Instant Pot Hoppin John Soup - A Mom's Impression | Recipes, Crafts, Entertainment and Family Travel (2024)

This Instant Pot Hoppin John Soup is a traditional Southern Dish served on New Year’s Day to bring good luck to friends and family. Making this classic Soul Food Dish in your Pressure Cooker is SUPER easy and the black eyed peas require no soaking! In just 30 minutes, you’ll have a satisfying delicious Comfort Food Dish that the whole family will enjoy!

Instant Pot Hoppin’ John Soup

Like I mentioned above, this Hoppin’ John Soup has been around for a LONG time and is traditionally eaten on New Years to bring good luck. Some versions have been more “soupy” than other, some are served over rice and some are served with Collard Greens.

A Hoppin’ John most always has ham in it. It’s a great way to use leftover ham from the holidays and you can even use a Ham Hock if you’ve got one laying around!

We’ve decided to make our version in a Pressure Cooker. We LOVE to make recipes in an Instant Pot because they always come out cooked perfectly, they are so easy, so quick and clean up is a cinch!

Hoppin’ John Soup Ingredients

For step-by-step instructions, check out our printable recipe card below. But here is what you’ll need to get started.

Instant Pot Hoppin’ John Soup Ingredients

• 12/ cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced green pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup diced ham
• 1lb dry black eyed peas
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 cups white rice, cooked and warmed
• chopped green onion for serving

What Kind of Black Eyed Peas Do You Need For a Hoppin’ John?

We are using normal, dry Black Eyed Peas. And NO, you don’t need to soak them first! That is another awesome thing about the Instant Pot, no soaking necessary! You can sub in Frozen Black Eyed Peas if you’d like. I’d avoid canned peas for this recipe, but if you do, you may want to reduce the cooking time quite a bit so they don’t overcook and get mushy.

Stovetop Instructions

No pressure cooker or Instant Pot? No problem. You can use this recipe to cook it on your stovetop. Just take a large pot or dutch oven and heat up the butter. Saute your celery, green peppers, onions and garlic. Cook until soft and onions are translucent. Then add your ham, peas, chicken broth and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer for about 90 minutes. Stir occasionally.

What To Serve With This Recipe?

We serve ours over a bed of rice. But I also suggest having a bread to go with it. A traditional cornbread would be perfect. Or you could try these Drop Biscuits, 7-Up Biscuits.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Instant Pot Hoppin’ John Soup! We’d love to hear how it turns out in the comments section!