Boiled peanuts are a Southern classic, and this Instant Pot boiled peanuts recipe infuses them with a unique dill flavor and a kick of Cajun spice. Whether you're new to boiled peanuts or a lifelong fan, this recipe is sure to become a favorite!
(Originally posted on December 28, 2018; Updated on June 17, 2024.)
I don't think everyone even knows what boiled peanuts are. I mean, we eat them like crazy in the South! But I'm not sure anybody else in America really eats them - which is shocking because they're so delicious. As you probably know, peanuts are not nuts at all; they're legumes (aka beans). So it makes perfect sense to boil them, right? Well, these Instant Pot boiled peanuts are my gift to all of you.
This particular recipe was developed after I recently tasted some at a Florida flea market, which blew my mind! I had never heard of using a dill brine, but it quickly became my favorite way to eat them. The flavor is WAY more interesting than pure Cajun spice.
Why This Recipe Works
- Quick Cooking Time: Using the Instant Pot significantly reduces the cooking time compared to traditional stovetop methods.
- Enhanced Flavor: Pressure cooking helps the brine penetrate the peanuts, ensuring they are thoroughly seasoned.
- Convenient: You can cook them overnight and have a ready-to-eat snack by morning.
- Unique Dill Brine: The dill flavor, combined with Cajun spices, offers a distinctive and delicious twist on the traditional recipe.
- Versatile Ingredients: The recipe includes jalapeños, dill pickles, and green olives, adding complexity to the flavor profile.
- Perfect for Gatherings: Boiled peanuts are a great snack for parties, game days, or casual get-togethers.
More Instant Pot Recipes with a Twist
- Cilantro-Lime Creamed Corn
- Shepherd's Pie with Turkey and Sweet Potatoes
- Savory Bread Pudding- with Mushrooms and Parmesan
- Spicy Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew
- Greek-Style Spaghetti Squash
Ingredients for Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
- 2 lbs. raw peanuts in shells: The star ingredient, providing the base for our delicious snack.
- 3 jalapeños, sliced: Adds a spicy kick to the peanuts.
- 2 dill pickles, sliced: Infuses the peanuts with a tangy dill flavor.
- 7 oz. jar of green olives with juice: Enhances the brine with a salty, briny taste.
- ⅓ cup Creole seasoning: Provides a robust and spicy flavor.
- 2 cups dill pickle juice: Intensifies the dill flavor in the peanuts.
- 6 cups chicken broth or water: The cooking liquid; chicken broth adds extra depth of flavor.
How to make Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
And this is the AMAZING Result…
Expert Tips
- Don't Stir: Keep the peanuts submerged by not stirring the ingredients. This ensures even cooking and seasoning.
- Soak Peanuts: Soak the peanuts in water before cooking to loosen any dirt and improve texture.
- Overnight Cooking: Let the peanuts sit overnight in the Instant Pot on the "keep warm" setting for the best flavor and tenderness.
- Adjust Spice Level: Modify the amount of jalapeños and Creole seasoning to suit your spice preference.
- Flavor Variations: Try adding other spices or seasonings, like Old Bay or smoked paprika, for different flavor profiles.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve boiled peanuts warm or at room temperature. They make a great snack for movie nights, picnics, or road trips.
- Leftover Brine: Save the leftover brine for pickling other vegetables or adding to soups and stews for extra flavor.
FAQs
Is a 2-hour cooking time really necessary? Yes. I know it seems like a lot! But you may need to cook up to 4 hours even for stovetop-boiled peanuts. It all really depends on the peanuts: how fresh they are, how young or old they are, and… how soft you like them.
Can I use roasted peanuts in the shell? No, this recipe is written for raw peanuts. Our grocery stores carry them in the produce section, and you can also purchase raw peanuts on Amazon
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After cooking, do I drain the liquid and let the nuts dry, or do I serve them in the pot in the liquid? Let them stay in the brine the whole time. Have each person use a slotted spoon to remove them and eat them right away. You don’t want them to dry out.
How long do these keep? These can be kept refrigerated for up to one week.
Can I freeze these? Yes. They can also be frozen and reheated.
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Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts with Dill and Cajun Spice
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. raw peanuts in shells
- 3 jalapeños sliced
- 2 dill pickles sliced
- 7 oz. jar of green olives with juice
- ⅓ cup creole seasoning
- 2 cups dill pickle juice
- 6 cups chicken broth or water
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash raw peanuts under running water. You may want to let them soak for a while to loosen any extra dirt.
