Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Rice Pulao – Brown Rice Lobia Pulao. Black Eyes Peas and Rice cooked with spices and veggies. Saucepan option. Vegan Gluten free 1 Pot Soy free Recipe Nut free option
I love beans + rice and and I love roasted peanuts or other nuts in pulao(spiced rice). This version uses black eyed peas and brown rice and is a mix of a few pulao styles across Indian cuisine. Add whichever spices you have(other cuisines blends work too!), and veggies of choice.
Black eyed Peas (Lobia/Chawli/Raungi) are often ignored in favor of various chickpeas or split peas. But these beans are so smooth and soft and have their own fantastic flavor. Try them in curries, pizza(yes!), stir fry/hash and in this easy 1 Pot meal.
More Instant Pot Meals
- IP Red Lentil Chili. GF
- Instant Pot Mushroom Risotto. No standing and stirring needed! GF
- Instant Pot Vegan Butter Chickin(soycurls). GF – Creamy, Delicious
- Japanese Veggie Curry. GF
- Potato Chickpea Spinach Soup. GF
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup with Red lentils. – So Easy
- More Instant Pot Recipes!
Use Cajun blend, Berbere or Jamaican curry blend for non Indian flavor variation. Omit the nuts if you wish. Use a few tbsp sunflower seeds or dalia (split roasted chickpeas, you can find them at the Indian store or online). Serve with pita bread or garlic bread or papadums.
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas Pulao - Brown Rice Lobia Pulao
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup uncooked/dry black eyed peas
- 2/3 cup brown basmati rice
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/3 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/3 tsp mustard seeds
- 3 cloves
- 1/4 cup raw or roasted peanuts , or use cashews (or sunflower seeds or dalia(roasted chickpeas) for nutfree)
- 1/2 onion chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic chopped
- 1/2 inch ginger chopped
- 1/2 hot green chile optional
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 to 1 tsp garam masala or 1 to 1.5 tsp biryani masala
- 1/3 tsp cayenne less or more to preference
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1/2 bell pepper chopped, or other veggies
- 1 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 to 1 tsp salt
- lemon juice , cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Soak the black eyed peas and basmati rice in hot water for 20-30 minutes. In the meanwhile, prep and follow the next steps.
- Press saute mode on IP. Add oil and let it get hot. Add the seeds and cloves and cook for half a minute. Add the nuts and cook for a minute to roast. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and chile and a pinch of salt and cook for 2 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Add the ground spices (turmeric through cayenne) and mix in. Add the tomato and peppers and mix in. Cook for a minute.
- Drain the black eyed peas and rice and add to the pot. Add water and salt and mix in.
- Pressure cook for 18 to 20 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Taste and adjust salt. Add more garam masala or other spices if needed and mix in.
- Add a good dash of lemon and cilantro, some chopped red onion and serve with pappadum or crackers. I also like the pulao with some kachumbar salad.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Tami
I add a tad more salt and use half coconut milk and water and its delicious. Love it.
Vegan Richa Support
yummy
Alison
How would you make this with cans of cooked black eyed peas?
Richa
Use a can of black eyed peas , drain and add. Reduce water to 1 cup and pressure cook time to 17 mins
Claire
Very good and easy to make
Sue
Richa, I used to make this all the time as it was hubby’s fave. Unfortunately he is in a nursing home now and I am cooking at home for one. If I make the usual quantity, could I freeze it in single portions and then reheat in the microwave? I am trying to pre-prepare my own ‘ready meals’ rather than relying on shop bought stuff so much. Many thanks.
Richa
Yes you can do that for most stews or moist grain and bean meals. Just freeze individual portions in containers that don’t have too much space above the stew
Barbara
Delicious and hearty one pot meal,
Vegan Richa Support
those are the best kind, right?
Trish
This recipe is amazing! I had actually already just cooked some black eyed peas and had rice left over from lunch before I came across this recipe. I followed steps 1-3 then added a little water and let it cook on med-low until the veggies were tender. I didn’t pay attention to how much water I used. I just put in the amount that looked right for everything to simmer. Then I stirred in the beans and rice and adjusted the salt and spices to suit my taste. It worked great!
Vegan Richa Support
perfect timing – leftovers have so much potential. thank you
Joannebundy
Can you use quick cooking brown basmati rice? Also if I don’t have cloves can I sub anything?
Vegan Richa Support
sure – just omit the pre-soaking step
Chris
I’ve made this numerous times . It’s easy and always turns out perfect. Great Instant Pot meal that requires little prep and cleanup, so perfect for weeknights.
Vegan Richa Support
Ooh I’m so glad! Thank you for the great review!
Shelley
This was nutritious and delicious! Omg the flavors are amazing. Love this, might be my new weekly Fav! I only changed one thing.. I used vegetable broth instead of water. Even the kids loved it!
