Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

These Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas are so easy, vegan, and a classic Southern favorite. With just 3 simple ingredients and no soaking required, make PERFECT black-eyed peas in your pressure cooker every time!

Here in the South, we take our black-eyed peas very seriously, especially on New Year’s Day! Why? We have this tradition: The more you eat, the more luck you’ll have. But, classic southern black-eyed peas are cooked with pork so there tends to be more heart disease instead of luck.

These Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas, however, are different. They’re completely vegan, oil-free, and just as flavorful! I realize “vegan” anything is not usually associated with southern tradition. But, I’ve never been one to follow rules very well.

This is my go-to recipe every year. And, even my meat-eating family members and friends love it. The Instant Pot is the secret weapon in pulling this off. Perfectly cooked black-eyed peas in less than an hour with just 1 pot, 3 ingredients, and best of all, NO SOAKING!

⏲ Cooking Time

Remember, it takes about 10-15 minutes for an Instant Pot to come to pressure. So, be sure and take that into consideration when making this recipe.

🥘 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas:

• Black Eyed Peas: I like to buy the 16-ounce bags right off the shelf because they’re so cheap and already portioned out.
• Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth: You can use water, but the vegetable broth is much better for adding flavor.
• Onion: For texture and flavor.

Now, let’s get to cooking!

🔪 Instructions

Making black-eyed peas in your Instant Pot is extremely easy. In less than an hour, you can be enjoying soft, tender black-eyed peas without absolutely no soaking.

1. Set your Instant Pot to sauté and let it completely heat up. Add in the onions and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.
2. Change the setting to Manual on the Instant Pot. Add in the vegetable broth, the black-eyed peas, and lightly stir to combine everything.
3. Close the lid. Turn the venting knob to the sealing position and set to high pressure for 20 minutes. Once the peas are finished cooking allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Then, simply do a quick release.
4. Remove the lid, season with salt and pepper, stir and serve.

That’s it! A classic southern side dish perfect for celebrating the New Year.

What To Eat With Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

• Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas and collard greens along with some vegan cornbread is a match made in heaven. It’s a delicious and hearty meal for any time of the year.
• Serve these peas over some hearty brown rice or any of your other favorite grains.

💭 Top Tips

• Make-ahead: This is an excellent recipe to prepare in advance because they are always better on day 2. Simply cook as directed, cover, and store in the fridge overnight.
• Meaty texture: Chop up some of Maple Glazed Vegan Ham and toss it in after the black-eyed peas have cooked. You can also add some of my Vegan Bacon Bits.
• Use dry black-eyed peas: This recipe is best if you use dried peas. Frozen peas will basically turn to mush.
• Don’t overcook: Black-eyed peas can turn to mush quickly they are overcooked. This is another reason not to use frozen or canned black-eyed peas.
• Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth: Broth is much better for flavoring than water. One of the best things about black-eyed peas is their hearty and savory flavor. So, they require very little seasoning when cooking. The veggie broth will enhance the taste.
• No soaking: This Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas recipe cooks fast, for a dry beans recipe, and doesn’t require any soaking. It’s one of the beauties of using a pressure cooker.

Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas FAQ

How Do I Make Them On The Stovetop?

It will take twice as long and require a bit more attention. But, it’s still simple.

1. Preheat a large pot and saute the onion.
2. Add the dry peas, 4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the black-eyed peas simmer for about 45 minutes or until cooked to your desired tenderness.

Can I Freeze Them?

Yes! Once the peas have finished cooking, strain them through a colander and place them in cold water to stop the cooking. Then, pack them into freezer containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. You can store Instant Pot Black-Eyed peas in the freezer for up to 9 months. 

How Do I Double The Recipe?

Simply double the ingredients but DO NOT DOUBLE THE COOKING TIME.

More Vegan Instant Pot Recipes

• Easy Instant Pot Cabbage
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes (Vegan)
• Vegan Instant Pot Collard Greens
• Instant Pot Vegan Chili

If you make this amazing pressure cooker black-eyed peas recipe, please leave a comment with a star rating below. I’d really appreciate it. Also, be sure and subscribe to Shane & Simple so you never have to miss a recipe.