- Add peanuts to an empty pot. Then add jalapenos, pickles, and olives to pot. DO NOT STIR.
- Add creole seasoning, pickle juice, and chicken broth. Again, DO NOT STIR. We want all the peanuts to remain submerged. And if you stir them, they will all float to the top.
- Lock lid and cook at high pressure for 120 minutes.
- Once cook time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally. Then let the peanuts sit for as long as you can stand it! I've made these several times and recommend cooking them at night and letting them sit overnight.
Video
Notes
Expert Tips
-
- Don't Stir: Keep the peanuts submerged by not stirring the ingredients. This ensures even cooking and seasoning.
- Soak Peanuts: Soak the peanuts in water before cooking to loosen any dirt and improve texture.
- Overnight Cooking: Let the peanuts sit overnight in the Instant Pot on the "keep warm" setting for the best flavor and tenderness.
- Adjust Spice Level: Modify the amount of jalapeños and Creole seasoning to suit your spice preference.
- Flavor Variations: Try adding other spices or seasonings, like Old Bay or smoked paprika, for different flavor profiles.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve boiled peanuts warm or at room temperature. They make a great snack for movie nights, picnics, or road trips.
- Leftover Brine: Save the leftover brine for pickling other vegetables or adding to soups and stews for extra flavor.
FAQs
Is a 2-hour cooking time really necessary? Yes. I know it seems like a lot! But you may need to cook up to 4 hours even for stovetop-boiled peanuts. It all really depends on the peanuts: how fresh they are, how young or old they are, and… how soft you like them. Can I use roasted peanuts in the shell? No, this recipe is written for raw peanuts. Our grocery stores carry them in the produce section, and you can also purchase raw peanuts on Amazon.
After cooking, do I drain the liquid and let the nuts dry, or do I serve them in the pot in the liquid? Let them stay in the brine the whole time. Have each person use a slotted spoon to remove them and eat them right away. You don’t want them to dry out.
How long do these keep? These can be kept refrigerated for up to one week.
Can I freeze these? Yes. They can also be frozen and reheated.
Nutrition
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Betsy Woodruff
Is the cooking time really 120 minutes—2 hours??
Gary
Yes. I know it seems like a lot! But even for stovetop boiled peanuts, you may even need to cook up to 4 hours. It all really depends on the peanuts: how fresh they are, and how young or old they are. And... how soft you like them.
Katie
Tried these this week and will definitely make them again. Thanks for the great recipe!
Becky
These are so good! They came out perfect!
Amber
Recipe looks delicious!
Fyi - boiled peanuts ste popular in Hawaii and Asia. Different seasoning, though.
Paula Yawn
Can you boil just plain with salt??? My husband has questioned the need for the instant pot and if this is possible he will have his answer. He loves boiled peanuts!!!!
Gary
It reduces the cook time. And also helps the brine get into peanuts that are not green and/or fresh. But, really, do you "need" a reason to use your Instant Pot?
And yes, you can certainly use only salt.
April
You’re using raw, fresh, right-out-of-the ground peanuts from the farmers market, right? Not the dry crunchy in-shell kind from the ballpark? Thanks!
Gary
We can find raw peanuts in our grocery stores, definitely not roasted ones.
Jamie
How do you store these after cooking? Was thinking of making to take to a party.
Gary
Let them continue to sit in the brine. The longer, the better. Can be refrigerated and reheated.
Danielle S Lemons
Grew up in Florida eating cajun boiled peanuts on summer days swimming in cold springs and never heard off dill or olives in them....made these for new years and they were a hit! Everyone loved them and my boyfriend said I have to make this recipe from now on they were sooooo good! Had to improvise as I only had a crockpot and cooked on high 2 hrs then low all night long! Anybody complaining about the instant pot times crazy lol. This recipe convinced me we need an instant pot in our lives! What an amazing recipe. I added fresh smashed garlic cloves and was concerned about heat so got skimpy on jalapenos but next time definitely adding more than one. Soooo yummy!
Sean
I've never had boiled peanuts before or have any knowledge of them so please forgive my ignorance. The recipe sounded good so I thought I'd try them. They are cooking now for superbowl tomorrow. Once they are done cooking, I will let them stay in the instant pot overnight but then what do I do? Do I drain the liquid and let the nuts dry or do I serve them in the pot in the liquid?
Gary
Let them stay in the brine the whole time. Have each person use a slotted spoon to get them out and eat them right away. You don’t want them to dry out.
Cathy
When do you add the pickle juice? Do you add it when you add the water? I’ve read over the directions, but disn’t See where it said to add the pickle juice.