Thank you! 😊
Vegan Richa Support
So glad you enjoyed this! Thanks for stopping by!
B F
Very good. I made this on the stove top following those directions. I only had canned black eyed peas so they were added in the last 10 minutes. I also had 1 cup of chopped carrots to use up from another Vegan Richa recipe so I threw those in. So far we are loving her recipes!
Richa
Yay!
Alice
Hello: By soaking in hot water, do you mean in boiling water? Thank you.
Ingrid Scott
I made this recipe today exactly as written. I did double it. Soaked the black eyed peas and the brown basmati for 20 min. in hot water and cooked everything with 3 cups of water for 19 min. Though, since I doubled it I used a can of petite diced tomatoes.
Normally I am not a fan a black eyed peas, but I love garam masala, so I thought it has to be good. While eating I came across some “al dente” pieces and I thought those were black eyes peas not cooked through, but later I remembered the peanuts….I guess those were peanuts I was biting into. 🙂
Me and my husband both liked it and I am glad that I doubled it, because I love leftovers! I want to try it with different spices like you suggested and maybe other beans as well.
Thank you so much for your delicious recipes!
Richa
awesome
SL
This was an amazing meal. Next time, we would double the portions. Thank you!
Ayishwariya
Hi , am thinking about making this – if I have white basmathi rice how does that change the cooking time ? Will it work ? Thanks ! Ayishwariya
Richa
soak the black eyes peas for a few hours before using and pressure cook with the white basmati rice for 11-12 mins
Wendy Funk
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times so far. So satisfying and comforting, great blend of flavours. And so easy to make. I double it as it is rather small as is. Doubling it gives leftovers which we live on! Love your recipes!
Richa
awesome!
Sue
Love this recipe! I make it all the time 🙂
If I want to double the recipe do I need to increase the cook time for the instant pot?
Richa
no, keep cooking time the same and use a bit less water/liquid
Purvie Kishan
Tried to see if someone else already asked, but didn’t find it in the comments…
If doubling, how much would you say is “a bit less water” ?
Thanks Richa!
Richa
about 1.75 times water instead of double. 3 cups should work fine
McKenzie
Gave this recipe a try and following the directions, cooking it for the full 20 minutes under high pressure. I used brown jasmine rice and dry black eyed peas, soaking both in hot water for 30 mins prior to cooking. I found that adding 1-3/4 cups of water prior to pressure cooking was too much water; there was still some liquid after cooking, and the rice was a little bit overcooked. I’ll try it next time with 1-1/4 cups of water (roughly equal to the bean & rice volume), and 18 minutes of cooking. I think it would be better with those changes, at least in my case!
Richa
could be the jasmine rice. I usually use brown basmati. You can cook it on saute for a few mins to reduce.
Dee
Hi Richa –
Can I use quinoa instead of rice for this? What proportion of water and how long should I pressure cook it in IP if I sub rice with quinoa?
Thanks much,
Dee
Richa
Cooking time for quinoa if 1 min under pressure, so it doesnt match with black eyed peas which need 17 to 19 mins. quinoa will overcook and disintegrate. You can use quinoa and red lentils in the recipe and cook for 2 mins under pressure and natural release.
Sue
This was totally delicious – have put off using brown rice until I got the Instant Pot, now this recipe will be on regular rotation, though think I need to add a more colourful vegetable, probably carrot as it will stand up to the longer cooking time. The black eye peas and rice cooked to a lovely creamy texture though, hubby was most impressed. So impressed I may have to double this next week and freeze some.
Richa
awesome! Sure add more veggies! you can cook for less time for just done as well. play around 🙂
Keren
Delicous! I didn’t a tomato to used a bit of pureed tomato from a jar, also added 1 small carrot to the veggies. Used a whole onion, freekeh and adzuki beans (pre cooked, added them at the end). Love the hotness of this dish, perfect for winter. Filling, interesting and so healthy. And of course, delicious.
Richa
yay!
Keren
Sorry for the typos! I just had it again for lunch, 3 day in a row, it’s amazing how such a dish gets better with every day that passes. The same as with this recipe last week:
https://www.veganricha.com/2017/07/peanut-sweet-potato-curry.html
I remember eating it 4 days after having made it and thinking how delicious it still was! super delicious. I have too many recipes to try from your blog, Richa, lucky me.
Richa
thats awesome! yes the spices infuse more in the dish with time. Also different spices infuse differently, so the flavor changes subtly day over day 🙂
Lisa
This was SO delicious! Made it for New Year’s for my “black-eyed pea hating” husband and he LOVED it and gave it “5 stars!!!” (in my recipe clipper). I even goofed it up a bit by doubling the recipe AND the water (read these comments later about using less water when doubling), so it was rather soupy. I look forward to using less water next time if I double it OR just making the smaller batch. But oh, the leftovers…….
Richa
awesome!
Julie
Just made this for my New Year’s Day dinner and it’s delicious! I love your recipes!
