Pressure Cooked Boiled Peanuts

Name: Pressure Cooked Boiled Peanuts
Prep time: 7 min
Cook time: 63 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 9 servings
Ingredients: 4 pounds raw green peanuts; 3 tablespoons kosher salt; 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 10 cups water (or enough to cover peanuts); 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

By Emma

Certified Culinary Professional

Published on 13 February 2026 • Recipe tested & approved

Quickly cooked boiled peanuts with a tangy twist, salty bite, and tender texture using an electric pressure cooker. Simple ingredients, modified for more flavor and kitchen ease.

Prep: 7 min

Cook: 63 min

Total: 1h 35min

Servings: 9 servings

#Southern cooking #snack recipes #pressure cooker #peanut recipes #vegan snacks #quick snacks

Before You Start

Rinsing peanuts, rinsing the grit away, key to clean final taste. Not just water though. The vinegar tang wakes up old peanut skins, loosens ’em. Patience. Pressure works its magic slowly. Sixty three minutes under steam pressure here, less risk than boiling on stove for hours. Smoked paprika? Surprise twist. Low key but tasty. That salty snap when biting the skin off, soaking up salty heat. Texture’s crucial. If too soft, it’s mush. Too firm, choke city. You learn timing by feel, sight. Peanuts swell, skins wrinkle, kitchen smells earthy, briny, deep. My last try I tweaked salt down by a bit, tossed in apple cider vinegar instead of distilled white. More complex finish. Less harshness. It’s about coaxing flavors—not slapping with salt. If no fresh peanuts, dry ones mean longer cook, hacking away patience with soaking. Pressure cooker’s convenience beats stovetop stubbornness every time. A pinch of paprika brings old-school barbecue porch memory to mind. That’s why I keep it in the mix. Call it addictive if you want.

Ingredients

4 pounds raw green peanuts
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
10 cups water (or enough to cover peanuts)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

About the ingredients

Raw green peanuts preferred here. They hold moisture well, cook evenly with that firm snap hint. Salt amount varied from original; salt controls water retention inside nuts and texture post cooking. Vinegar type matters. Apple cider brings mild sweetness and deeper tang over plain white vinegar; avoids the overly sharp bite. Water quantity should just cover peanuts—too much water dulls flavor, dilutes salt concentration in shell. Smoked paprika adds subtle warmth and smoky aroma, balancing the vinegar’s sharpness without overpowering. Substitutions? Soy sauce or miso as salt replacements introduce umami without killing tang. If green peanuts scarce, dried raw peanuts need soaking hours ahead—sometimes overnight. Otherwise, expect longer cook times. When rinsing, remove dirt rigorously to avoid gritty mouthfeel and prevent foaming in cooker. Use kosher salt unless restricted; it dissolves cleaner than iodized table salt.

Method

Rinse and Prep

Wash peanuts thoroughly in cool running water; gritty dirt can ruin the texture. Drain well or blot dry if you want less foaming later. No skimping.

Season and Soak

Place peanuts in the pot. Sprinkle salt evenly; don’t just dump it. Pour apple cider vinegar—not that plain white stuff—to add subtle tang and break down skins.
Add smoked paprika for smoky depth. Covers the bitterness some peanuts have post cooking.
Pour water gradually, just until peanuts are submerged. Too much water = bland mush. Watch the max fill line carefully; the pot foams and bubbles big with peanuts.

Seal and Cook

Secure lid, seal valve tightly. Set pressure cooker to high pressure for 63 minutes. Do not rush to quick release; natural pressure release helps skins relax, keeps peanuts plump instead of shriveled.

Release and Assess

Once pressure drops naturally, open carefully—steam bursts out hot, smell rich, earthy, salty. Peek at peanuts for softness. Should be tender but not falling apart. Skin wrinkles and sometimes peels slightly when done.
If too firm, reseal and cook more in 5-minute bursts. Texture clues > strictly clock times.

