Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts are a salty Southern snack made in a fraction of the time as the traditional method without losing any flavor. Trade out your crunchy peanuts for deliciously soft and salty peanuts. Making boiled peanuts has never been easier or faster.

If you’re looking for an easy, southern salty snack, try these Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts! And if you've always made them on the stovetop, I encourage you to put your Instant Pot to another good use with this easy recipe.
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Growing up in the South, I didn't know that boiled peanuts were something special. We had homemade boiled peanuts year after year for my entire childhood - they were a staple in our lives.
We'd buy a huge sack of them in the fall, boil them for hours, snack on them for a few days while freezing all the extras to enjoy throughout the rest of the year. We could (and still can) buy peanuts on the side of the road (my uncle sold them out of the bed of his pickup truck), in the local grocery store, at farmers markets, or at local peanut farms.
When I was really young, my grandparents grew them so we didn't have to buy them anywhere!
If we wanted to skip the cooking, we could buy a brown paper bag of already-boiled peanuts at roadside stands or in gas stations. Again, these are still options today!
What are Boiled Peanuts?
If you've never had boiled peanuts, you might be surprised to find that they're not crunchy like the peanuts you find in candy or candy bars or jars and cans for snacking. They're soft and salty and well, addictive.
To make them, raw peanuts are boiled in the shell in salty water until they get very soft. So soft that you can peel open the shell with your fingers and enjoy the soft (yet firm) peanuts dripping with salty brine. It's hard to describe the texture: the peanuts are soft, but also firm - sort of the texture of cooked red bean.
Bottom line: they are delicious!! Many consider them a Southern delicacy. But no special occasion is required to enjoy them. These days we have them as a salty snack perfect for road trips or game day or just because.
One of my best childhood memories is sitting on my Pawpaw & Mawmaw's front porch eating hot boiled peanuts, sucking out all the salty water (that was inevitably dripping down my arms and chin), and throwing the shells in the yard for the chickens to pick at.
My grandparents even grew peanuts in their garden when I was a little girl, so we truly enjoyed them from farm to table - from digging up the fresh green peanuts to cooking and eating them a few weeks later after they dried a bit.
We'd even have a peanut boil day where we'd cook and eat them, then prep and freeze all the extras to enjoy for the next several months. These days, if we buy them, we get them from a local(ish) farm: Mitchell Farms (where we also go to the Pumpkin Patch).
Boiled Peanuts - Instant Pot Method
One of the downsides of the traditional way to boil peanuts is it takes hours on the cooktop to get them to the perfect softness to enjoy. This is not the case with boiled peanuts in Instant Pot. Pressure Cooker boiled peanuts are the easiest things in the world to make and save so much time!
This boiled peanuts recipe can be ready to enjoy in less than 2 hours whereas the cook time for a stove-top boiled peanut recipe is anywhere from 5 to 8 hours. That's why I consider this the best boiled peanuts recipe!!
Green Peanuts vs Raw Peanuts
For the longest time, I didn't know the difference between green peanuts and raw peanuts, so I thought I'd share just in case you are like me.
Green peanuts are peanuts freshly dug from the ground. They haven't been processed or dried in any way so they have a high moisture content.
Raw peanuts, on the other hand, have been dug up, and then air-dried for 2-3 weeks. They have a much lower moisture content than green peanuts.
Important: for this Instant Pot boiled peanuts recipe, we're using raw peanuts.
Ingredients
This is the shortest list of ingredients ever 😉. Of course, there are variations below where you can add more flavors and seasonings, if you like.
- 2 Pounds Raw Peanuts in Shell
- ¼ Cup of Salt
- 8 Cups Water, divided
Equipment Needed
- 6-Quart Instant Pot Pressure Cooker (or similar electric pressure cooker)
How to Make Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
This easy Instant Pot recipe will have you enjoying boiled peanuts in no time!
- Remove any bad peanuts, pieces of shell, etc. and rinse the peanuts thoroughly.
- Soak the cleaned peanuts in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain.
- Place the soaked peanuts in the Instant Pot and sprinkle the salt over the top of the peanuts. Add 4 cups of water to the instant pot and secure the lid.
- Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes.
- Do a manual release and when you can safely open the pot, taste one of the peanuts. You’re tasting the peanut to see if you're happy with the level of softness and saltiness.
- Stir the peanuts well. You want the peanuts from the bottom to be on the top and vice versa. Add 4 cups more water to the peanuts in the Instant Pot. This is necessary to make sure you have enough water to keep the peanuts from burning on the bottom!
- If you would like more salt, add more to the Instant Pot at this point.
- Now here's where the cooking time may vary depending on preference. If the peanut you tested is not too far off from your desired softness level, you’ll want to cook on high for another 20 minutes. However, if you like them a lot softer than the tested peanut, cook on high for another 40 minutes. We did them for another 40 minutes and they were perfectly soft.
- Manual release, drain the excess water, and enjoy! If you're not in a hurry to eat the peanuts, you could let the Instant Pot go through a natural pressure release, but keep in mind that the longer the peanuts sit in the salted water, the more salt they'll absorb and you don't want them to be too salty!
How to Eat Boiled Peanuts
The easiest way to eat a boiled peanut is to pinch the shell between your thumb and forefinger to crack it open. Don't worry - it'll be soft and this is easy to do.
