Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

Black Eyed Peas made with tender shredded pork roast and vegetables are quick and easy to make in the Instant Pot. No soaking is required and this recipe is so flavorful! You can enjoy this Southern black-eyed peas recipe any time of the year, but it’s always a favorite on New Year’s Day.

Why This Recipe Works

There are so many reasons to love these Southern style Instant Pot black eyed peas. Beyond the incredible taste, here are more reasons why you will love this recipe.

• No soaking required. Typically, any time you use dried beans you’ll need to soak them to soften them. Just a quick rinse is all that is needed when using the Instant Pot. From there, the beans will turn out completely soft and moist without being mushy.
• Easy Instant Pot Recipe. Not only can you sear the pork shoulder roast before cooking it for that added boost of flavor and texture, but everything then gets cooked in the same pot. With most slow cookers, you’ll need to sear the meat on the stove first. Why dirty another dish? This, combined with the fact that the cooking time is much shorter when compared to a slow cooker, is why I prefer to cook black-eyed peas in the Instant Pot.
• Versatile Recipe. Unless you’re making a vegetarian or vegan version of the recipe, black-eyed peas are almost always made with pork. I prefer to make mine with a pork shoulder or pork butt roast, but most commonly they are made with ham hocks, bacon, or leftover holiday ham. Serve it as a side dish or the main course!

Ingredients Needed

Exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below. Only a few simple ingredients create this perfect meal.

• dry black-eyed peas
• pork shoulder roast with a bit of vegetable or olive oil to sear it in
• onion, celery, bell pepper, jalapeno (for a little kick), and garlic
• salt, black pepper, and garlic powder
• chicken broth, some hot sauce (like Tobasco) for a bit more of a kick, and some bay leaves

How to Make This Recipe:

If you’re used to making these in a crockpot or on the stove top for hours and hours, this Instant Pot recipe is going to blow your mind. Full and complete instructions can be found in the recipe card below.

Rinse the black-eyed peas

Because you are making this recipe in the Instant Pot, there is no reason to soak them overnight. Simply add them to a colander and rinse. Easy enough.

Sear the pork

Cut the pork into tiny cubes and sear it in oil in the Instant Pot. The trick is to do it in small batches to avoid overcrowding the meat. To get a nice sear, do not turn the meat until the bottom is nice and crispy.

Sear the vegetables

Set that seared meat aside and give your veggies a quick sear. This also helps loosen any of that wonderful meat that got stuck to the bottom.

Pressure cook

You’ll put all of the ingredients except for the peas in the pressure cooker and cook it for about 10 minutes under pressure.

Cook the black eye peas

Release the pressure. Open the lid, add the beans, stir, close the lid, then cook on high pressure for another 15 minutes. Done!

FAQs

Storage and Reheating

Store any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate. Leftovers also freeze extremely well.

To reheat, either microwave on low power, stirring every minute until heated through, or reheat on the stove in a large saucepan over low heat.

If you’ve never made this easy black-eyed peas recipe, I hope you’re willing to start a new tradition with this soul food staple! And if you love the flavor of smoky ham in recipes like this, you’ll surely love my simple leftover ham bean soup, Instant Pot Split Pea Soup, and my navy bean soup with ham hocks.

This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!