How to cook frozen peas quickly in the instant pot. It’s the easiest Thanksgiving side dish recipe. Ready in just 15 minutes with very little effort. The peas turn out juicy, soft and keep their green color.
Know people who would rather eat a bag of rusty nails over a single green pea!
Making your family eat peas can be hard work, but, cooking them shouldn’t be!
Make them in the instant pot because it’s a stress free experience!
Best tips for this recipe
- DO NOT thaw the peas beforehand! It ruins the texture and the natural juices are lost in the thawing process.
- Cook them with just a few basic flavors when you cook them in the instant pot. Once they are cooked, you can flavor them with other ingredients.
- Frozen green peas are very easy to cook in the instant pot using the “Pressure Cook” option. Other options will over cook them!
- Be sure to not choose the “Keep Warm” option when you are cooking them in the instant pot. I found that green peas get rubbery when left in the heat for too long.
- Use an instant pot safe container (Affiliate link -> Like this one) to put the frozen green peas into. That will prevent them from over cooking. Also, they cook even when put in a container.
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot Safe container, you can put the green peas directly into the stainless steel cooking pot. Don’t add any water and you may need to adjust the cook time. Pressure cook it for 6 minutes.
- Use either baby sweet peas (13oz) or regular sized sweet peas (10 oz)
Are frozen peas as good as fresh?
Frozen peas are just as good as fresh peas, if not better.
Frozen green peas, just like other frozen vegetables, are frozen at the peak of their freshness. This means that they are at the peak of their nutrition levels.
They are flash frozen and that makes them easy to cook anytime.
When it comes to peas, I prefer using frozen one over fresh ones because I tend to be lazy! I hate the process of removing the peas from the pods!!
Frozen over canned!
Frozen peas are always better than canned peas because no additives are added to it during the freezing process. That’s not the case with canned peas or any canned veggie.
Preservatives are added to canned veggies so that they can withstand the varied temps while being transported. Canned veggies don’t get the refrigeration treatment because it would cause rust in the cans.
For me, canned veggies are the last resort. If I can’t find the veggies in fresh or frozen form, I might consider canned.
Best Frozen Peas?
- Birds Eye Baby Sweet Peas
- Great Value’s Frozen Organic Sweet Peas
- 365 Organic Green Peas
- Nature’s Promise Organic Green Peas
- Cascadian Farm Organic Frozen Garden Peas
How to flavor peas?
- Butter
- Compound butter like lemon balm butter or basil-lime butter
- Salt/pepper
- Pearl onions
- Potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Lemon zest or lime zest
Green peas go well with rice like a coconut rice recipe or a turmeric rice recipe. They make you fall in love with rice all over again.
Can frozen peas be thawed in the microwave?
Yes, you can microwave them, but, DON’T tell me that you did!
Microwaving peas or any veggies can alter their texture, taste and zap out their nutrients. It may be convenient to do so, but not good for you in the long run.
It also cooks the peas unevenly. How would you like to bite into a spoonful of peas and some of them are still frozen?!
Trust me, you won’t regret cooking frozen peas in your instant pot. I have used my (Affiliate Link) 6 Quart Instant Pot Duo Nova to cook peas every time. They turn out perfectly each ti.e
Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this recipe.
Instant pot makes everything so taste so much better and it cooks it really fast too. Try making cilantro lime cauliflower rice in it.
How to cook peas quickly in the instant pot
- Place about 1 cup of water in the stainless steel container of the instant pot.
- Place 1 bag of frozen green peas in an instant pot safe container.
- Place that container on top of the water.
- Add 1tsp pink salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper and 2 Tbsp melted butter.
- Close the instant pot lid.
- Choose the “Pressure Cooker” option on the bottom right of the instant pot and set it to 7 Minutes.
- Remove the “Keep Warm” option and the instant pot will start the cooking process
- Once they have cooked, wait for the valve to drop before opening the instant pot.
- Remove the peas from the instant pot, mix well and serve.
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How to cook frozen peas quickly in the Instant Pot
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Stackable Pans
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 13 oz frozen baby sweet peas
- 1 tsp pink salt adjust to taste
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper adjust to taste
- 2 Tbsp butter melted, vegan or regular butter
Instructions
- Place water in the stainless steel container of the instant pot.
- Place frozen green peas in an instant pot safe container.
- Place that container on top of the water.
- Add salt, pepper and butter to the peas
- Close the instant pot lid.
- Choose the “Pressure Cooker” option on the bottom right of the instant pot and set it to 7 Minutes.
- Remove the “Keep Warm” option and the instant pot will start the cooking process
- Once they have cooked, wait for the valve to drop before opening the instant pot.
- Remove the peas from the instant pot, mix well and serve.
Video
Notes
- DO NOT thaw the peas beforehand! It ruins the texture and the natural juices are lost in the thawing process.
- Cook them with just a few basic flavors when you cook them in the instant pot. Once they are cooked, you can flavor them with other ingredients.
