How to Cook Purple Hull Peas: Stove, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot
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.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 0.5cup
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen purple hull peas (¾ pound) (12 ounce package)
- 3 slices uncooked bacon, sliced or chopped (Thin or thick cut)
- ½ teaspoon onion powder or garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 to 3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water (2 cups Instant Pot method)
Instructions
Stove
- Add the purple hull peas, bacon, 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. For frozen peas, cook 35 minutes or until tender.
Instant Pot
- Add all the ingredients (with just 2 cups broth) 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.
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.
- Note: 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.
Notes
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.
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.
You can substitute a piece of ham for the stovetop peas and a small ham hock for the Instant Pot and Crockpot peas.
For Vegan Purple Hull Peas, omit bacon and trade out water vegan vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
