Creamy Southern Black Eyed Peas (Instant Pot + Stovetop!)
The best Southern Style Black-Eyed Peas recipe you’ve been looking for. Incredibly flavorful, creamy, and chock-full of richness. These soul food, black-eyed peas cook up in the Instant Pot for easy, no-soak quickness! Tender smoked turkey pieces, aromatics, cajun spices, and perfect black-eyed peas. This is the only recipe you need for southern comfort, gatherings, and beyond. Stovetop notes provided!

Coming back to Southern-inspired recipes will always be one of my deepest loves, y’all. Forever in lust with all things that have soul, depth, and rich history behind it. Listen, I’m so hype to be focusing more and more on these types of recipes. And today, we’re getting into these southern black-eyed peas! I know some folks either love ’em or hate ’em, not sure if there is a middle ground, ha!
Southern Style Black-Eyed Peas 🙌🏾
First, have you ever had them before? Black eyed peas have a very prominent presence when it comes to holidays such as New Year’s Day. However, they hold a large significance in culinary history, specifically in southern cooking. You can enjoy black eyed peas cooked regularly or you can have something far more magical. Yup, and that’s southern style for top tier, lip-smacking goodness!
What makes this recipe Southern? These black-eyed peas have big, bold flavor! There’s no watered down, unseasoned nonsense going on here…I’m just being straight up with ya. These peas are rich, creamy, and hearty with so much depth. When it comes to the best black-eyed peas, this recipe is the ONE!
⇢ Southern faves: the best collard greens, my cabbage and sausage, cozy smothered pork chops, classic baked mac and cheese, and sweet potato pie.
A Little About These Peas & More
Black-eyed peas, despite their name, are technically classified as a legume and not peas. However, both peas and beans are considered to be legumes because of their edible seeds/pods. Black-eyed peas originated in West Africa and made its way over to the West Indies and then to the American South (Lowcountry region and Sea Islands of the Carolinas as well as Georgia) via enslaved people.
These same enslaved Africans planted these peas in gardens as they were considered an economical type of fare. During the Civil War, these peas were often eaten in soups and stews while also being used to feed animals on the farm. Fast forward to today, black-eyed peas have maintained their status in the Black community as well as a beloved tradition in the South.
What You’ll Need For This Recipe
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card directly below.)
- Oil: I often use olive oil for sautéing the aromatics. However, sometimes I use rendered bacon fat or duck fat, too. Those will add more flavor and depth!
- Veggies: You’ll need an onion, bell pepper, and celery– aka the Cajun/Creole trinity! This is the aromatic base that gives these peas extra oomph.
- Jalapeño: Almost every dish (in my opinion) needs a touch of heat. I use one small jalapeño to give this dish just that. You can use a few dashes of hot sauce in place of or leave it out entirely if you’re sensitive to heat.
- Garlic: No explanation needed…garlic is #bae, garlic is life!
- Seasonings: You’ll need bay leaves and cajun seasoning. This type of seasoning is a blend that contains salt, red pepper, black pepper, garlic, and more. Brands such as, Slap Ya Mama or Tony Chachere’s, stay in my kitchen pantry.
- Worcestershire: This condiment adds big flavor for soups/stew-like recipes.
- Smoked meat: This is what makes these black-eyed peas southern in nature. The addition of smoked meat provides a heartiness and extra-filling richness. I use smoked turkey wings for my peas, but you can also use smoked ham hock, salt pork, cooked bacon pieces, or any other smoked turkey (neck/legs).
- Black-eyed peas: Duh. I like to sort through them beforehand and give ’em a nice lil rinse for good measure. The reason for this is because sometimes you’ll find little scraggly odds + ends in your peas, and the rinsing of the peas is purely to make sure there’s no goop/debris stuck on them.
- Chicken broth/stock: Flavor on flavor! This is one of the elements that makes this recipe so delicious, they’re not cooked in water. I like to use low-sodium because the cajun seasoning will give us plenty of salty vibes already.
How To Make Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas
(Note: please see the recipe card directly below for the complete written instructions.)
>> This recipe whips up super-fast thanks to the good ole Instant Pot!
