Instant pot black eyed peas (Soaked & Dried)

Craving perfectly tender black-eyed peas without the wait? This Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas recipe makes cooking soaked peas quick and effortless. Let me guide you through the easiest way to prepare this versatile dish!

With this recipe, you can cook dried or soaked black-eyed peas and use them to make easy and quick meals.

What are Black-eyed peas?

Black-eyed peas, also called cowpeas, are common legumes that grow around the globe at all times. These are a staple in both Indian and South American cuisine.

Eating black-eyed beans on New Year's Day is considered a Southern American tradition.

Ingredients

Black-eyed peas: You can use any black-eyed peas (red or white) in this recipe. Unlike kidney beans and chickpeas, as these are small in size, they can be cooked quickly. Though soaking is optional, I always soak the peas. Soaking black-eyed peas will drastically reduce cooking times.

Water: I used plain water, but you can cook them in vegetable broth or chicken broth to flavor the black-eyed peas. A simple bay leaf or an inch Kombu can also season the black-eyed peas.

Salt: Salt is optional. Usually, salt will hinder the cooking process for beans and legumes, and we should add salt at almost the end of cooking time. But as black-eyed peas cook quickly, I add salt to this recipe. Salt will flavor the beans, and they taste good in salad. You can even snack on them as it is.

Flavoring agents: Onion, garlic, bay leaf, and kombu can be used to flavor black-eyed peas. Add whole onion or garlic while pressure cooking the peas and discard them.

Instructions

• Soak the black-eyed peas for 4 to 6 hours. Though soaking is optional, I usually soak my black-eyed beans.
• Wash the soaked or dried black-eyed peas a couple of times and add them to the Instant pot inner pot.

• Then add water and salt and close the Instant pot with its lid. Seal the pressure valve. Use 2 cups of water for soaked peas and 3 cups of water for dried black-eyed peas.

• Soaked black-eyed peas: Pressure cook for 4-5 minutes on High Pressure and allow 10 minutes natural pressure release.
  Dried black-eyed peas: Pressure cook for 12-14 minutes on High Pressure with natural pressure release for best texture.
• Once the Instant pot finishes cooking, wait for 10 minutes and manually release the pressure.

• Strain the cooked peas, and the Instant pot black-eyed peas are ready to use in any recipe. And you can use the reserved water in other recipes like soups & curries.

Pressure Cooking Times & Water Ratio

Black-eyed peas 1 cup	Water	Cooking time
Soaked	2 cups	5 minutes high pressure
Dried	3 cups	14 minutes high pressure

Recipe Notes

• For soaking peas, use 3 cups of water for every 1 cup dry black-eyed peas.
• Do not soak the black-eyed peas for more than 10 hours. Peas will start fermenting. Soak them in the refrigerator if you want to soak them for more than 8 to 10 hours.
• Before cooking, you can store the soaked peas in the fridge for a couple of days. So as a meal prep option, you can soak them on the weekend, drain water and store it in the refrigerator.
• Once you cook the black-eyed peas, you can store them in the fridge for about two days. You can keep them in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
• If cooking the black-eyed peas using a stovetop pressure cooker, cook them for four whistles. It will take around 15 minutes.
• This is naturally a vegan and gluten-free recipe.

Serving suggestions

You can serve cooked black-eyed beans in many ways. Easily replace canned black-eyed peas with these cooked black-eyed peas in any recipe. Here are some delicious ways to use these Instant Pot black-eyed peas.

• Add them to salads. Check my black-eyed peas salad recipe to know all the salad variations you can make with these peas.
• You can add black-eyed peas to any curry recipe. You can easily replace chickpeas and kidney beans in any curry recipe with these black-eyed peas. 
• Toss some olive oil, ground black pepper, salt, and cooked black-eyed peas, and serve it as a snack.
• Mash the cooked black-eyed peas, season them, and use them as a sandwich filling.
• Though the color might be a little odd, you can make hummus with black-eyed peas. Throw some cooked carrots or beets into the hummus to make it bright.

Checkout my black-eyed pea recipes to know more ideas to use the cooked black-eyed peas.

Storage

Cooked black-eyed peas keep well for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. If you intend to use it for more days, freeze them.

Divide the black-eyed peas into individual portion sizes and freeze them. In this way, you can thaw the required amount and use them immediately. And do not freeze the thawed peas again. You have to use them immediately.

If the refrigerated peas smell bad or you can see mold on them, discard them.

FAQ

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