Name: How to Cook Purple Hull Peas: Stove, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh or frozen purple hull peas (3/4 pound) ((12 ounce package)); 3 slices uncooked bacon, sliced or chopped ((Thin or thick cut)); 1/2 teaspoon onion powder or garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 to 3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water ((2 cups Instant Pot method))

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Cooking fresh or frozen purple hull peas three ways is super easy! I’ll show you how to cook them on the stove, in the slow cooker and in the Instant Pot-Southern style. The seasonings are the same, but the cooking time and amount of liquid varies a little for each method.

Purple hull pink eye peas in white bowl with spoon.

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This is the easiest, most simple purple hull peas recipe you’ll find because of my shortcuts! No need to fry the bacon or sautee onions and you’ll still get loads of flavor - Southern style.

With just 5 minutes prep time!

Don’t miss my section below for substitutions and variations to make them exactly how you like it, using what you have on hand!

I also answer all your questions like “How long to cook purple hull peas?”, “What are purple hull peas vs black eyed peas?”, “How to cook frozen peas?” and “What is a pinkeye purple hull pea?”.

Each cooking method is listed below with instructions. The printable recipe at the end has the exact ingredient amounts for each method.

Pink eye purple hull peas on marble with peas in shells next to it.

As you can see, they aren't really purple peas. They have purple hulls. The center of the pea, or "eye", is slightly purple when mature.

You can simply swap out black eyed peas, pink eye purple hull peas, crowder peas, cream peas and lady peas for purple hull peas, if that is what you have on hand or in the garden. They are all slightly different in size, color, and texture but cooking times will be similar.

Cornbread is a MUST when serving any fresh field peas. Am I right? Also a shortcut recipe, my Vidalia Onion Cornbread with Caramelized Onion Fans is impressive to look at, yet easy to make!

Shortcuts

I choose to use onion powder or onion salt and/or garlic powder or garlic salt instead of sautéing onions and garlic but you absolutely can! You can stir in up to ½ cup chopped onion and up to 1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic.
Bacon: I usually just slice it uncooked and drop it in but you can cook it first and add the drippings to the pan. Another shortcut is just to stir in 2 tablespoons cooked and crumbled Hormel real bacon, found next to the salad dressings, before cooking. Just stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil or bacon drippings if you keep them in the fridge.
No garden or farmers market in the winter? Purple hull peas can be purchased frozen in some grocery stores. Frozen black-eyed peas are always available in grocery stores year round.

To cook dried purple hull peas in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker, check out my recipe for Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas.

Ingredients

Here is what you will need to cook Southern purple hull peas, pink eye purple hull peas or black eyed peas.

Shelled purple hull peas spilling out of a plastic bag.

I grew purple hull peas in my garden for the first time this year but these beauties came from my friend Farmer Mike at Windmill Farms in Robertsdale, AL.

Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.

To serve a crowd, this recipe easily doubles or triples. Cooking times will stay the same, the pot or slow cooker will just need to accommodate the amount you add to it.

Ingredients to cook purple hull peas: bacon, broth, salt, pepper, onion powder.

Purple hull peas - You can use fresh or frozen peas.
Broth - Vegetable, chicken, beef broth or even water.
Seasonings: Onion powder or garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Bacon - I just toss in uncooked bacon so the smokey flavor of the fat penetrates the peas. You can also use cooked bacon.

How to cook purple hull peas: Stove, Instant Pot, Slow Cooker

Note: No need to thaw the peas if frozen. I give you cooking times for both fresh and frozen in the instructions. If your frozen peas are thawed, use the fresh peas cooking time.

Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.

On the Stovetop

Add the purple hull peas, bacon (if using), onion powder, salt and pepper to a medium-size saucepan, stirring well.
Add broth. If it doesn’t cover the peas by ½ an inch, add a little more. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
For fresh peas, cook 25 minutes or until tender. How to cook frozen peas: Cook 35 minutes or until tender.

In the Instant Pot

Uncooked purple hull peas with bacon and seasonings in Instant Pot.

Add all the ingredients to a 3 quart or 6 quart Instant Pot. For fresh peas, set to Pressure Cook for 10 minutes. Let Natural Release for 10 minutes before releasing (venting) pressure.
For frozen peas, set to Pressure Cook for 15 minutes. Let Natural Release for 10 minutes before releasing (venting) pressure. If you prefer softer peas, add 2 minutes Pressure Cook time or let Natural Release completely without manually releasing pressure.

In the Slow Cooker or Crock Pot

Purple hull peas in a small slow cooker.

Add all the ingredients to a 4- to 6 quart Crockpot, stirring well. Cover with lid.
For fresh peas, cook on LOW for 5 to 7 hours or HIGH for 4 hours or until tender. For frozen peas, cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or until tender.

If peas are frozen in a solid mass with liquid, you’ll need to thaw in the microwave first, or stir well half way into the cooking in the slow cooker.

Purple hull peas with bacon and ham in white bowl on blue cloth.

Purple hull peas vs black eyed peas

One of the biggest differences in purple hull peas vs black eyed peas is that purple hulls have more of a creamy, sweet taste. They are also a bit smaller and don't become as starchy or "chalky" once they've been cooked. Looking at them raw, you will notice they are slightly green with a purple-ish dot as the "eye".

Black eyed peas are medium sized peas and have a bold earthy flavor to them. Some would say even a nutty flavor. They're a light tan or cream color and instead of a purple eye, they have with a brownish/black eye. When cooked, the pea doesn't turn completely brown accentuating the black eye in the middle.

What is a pinkeye purple hull pea?

Pinkeye-purple hulls are the young version of a purple hull pea. Pink eyed peas are often shaped like a kidney and have pink "eyes" to them. As the peas mature, the pink gets darker and turns more purplish giving you what is know as purple hull peas.

Pro Tips

Any combination of broth and water can be used. If you don’t have enough broth, just add enough water to to equal the full amount.

To make your own broth, add 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base per cup or 1 bouillon cube per cup.

Substitutions & Variations

Trade "this" for "that" when cooking purple hull peas.

Use what you have. Black eyed peas, pink eye peas, crowder peas, and cream peas can all be substituted for purple hull peas in these recipes.
Vegan Purple Hull Peas- Use water or vegan vegetable broth and omit the bacon.
Seasoning- I like to use Kinders seasoning called The Blend. Its a shortcut because it has salt, pepper and garlic all in one place.
Garlic salt - It can be traded out for the garlic powder and salt.
Salt- If you use water or unsalted broth to cook your peas, you’ll want to increase your salt, garlic powder or onion powder slightly. Garlic salt equals ¼ teaspoon garlic powder + ¼ teaspoon salt. Same for onion powder and salt.
Ham hock- In my opinion, ham hock is best used in the Instant Pot and slow cooker method since it doesn’t have a lot of time to cook down and impart a lot of flavor on the stovetop method. Simply add it to the other ingredients before cooking. It’s still “Southern Style” if you are adding bacon.
Okra- Some Southerners say adding sliced okra to purple hull peas makes the best side dish!

What to serve with Purple Hulls

How to store

To Store: Store any leftovers in the refrigerator, covered or in an air tight container.
To Freeze: Cooked purple hull peas freeze well! Place them in a freezer safe container and freeze up to 6 months.

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