- Sauté the veggies. Set the IP to the sauté function and cook the onion, celery, bell pepper, and jalapeño mixture until translucent and tender.
- Add in the garlic. Toss in the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add in the remaining flavors. Then add in the bay leaves, cajun seasoning, worcestershire, smoked turkey pieces, black eyed peas, and chicken stock. Stir everything together to combine and lock the lid in place.
- Pressure cook. Set the IP to the pressure cook function and set the timer to 35 minutes. After the cooking cycle completes, allow all the pressure to naturally release in the vent function.
- Tear the meat. Take the meat out of the pot and let cool down for a few minutes. Then shred the meat off the bones and toss back into the pot.
- Stir the peas. The mixture will be more brothy at first, but as you stir, the peas will thicken and take on a creamier consistency.
- Serve. Taste the black-eyed peas and season with more cajun seasoning to desired preference, if you’d like. Serve immediately with fresh chopped parsley, white rice and/or cornbread, if desired. Enjoy!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ♡
First, these southern style black eyed peas are simply amazing, chefs kiss! 😛 The flavors, textures, and taste are all on point >> this one is soul food scrumptiousness, mmm. Furthermore, beans and peas are one of my favorite things to make in the Instant Pot; the cooking time is reduced, and they come out perfect. It’s the best side dish to serve right alongside your main entrees, but also hearty enough to enjoy as a light meal on its own.
How To Serve These Black-Eyed Peas
You can enjoy these peas as is after cooking. However, I love to serve them up with some white rice on top (as pictured)! Serving this way is very much reminiscent of what’s called Hoppin’ John, which is mainly a black-eyed pea dish with rice, smoked meat, and spices. It gives these peas some extra razzle dazzle and a more fulling feeling. All in all, serve them however you desire!
Are Black-Eyed Peas Healthy?
Yes! Black-eyed peas have a ton of health benefits and hold plenty nutritional value as well. They are an excellent source of protein, fiber, folate, potassium, and calcium to name a few. Many of these benefits come from just one cup of cooked peas, too! Additionally, they even help to improve digestion, prevent anemia, lower blood pressure, and improve skin/eye health as well. For more health-related information from registered dietitians, check out this and this.
Can I Make This Recipe On The Stovetop?
If you do not have a pressure cooker, no worries. You can still make this recipe!
⇢ First, you need to soak your peas. You can choose two different kinds of soaking methods. Cover the peas with cold water in a large bowl and let them soak overnight. For a faster soak alternative, bring about 6-7 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Then add in the peas and remove the pot from heat. Let the peas soak in the hot water for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
After soaking, drain off the water from the peas and set them aside. At this point you will basically follow the exact steps in the recipe card, below, apart from cooking everything in a large dutch oven or stock pot on the stove.
After bringing everything together, cover the pot with a lid, and the cooking time on the stove will be about 45 minutes to 1 hour long (or until the peas are tender) over medium heat. Be sure to go back to the pot every so often to check on and stir the peas. If at any point that you see the pot needs more liquid to prevent sticking, simply add in more stock/broth or water.
*Full stovetop instructions provided in recipe card! ♡
Black-Eyed Peas & Southern Traditions
For years and years, specifically in the South; eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a symbol of calling in good luck. There are even some tales of folks cooking their peas with either a dime or penny inside the pot, ha! It’s supposedly a way to up the good luck vibes and whoever finds the coin in their bowl will have the best luck! Lol. Also, combining your peas with collard greens represents money (green) for a financially prosperous year as well.
I eat my peas, greens, and cornbread (represents gold) almost every single year, y’all. It’s a time-honored, Southern tradition that dates back to centuries.
