The days of soaking black eyed peas overnight and cooking them over the stovetop all day are over.
This recipe for Instant Pot Southern Black Eyed Peas is a quick way to make flavorful black eyed peas with no soaking required! Plus–this recipe is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free.
Keep reading for the step by step directions with pictures to make this no sake black eyed peas recipe with bacon and ham
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Why you’ll love this black eyed peas recipe:
- This southern-style recipe is packed with flavor from cooking with bacon and ham
- It’s the perfect traditional New Year’s recipe (just showing my Texas roots!)
- Black eyed peas are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin A
- There’s no overnight soaking required, and this recipe takes under an hour from start to finish!
This recipe for instant pot black eyed peas and ham makes a delicious side dish or even a meal when paired with some gluten-free cornbread.
Are black eyed peas gluten-free?
Yes, black eyed peas are gluten-free. However, dried beans do have the potential to become cross-contacted with gluten during processing.
For best practices, always:
(1)look for an allergen disclaimer–if it says ‘may be processed with wheat’ avoid it, and
(2) avoid bulk bins where you can scoop them yourself. These are much more likely to come into cross contact with gluten containing grains in the storeroom or by customers dropping something into the wrong bin.
I use Camellia brand. Not only are they affordable, but Camellia brand labels their black eyed peas and other dried beans as gluten-free. You can find them at Amazon by clicking here.
Do I need to soak black eyed peas before cooking them?
Traditionally yes, but thanks to the instant-pot–not any more! Pressure cooking the beans means all you have to do is rinse the dried beans, remove any stones, and you can get straight to cooking!
Equipment for instant post black eyed peas
To make these hearty black eyed peas with ham you only need a few pieces of equipment:
- Instant Pot. To make this one pan, you need an instant pot with the sauté function. There are so many options, but click here for the highest reviewed instant pots on Amazon.
- Fine mesh strainer. I use this one for rinsing the black eyed peas.
- Spatula. You’ll need this to sauté the bacon and onions.
- Measuring cups and spoons. I mean, if you wanna just estimate adding a dash of this and a dash of that… you do you 😉
Ingredients for Southern Black Eyed Peas
The ingredients to make these tasty black eyed peas can be found at your local grocery store, but you’ll find great deals on gluten-free ingredients such as gluten-free spices and gluten-free chicken stock online at Thrive Market.
You’ll need:
- Dried Black Eyed Peas. I use Camellia brand because they aren’t processed with wheat and are super affordable on Amazon here.
- Ham hocks.
- Bacon.
- Onion. (hey–do you hate chopping onion too? Try frozen diced onion!)
- Minced garlic.
- Dried thyme. I love Badia brand because they are certified gluten-free.
- Crushed red pepper flakes. I choose Badia brand for this too!
- Pepper. I use Badia for pepper–you’d be surprised how many brands of pepper are processed with wheat!
- Bay Leaves. Again, I use Badia (can you tell they’re my go to for gf spices?)
- Chicken Stock. (Want to use bouillon instead? No problem! Check out this post for the best gluten-free bouillon brands!)
How do you cook black eyed peas in an instant pot?
Cooking black eyed peas in the instant pot is so simple! First, gather all your ingredients!
Prepare your black eyed peas by rinsing them under cool water and removing any stones. I use a fine mesh strainer for this.
Then, put your Instant Pot on the sauté setting. Add your chopped bacon and onions and sauté until the bacon in rendered and the onions are translucent.
At this point, add your garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for just another minute. Then hit ‘cancel’ to turn off the sauté function.
Add all of the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot. Put the lid on it and lock it into place.
Cook on high pressure mode for just 15 minutes (I know it sounds crazy, but the Instant pot works so quickly!)
When the timer goes off, allow it to naturally release the pressure for 10-15 minutes. Vent any remaining steam by moving the vent to “venting.” note of warning: be sure to cover your hand with a towel or hot pad so the steam doesn’t burn…. don’t ask me how I know this.🙈
Once venting is complete, carefully remove the lid.
Fish out the ham hock and bay leaves. If you want, shred the ham off the bone, chop it, and put it back in with the black eyed peas.
Stir everything to fluff it and season to taste with salt and pepper.
I love to serve this with gluten-free cornbread. Beans + corn combine to make a complete protein!
Scroll down for the printable recipe, and be sure to download the FREE printable gluten-free substitutes guide for easy GF cooking!
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Instant Southern Pot Black Eyed Peas {Gluten-Free}
Equipment
- Instant-Pot
- spatula
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried black eyed peas
- 4 slices bacon diced
- 1 onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 Ham Hock
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups chicken stock
Instructions
- Rinse the beans under cool water and remove any stones.
- Put your Instant-Pot on the sauté setting to render bacon until it begins to get crispy and sweat onions until translucent.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for an additional minute. Press Cancel to stop sauté.
- Add remaining ingredients to the Instant-Pot. Place the lid on the Instant-Pot and lock into place. Cook on high pressure mode for 15 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, allow it to naturally release pressure for 10-15 minutes. (Vent any remaining steam by moving the vent to “Venting”, be sure to cover your hand with a towel or hot pad to avoid being burned by the steam)
- Carefully remove the lid; remove ham hock and bay leaves. If desired, remove meat from the bones; chop and return to beans.
- Stir beans to fluff them up; season to taste with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Step by step preparation images
- equipment and ingredient suggestions
- tips
- and more!
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