Instant Pot Hoppin John

You’re either here because you’re wondering what the heckHoppin John is, or you’re looking for an easy Hoppin John…either way welcome to Zopago!! We have a lot of easy Instant Pot recipes here so if you’re looking for dinner beyond this popular New Years dish we’ve got you covered!

Why is it called Hoppin John?

What is Hoppin John anyway?? Well I have to be honest, I had no idea until a friend of mine said she was making it for dinner the other night. I am a sucker for recipes with fun names so I asked her about it and she said it was a popular southern dish made for New Years but she loved it so much they made it year round.

So…..I did a little research about where the name came from and it’s origination and this is what I found. Tradition began in the Southern United States. Eating Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck.

This is a great way to use leftover ham but can certainly be made year round with a few diced ham steaks. I assure you this will become a yearly ritual your family will love.

Ninja Foodi Hoppin John

I don’t like canned because they can get quite mushy in the Instant Pot so I’d opt for frozen or dried, dried is best. This is what ours looked like when it was done….and in just 30 minutes! If you haven’t tried this fun comfort food before I suggest that you do. It might become a new year tradition for your family too.

Don’t have an IP? No problem, it can be made in a Crockpot Express or as a Ninja Foodi recipe too with the lid that is not attached. As long as it is electric and has the high pressure function this can be made to be enjoyed year round really.

Ingredient Notes

You are going to start with a dry bag of black eyed peas. You can use frozen or canned but time will be different than that in the recipe card below and the texture will be different (not as pleasant). There is NO soaking required for this, the pot does all the work.

You are going to want to add some diced Ham or leftover ham is what we used, can use smoked ham hocks or cut up ham steaks if making year round.

You want a can of diced tomatoes, I like the petite version so you get a few in every spoonful but to each their own. I would not use fresh produce as the skins are firmer that way and in the can it is softer so the overall texture is best.

Chicken broth is the liquid I used vs. water which will offer no flavor to the dish. Use more or less depending on how “soupy” you wanted it to become.

Rice you will make separately, here’s how to make perfect Instant Pot white rice to fold into the end when done or serve underneath like you see here.

I chose to add bits of smoked gouda to the top because that is what I had on hand but that would be optional.

Kale is wonderful and traditionally added into the dish and wilts nicely but could be left out.

Substitutions

When it comes to adding vegetables really the sky is the limit. The only thing you really want to remember is that everything should be submerged to get tender. If you add too many then they will sit out of the sauce/liquid and not work well.

You could add diced celery and/or diced bell peppers. You could skip the kale I added inside and/or serve sauteed collard greens on the side instead. Use a ham hock instead of diced ham like we did, and some like adding bay leaves. You could use 4 cups water instead of chicken broth but that wouldn’t add any flavor so I wouldn’t suggest that substitution but is an option.

Can you use canned black eyed peas instead of dry?

You could but it will be mushier. See timing difference in step 4 if you want to do it this way. Timing with this cooking method is 12 minutes instead with a quick release. I’m telling you that to pressure cook dry beans is super easy. I would highly recommend this method. You could use frozen black eyed peas vs. dried but that will alter the cook time. 30 minutes on high pressure vs 12 would be the difference.

Now with our Instant Pot red beans and rice I have used canned and it worked but in that dish you want them softer, at least we do.

Can you use something other than black-eyed peas to make Hoppin John?

I mean it wouldn’t be traditional that way but yes you could use anything since you’re making it yourself. Northern beans would work, or Pinto but either would have a totally different flavor profile. You could get close using the same other ingredients listed below though.

How can you make Hoppin’ John better?

There are many variations to traditional Hoppin’ John. Some cook black-eyed peas and rice in one pot with cajun seasoning to make it spicy. We omitted the rice and added diced tomatoes instead because we preferred it that way.  Others insist on simmering ingredients separately.

We’re all about one pot meals though so that’s not our style. Some also like to add the collard greens to the pot, that isn’t my favorite veggie so I opted for kale. The favorite traditional way to eat this meal is with collard greens and corn bread. Here is the printable recipe below, good luck!

After you’d made this here are a few other Instant Pot dinner recipes you’ll enjoy Pressure cooker chili with dry beans is super easy to throw together from scratch. Healthy Instant Pot pinto bean soup

What do you eat with Hoppin’ John?

Serving leafy green vegetables (we used kale) served along with this dish (or inside like I did) are supposed to add wealth since it’s the color of money!

• Another traditional side served with Hoppin John is cornbread, you can make our Instant Pot cornbread recipe to serve with it.
• On the day after New Year’s Day leftovers are usually called Skippin’ Jenny bringing a hope for an even better chance of prosperity in the New Year.