This Instant Pot Spicy Southern Black Eyed Peas Stew is perfectly seasoned and loaded with veggies and protein. Serve with a bowl of rice or crusty bread for a delicious meal!
New Year's or not, I always have a jar of black eyed peas in my pantry to make recipes like this crispy Akara or black-eyed pea fritters, black eyed peas dal and vegan Hoppin' John.
The black-eyed peas recipe I have for you today is also rather special. For one, it's easy and quick because it all comes together in the Instant Pot. You just throw in the ingredients one after the other, click the lid shut, and let the magic happen.
This recipe packs in all the flavor of an authentic southern black-eyed peas stew. But instead of the animal fat that can traditionally be found in these recipes, I throw in tons of flavorful ingredients to add umami.
Umami is that elusive fifth flavor that usually comes from animal ingredients. But there are ways and ways to add it to a vegan recipe, and for these Spicy Southern Black Eyed Peas I use a few of them, including:
- Tomato paste
- Mushrooms
- Soy sauce (you can skip this if you want a soy-free recipe)
- Vegetable stock
- Roasted red peppers
Other ingredients that create the perfect chemistry with these umami ingredients are:
- Black eyed peas
- Onions
- Garlic
- Bell peppers
- Cajun seasoning
- Thyme
- Kale (you can sub collards)
- Ground black pepper
- Salt
Expert tips
- Make sure to use the umami ingredients. Try not to skip them because you really want that flavor. If you hate mushrooms (and why would you?), you'll hardly even notice them because there are so few here. Or use mushroom stock instead of vegetable stock if you absolutely don't want the mushrooms. You can skip the soy sauce if you want a soy-free recipe.
- Use vegetable stock. A great trick in any vegan stew or soup is to use a flavorful stock that adds depth, and this stew is no different. It takes just minutes to make a great vegetable stock at home or use storebought, but choose low sodium.
- You can make this recipe free of added oil by using ¼ cup of vegetable stock to saute the onions, celery and bell peppers.
- The roasted red peppers might seem a bit redundant because you already have bell peppers in the recipe (I used green), but the roasting adds wonderful depth.
- The great thing about cooking in the Instant Pot is, you don't need to presoak your beans. You can also use frozen black-eyed peas or canned black eyed peas in this recipe. If you do that, set your IP to pressure cook for 10 minutes, instead of the "chili" setting.
- For a perfect dinner, serve the spicy southern black eyed peas with rice or crusty bread.
Here's the recipe. If you make it, be sure to let me know in the comments below. Or take a photo and post it on Instagram with the tag @Holycowvegan.
More black eyed peas recipes
- Caribbean Black Eyed Peas Stew
- Creamy, Curried Crockpot Chowder with Black Eyed Peas
- Savory Black Eyed Peas Sweet Potato Pancakes
- Black Eyed Peas with Ground "Beef" (Lobhia Keema)
- Vegan Black Eyed Pea Cakes
Instant Pot Spicy Southern Black Eyed Peas Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dried black eyed peas (soaked for 30 minutes and drained before use)
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil (or any vegetable oil). For a version with no added oil, use ¼ cup vegetable stock to saute.
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
- 1 large onion (finely diced)
- 2 green bell peppers (diced)
- 2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon thyme
- 2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 roasted red bell peppers (chopped)
- 4 large crimini mushrooms (finely diced)
- 3 cups chopped kale
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari or liquid aminos. Skip for a soy-free version and just use more salt to your taste)
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- Parsley (optional, for seasoning)
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to saute and add the oil or ¼ cup vegetable stock for an oil-free version. When it's hot, add the onions, celery and green bell peppers along with the garlic and salt and black pepper to taste. Saute for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tomato paste along with the thyme, Cajun seasoning, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, kale and soy sauce and mix well. Add the black eyed peas and the vegetable stock. Give everything a good stir and add more salt and ground black pepper if needed.
- Place the lid on the IP and set it to the "chili" function. When the stew is cooked, you can either release the pressure manually after 10 minutes, or leave the IP alone until all of the pressure has released. Check for salt, and add more if needed. Stir in the parsley if using.
- Serve hot with crusty bread or rice.
Londy
Amazing!! My son even loved it and he has to have meat with every meal normally. Thank you!!!!
Vaishali
So happy to hear! 🙂
Thom
Fantastic recipe, thank you so much. It's an A+++. Is it possible to make this the day before in the Instant Pot, refrigerate it overnight, and then warm it up and serve it the next day?
Newbie
How long would I cook this in a stovetop pressure cooker, please?
janet
omg this turned out sooooo good!!! thank you
Regina Williams
I just made this yesterday and wow! it was amazing! Paired it with vegan cornbread (from Wholefoods) it was perfect! thank you for this amazing recipe!
Samantha J Franklin
Turned out great! Served with southern cornbread made in a cast iron skillet. Thank you for sharing this wonderful and easy recipe!
Joanne
I made this Instant Pot Spicy Southern Black Bean Stew today. I ate two bowls with a piece of vegan buttered bread. It was delicious! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
Mardy
Hey, this was good! Made as written and everyone had 2nds, tho our family of 3 finished most of it. I think there is only 2 lunch sized servings in the fridge now?
Trina Moya
I made this for Christmas and everyone was shocked that there was no meat in it. I love this recipe. I doubled it and used heaping measurements...lol.. This was so delicious!! It reminded me of my Grandma's southern soul cooking. Thank you so much.
Vaishali
So happy you liked it, Trina!
Jewel
Can you list the ingredients in the Cajun spice I’d rather make.
Things2Eat
Shocked that you list to serve this with rice or bread and NOT grits!!!! LOL
Looks delicious 🙂