Serve and Store

Drain if you want less salty broth or serve with some juice for intensely flavored snacking. Store leftovers in cling wrap or airtight; refrigerated peanuts spit up flavors next day even better.

Tips and Substitutions

If green peanuts unavailable, dry raw unshelled need way longer soaking, more water, and cooking, but pressure cooker helps cut down time drastically.
Reducing salt? Try adding soy sauce or miso paste in broth for umami depth without over salting.
Extra vinegar? Bubbles intensify and skins pop off—you want that or not is personal. Play with acid balance for your palate.
Smoke paprika optional but with a history of smoked nuts, worth the extra punch.
If pressure cooker unknown to you, test with water only first to avoid surprises—peanuts tend to froth and can clog pressure valves if done wrong.

Cooking tips

Start with thoroughly washed peanuts; any dirt leads to nasty grit and foamy mess. Salt must be incorporated evenly, or some peanuts will be bland while others taste salty. Vinegar inclusion is a small tweak but cuts down long boiling acidity aftertaste; apple cider won’t overpower but softens skins quicker. Add smoky paprika late for aromatic glow. Pour just enough water to cover peanuts fully but watch pressure cooker max fill line—safety first. Seal lid tightly; use natural pressure release not quick vent to let skins settle properly preventing mushy or tough textures. Don’t blindly rely on time but look for visual dull skin color, gentle wrinkles, possible small splits on outer skins. Texture is king. Testing a few peanuts for softness is smarter than watching the clock. Cooling in the steam or juice left in pot helps maintain moisture if not eating immediately. Store leftovers in airtight container or plastic wrap refrigerate for flavor maturation; peanuts continue to soak salts. Common mistakes: too much water, quick pressure release, under-rinsing peanuts, or skipping vinegar leads to dull, bland, or skin-peeling problems.

Chef's notes

💡 Start rinsing green peanuts thoroughly; gritty dirt means awful mouthfeel later. Use cool running water. Don’t skip. Drain or blot dry well to reduce foaming under pressure. Foamy foam creates mess, can clog valves. Patience matters here.
💡 Salt must be sprinkled evenly. Dumping salt causes weird uneven flavors. Vinegar isn’t just tang—apple cider softens skins while adding complexity. White vinegar’s sharper, more harsh. Adjust vinegar carefully or skins pop off, bubbles blow up, unexpected explosion in pot.
💡 Water needs to barely cover peanuts. Too much water turns snack into bland mush. Watch max fill line on pressure cooker closely. Peanuts foam and bubble a lot when cooking. Overfilling is recipe’s common downfall—pot safety at stake.
💡 Pressure cook at high pressure, 63 minutes. No rush to quick release. Natural release crucial to let skins relax and keep peanuts plump, not shriveled sad mess. Skins wrinkle, sometimes peel slightly when perfect. Texture is king, not strict timers.
💡 If not using green, dried raw peanuts need long soak ahead—sometimes overnight. More water, longer cook time. Pressure cooker still chops hours off stovetop method. Substitutions for salt? Soy sauce or miso paste bring umami, reduce harsh saltiness yet keep broth flavor, interesting twist.

Common questions

Can I use regular peanuts?

Raw dry unshelled peanuts need soaking long, more water, longer pressure cook. Not green fresh ones. Cook time at least doubled sometimes. Watch texture, not clock. Pressure cooker helps but patience still key.

What if too salty?

Drain some broth after cooking if salty punch too strong. Or skip some salt next time. Soy sauce or miso can replace part of salt to add umami, less aggressive salt. Vinegar softens saltiness a bit too but don’t overdo it.

Why do skins peel off sometimes?

Acid content key, too much vinegar swelling skins then they pop loose. Natural pressure release slows cooling, helps skins stick better. Quick vent rush breaks skins off. Skin peeling not failure, just different texture.

How to store leftovers?

Wrap peanuts airtight in cling wrap fridge. Peanuts soak salty broth overnight, flavors get intense. Can keep up to 3-4 days cold. Reheat gently or eat cold. Avoid plastic bag leaks or dry out fridge odors soak in.