Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas (Southern Style)

Today's recipe for Instant Pot black-eyed peas draws inspiration from the Southern classic that's been adapted for the pressure cooker. Make it for a nutritious weekly dinner or according to Southern traditions, serve this dish on New Year's Day for luck and prosperity.

What Are Black-Eyed-Peas?

As you can guess, we're not talking about music here. Despite their name, black-eyed peas are actually a variety of bean. Also known as cowpeas, they taste similar to regular white beans but have a cute little dark brown 'eye', which is where the name comes from.

In America, it's known as the food of  South and eating black-eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day is considered good luck: the peas symbolize coins and the greens symbolize paper money. 

This Instant Pot recipe is a great rendition of the classic using the black-eyed peas, kale (you can use other greens), bacon and sausage.

Black-Eyed Peas Nutrition

While this cute-looking legume has nothing to do with the Black Eyed Peas band, the little beans are mighty when it comes to nutrition. According to Dr.Axe, the black-eyed peas are great for your gut health (they are probiotics and help to feed that good bacteria), have anti-inflammatory properties, and are full of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Black-eyed peas have a low glycemic index at 38 (compared to say a white potato which is anywhere between 55-100). Black-eyed peas contain mostly complex carbohydrates that supply your body with the carbs it needs for energy without spiking your blood sugar.

All beans require a long time to cook on the stove but with the Instant Pot this process is much quicker and you retain a lot more of those nutrients. Plus, with the addition of leafy greens, peppers and celery, and even though we're using some sausage and bacon for added flavour, you're looking at a balanced, healthy meal.

You can find the full nutritional breakdown for this dish below the recipe.

Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas: Variations

There are many different ways to prepare black-eyed peas. Using our Instant Pot recipe, you can try the following variations:

• Vegetarian/Vegan: Omit sausage and bacon and replace with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms.
• Try adding a little sour cream or regular cream to the finished dish for a decadent, creamy finish.
• Add a tin of chopped tomatoes and replace the Cajun seasoning with Italian dried herbs for a more Mediterranean version of this dish. Or, add a Mexican spice blend together with chopped cilantro for a delicious Tex Mex adaptation.

MORE INSTANT POT RECIPES FOR YOU 

• Instant Pot Collard Greens
• Instant Pot Corn With Cajun Butter & Lime
• Instant Pot Mac & Cheese (Italian-Style)
• Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes
• Instant Pot Green Bean Casserole
• Instant Pot Creamed Beets

Full Recipe

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions, and a nutritional breakdown below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let us know in the comments, and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.

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4.50 from 2 votes

Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas (Southern Style)

With the added flavours from bacon and pork sausages and plenty of veggies, these Instant Pot black-eyed peas are cooked to perfection for a comforting and savory meal.

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Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Servings: 5 servings

Calories: 278kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 rashers bacon thick cut, chopped
• 5-6 oz. pork sausage good-quality, chicken or turkey sausage can also be used
• 1 stalk celery diced
• ½ large bell pepper diced (any colour, or one carrot)
• 3 cloves garlic minced or finely diced
• 2 cups black-eyed peas dry
• 2 teaspoon dried thyme or fresh
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoon Cajun/Creole seasoning like this
• 2 cups or more collard greens or kale roughly diced
• 5 cups chicken broth you can do chicken stock cube and water

To finish:

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice lifts up the dish
• Salt and pepper to taste depends on how salty the bacon and the chicken broth

Instructions

• Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté function key. Add the butter, onions and bacon and sauté for 4-5 minutes. In the meantime, cut away some of the skin from the sausage and squeeze out the ground meat mixture in small chunks.
• Add the pork sausage, celery and bell pepper and stir through. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir through, and press Cancel to stop the Sautéing.
• Pop and lock the lid and set the Instant Pot to Manual, HIGH pressure, for 10 minutes. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will start to build up the pressure and cooking will begin. Once the cooking stops, allow 10 minutes for natural pressure release, then follow with quick release and open the lid.
• Stir in the lemon juice and taste for salt and pepper. You can also add a little cayenne pepper if you like more heat.

Notes

Kale can be used instead of collard greens. Diced ham or ham hock meat can be used instead of bacon.

Nutrition

Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 1171mg | Potassium: 462mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1385IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 3mg

CourseMain

CuisineSouthern

KeywordBlack eyed peas, Comfort Food, Dinner, Legumes, Southern food

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