Crock Pot Spicy Boiled Peanuts are such a great southern snack and go great with a cold beer. Green peanuts are slow cooked until soft with lots of spice. They are so fun to eat!
Southern Boiled Peanuts
Road trips in the South mean stops for boiled peanuts. I love pulling over at a roadside stand and buying a small paper bag full of them. They are such a wonderful salty snack with a very unique taste.
How Long To Slow Cook Peanuts
Making Boiled Peanuts in a crock pot is super easy. Much easier than cooking them stove-top. They take close to 24 hours cooking on LOW so I typically start them in the crock pot some time in the afternoon, check on them before I go to bed, and again in the morning. Sometimes you need to add just a little more water, but besides that it’s a completely hands off way to make this salty and delicious southern snack.
Type Of Peanuts To Use
To make Crock Pot Spicy Boiled Peanuts, you need to start with green raw peanuts. They are seasonal and can be found at many supermarkets and farmers markets when they are in season. Look for them during the months of August and September in the south.
If you can’t find green peanuts, you can use raw dried peanuts, but you will need to cook them longer. They have a much lower moisture content than green peanuts and it takes more time to get them soft.
Recipe Tip
Use green peanuts within a few days of purchasing them and store in a cool, dry place. They will grow mold in a hurry if you aren’t careful.
How To Make Them Spicy
The peanuts are slow cooked until they get soft. Add lots of seasonings, salt, and spices to the water and the peanuts will eventually soak up all that flavor. For spicy boiled peanuts I like to add sliced jalapenos, Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s is my favorite), and lots of red pepper flakes. Tabasco sauce is also a good choice.
How To Serve
Boiled peanuts can be eaten either warm or cold. I like them both ways, but if I had to choose, I prefer them cold, especially during the summer which tends to be when I do most of my boiled peanut eating. They go great with a cold beer. They can be served either as a snack or a party munchie. Leftover boiled peanuts are a great addition to a salad or stew.
Cooking time can vary greatly depending on you crock pot, the peanuts you use, and your personal preference. Some people like their boiled peanuts to still be firm, while others like them completely soft. It’s easy enough to take one out every now and then and sample it.
The salty, spicy cooking liquid eventually makes its way inside the shells and really flavors the peanuts.
Storage
Cooked boiled peanuts can be kept in the refrigerator for about 5 days.
If you have an Instant Pot, be sure to try this Instant Pot Boiled Peanuts recipe.
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Crock Pot Spicy Boiled Peanut
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds green peanuts
- 3 jalapenos,, sliced
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons Creole or cajun seasoning,, I use Tony Chachere’s
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 10 cups water
Instructions
- Place peanuts in a 6-quart crock pot.
- Add jalapenos, salt, red pepper flakes, cajun seasoning, and garlic powder.
- Pour in approximately 10 cups of water.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 22 to 24 hours. You may need to add a little more water before they are finished cooking.
- Drain and serve warm or cold.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally published September 23, 2016.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
My hosband is craving paenuts the problem is he has congestive heart failure the question is can tou make the peanuts without the salt ????
I have prepared these several times a year. I always add a orange and a lemon quartered into the slow cooker.
I discovered these in Charleston and I’m hooked! I made them as a surprise for my husband last night and we both went wild. Delicious! The only problem is that he shouldn’t be eating salt. We both agreed that this recipe could probably use less salt and that the spices would compensate…..but could I make this with NO salt? I rarely cook with salt but I’m wondering if salt does something that’s required to, say, soften the peanuts? I’m tempted to try salt-free and use more spice,,,,Thoughts?
I’ve never done it, Bit I think you could defintely do it salt free.
If you check on Pensey’s Spices, they have some fantastic salt free spices.
They will be fin e with no salt.
I discovered these in Charleston and I’m hooked! I made them as a surprise for my husband last night and we both went wild. Delicious! The only problem is that he shouldn’t be eating salt. We both agreed that this recipe could probably use less salt and that the spices would compensate…..but could I make this with NO salt? I rarely cook with salt but I’m wondering if salt does something that’s required to, say, soften the peanuts? I’m tempted to try salt-free and use more spice,,,,Thoughts?
It’s good without salt and the peanuts get soft like they should. We cook them both ways and it turns out great. Good luck and enjoy!
Hello… have the peanuts, have all spices, now, besides cooking in a crock pot for all those hours, can they be stove boiled, and they can be cooked in a pressure cooker…. how long for the pressure cooker.
Heres what I have used with my instant pot. 1.5lbs green peanuts 1/3 cup salt,1TBS red pepper flakes, 1TBS or more to taste cajun seasoning. PC on high for 75 minutes. 5 mins natural release. enjoy!
I cook mine in presser cooker , 1 hour perfect.
I am constantly tinkering with my boiled peanuts recipe. I made this recipe a few months ago, but I substituted half a bag of Zatarain’s Crab & Crawfish Boil for the Tony Chachere’s.
Yea, boy, dat Zat’s be da cat’s meow! That’s what I have always used, and have boiled
’em on stovetop, but what da hey, now Ima try Tony Chacere’s original Creole seasoning in da crockspot! I hope my lip smackin’ over here don’ disturb nobody…
We were in North Carolina, I kept seeing signs for boiled peanuts, I looked up a recipe, found this one and when we came home gave it a try. Wow!! These are delicious! Only difference is I cooked in an instapot. Thank you for this, I’ll be making these again!
i’m wanting to try this and noticed you used an instapot… did you use it as a slow cooker or did you use a pressure setting?
So I’m a northern WI reader. I have heard of boiled peanuts but have never tried them. Do you crack them open and just eat the nuts, or eat the shells as well?
I made these this weekend and they are phenomenal! I used raw peanuts because I couldn’t find green peanuts and I followed the spices exactly. My family loved them! Neighbors too! Recipe is a definite keeper!
Aren’t “raw” peanuts also known as green peanuts?
No, raw peanuts are not the same as green peanuts. Raw peanuts are dried, whereas the green ones are still tender and fresh.
I have always frozen boiled peanuts. I’d like to try to can them. Any suggestions?
If you freeze them can they be warmed in microwave?