Learn all the tips and tricks that you can use for cooking dried peas at home in your kitchen. I love this type of legume as it is rich in nutrients and has a distinctly delicious taste. Dried peas, especially yellow split peas, are very accessible. You can find it on the shelves of every supermarket and store. Moreover, if you compare it, for example, with beans, the cooking process is so much easier and shorter.
All you need to know are several key points that you take into consideration while cooking peas. First, you need to decide whether you are using it as a garnish/side dish or an ingredient for further cooking, whether you want to have it simply “soft” or “mushy”. Besides, do not forget that you have an option to soak peas before adding them to boiling water. However, you do not have to soak yellow split peas every time you cook them. Upon these factors, you choose your cooking time and the ratio of water to peas. And to learn what they are exactly for dried peas, keep reading the article.
How long to boil dried peas (whole and split)
Cooking time, as it often happens, depends on different aspects. The main being size, its type (whole or split), whether you presoaked peas or not before cooking. You even can be so unlucky to get the old dried peas from the store. Let’s have a look at how long it will take you to cook dried peas taking into account all these characteristics.
How long do you cook dried peas on the stove? With soaking beforehand for at least 4 hours, you can get dried whole peas cooked through in an hour (maximum 1 h 30 min); split peas will be ready in 45-60 minutes. If you decide to boil split peas without soaking, then prepare to cook them, at least for an hour and a half. You start timing when water boils together with dried peas.
How long to boil split peas for soup? If you presoak peas before cooking them in the soup, you should spend around 45-60 minutes before adding other ingredients (in case you want to have peas really soft). Boil yellow split peas without soaking for an hour and a half to 2 hours.
How long do you cook dried peas in a cooker? Cook dried peas for 1 h 30 minutes using a multi cooker. Do not forget to soak dried peas before cooking.
How long to soak yellow split peas? You do not necessarily have to soak split peas before boiling, as cooking time for this type of legumes is relatively short. However, if you want to shorten cooking time by about 1 hour, then you can soak yellow split peas for up to 8 hours (overnight). But I tend to skip this step as it can provoke sprouting and off-flavors when cooked. I have noticed that soaking yellow split peas even an hour before cooking on the stove in boiling water can reduce its cooking time. By soaking dried peas in water overnight (or at least for 4 hours), you simply reduce cooking time by 30-45 minutes.
That was the first criteria to figure out if you are cooking dried peas. The second is the proportions of water to the legume. Let’s have a look at how much water we add to the pot to avoid peas burning.
What is the ratio of peas to water?
The correct ratio of water to split peas is the key to a perfectly cooked through yellow split peas for a meal. So, try keeping up to the following yellow split peas water ratio:
For 1 cup of peas, use 3-4 cups of water.
I must admit you only start with this amount of water. Four cups of water should be enough for cooking yellow split peas. However, you may need one more cup for boiling whole peas. If the water evaporates earlier than peas are done, boil more water in the kettle and pour it into the pot.
Yellow Split Pea Recipe
How to Cook Split Peas on the Stove
Yellow split peas are one of the easiest legumes to cook. On the condition that you know all the tricks to use while cooking it. Here is the recipe with all the tips that I accumulated over the years.
Learn how you can cook dried peas soft to use as a garnish (yes, you can have split pea porridge for dinner together with some meat) or an ingredient for other recipes:
Ingredients: 1 cup yellow split peas; 4 cups water; 1 tsp. salt.
Cuisine: European Type: Ingredient, Side dish Calories: 68 kcal (per 100 g) Yield: 2 servings Prep Time: 4 hours Cook Time: 1 hour Ready in 5 hours
- Measure out the necessary amount of split peas for your recipe. Just try keeping the proportions right. Take a sieve and place peas there. Rinse it thoroughly under cold running water.
- Put rinsed split peas into the deep bowl and pour enough cold water to cover split peas. Leave it to soak in water. I tend to leave it for a maximum of 4 hours before boiling it on the stove.
