Cowboy Caviar is a fresh and colorful dip that is perfect to serve at any party. Everyone will be asking you for the recipe! This version uses ingredients you can get any time of the year.

Cowboy Caviar
This is one of those recipes that is made at every family party and it never gets old. I love this version because it requires very little chopping! My sister-in-law’s original recipe had so many items to chop that it took a very long time to make. This version uses less ingredients and uses canned tomatoes (shhh, it’s a secret and nobody really knows the difference. So when fresh tomatoes aren’t in season you can still enjoy cowboy caviar. Try packaging it up* for neighbor Christmas gifts). Plus the addition of some chopped tame (they aren’t spicy, I promise) jalapenos is a welcome addition. This is the version I will be making from now on!
Where does the Instant Pot come into play? You can use it to cook your dried black eyed peas! The Instant Pot is a great tool to cook legumes in a fraction of the time they would take to cook on the stove. If you’d rather use canned black eyed peas you can do that too! No biggie.
Just try this recipe and let me know how it goes. We made it and ate it for a summer dinner this week. It’s fresh and delightful. I know you’re going to love it.
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Dried black eyed peas–or two cans of black eyed peas, you can also use 2 cans of black beans.
- Good Seasons Zesty Italian salad dressing mix–find this in the salad dressing aisle
- White vinegar–or red wine vinegar
- Canola–or vegetable oil
- Corn–canned or frozen
- Canned petite diced tomatoes–you can also chop up fresh tomatoes
- Garlic salt
- Cilantro
- Green onions
- Pickled tame jalapenos–find these by the pickles
Steps
- Cook the peas: For dried black eyed peas: add 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup dried black eyed peas into your Instant Pot. Cover and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 8 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Drain and rise the black eyed peas in a colander. Set in the refrigerator until cooled. For canned black eyed peas: drain and rinse in a colander. Then start with step 2.
- Stir everything together: In a large bowl add the black eyed peas, Italian salad dressing mix, vinegar, 3 Tbsp water, oil, corn, tomatoes, garlic salt, cilantro, green onions and jalapenos. Stir.
- Serve: The longer you let it sit the better it will taste. I suggest letting it sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. But if you can’t wait you can eat it right away (guilty). Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes/Tips
- Make sure your dried black eyed peas are fairly new. Old dried legumes don’t soften when cooked.
- Serve with tortilla chips like a dip. You can also serve it over taco salad like a salsa.
- I used my 6 quart Instant Pot* to cook the legumes. You can also make this in a 3 or 8 quart pot.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This does not freeze well.
- This recipe is gluten-free, serve with corn tortilla chips. This recipe is also dairy free.
- Other recipes you can make with dried black eyed peas are Instant Pot Detox Soup and Instant Pot Southern Hoppin’ John.

More Dip Recipes…
- Instant Pot Tennessee Sausage Cheese Dip
- Instant Pot Mississippi Sin Dip
- Instant Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Instant Pot Crab Dip
- Instant Pot Chocolate Peanut Butter Hummus
- Instant Pot Hummus
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.

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Cowboy Caviar
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (plus 10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
Description
Cowboy Caviar is a fresh and colorful dip that is perfect to serve at any party. Everyone will be asking you for the recipe! This version uses ingredients you can get any time of the year.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried black eyed peas (or 2 cans, see note)
- 1 (0.6 oz) package Good Seasons Zesty Italian salad dressing mix
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 3 Tbsp water
- 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1 (14.5 oz) can corn, drained
- 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 green onions, diced
- 1/4–1/2 cup chopped pickled tame jalapenos
Instructions
- For dried black eyed peas: add 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup dried black eyed peas into your Instant Pot. Cover and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 8 minutes. When time is up let the pot sit for 10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid. Drain and rise the black eyed peas in a colander. Set in the refrigerator until cooled.
- In a large bowl add the black eyed peas, Italian salad dressing mix, vinegar, 3 Tbsp water, oil, corn, tomatoes, garlic salt, cilantro, green onions and jalapenos. Stir.
- The longer you let it sit the better it will taste. I suggest letting it sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. But if you can’t wait you can eat it right away (guilty). Serve with tortilla chips.
Notes
For canned black eyed peas: drain and rinse in a colander. Then start with step 2.
- Category: Side
- Method: Instant Pot
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