I made a few more batches and shared them with the fam-jam over the July 4th weekend, and everyone talked about how good they were!
Since we’re doing these in the Instant Pot, we’ve got a few things working for us here…
First off, in full disclosure, I don’t own an Instant Pot. Gasp! I have a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker that I’ve had since way before Instant Pot was a thing. It is nearly identical to my Mom’s Instant Pot and works the exact same way. No shade to the ol’ IP, I just wanted you to know that other pressure cookers work just as well with this. But since most folks currently know the electric pressure cooker by the name “Instant Pot” I’m using that name. It’s kinda like calling a slow cooker a “Crock Pot.” Anyway, moving on…
The Instant Pot (pressure cooker) is just dang ideal for this. It cuts an excruciatingly long process into less than 2 hours. Seriously.
Not only that, the pressure cook method is ideal because the pressure forces the salt and flavor into the peanuts – they don’t just float around in it.
They come out tender and full of that briney flavor you expect from boiled peanuts.
In all honesty, I’m not sure I’ll ever make boiled peanuts any other way. Sure, I love my slow cooker method, but I have to admit, I love how flavorful and easy these are to make.
Green Versus Raw Peanuts
Now, when it comes to buying peanuts, you might find both raw and green peanuts. My recipe calls for green peanuts. These are raw, freshly harvested peanuts that are still green and moist. They might not look super green, but they are noticeably heavier. While many grocery stores in the South do carry green peanuts when they’re in season (Summer), I usually have better luck finding them at roadside fruits stands and farmers markets. Several readers have reported having great luck finding green peanuts in their local Asian markets as well.
Raw peanuts are peanuts that have been dried. They have a longer shelf life and chances are it will be much easier to find raw peanuts over green ones. You can use raw peanuts, but green peanuts make far superior boiled peanuts in my opinion. If raw is all you can get your hands on, you’ll want to soak them overnight and add about 25 minutes to the cook time.
Vinegar
I’ve had a few questions about the addition of the vinegar in this recipe, so I thought I’d mention it here. A while back, someone shared the tip with me of adding vinegar in the peanuts and I’ve added it ever since. It adds some amazing flavor without tasting like vinegar at all. When testing this recipe, folks could certainly tell the difference between the batch with the vinegar and the batch without it, but no one could put their finger on it. They all preferred the vinegar version. They won’t taste like vinegar. I promise.
Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green peanuts
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Rinse the peanuts in cool water. Place them in the Instant Pot or electric pressure cooker.
- Add the salt and vinegar. Add enough water to just cover the peanuts. For me, that was about 10 cups. Be cautious to not exceed the max fill line on your appliance.
- Place the lid on and seal. Cook on high pressure for 60 minutes than turn the appliance off and allow the pressure to release manually. Carefully remove the lid and enjoy!
Notes
Linda says
Thanks for sharing .
Stacey says
Hope you’ll enjoy them!!
Julia Mason says
Try seasoning the peanuts with Old Bay seasoning. It makes them taste good with a little heat.
Stacey says
It does add some great flavor, right? The options are really endless with these!
Irish Wilcoxon says
Oh Stacey!! I am so jealous looking at those fresh boiled peanuts! I was raised on them in Montgomery and also in south Ga where I graduated in Cairo, Ga. I never ever realized how much of a custom such as boiled peanuts were until I left Ga and joined the Air Force. Another world existed!! Married a yankee from Ohio that I met in the Air Force. He was an AirBorne FireFighter. We ended up in Ohio in 1973, and the ‘culture’ here is way different than what I was used to. Boiled peanuts were a part of my up-raising. Each year, as I traveled to Montg. to see my paternal family members, I would buy huge 20# bags of raw peanuts. I want to say that one place was a farmer’s stand near Slap Out, but also a place outside of Clanton just off I.S.65, also times at the Big Peach market north of Prattville and elsewhere. I brought them home and put them in the freezer until I was ready to ‘boil’ them up. I found years ago that the old pressure cooker did such a great job and a fast one with fantastic results. My question to you, since I never heard of it, was the use of vinegar in your boiling water. I recall my grandma in Ga used the great big iron kettle outside over an open fire and would boil pounds of fresh peanuts in season. It was a ‘natural’ treat for us. In the day, you never saw stands set up by the roadside to buy boiled peanuts and that was because we all had access to peanuts and watermelons which I love so much. I also want to tell you that I spent my High School years in Cairo, Ga. I worked at the Roddenberry Pickle Plant in my summer months and would go home smelling like garlic and pickle brine! At the same plant, they processed peanut butter sold under different brands and also canned boiled peanuts. I think the label was “Peanut Patch” still made today but at other plants in other states. I have a few cans in the cupboard now. In the day, 60’s and 70’s, I could buy a whole case of 24 for about $3 total. They were rejected cans, some labels missing, a few dents, etc. I would take home about 6-8 cases back to Ohio. They were not as good as fresh but better than nothing. My husband and our two sons ‘finally’ grew to love the peanuts as well. Now I can find the cans at certain stores in Ohio. I hope I am not boring you. One more incident I would like to share. Some people who have never ate boiled peanuts would actually put the whole peanut with the shell into their mouth and chew.. It never occurred to me to warn them not to do that because I had never seen anyone try to eat the shell with peanuts inside. Of course, they spit it out. But they also would learn how to shell the peanut, pop those kernels into their mouth and spit it out with disgust. Their take on a ‘peanut’ was a roasted or parched peanut with a salty crunchy taste was what they were use to. Boiled peanuts are a completely different taste. To them, the boiled peanut tastes like a green bean of some sort. You either learn to love them or hate time. Oh, don’t forget to let me know about the vinegar if you have time. I love your website and love getting your emails with all the mouth watering recipes. You are my kind of chef! Thank you for all the interesting stories about how you come to use a recipe and never fearing what a person has to say. It is your family heritage and that is a great thing to pass on. God’s blessings on you and your family. Stay ‘cool’ in the hot weather. We are having the same here in West Central Ohio north of Dayton.
Deanna says
Yep, you either love ’em or hate ’em …. I LOVE them, so thanks for the recipe. I, too, was wondering about the vinegar.
I’ve never heard of that being used but I’m willing to give it a try. I travel up and down I-65 from north Ala, to south Ala
quite often so I’ll be looking for some “green” peanuts.
Bobbie says
We discovered boiled peanuts while on vacation years ago to Alabama, and we LOVE them! We like the cajun the best, however. Do you have a spice suggestion to add in order to enjoy them “Cajun Style”?
Thank you for this post, I hope to be able to try them sometime!! 🙂
Stacey says
You can swap some of the salt out for a great Creole seasoning and add a few dashes of red pepper flakes.
Sara says
I don’t understand the need for the vinegar. What is it for?
Stacey says
It adds some great flavor without tasting like vinegar. It’s a trick that was shared with me a while back. I never make them without it now.
Angie says
I love these!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Stacey says
So glad to hear you enjoyed them!! The Instant Pot makes it so easy, right?
Linn says
It’s been a long while since we had boiled peanuts and are looking forward to enjoying them again. We could only find raw peanuts, no green. I have a question regarding cooking them. After soaking the raw peanuts overnight do you cook them in the soaking water? Or would you drain them and cook them like the green peanuts?
Stacey says
Either way should work just fine. Hope you enjoy them!