- After soaking peas, drain the water and rinse it once again under running water.
- Take a pot (make sure that the size coincides with the peas you are cooking), pour water, and let it boil on high heat.
- Add presoaked yellow split peas and wait until the water boils again to reduce heat to low. Do not cover the pot with a lid while boiling peas.
- Cook split peas in boiling water for at least 45 minutes. It can take you to an hour to cook through yellow split peas. For dried whole peas, time doubles to one hour and a half. While peas are cooking in boiling water, the foam will be constantly forming on the surface. Try getting rid of it using a slotted spoon.
- After boiling peas for 45 minutes, I start checking them for readiness. If there is not enough water, you can add some but make sure to pour boiling water into the pot. If peas are cooked through, I add salt and leave peas in the pot for additional 5 minutes before taking them from the heat.
- If there is some water left in the pot, drain it before serving or using it as an ingredient for other recipes!
If you have Pinterest, feel free to pin the following picture!
If you want to make puree out of cooked yellow peas, the boiling time should be extended to two hours (in case you will be using a hand smasher). For a blender, 1.5 hours of boiling will be enough.
How much do split peas expand when cooked? The amount of cooked peas can double (even triple) their original size (depends on the type of peas).
When do you add salt to boiling peas? If you are using cooked peas as a separate garnish, add salt at the end of the cooking process; 5-10 minutes before you will take the pot from the stove. If you are boiling split peas for soup or simply as an ingredient for some other recipe, add salt according to that recipe.
Split Peas Recipe - How to boil yellow split peas
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow split peas
- 4 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Measure out the necessary amount of split peas for your recipe. Just try keeping the proportions right. Take a sieve and place peas there. Rinse it thoroughly under cold running water.
- Put rinsed split peas into the deep bowl and pour enough cold water to cover split peas. Leave it to soak in water. I tend to leave it for a maximum of 4 hours before boiling it on the stove.
- After soaking peas, drain the water and rinse it once again under running water.
- Take a pot (make sure that the size coincides with the peas you are cooking), pour water, and let it boil on high heat.
- Add presoaked yellow split peas and wait until the water boils again to reduce heat to low. Do not cover the pot with a lid while boiling peas.
- Cook split peas in boiling water for at least 45 minutes. It can take you to an hour to cook through yellow split peas. For dried whole peas, time doubles to one hour and a half. While peas are cooking in boiling water, the foam will be constantly forming on the surface. Try getting rid of it using a slotted spoon.
- After boiling peas for 45 minutes, I start checking them for readiness. If there is not enough water, you can add some but make sure to pour boiling water into the pot. If peas are cooked through, I add salt and leave peas in the pot for additional 5 minutes before taking them from the heat.
- If there is some water left in the pot, drain it before serving or using it as an ingredient for other recipes!
Notes
How to cook yellow split peas in a multi-cooker?
I have a separate recipe for those who have a slow cooker in the kitchen. The cooking process in any type of cooker is easier, for sure. You can get delicious boiled soft peas with the help of a multicooker in the same amount of time:
- Take the required amount of dried peas and wash it thoroughly under cold running water.
- Place split peas inside the cooker and cover with water. The ratio for this recipe differs from one for boiling peas on the stove: 2 cups of cold water to 1 cup of split peas. If you want, you can add 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Choose “Stew” Cooking Mode, set the timer for 1 h 30 min, and press Start.
- When cooking time ends, transition mode to “Keeping Warm” and let cooked peas sit for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
The proportions mentioned here are simply a guideline to use. If you want more “mushy” peas, then you have to add one extra cup of water. If you know some secrets on how to cook legumes in a cooker, please, share them with everybody.
Dried peas are a very versatile ingredient. You can use boiled peas as a separate dish or as a part of some other recipe. That is why it was so important for me to make sure that the recipe itself will be easy enough for you to follow and understand that there is nothing serious to be afraid of while cooking peas in your kitchen.
If you have any suggestions on what I should cook next, let me know in the comment section below.