Cannot wait for you to try these southern black-eyed peas, I just know you’re gonna enjoy them! Don’t forget to tag @butterbeready in all your recipe remakes, I always love to see it when you do. Until next time, peeps! 🤟🏾
PrintCreamy Southern Black Eyed Peas (Instant Pot + Stovetop!)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Southern
Description
The best Southern Style Black-Eyed Peas recipe you’ve been looking for. Incredibly flavorful, creamy, and chock-full of richness. These soul food, black-eyed peas cook up in the Instant Pot for easy, no-soak quickness! Tender smoked turkey pieces, aromatics, cajun spices, and perfect black-eyed peas. This is the only recipe you need for southern comfort, gatherings, and beyond. Stovetop notes provided!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil- bacon grease/duck fat as substitute
- 1 large white onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
- 1 small jalapeño, seeds discarded and finely diced
- 6 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2–3 teaspoons cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire
- 1 lb smoked turkey wings- smoked ham hock as substitute
- 1 lb (16 ounces) dried black-eyed peas, sorted and rinsed
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- freshly chopped parsley, as garnish- optional
for serving
- cooked white rice and/or cornbread- optional
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to the “sauté” function for 7 minutes. Coat the bottom of the pot with the oil. Once the oil is shimmering; toss in the onion, bell pepper, celery, and jalapeño mixture. Cook the aromatics together until tender, stirring frequently, about 6-7 minutes.
- Toss in the garlic and continue cooking for another 1 minute.
- Add the bay leaves, cajun seasoning, worcestershire, smoked meat, black-eyed peas, and chicken stock into the pot. Stir everything together to combine and place the lid onto the pot to lock in place.
- Set the Instant Pot to the “manual” or “pressure cook” function and set the timing to 35 minutes. After the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally in the “vent” position for about 7-10 minutes or until all the steam has ceased.
- Unlock the lid and remove the smoked meat from the pot, set aside to cool down for a few minutes before handling. Stir the mixture together. Then back to the meat, use two forks or your hands (fitted with disposable gloves, if desired) to tear the meat off the bones into bite-sized pieces. Add the pieces of meat back into the pot.
- Stir everything together to fully combine, then remove the bay leaves from the pot. At this stage, the mixture will look very brothy. Use a potato masher to break up some of the peas, just a few strokes is all that’s needed. This will break down some of the peas which will result in the mixture taking on a creamier consistency- stir to combine.
- Taste the peas and season with more cajun seasoning, if desired. Serve immediately with a garnish of freshly chopped parsley and cooked white rice or cornbread for extra comforting vibes. Enjoy!
Stovetop Instructions:
- First, you need to soak your peas. You can choose two different kinds of soaking methods. Cover the peas with cold water in a large bowl and let them soak overnight. For a faster soak alternative, bring about 6-7 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Then add in the peas and remove the pot from heat. Let the peas soak in the hot water for 30 minutes to 1 hour. After soaking, drain off the water from the peas and set them aside.
- At this point you will basically follow the exact steps written above, apart from cooking everything in a large dutch oven or stock pot on the stove. Sauté the aromatics over medium heat (steps 1-2).
- After bringing everything together (in step 3), cover the pot with a lid. The cooking time on the stove will be about 45 minutes to 1 hour long (or until the peas are tender) over medium heat. Be sure to go back to the pot every so often to check on and stir the peas. If at any point you see the pot needs more liquid to prevent sticking or is evaporating too quickly, simply add in a splash more stock/broth or water. Reduce heat to medium-low, if needed.
- Remove smoked meat and tear the meat off the bones. Add pieces of meat back into pot and stir to combine. Use a potato masher to break up some of the peas, just a few strokes is all that’s needed. This will break down some of the peas which will result in the mixture taking on a creamier consistency- stirring to combine.
- Taste the peas and season with more cajun seasoning, if desired.
Notes
- For cajun seasonings, I use Slap Ya Mama or Tony Chachere’s.
- For best recipe success, please read the blog post & notes in its entirety with video tutorial before beginning.
Keywords: black eyed peas, instant pot black eyed peas, instant pot beans, creamy black eyed peas, southern black eyed peas
29 Comments on “Creamy Southern Black Eyed Peas (Instant Pot + Stovetop!)”
Do not hesitate try the recipe you won’t regret it it’s amazing!!! Perfect comfort food, so easy yet so satisfying!
★★★★★
Hi Caroline- thanks for leaving this review, so glad you enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
We lived in Canada, Vancouver Island for years. And I would be able to find “Black Eye Peas” easier in the stores then when we lived in So. Calif. My husband, born & raised in Canada, loves them too; lucky me! Thanks for your recipe & story. We have them on N.Years day every year! Connie Dunfield
This recipe is PHENOMENAL!