Richa
yay!
Daniela
I can’t find black eyed peas where I live. What can I use to substitute?
Richa
brown lentils, or cooked chickpeas or other beans
Lea
Loved this dish. I doubled the recipe and I’m so happy I read the comments to leave out some liquid because the consistency was perfect! This was hearty, flavorful and SO filling. My tummy is going to be extremely satisfied for my lunches this week! Thank you for always answering our questions!!
Richa
awesome!
Lea
Going to make this next week and I have 2 questions. First, will Brown jasmine rice work with this recipe and 2. After we saute, is the IP supposed to go on high pressure and how long should we allow it to naturally release? I am quickly becoming a repeat visitor to your site!
Richa
Yes it should work. Yes, acel saute and press pressure cook/Manual (default is hi pressure). You dont have to time the natural release. Justopen the pot whenever the pressure knob goes down, usually about 10 to 12 mins
Lalita
Can I use a can of black eyed peas instead of the dry ? I’m excited to try this!
Richa
they will overcook in the cook time. you can reduce the water to 1 1/2 cups and cook just the brown rice. then open the pot, add the drained black eyed peas and simmer for 4 to 5 mins for the flavors to develop in the black eyed peas. let sit for another 5 mins before serving
Christy
Can you easily double the recipe in an instant pot?
Richa
yes. use just a bit less water and heat and double
Lucy
This was one of those lucky recipes where you look at the ingredient list and realize that by some miracle you have everything on it! Yes!! No trip to the store!
Really quick and easy to pull together and incredibly yummy. I especially love how perfectly cooked the black-eyed peas were.
I’ll definitely make again. 👍🏼👍🏼
Richa
Awesome! You can change it up. Omit the nuts, add some other blends. Jamaican curry + a bit of coconut milk or cajun go so well with blak eyed peas
Louisa
I’ve got a large amount of white basmati that needs using up. Would this work with a straight substitution and reducing the cooking time? or would I need to both reduce the cooking time and use tinned beans added at the end? Looking to make this in my instapot. Thanks.
Richa
White basmati rice needs 6 to 7 mins cooking time when cooked on its own, so 18 mins would overcook it. You can use precooked black eyed peas. Soak the rice for 10 mins, drain, add the cooked black eyed peas with the soaked rice, use 1.5 cups of water. Pressure cook for 7 to 8 mins, natural release.
Richa
use about 1.25 cups of cooked black eyed peas (anywhere from 1 to 1.5 cups will do)
Susan
I made this and it was so good. I made it with your jamiacan curry spices. Everyone loved it.
Richa
awesome!
Régine
Thanks, Richa
This was delicious, as expected. I chose the recipe to use bits and pieces in my fridge. So, instead of peppers, I added carrots (in coarse julienne), and cabbage + I added some swish chard at the very end. Just the inspiration I needed to clean my fridge while enjoying a delicious bowl of lobia pulao!
Richa
awesome!
Kelly
I made this yesterday for my meal prep lunches for the week and it is outstanding!!! I made the recipe exactly as written, except I used roasted pepitas instead of peanuts. This will be in the regular rotation for sure!
Richa
awesome!!
Sue
Delicious!!! Richa, this was so beautifully spiced, warm and yummy. I’m really glad I made a double batch. Thanks for another wonder. Thanks
Richa
Awesome! so glad you loved it!
Sunaina
Do you think walnuts would work instead of cashews?
Richa
they might.
Teresa
We adore black eyed peas!!! We will definitely make this!!!
Kirsten
This looks great! I don’t have an instant pot so I will use the stove top directions. Everybody seems to love the instant pot…maybe I should get one?
Richa
It depends on the kind of cooking you do. Its basically an electric pressure cooker with additional functions such s scheduling, delayed cooking, warming (for yogurt or fermentation), steaming etc.
Louise
Can you sub dried beans for tinned?
Thanks
Richa
they’ll get overcooked. You can make the recipe with 1.5 cups water and just brown rice and when you open the pot, mix in the drained black eyed peas and saute for a few minutes to incorporate the flavors.
Cindy
This looks quick and delicious!Wanna try this soon when i get home.Thanks Richa!
Lesa
I am going to make this later but cannot see when to add the nuts, do I just add them at the end? Thanks Richa.
Richa
Ah i missed them in the instructions. They are added right after the whole spices(cumin etc). The ingredients are generally used in the order they are listed. so in case i miss them in the instructions. they go in the pot in the order. added the nuts now to the instructions
Susan
Can I use ground spices instead of seeds?
Richa
yes, use 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/3 tsp ground mustard and 1/8 tsp ground clove and add it with the turmeric.
Susan
Thank you
Sue
This looks quick, easy and delicious! I will definitely make this either this week or next week. Thanks Richa!
Richa
Yes, its pretty easy and flexible too. Change up the spices to preference