Boiled Peanuts with Roasted Peanuts (Instant Pot Method)

One of my fondest memories from my time in China is a summer evening at a migrant village outside Beijing. A group of us American university students had been volunteering there, and one night we all gathered outside around a tiny black-and-white TV to watch the World Cup. The villagers brought out folding plastic tables and big bowls overflowing with edamame and boiled peanuts. We cracked shells, slurped the briny nuts, and cheered at the little screen.

Boiled peanuts are a beloved snack across China, much of Africa, and the American South. They’re soft, savory, and deeply satisfying. But nearly every boiled peanuts recipe I can find insists on raw or green peanuts, and most will flatly tell you that you can’t use roasted ones. Here’s my problem: the only in-shell peanuts my grocery store stocks are roasted peanuts. So I decided to test the conventional wisdom and find out for myself whether you can make boiled peanuts with roasted peanuts.

The verdict? You totally can! They don’t get quite as plump and tender as peanuts boiled from raw, but they come out still delicious, take on all that warming five-spice flavor, and the texture is good, not crunchy or mushy like you might expect. I’d happily serve these at a World Cup watch party, and they’ll be a regular high-protein snack in my own kitchen.

Boiled Peanuts Benefits

As a dietitian, I’m always looking for snacks that are satisfying, blood-sugar-friendly, and nutrient-dense, and boiled peanuts check every box. Despite their name, peanuts are actually a legume, and they are a nutritional workhorse. Here’s a closer look at the benefits of boiled peanuts:

• High in plant protein. Peanuts deliver roughly 7.5 grams of protein per ounce, making them one of the most protein-dense nuts (second only to almonds). That protein supports tissue repair and recovery, which matters enormously in the postpartum window.
• Steady, slow-release energy. Because protein and fiber digest slowly, peanuts provide a gradual release of energy rather than a quick spike and crash. This is exactly what you want when you’re running on broken sleep and need something to carry you to the next meal.
• Low glycemic and blood-sugar friendly. Peanuts are a low-glycemic-index food and can be a good snack for those with diabetes. In fact, eating peanuts has been found to help improve insulin sensitivity.
• Fiber, good fats, and micronutrients. Peanuts are rich in fiber, heart-healthy unsaturated fats, B vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium, and antioxidants. The thin, papery red skin holds many of those antioxidants, so it’s worth eating.
• Naturally satiating. That protein-fiber-fat combination helps you feel full on a modest portion, which is helpful whether you’re nourishing a recovering body or just trying to snack mindfully.

One gentle note: peanuts are calorie-dense for their size (about 160 calories per ounce), so a little goes a long way. That’s a feature, not a bug, when you need concentrated nourishment in a few quick bites.

A Note on Roasted vs. Raw Peanuts

Traditional Chinese boiled peanuts start from raw or air-dried peanuts and simmer for hours, or about an hour under pressure, in a fragrant broth of star anise, cinnamon, bay, cloves, ginger, soy sauce, and salt. Raw peanuts are still moist inside and drink up that brine, turning meltingly soft.

Roasted peanuts have already been cooked and dried out, so they resist soaking up liquid the same way. If you can find raw peanuts, by all means use them. But if roasted is all your store carries, this instant pot boiled peanuts method works beautifully.

Recipe