Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas Curry

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An easy to prepare curry for a meal, this Instant Pot Black-Eyed peas curry is super delicious. Pair it with roti, rice or parathas for a complete meal.

Close up of black-eyed peas curry in a copper container with some salad on it and on the side in a green plate.

Indian curries vary from the simplest recipes to some with many steps and ingredients. They are easy to make on the stove top, using the pressure cooker or Instant Pot. While there are tons of recipes, some of our favorite Indian curries are Vegetable Paatra Sabji, Potato Edamame Curry and Akbari Paneer.

Beans form a large part of Indian cuisine. They make great curries and equally amazing appetizers and snacks. Moreover, being a powerhouse of nutrients, they are great for any meal or as a side. The most popular bean recipes in Indian cuisine are definitely Chole, Matki Usal and Ragda or White Peas.

Black-eyed peas or lobia beans are popular across states. Prepared in several ways this curry is generally enjoyed with roti, parathas or steamed rice.

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What are Black-Eyed Peas
Why this Recipe works
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to make this recipe
Expert Tips and Notes
Recipe FAQs
More Indian Curries
Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas Curry

What are Black-Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas are classified as pulses. They are healthy and make a great side, main or even salad.

These peas are unique in shape and color and they are easy to cook in various ways. From boiling or pressure cooking to cooking in the Instant Pot or even sprouting the beans.

These beans are pretty easy to make as they need less time to soak. Plus they are easy to make even without soaking. They cook in fairly less time compared to the other beans and legumes. So we can have a meal in minimum time and always flavorful.

There is a tradition in US to make black-eyed peas on New Years' day. They believe it brings good luck. There is lot of literature on this on various sources online.

We enjoy it for lunch all year round and finally I have the recipe here on New Years'. We have started making this curry on January 1 too.

From all the different versions, I am preparing the one with Indian spices. Minimal spices, an easy to follow recipe and great side for roti, parathas or rice.

Why this Recipe works

This recipe comes together quickly in the Instant Pot. It is an easy mix, cook, serve recipe with black-eyed peas and spices.
This curry is great as a side for parathas, phulkas and rice. Plus convert it to a warm salad by topping with greens, crunchy croutons and chopped vegetables.
The recipe works well for meal prep. Refrigerate for 3-4 days and freeze for a longer time. Simply defrost the frozen beans for 3-4 minutes and heat up thoroughly. Then enjoy topped with cilantro.
Black-Eyed Peas curry is also great for lunchbox. It can be made with lesser gravy by reducing the added water by ¼ cup. That way there will be no spills while carrying.
Plus, the beans are great for a salad or soup. Add your choice of greens, vegetables and crunchy elements and whip up a warm salad. Or add extra water and make a delicious soup with the beans.

Overall, the recipe is beginner friendly and makes an easy curry. Plus, adjust the spice level to make it kids friendly. It is naturally Vegan and Gluten-free too.

Make this nutrition rich curry and enjoy for a comfort meal. It is loaded with folate among other nutrients. can be enjoyed in so many ways.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients for instant pot black eyed peas; black eyed peas, onions, tomatoes, spices and ginger chili paste on a black background.

Black-Eyed Peas: The main ingredient we use here is black-eyed peas. I like to soak them for at least 4-5 hours or overnight. However, they can be used without soaking too. They will need a longer cooking time.
Onions, Tomatoes: Finely diced onions and tomatoes give the curry a lot of flavor and body. Using crushed or canned tomatoes is an option too.
Ginger Chili: To flavor the curry I like to use ginger and chili pastes. These can be blended together or used separate. However, skip or reduce the green chili for a milder version. Plus, adding some garlic paste is an option too.
Spices: I like to add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafetida and curry leaves to the oil while tempering. These Indian spices not only make the curry flavorful and asafetida aids the digestion of beans.
Spice Powders: Like most Indian curries, I add chili powder, turmeric, dhania jeera and garam masala to the beans. These are perfect for most curries and work well here too.
Oil: The tempering for the recipe is in oil. I use Olive Oil but any oil works here. However, we can temper it in ghee too.
Other Ingredients: I also add salt, sugar, lemon juice and cilantro to the curry.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- Set the instant pot to 'Sauté'. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafetida.

2- Then add the curry leaves and let the seeds pop.

Heat oil and add tempering ingredients to the oil in the Instant Pot.

3- Then add diced onions, ginger paste and chili paste. Mix and let the onions cook till translucent.

4- Next add diced tomatoes and mix well.

Add onions, ginger and tomatoes to the tempering ingredients.

5- Let the tomatoes cook till soft.

6- Add the dried spices i.e. red chili powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and dhania jeera powder. Mix well and let the spices coat in oil.

Then cook the tomatoes and add the dry spices to the instant pot.

7- Then add the soaked black-eyed peas, water, salt and sugar.

8- Mix well and close the instant pot. Then set mode to 'pressure cook' and time to 12 minutes. Once the cooking process is done, release the pressure naturally. Then open the cover.

Add seasonings and black eyed peas to the instant pot and mix it all well.

9- Mix well and add cilantro and lemon juice.

10- Serve with your choice of rice or roti.

Cook, open the instant pot and serve topped with cilantro.

Expert Tips and Notes

Always sort your dried beans to ensure they are free from stones and dirt.
Soaking them for a few hours not only helps cooking them quickly but also aids digestion.
The same recipe works with canned beans too. Replace one cup of dried beans with 30-32 oz (2 cans) of canned beans.
The curry is great with roti or rice. It is also great as a meal prep recipe. Prepare and refrigerate up to 3 days. To serve heat in the microwave for a minute or 90 seconds. Plus, it is easy to freeze for months.

Recipe FAQs

How long do you cook the black-eyed peas in the Instant Pot?

We pressure cook the black eyed peas for 12 minutes to cook them but not make them completely mushed up.

Do you have to soak dried black-eyed peas before cooking?

While soaking the dried beans is not required, soaking them for a few hours not only helps cooking them quickly but also aids digestion. However, this step is optional.

Is this black-eyed peas recipe Vegan and Gluten-free?

This recipe is naturally Vegan and gluten-free as long as pure asafetida is used in the recipe.

More Indian Curries

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