Do you know how to cook frozen peas in the Instant Pot? It’s an easy side dish to serve on Thanksgiving and any special occasion. In just 15 minutes, frozen peas turn out juicy, and plump, and get that vibrant color.
Who doesn’t love sweet peas?
I know people who don’t like it, so this peas recipe is for them!
This is such an easy recipe that will make even the pea-haters fall in love with it!
Originally published on September 13, 2021 at 4:30 pm. Click here to see why this recipe was updated.
Best tips for this recipe
- For the best texture, the right way of cooking peas is to NOT thaw them beforehand!
- My favorite way is to cook them with just a few ingredients like butter and salt. Once they are cooked, they have a sweet flavor and can be put into simple recipes.
- Of all the cooking methods, cooking them in the pressure cooker is the fastest. Frozen green peas should be cooked with the “Pressure Cook” option only with the “Keep warm” option turned off. Other options make for mushy peas!
- The best way is to use an instant pot-safe container (Affiliate link -> Like this one) or a steamer basket to put the frozen green peas into. That will make them cook evenly.
- Use either petite peas, baby sweet peas (13oz), or standard green 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, like any frozen vegetable, are flash-frozen at their peak freshness before they get delivered to your local grocery store. This means that they are at the peak ripeness and nutrition levels.
When it comes to peas, I prefer using frozen ones over fresh ones because I tend to be lazy! I hate the process of removing the peas from the pods!!
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 peas in an instant pot-safe container.
- Place that container on top of the water.
- Add pink salt, ground black pepper, and melted unsalted butter. Optional: add 1 tablespoon of water.
- Close the instant pot lid.
- Choose the “Pressure Cooker” option to cook these peas. It’s located on the bottom right of the instant pot. Set it to 7 Minutes and turn off the “keep warm” option. Let it go through the cooking process.
- Once they have cooked, wait for the valve to drop before opening the instant pot.
- Remove the cooked peas from the instant pot, mix well, and serve. Optional: drizzle some lemon juice on the peas before serving.
Frozen over canned!
Frozen peas are always better than canned peas because there are no additives are added to them during the freezing process. That’s not the case with canned peas or any canned veggies.
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.
I consider canned veggies as the last option. It’s better than not having any peas at all.
What are the best varieties of peas?
- Birds Eye Baby Sweet Peas
- Great Value’s Frozen Organic Sweet Peas
- 365 Organic Green Peas
- Pero Family’s English Peas
- Cascadian Farm Organic Frozen Garden Peas
How to flavor peas?
- Butter
- Compound butter like scallion butter, lemon balm butter, or basil-lime butter
- Salt/pepper (or garlic salt)
- Pearl onions
- Potatoes
- Mushrooms
- Lemon zest or lime zest
How to serve these peas
Green peas are a healthy side dish so they will go well with any dish. Serve it with rice like a coconut rice recipe or a turmeric rice recipe.
Even chunky potato soup tastes amazing with peas. I have served them with mushrooms and it was so good. They are great in a pea soup recipe and even in samosas.
These peas are fun to serve with Southern-style cornbread. Also, you can cook the frozen peas and carrots similarly.
❓ Answering Common Questions
English peas and garden peas are the same thing. Snap peas AKA sugar snap peas have a less sturdy and edible shell.
They are not the same as purple hulls or field peas.
Yes, you can microwave them in a microwave-safe dish, but, DON’T tell me that you did it!
Microwaving peas or any veggies can alter their texture, and 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.
It depends on the amount of peas you are cooking. For this recipe, I cooked 1 bag of peas (13oz) in a (Affiliate Link) 6 Quart Instant Pot Duo Nova to cook peas every time. This size can accommodate about 26oz without any trouble.
Yes, an easy way is to cook them in a large skillet. Use medium heat, add extra virgin olive oil, and cook for 3-5 minutes. Flavor with salt and one garlic clove. Turn off the heat and serve the sauteed peas as a side dish.
Yes, cook the peas and mash them. Put them into vegetable stuffings, or sandwich recipes. Also, mashed peas are also healthy baby snacks as shown by Savoring the Good. It helps to get kids started on better eating.
How to serve these peas
These frozen peas are an easy vegetable side dish to serve alongside any holiday meal. They fit right in with a delicious side dish like green beans and asparagus and kale and potatoes.
They are also easy to serve as a side to any weeknight dinner. My favorite way is to serve them as a side to cauliflower steak, along with mashed potatoes.
A great way to store leftover peas is in a glass airtight container and used up within 2-3 days.
Optional ingredient list
- Flavor with fresh herbs like mint leaves.
- Italian seasoning
- chopped onion
Try these Instant Pot recipes
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How to cook frozen peas quickly in the Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 13 oz frozen baby sweet peas 1 package
- 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 overcook 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)
Nutrition
Did you know that peas are known as “petit pois” in French?
Version 1
From time to time, I will go through old recipes to update the content. Sometimes, I update just the images and sometimes, I give the recipe a complete makeover.
This time, I didn’t change the recipe at all. But, I did clean up the text. There was some grammar errors, sentence structure issues, and basically I talked too much, lol.
If you want to see the old wordy post with all it’s grammar errors, click here.
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.