Here’s the best Instant Pot Hoppin John recipe that’s made in just 30 minutes using dried black eyed peas! You’ll love this traditional New Years recipe.
You’re either here because you’re wondering what the heck Instant Pot Hoppin John is, or you’re looking for an easy Hoppin John…either way welcome to The Typical Mom!! We have a lot of easy Instant Pot recipes here so if you’re looking for dinner beyond this popular New Years dish we’ve got you covered! (originally published 10/18, affiliate links present)
Either way this easy Hoppin John recipe is super yummy and a great way to use leftover ham like we did here.
I used dry black eyed peas with NO soaking required when using your pressure cooker but if you’d like to use frozen that is an option too.
FIRST – You should sign up for my free newsletter so you get new posts emailed to you twice a week and never miss out on anything! Now let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- This is a great InstaPot cookbook and a set of wooden utensils are great to grab too.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should still deglaze pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the pressure cooker I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Instant Pot Hoppin John
I don’t like canned because they can get quite mushy in the Instant Pot so I’d opt for frozen or dried, dried is best.
This is what ours looked like when it was done….and in just 30 minutes! If you haven’t tried this fun comfort food before I suggest that you do.
It might become a new year tradition for your family too.
What is Hoppin John anyway?? Well I have to be honest, I had no idea until a friend of mine said she was making it for dinner the other night.
I am a sucker for recipes with fun names so I asked her about it and she said it was a popular southern dish made for New Years but she loved it so much they made it year round.
So…..I did a little research about where the name came from and it’s origination and this is what I found.
Why is it called Hoppin John
- Tradition began in the Southern United States
- Eating Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck.
Serving leafy green vegetables (we used kale) served along with this dish (or inside like I did) are supposed to add wealth since it’s the color of money!
- Another traditional side served with Hoppin John is cornbread, you can make our pressure cooker cornbread recipe to serve with it.
- On the day after New Year’s Day leftovers are usually called Skippin’ Jenny bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year.
Doesn’t this look yummy ??
Topped with smoked gouda it really was a hit with all 5 of us.
This is what you’ll need to make this Instant Pot Hoppin John recipe
- Bag of black eyed peas – can use frozen or canned but time will be different than that in the recipe card below
- Ham – diced leftover ham is what we used, can use a ham hock
- Can of diced tomatoes
- Butter
- Chicken broth
- Onion and celery is optional
- Rice – make separately, here’s how to make perfect Instant Pot white rice
- Smoked gouda
- Spices
Additional Instant Pot Hoppin John ingredients or substitutions
- Add diced celery
- Add diced bell peppers
4 cups water instead of chicken broth
Omit the smoked gouda cheese on top, or use a different type but this is our favorite
- Don’t the kale I added inside and/or serve easy collard greens on the side
- You could use frozen black eyed peas vs. dried but that will alter the cook time. 30 minutes on high pressure vs 12 would be the difference.
Use a ham hock instead of diced ham like we did, and some like adding bay leaves
Leftovers are great too, just make a fresh pot of rice and serve on top with cheese and you’ve got a second meal!
Watch our video to see how easy it is to make this traditional New Years recipe
Can you use canned and pre cooked black eyed peas instead of dry?
- You could but it will be mushier. See timing difference in step 4 if you want to do it this way.
Timing is 12 minutes instead with a quick release. I’m telling you that to pressure cook dry beans is super easy. I would highly recommend this method.
After you’d made this here are a few other Instant Pot dinner recipes you’ll enjoy
Pressure cooker chili with dry beans is super easy to throw together from scratch.
What do you eat with Hoppin’ John?
There are many variations to traditional Hoppin’ John. Some cook black-eyed peas and rice in one pot. We omitted the rice and added diced tomatoes instead.
- Others insist on simmering ingredients separately. We’re all about one pot meals though so that’s not our style. Some also like to add the collard greens to the pot, that isn’t my favorite veggie so I opted for kale.
The favorite traditional way to eat a Hoppin’ John meal is with collard greens and corn bread.
Want to see a few of my favorite things that I am totally obsessed with?? Take a peek and see how many you might already have…twinsies!
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Here is the printable recipe below, good luck!
Instant Pot Hoppin John
Ingredients
- 16 oz black eyed peas dry, bagged
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 c ham diced, or ham hock
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes 14.5 oz.
- 32 oz chicken broth could use vegetable broth if making vegetarian
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp thyme
- 2 c kale cut into med. size leaves, optional
- 2 c rice cook as directed separately
- 1 c smoked gouda diced
Instructions
- Turn your Instant Pot to saute and add your butter (allow to melt), diced onion, diced ham (if you’re using diced, if using ham hock don’t add that now), minced garlic, cayenne, salt, pepper, thyme, and any other spices you desire.
- Stir until well combined and until onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Turn your pot OFF.
- Add your can of diced tomatoes, bag of dry black eyed peas (or 16 oz of canned, though not recommended), and chicken broth, stir add ham hock into the middle if you’re using that too.
- Close lid and steam valve and set to high pressure for 25 minutes. (if using canned just press the rice button which will set it to pressure high for 12 minutes)
- Do a quick release and stir, will thicken more as it sits. Can serve this over rice as is or if you want to add kale then gently press the leaves into your mixture and cook on high pressure for 4 more minutes.
- Cook rice separately. Quick release again, stir and serve over rice topped with smoked gouda cheese.
Kelly B
Sunday 2nd of January 2022
WOW! Hopping John has been my family's traditional New Year's meal for years and this recipe is HANDS DOWN the best! I forgot to soak the black eyed peas so was looking for instant pot recipes that didn't need soaking. I couldn't be more pleased. The black eyed peas turned out PERFECTLY! We even tried the smoked gouda (figured we were already trying a new recipe, so why not?) and it was very good - we'll be adding that to our traditional meal as well. Thank you for all the yummy goodness :)
The Typical Mom
Monday 3rd of January 2022
Oh good!!
Christina N.
Saturday 1st of January 2022
I fixed this tonight for our family's new year's dinner. It was also the first dish I fixed in my new instant pot! OMG, let me just say that it was phenomenal! The whole family liked it and even had seconds! That has NEVER happened with any other hoppin john recipe I've tried. I did add 2 stalks of celery, 1 green pepper, 1/2 onion, and 2 bay leaves. I used 8oz of leftover ham that I had but I could see where more would have been even more delicious! I kept the rest of the recipe as is. Beautiful recipe! This will be my go-to hoppin john recipe from now on!
The Typical Mom
Sunday 2nd of January 2022
Thank you!
Toni
Saturday 1st of January 2022
Just made this recipe and did an immediate taste test. Husband and I love it! The flavor is fantastic. We added one small jalapeño and extra ham bones. Nice heat! Rinsed beans and let soak for 10 minutes prior to putting in pot. This is my new go to New Year’s Day Hoppin’ John recipe! Delicious!
The Typical Mom
Sunday 2nd of January 2022
Oh jalapeno would be yummy
Andrea
Friday 1st of January 2021
Awesome recipe! I presoaked the beans for about 5-10 minutes in a bowl of ice water. I added a chopped green bell pepper and diced two stalks of celery (which I just added with the onions when I cooked them). It was all fantastic!
Robyn
Friday 1st of January 2021
I picked this recipe because it was for the instant pot. I knew I’d have kielbasa and sauerkraut in the crockpot, and needed a recipe I could cook in a different appliance. I never use my instant pot (I’m a sucker for the crockpot), but after seeing how the dry beans cooked perfectly tender without soaking, I might be hooked. Absolutely tasty! Can’t wait to try it with some shrimp and maybe the bell peppers. Thanks!