Gary
Sorry for the oversight. And thanks for the heads up. I've updated the instructions!
Deepa
Can I skip crab oil seasoning?? What other seasoning do you recommend??
Gary
You can skip it for sure. We've actually updated the recipe to be made without it!
Cindy
I looked in my store for crab boil packets. I only came across the “slap ya mama” Cajun seafood boil how much of this seasoning should I use for this recipe? I’m sure not the whole 1lb bag.
Gary
I'm not familiar with that seasoning at all.
Michael Schroeder
I substituted 3 tsp “Old Bay” seasoning because I couldn’t find Crab Boil packets and reduced the salt to 1/2 cup. Came out perfecto!
jinthekitchen
Slap Ya Mama has a seasoning similar to Tony Chachere’s. It’s good. I don’t think it would be too risky to try their crab boil.
Lee C
I followed the recipe to the t - they were okay. I thought it was a little salty and as far as being spicy, did not happen. Before eating the olives and what was left of the jalapenos that maybe they would be spicy, again I was disappointed . I'll follow this link and see if someone comes up with a modification to the recipe. If someone has a nice cajun recipe please share, thanks
Nicole Parker
2-3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
Gary White
Lee, I recently updated the recipe to make it less salty and more cajun. Maybe give it another look? Thanks for your feedback.
Milli Jewell
Do you eat the shells? I've always wanted to try them, but I don't know how to eat them!
Gary White
No, you don't eat the shells.
Drew
Man, I thought I was a trail blazer! I’ve made boiled peanuts several different ways; Cajun, salt and pepper, even Provençal! Was getting tired of throwing away pickle juice cause I eat a LOT of pickles. I named my cat pickles! I love pickles. So I started saving the brine with the intent of boiling peanuts in it. Good to see I’m not crazy thinking it will be good. I used 4-2 brine over water, fresh dill, about twenty cloves of garlic and about two tsp cayenne. I’ll let you know how they turn out. Party on!
MJ
I can find peanuts in 1 lb bags ... if I choose to half this recipe does it change the cooking time?
Gary White
Hey MJ - The cook time will remain the same.
Kathy
Holy good! We ommit the jalapeno for our littles...but this is by far our favorite recipe! We live up North now and our friends and family think we're nuts until they get the nerve to try them...then they fall in love...lol
Jennifer
If I do these in a crockpot, how long do you think?
Gary White
We haven't tested this in a crockpot so it's hard to say. I would recommend looking up other crock pot boiled peanut recipes to get an idea of cook time. Then, you could add the ingredients in our recipe, but use the time from other crock pot recipes.
Mike
I croc pot raw peanuts and salt all the time. Usually takes about 24 hours though.
Sol
I tried this recipe, given that I love pickles, olives, and boiled peanuts, it seemed like it would be a winner. However, what came out was not very good after 2 hours pressure cooking and 8 hours on keep warm. They were fine, but not really what I was expecting given how flavorful the cajun boiled peanuts that I make are.
The major issue was the sealing ring in my instant pot. It now utterly reeks of this terrible combination of olive and jalepeno. I've cleaned it twice with a 2 minute vinegar steam and three times with water/lemon, but it still just reeks of that awful brine. I've had to toss it out and replace it. Even the steam valve and pressure button still smell like the brine, and I can't clean those any more than I have.
Appreciate the recipe, but not sure it's very good for the instant pot. It's certainly done a number on mine, and it was brand new. :/
Gary White
This is common with any recipe with strong flavors, such as dill, curry, or even chili. We find that the odor washes out after a couple of trips though our dishwasher, but many people simply buy an extra silicone ring for their Instant Pot. They use one ring for recipes with strong flavors, and one for recipes with regular or delicate flavors.
Karin
So yummy! Not pretty, but delicious.
Amanda Kalkins
Do you eat the pickles and olives after or just toss them?
Gary White
I usually eat some of them, but I definitely eat all of the olives.
Amanda
Just tried these. I recently started making Boiled peanuts in my instant pot. I was just doing salt, cayenne, pepper flakes, chili powder, and garlic. I love dill pickles and for some reason, randomly looked up a recipe for dill pickle instant pot boiled peanuts, and this is where it lead me. I tweaked it a bit for batch size and added salt and garlic. I love that I didn't have to use my egg racks to weigh down the peanuts. When I opened the pot, the water level was low, so I stirred everything and added more water so they could soak on warm more. The peanuts are amazing, but surprisingly the pickles and olives are even better. They soaked up all that flavor so great.