- Frozen green peas are very easy to cook in the instant pot using the pressure cooker option. Other options will over cook them!
- Be sure to not choose the “Keep Warm” option when you are cooking them in the instant pot. I found that green peas get rubbery when left in the heat for too long.
- Use an instant pot safe container to put the frozen green peas into. That will prevent them from over cooking. Also, they cook even when put in a container.
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot Safe container, you can put the green peas directly into the stainless steel cooking pot. Don’t add any water and you may need to adjust the cook time. Pressure cook it for 6 minutes.
- Use either baby sweet peas (13oz) or regular sized sweet peas (10 oz)
you were right! this makes THE best peas EVER. I’m so sick and tired of hard tasteless peas, either because of the actual peas, over-cooking, under cooking etc. Seems the peas in the market are so hit or miss. I always buy organic, too. But this time I got a bag of Birds Eye and they came out perfect. I added no seasonings except for a quarter of an onion, well chopped. Sprinkled them on top of the peas. I didn’t salt/season because I’ve read salt can make peas tough?? Who knows, but the Instant Pot made these Birds Eye peas perfect, cooking just your way. 7 mins and natural vent. When they were done, I seasoned w/salt and butter. Thank you so much for spot-on cooking method. Next time I’m going to use a bag of organic.
Oh my gosh, Marigold!! You have made my week! I am so happy to hear that they came out perfect. It’s the only way I thaw peas, so you make me happy to know that you liked it. I salt them because I have never had the problem of making them tough. The salt seeps into every molecule of peas during the instant pot process so they taste delicious. Thanks for your kind words and I hope you have a wonderful week. 😍😍
Next time, Rini, I am going to try salting the top of the pile of peas before I pressure cook. I bet they’ll come out great, just like you say. At one time I was looking up cooking methods because of the hit or miss texture and I kept hearing don’t salt while cooking. But I always did them this way before. I think it is truly the peas themselves and the cooking method that makes a difference, not salt.
This Thanksgiving we’re gonna have the best peas thanks to you!! 🦃 🍂🍁
Aww, Thank you so much Marigold. That made my day! I always salt my food early on so it seeps into the nooks and crannies.
One other question. Should these be cooked at high pressure or at a different level of pressure?
Hello Nicole, I leave it at it’s default pressure which is normally set to high, I think. Low pressure sounds like it might take a little longer.
After the seven minutes cook time, do you do a quick release or a natural release?
Hello Nicole, I am so sorry for the late response. If you haven’t found the answer already, here is what I do. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS wait for the natural release. I find that the food will be just right when it’s let to “settle down” by itself. You can use quick release, if you are in a hurry. But, I urge you to let it release naturally. Also, I read somewhere that the Instant Pot lasts longer when it’s not forced open each time. Let me know how it works out.
Thanks for the how to! Looks delish!
Thank you
I have an instant pot, but have never tried cooking frozen vegetables in it. Not sure why! Will have to give it a try!
Thank you, Liz. It will change your life for sure. I don’t make peas any other way now.
Such a quick and easy way to make one of my favorite vegetables! I’ll be making this recipe over and over again for sure!
Thank you, Gwynn.
I agree ….frozen are WAY better than canned. Thanks for this…. I tend to only make roasts and stews in my Instant Pot. I tend to forget you can make vegetables like this. Definitely trying this next week!
Thank you, Denise
This was an excellent recipe for peas that our entire family enjoyed. I will be making this again soon. Happy Holidays!
Heidy
Thank you, Heidi
My family loves peas. We have them as a snack sometimes when we watch movies. I will definitely give this IP version a try. Sounds super easy and added butter is a win!
Thank you, Natalie
I always have a bag of frozen peas in my freezer. Thanks for a new way to cook them! This was an awesome idea.
Thank you, Amy
OK I’ve totally been wondering how to do this and this was such a helpful post! I love peas and I love that they could be made so quickly in the instant pot. Thank you so much!
Thank you, Chandice
I have to agree Frozen Peas are so much better than canned. Making these in my Instant pot was so easy thanks to all of your tips . These is a keeper for sure.
Thank you, Debbie.
My kid loves peas and he pretty much made these all by himself! He was so proud. They were great, thank you!
Thank you, Alex. You kid sounds like he is very talented. Glad he liked them.
I made these today for dinner and they came out perfectly! So quick and easy. Thanks!
That is so nice to hear, Erin! Thank you so much.
Well, I never thought about cooking frozen peas in the Instant Pot but it sounds like they would come out delicious. Love the idea of flavoring them with herbed butter or some pearl onions.
Thank you, Linda. I love how easy they are to make in the instant pot
I love such healthy stuff. I can enjoy it for Breakfast or as a snack too. Thanks for your informative post.
Thank you, Veena.
I love frozen peas, and the Instant Pot is such a great way to cook them! They are beautifully bright green and so tasty! Thanks for all the tips and making them great!
Thank you so much, Debi.