Growing up in Florida, boiled peanuts were the ultimate road trip food. I remember driving along old country roads to the springs and stopping at little road side stands selling them. There’d be some salty dude with a long beard, older than the hills, standing under a tattered red and white umbrella tending to a questionably rigged metal drum full of boiled peanuts. They’d scoop them into a plastic bag and hand us our afternoon snack for the bargain price of just a few bucks. And the peanuts were SO good. The saltiness was refreshing after a hot summer day of play, and the protein-packed peanut would keep us full until dinner time.
So this summer, inspired by my mom giving these a try in her own kitchen, I wanted to re-create this comfort food memory at home. I’ve tested out three methods for making boiled peanuts: boiling on a stovetop, using a slowcooker, and pressure cooking. Ultimately, the pressure cooker was my favorite way since it saved some time. But all three methods work wonderfully, so use what you’ve got and enjoy your own homemade boiled peanuts.
What Are Boiled Peanuts?
So, if you’re not from the south, you’re probably wondering, what are boiled peanuts? Well, they’re just like they sound. Peanuts that are boiled instead of dry roasted. The peanuts are whole, so you have to break them out of their shell. It’s similar to the way you might eat edamame, cracking open the shell with your fingers (or your teeth) to get to the salty bean inside.
What Do Boiled Peanuts Taste Like?
Boiled peanuts have a taste and texture similar to a bean, which makes sense since they’re legumes after all. As for flavor, it depends on how they’re seasoned. Some are simply boiled with a bit of salt. Others can be a little spicy with cajun or other low country boil style seasonings.
You can eat boiled peanuts hot or cold. And if you have some left over, simply warm them up in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Types Of Peanuts To Use
I’ve read that the most flavorful peanuts for boiling are the Valencia type. But to be honest, there typically isn’t much of a variety of raw peanuts found at our local grocer. You might have better luck!
What you want to look for are the fresh “green peanuts” in the produce section. Typically these will be marked on the bag “great for boiling” and they’ll be a little wet. These peanuts are the easiest to boil at home and they come in smaller, 2 pound bags.
For a larger quantity of peanuts, look for raw in-shell peanuts.These come in a giant bag, up to 25 pounds. These are not roasted, but they’ll appear dry. Because the shells are wet like the green peanuts, they can take longer to boil.
Prep Peanuts For Cooking
First start by placing the peanuts in a colander and rinsing them well. You’ll want to remove any peanuts that are not whole or look a little gnarly. I usually peel away and remove any extra bits of roots hanging from them too. These can look like little hairs sticking out from the peanut. But they don’t’ have to be perfect. Just clean them up a bit.
How To Make Boiled Peanuts – 3 Ways
Now, we’re ready to get to boiling peanuts! The first method I have listed here is just boiling them on your stovetop. You can also use a slow cooker in the same way and you don’t need to babysit a slow cooker in the same way you’d need to mind the pot of peanuts on a stovetop. And the final method is using a pressure cooker to save you some time.
Traditional Boiled Peanuts: For boiling peanuts on the stovetop, you’ll need a big sturdy pot. I like to use my dutch oven, but any big pot will do. You’ll need 8 cups of water per 2 pounds of peanuts. Add ¼ cup of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Once it’s got a rolling boil, reduce heat to low to simmer, cover, and wait. The peanuts will need to boil for 6 to 8 hours to soften the shell and cook the legume inside. I recommend checking on them every hour or so and giving them a good stir. The peanuts are done when you can easily break open the shell and the peanut inside has a soft bean-like texture.
Slow Cooker: Boiling peanuts in a slow cooker is the same exact measurements and recipe as above, only, you’ll use a slow cooker instead of a pot on your stovetop. Once you set it to cover and simmer, check on them and give them a stir every one to two hours.