My 6 yr old grandson scarfed down 2 bowls and was licking the bowl!! My husband, who “doesn’t like beans” loved it and said it was fantastic!
I didn’t add the jalapeño. I would’ve loved it but knew everyone else in my house couldn’t take the heat!
Mine came out way more soupy and did not thicken up, but it didn’t matter much! Lol
But I’d like to figure it out next time.
So this time I added a little sour cream to get a little more creaminess to it.
This is a new permanent recipe for our family!
★★★★★
Hi Kris- so glad you all enjoyed these peas! Quick note on the thickness: did you mash up the peas? That helps tremendously to thicken the mixture 🙂
These turned out great, thank you for this recipe! The pressure cooker makes it so easy. Do you think I could freeze the leftovers? Might save some for New Years. 😀
★★★★★
Hi there- So glad you enjoyed the recipe! You can store leftovers in an airtight container and freeze for about 3-4 months 🙂
This recipe is delicious and decadent. So warm and filling. I followed this recipe almost to the t(I added smoked beef sausage and some roasted chicken and roasted garlic better than bouillon) and it came out amazing. A very cost efficient meal and I am so glad for this recipe and adding it to my repertoire.
★★★★★
Hi Monique- Love to hear how you made this recipe your own with the swaps and so glad you enjoyed! 🙂
Hi, if using bacon, do I add it in raw or cook it first ? THANK YOU!
Hi there- I recommend cooking the bacon first 🙂
I don’t have an instant pot,.could I make this recipe in a crock pot? Looks amazing!! 😋
Hi there- Yes, you could…just add all ingredients into your crock pot (no need to presoak peas)…cook on high for about 7 hrs. Be sure to follow my notes on mashing for creamier peas 🙂
Hi! any other recommendations for smoked meat that is easy to get your hands on? Would a smoked sausage work?
★★★★★
Hi Nicole- you could try using bacon (cooked/crumbled prior) or andouille sausage (or any other smoked sausage)- lmk if you try! 🙂
Do you soak the peas before cooking them or just put dried peas in?
Nope, no need to soak peas for the instant pot.
I’m in the grocery store right now and found this recipe. Are there any changes for using fresh black-eyes peas instead of dry? Thank you! Can’t wait to try this!
★★★★★
Hi there- hmmm, I typically only use dried peas…fresh peas are already cooked, so perhaps combining all ingredients together and simmer (via stovetop and not instant pot)- lmk if you try! 🙂
What size instant pot do you use. I have a 6 quart ip and I’m worried it’s too small for this recipe
Hi there- No worries, I also have a 6-quart instant pot 👍🏾
This was DELICIOUS, thank you!
Used a ham hock in lieu of the turkey wing. We added some pan fried pancetta so that is the fat/grease we used. I had no intention of adding rice since this was a side dish, but your lovely picture inspired me to add a small scoop on top of each serving when plating.
Perfect new year’s day side dish and everyone loved it. Happy 2023!
★★★★★
Hi Claire- Love hearing how you made the recipe your own with the pancetta addition, and so glad everyone loved these peas…happy new year! 🙂
Quin, this recipe was perfectly delicious 😋. I made it in the instant pot & followed the directions step by step. The compliments just kept on coming, bite after bite. I will definitely be making this recipe again & again. So grateful for you & your culinary wizardry 🙏🏾🙏🏾 Happy New Year!!
★★★★★
Hi Yani, this feedback truly makes me so dang happy, glad y’all enjoyed the recipe, happiest new year! 🙂
Better than my grandma’s…but don’t tell her! 😉
★★★★★
Hi Dena- Haha that’s a big compliment, so glad you enjoyed the recipe! 🙂
This recipe is absolutely amazing! I made it the other week using smoked turkey legs but want to try it again with andouille sausage. Would you recommend putting in the andouille when I add the turkey legs or does that not work as well in the instant pot?
Hi Carrie- Glad you enjoyed the recipe! Yeah, you could use andouille along with the smoked meat. Not entirely required but I do recommend browning the andouille prior to adding it in! 🙂