Instant Pot Hoppin John

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)

• You can make this into Instant Pot Hoppin John soup using more broth, or serve it over rice like we did here.

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. 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!

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

1. Bag of black eyed peas – can use frozen or canned but time will be different than that in the recipe card below
2. Ham – diced leftover ham is what we used, can use a ham hock
3. Can of diced tomatoes
4. Butter
5. Chicken broth
6. Onion and celery is optional
7. Rice – make separately, here’s how to make perfect Instant Pot white rice
8. Smoked gouda
9. 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
• Omit 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
• 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

• Instant Pot red beans and rice
• Healthy Instant Pot pinto bean soup
• Pressure cooker chili with dry beans

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.

Here is the printable recipe below, good luck!

Print Pin

5 from 11 votes

Instant Pot Hoppin John

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. 

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword best, easy, hoppin john, instant pot, pressure cooker

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 501kcal

Author The Typical Mom

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. 

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Hoppin John

Amount Per Serving (3 oz)

Calories 501 Calories from Fat 117

% Daily Value*

Fat 13g20%

Saturated Fat 5g31%

Cholesterol 39mg13%

Sodium 1745mg76%

Potassium 806mg23%

Carbohydrates 72g24%

Fiber 6g25%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 22g44%

Vitamin A 2565IU51%

Vitamin C 46.3mg56%

Calcium 109mg11%

Iron 4.2mg23%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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