The shell will break at a seam and come apart into two almost equal halves. Then all you have to do is pick out the cooked peanuts and pop them in your mouth. If you want to really get the full experience, be sure to slurp the salty brine out of the peanut shell!
Pro Tips
- It’s important to mention again that this recipe and step-by-step process is for raw peanuts NOT green peanuts.
- I realize that if you've never had boiled peanuts before, you may not know exactly how you like them because everyone’s softness level is different when it comes to boiled peanuts. If this is you, I'd start with the 40-minute + 40-minute suggestion. If you have had boiled peanuts before, then you know what you like so it’s important to test a peanut part way through, to ensure you’re getting the texture that is perfect for you.
- My boiled peanuts recipe lists ¼ cup salt per 2 pounds of peanuts; this is a great starting point. However, everybody is different when it comes to the saltiness they prefer. I don't know anybody that uses less than ¼ cup per 2 pounds, but lots of people go heavier on the salt. Again, taste halfway through and you do you! The best flavor is the flavor that you love!
- Do not forget to add the extra water and stir at the halfway point. This ensures all the peanuts are cooked evenly and keeps your pot from throwing any codes.
Variations
I prefer this classic salty treat in it's simplest form - only cooking the peanuts in salt and water. However, you can certainly step things up if you want to try different flavors for your boiled peanuts. You can add your favorite seasonings to the water (a little bit or a lot) and make them your own.
However, if you like really tasty peanuts with some kick (ie., heat), try this variation:
Instant Pot Cajun Boiled Peanuts - this is a popular variation of the classic southern snack that often includes adding jalapeno peppers, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, cajun seasoning (or creole seasoning), and/or crab & shrimp boil to your water. The cooking process is the same - the flavor is much more spicy and you definitely have some heat in these peanuts!
How to Store Boiled Peanuts
Boiled peanuts can be enjoyed hot, warm, at room temperature or cold! They're a great snack any time of day or night and today's recipe is truly the easy way to make them.
Refrigerator: any leftover peanuts should be drained, then placed in an airtight container and kept in the fridge for several days, up to a week. Do not store them in any water, they must be drained. Enjoy cold out of the fridge or reheat them for one minute in the microwave. You can also place them back in salted water and bring to a boil to reheat them.
Freezer: for longer storage, if you do a large batch (which is what we used to do), drain the ones you want to freeze and then allow them to completely cool. Freeze in gallon zip-top bags or in airtight containers. We'd keep them for months in the freezer (up to a year) and drop them back in boiling water for a few minutes when we wanted to thaw and eat them.
How to Reheat Boiled Peanuts
I have a full post here on how to reheat boiled peanuts on the stovetop, microwave, or slow cooker.
FAQ
Boiled peanuts should always be drained before storing. Once drained, boiled peanuts will last 7-10 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container and up to a year in the freezer in an airtight container.
Yes, after enjoying them the day they are boiled, you will need to refrigerate any leftovers. They cannot be stored at room temperature.
Recipe
Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 pounds of peanuts 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts are a salty Southern snack made in a fraction of the time as the traditional method without losing any flavor. Trade out your crunchy peanuts for deliciously soft and salty peanuts. Making boiled peanuts has never been easier or faster.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Raw Peanuts in Shell
- ¼ cup Salt
- 8 cups Water, divided
Equipment Needed:
- 6-Quart Instant Pot
Instructions
- Remove any bad peanuts, pieces of shell, etc. and rinse the peanuts. Soak in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain.
- Place the peanuts in the instant pot and sprinkle the salt over the top.
- Add 4 cups of water to the instant pot and secure the lid.
- Cook on high for 40 minutes.
- Do a manual release and try one of the peanuts, once safe. You’re tasting the peanut to see how close to your softness and saltiness preference it is.
- Stir the peanuts well. You want the peanuts from the bottom to be on the top and vice versa. Add 4 cups more water to the peanuts in the instant pot.
- If you would like more salt, add more to the instant pot at this point.
- If the peanut you tested is not not too far off from your softness preference, you’ll want to cook on high for another 20 minutes. However, if you like them a lot softer than the tester peanut, cook on high for another 40 minutes. We did them for another 40 minutes and they were perfectly soft.
- Manual release, drain the excess water, and enjoy!
Equipment
Notes
- To store your boiled peanuts, place them in an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 1 week. Do not store them in any water, they must be drained. I do not suggest freezing.
- Everyone’s softness level is different when it comes to boiled peanuts. This is why it’s important to test a peanut part way through, to ensure you’re getting the texture that just makes your taste buds sing.
- ¼ cup salt per 2 pounds of peanuts is a great starting point. However, each person is different when it comes to the saltiness they prefer. So, be sure to adjust the salt as preferred (usually people add more, not less, than ¼ cup).
- Do not forget to add that extra water and stir at the halfway point. This ensures all the peanuts are cooked evenly and keeps your pot from throwing any codes.
- It’s important to note that these are the steps to take for raw peanuts NOT green peanuts.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Snacks
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
janet trieschman
A definite southern treat, but I ate too many on a trip to Savannah. Thanks for sharing with Create-it link party.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party - have a fabulous week!