, I’m not sure… What I do know is that you certainly don’t have to twist my arm when it comes to eating this side dish! Made in less than an hour in the Instant Pot, perfectly cooked black eyed peas are made flavorful with bacon, garlic, and just enough salt and pepper to make your mouth water.
Ingredient Notes
Black Eyed Peas – use dried black eyes peas and make sure to rinse them first. No need to soak them though!
Chicken Stock – Store-bought stock will works just fine, I would just recommend you get “low sodium” or “no salt added.” However, I like to keep some Homemade Chicken Stock on hand when I can just to give all of my recipes the best flavor.
Bacon – I like to use regular pork bacon for the best flavor. It releases a good amount of fat while cooking, which flavors the rest of the dish. However, you can certainly use turkey bacon if you’d prefer.
Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves add the very best flavor to this dish.
Seasonings – A simple blend of salt, pepper, and garlic powder is all you need.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
Do you have to soak black eyed peas before cooking?
Before you jump on me for not soaking the beans first, I have to tell you that it truly doesn’t make much of a difference when it comes to cooking time and tenderness.
Over the years, I’ve gotten lazy a few times or simply forgot to soak beans, or peas, or lentils before cooking them. It has not affected my cooking time.
How to Make Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Prepare your ingredients. Rinse peas and set them aside. Dice raw bacon into small pieces.
PRO TIP: Make sure your knife is sharp and bacon is cold to make it easier to cut.
Sauté the bacon. Turn Instant Pot to sauté and let it heat up. Add a little bit of oil to the bottom of the pot and add bacon. Saute bacon until browned. (1)
Add garlic. Smash and mince garlic and add it to the pot. Mix and let it sauté for a few seconds, until fragrant.
Add the peas. Add peas to the pot and mix. (2)
Add everything to the pot. Add water, chicken stock, garlic powder, some salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. Don’t add too much salt since bacon is salty!
Pressure cook the peas. Stir and close the lid and make sure it’s latched. Turn the valve to “seal” and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure cook mode for 30 minutes.
Release the pressure, then serve. Let it do a natural release for 10-15 minutes. Fluff up peas and serve.
PRO TIP: You can also mix the peas and mash a few as you mix to create creamier texture.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, there will be liquid left in the pot after the beans are done but that is actually a good thing. As you mix the beans, some will start to break and mix with the liquid, which will give the side dish a creamy consistency. If you don’t want your side to have too much liquid, you can also use a slotted spoon and strain off some of the liquid.
Keep in mind that many people do prefer the black eyed peas to have some of this flavorful cooking liquid with the beans. When storing the cooked beans, store them with the liquids. They will be even better the next day.
If you soaked your black eyed peas before cooking them, cut the cooking time by about half. So set the cook time on the Instant Pot to 15 minutes but still do the natural release for 10-15 minutes.
No, the cooking time will not change if you double or half the recipe. The cooking time is determined by the size of the food and how long it takes to cook through not the amount of food.
What to Add to the Black Eyed Peas
You can keep this dish simple or add some veggies! You can choose some onions, jalapeños, tomatoes, bell peppers, and/or collard greens to add some more flavor to the beans.
To do that, sauté the veggies with the bacon, when bacon is about half way done, and then proceed with adding beans and finishing as the recipe suggests. You can also add ham, whether it’s leftover ham or ham hock.
Storing and Reheating
Make sure to cool the black eyed peas before you store them. Store them in an airtight food storage container, in the refrigerator, for 4-5 days. Store them with the liquids they were cooked with! This will help with reheating.
Reheat in a pot on stove-top over medium heat or for a few seconds in the microwave.
Keep in mind that you can easily freeze cooked black eyed peas.
Enjoy More of the Best Instant Pot Recipes
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Instant Pot Black Eye Peas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 16 oz bacon
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 lb dry black eyed peas (1 lb bag usually has 2-2 1/4 cups of peas)
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse peas and set them aside.
- Dice raw bacon into small pieces. Make sure your knife is sharp and bacon is cold to make it easier to cut.
- Turn Instant Pot to Saute and let it heat up. Add a little bit of oil to the bottom of the pot and add bacon. Saute bacon until browned.
- Smash and mince garlic and add it to the pot. Mix and let is sauté for a few seconds, until fragrant.
- Add peas to the pot and mix.
- Add water, chicken stock, garlic powder, some salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. (Don't add too much salt since bacon is salty.)
- Stir and close the lid and make sure it’s latched. Turn the valve to “seal” and set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure cook mode for 30 minutes.
- Let it do a natural release for 10-15 minutes.
- Fluff up peas and serve. You can also mix the peas and mash a few as you mix to create creamier texture.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in December, 2018.
Michelle says
This is a great recipe!! Easy Peasey! My first time cooking dried black eyed peas in instant pot. Made these today for New Year good luck and it’s a keeper recipe for sure. Thank you for this yummy, easy version. Simple to customize to your taste.
LyubaB says
I am so glad it turned out well for you!
Yrret says
So delicious! We love them just like this. No onion, no garlic. Great for a chili night with cornbread! One of our favorites.❣️
LyubaB says
I am so happy you liked the recipe! 🙂
Brad says
so easy and delicious!
i toss a couple of smoked turkey parts (neck, wing, drumstick… pick your poison) in place of the bacon… 🤌🏾
LyubaB says
Yum! I am sure that is good!
Sara says
Delicious. My family loved them and it was easy! I only used 5 slices of bacon.
LyubaB says
So glad you liked it, Sara!
Lynn says
Excellent, my family loved it with ham, and cornbread. So easy , delicious!
LyubaB says
So glad it was a hit, Lynn!
Florence says
Served with diced white onion either over rice or cauliflower rice.
Used 2 1/4 cups of soaked peas
3 cups of chicken broth
2 cups of water
One of air fry Turkey wing
Saute in 3 tsp of fat
After cooking too soupy, cook down until a bit thicker about 10 minutes much better
Nick says
Do you know how to adjust the cook time with soaked peas?
LyubaB says
Hi Nick,
You can keep the same cooking time it won’t make much difference.
Chris says
Simple and tasty. They taste just like the ones my Mom I used to make. Will make again.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Chris! I am glad you liked it!