Pressure Cooker: This method is a time saver! For two pounds of peanuts, add ¼ cup of salt and enough water to cover them in your pressure cooking pot. This can be 6-8 cups of water. Add the lid and pressure cook on HI for 45 minutes. Let them naturally steam release, and then remove the lid.
Seasonings To Try
The methods above include just salting the water for boiled peanuts. But you can add seasonings too! I’d recommend 1 Tbsp per 2 pounds of peanuts. Here are some of my favorite boiled peanut seasonings:
- Old Bay
- Cajun (Penzy’s is great!)
- Smoked Paprika
- Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning
- Sea Salt
How To Eat Boiled Peanuts
To eat boiled peanuts, crack open the shell to get to the nut inside. Can break them apart with your hands. Quite honestly, though, I usually pop the shell in my mouth and break it open with my teeth, slurp out the salty juice, eat the peanut, and discard the shell. Class, I know. But it’s SO good.
Boiled peanuts can a bit messy. If you’re making these for your family, you might want to give these to the kiddos outside. There’s a bit of juice that my squirt out and your fingers will get a little wrinkly. But it’s FUN and totally worth it.
How To Serve Boiled Peanuts
You can serve boiled peanuts in a giant bowl, or in individual bags. I recommend wax paper sandwich bags since they hold up well despite the peanuts being wet. You’ll also want a discard bowl or bag to put the shells in.
How Long Do They Keep?
Boiled peanuts are definitely best eaten fresh right after you cook them, but you can store them in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. They’re great hot or cold, but if you want to warm them up, place them in a bowl and microwave for just 30 seconds.
Boiled Peanuts RecipE - 3 Ways!
A southern classic, here are three different ways to make boiled peanuts.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs raw peanuts
- 8 cups water
- 1/4 cup salt
- 1 Tbsp Seasoning (Optional)
Instructions
- Traditional Boiled Peanuts: For boiling peanuts on the stovetop, you’ll need a big sturdy pot. I like to use my dutch oven, but any big pot will do. You’ll need 8 cups of water per 2 pounds of peanuts. Add ¼ cup of salt to the water and bring to a boil. Once it’s got a rolling boil, reduce heat to low to simmer, cover, and wait. The peanuts will need to boil for 6 to 8 hours to soften the shell and cook the legume inside. I recommend checking on them every hour or so and giving them a good stir. The peanuts are done when you can easily break open the shell and the peanut inside has a soft bean-like texture.
- Slow Cooker: Boiling peanuts in a slow cooker is the same exact measurements and recipe as above, only, you’ll use a slow cooker instead of a pot on your stovetop. Once you set it to cover and simmer, check on them and give them a stir every one to two hours.
- Pressure Cooker: This method is a time saver! For two pounds of peanuts, add ¼ cup of salt and enough water to cover them in your pressure cooking pot. This can be 6-8 cups of water. Add the lid and pressure cook on HI for 45 minutes. Let them naturally steam release, and then remove the lid.
Notes
The type of seasoning is up to you! Depending on your flavor preference, here are few suggestions:
- Old Bay
- Cajun (Penzy’s is great!)
- Smoked Paprika
- Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
- Sea Salt
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 429Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2758mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 7gSugar: 4gProtein: 20g
Nutrition information provided is only an estimate.
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I have something similar to an Instant Pot, and that was what I used. I followed the recipe exactly including cooking instructions, but in order to get the consistency that my husband and I like I had to run it through two of the fifty minute cycles, and they were EXCELLENT! Used Tony Cachere’s, and since the two pound bags of raw peanuts were on sale I have another bag in the pantry ready for when the craving strikes again! Thank you for a great recipe. It is a keeper, and I have already passed it along to others!
So glad you enjoyed it! Tony Cachere’s is great!
KP, the OP’s original recipe called for green peanuts. You used raw peanuts, which is why you had to double up on the time boiling. Just an FYI. You said you put the extra bag in your pantry, which is fine for the raw peanuts, but green peanuts would require refrigeration, else they will spoil quickly.