Instant Pot Black-eyed Peas and Ham

Instant pot black-eyed peas and ham is the perfect dish to make for good luck on New Year’s Day, and pressure cooking makes it so easy!

This is my favorite way to make dried black eyed peas, and we make these all times of the year.

They make a terrific side dish that is mostly hands off. And if you want a vegan/ meat-free version, I include instructions for that as well.

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. See my full affiliate disclosure policy here.

The dry beans in the bulk section at Sprouts totally caught my eye. They were practically begging to be thrown in my Instant Pot(Amazon affiliate) with our leftover Christmas ham!

After I made them in my pressure cooker and saw how easy it was, I knew I had to share it on the blog. I mean, water plus three ingredients?! Dump it all in and press a few buttons…it doesn’t get much easier than that.

Basic recipes like this with simple ingredients are really are the most used in our house. Also, if you can’t get enough pressure cooking, check out all my Instant Pot recipes here.

How to make Instant Pot black eyed peas

First, gather your ingredients.

Ingredients

For Instant Pot black eyed peas, you will need the following:

• Dried black eyed peas
• Better than bullion ( I used the vegetable base, but chicken base works too)
• water
• leftover ham, diced – optional

For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to. You can use vegetable broth or vegetable stock in place of the bullion + water. Just use equal cups of broth to replace the cups of water (and bullion).

To soak or not soak?

I made mine from dried (not soaked) black-eyed peas. Fresh ones may not need as much cooking time.

If you have a ham hock, that would be perfect for this. Or you can use diced ham like I did here.

Adding black eyed peas to the Instant Pot

Making this recipe is super simple! Just add all ingredients to the pot, close and lock the lid, turn the lever to sealing position and start your pressure cooking cycle.

How long to cook dried black eyed peas in the Instant Pot

For tender, soft peas cook for 30 minutes on high pressure, plus 30 minutes of natural release (plus extra time to come up to pressure). This timing has worked for me dozens of times. If the Instant Pot is still sealed after 30 minutes of natural release, you can manually release any remaining pressure.

However! Some factors can cause you to need more time, such as the age of the dried peas. And honestly, you have no way of knowing this most of the time. 🤷🏼‍♀️ This recipe is adaptable, though.

The great thing about the instant pot is that it is super easy to put the lid back on and cook a few extra minutes, if needed.👌🏻

How to make vegan black-eyed peas

This recipe is super easy to modify for the vegetarians/ vegans in your life. We make it like this all the time, actually, and we are omnivores. So you know it tastes good. 👌🏻

Use the same cook time, leave out the ham (duh!😜), and use 2 tablespoons of Better than Bullion vegetable base. Alternatively, you could use chicken stock or vegetable broth/ stock.

What to serve with black-eyed peas

Here are some main dish serving suggestions that go great with black-eyed peas.

• Sliced ham or turkey
• Baked chicken breast
• Air fryer chicken breasts
• Slow cooker pot roast
• Mushroom chicken
• Air fryer salmon
• Easy grilled chicken breasts
• Instant Pot chicken thighs (make the peas first, and let them sit covered while you cook the chicken)
• Instant Pot chicken breasts (make the peas first, and let them sit covered while you cook the chicken)
• Cajun shrimp and grits

I wanted y’all to have this in time for New Year. I hope you enjoy them. Happy 2020!

Instant Pot Black-eyed Peas and Ham Recipe

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4.74 from 19 votes

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Instant Pot Black-eyed peas and Ham

Instant pot black-eyed peas and ham is the perfect dish to make for New Years Day, and pressure cooking makes it so easy!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword instant pot black eyed peas

Prep Time 2 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 22 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 186 kcal

Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas (rinsed, but not pre-soaked)
• 6.5 cups stock (chicken, ham or vegetable – I used 6.5 cups water, plus 2 Tablespoons Better Than Bullion Chicken Base)
• 5 ounces diced ham

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot, place the lid on and lock it.

2. Cook for 30 minutes at high manual pressure. (Note: It will take a little while to come to pressure)

3. Allow the pot to release naturally. Mine took about 30 minutes, FYI.

4. Salt and pepper to taste. (Note: Mine did not need any salt since the ham and the Better Than Bullion was so salty.)

Recipe Notes

I like my black-eyed peas really soft and well-done, with a few falling apart. These were perfect for me! If you like yours more firm, reduce cook time by a few minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Black-eyed peas and Ham

Amount Per Serving

Calories 186 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Fat 2g3%

Cholesterol 10mg3%

Sodium 345mg15%

Potassium 556mg16%

Carbohydrates 27g9%

Fiber 4g17%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 14g28%

Vitamin A 20IU0%

Vitamin C 0.8mg1%

Calcium 45mg5%

Iron 3.5mg19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.