Southern Boiled Peanuts Recipe
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Hot Boiled Peanuts are a traditional Southern snack perfect for football games and fall drives! This easy version lets the slow cooker do all the hard work!
Growing up, as soon as the weather started turning a little bit colder, my Daddy was ready to drive up into the North Georgia mountains for the weekend. Sometimes, my Grandparents would come along with us because he knew that they loved the mountains as much as he did.
Grandmother would make a breakfast for us to take along with us on the trip. Big, delicious biscuits filled with either sausage or bacon or sometimes tenderloin. The idea of stopping by a drive through restaurant never occurred to us. There simply wasn’t one in our small town back then.
She would also bring along a small cooler packed with Coca-Colas in the bottle, some Ginger Ale, grapes and apples, and zip top bags filled with wet washcloths in case anyone got queasy on the curvy roads during our trip. Next came the pillows and quilts and the notebooks she always brought along to record tidbits about the trip or things that she saw along the way. An extra notebook and pencils were included to play games with me and my sister during our trip as well.
Daddy would always be ready to go early in the morning so we could reach the mountains before too late in the day.
I remember rounding one winding road on trip after trip and seeing the roadside stand set up with large, wooden handpainted signs that read, “Boiled Peanuts.” Now, any kind of peanut has always been a favorite of my Mama’s, but boiled peanuts were my Daddy’s all time favorite. I would think we were about to pull in to buy a few styrofoam cups filled with these warm delicious little nibbles when Daddy would say, “No, this isn’t the good boiled peanut spot. Our spot is on a little farther.”
I started thinking about what made Daddy say that the other day and figured out that you can have good boiled peanuts and then you can have GOOD boiled peanuts. There is a difference. This recipe is for the GOOD kind with the perfect balance of salty brininess and well-cooked peanuts, but you don’t have to drive to the North Georgia mountains to get them.
My family’s love for boiled peanuts has now passed along to Little Buddy. When we made these, I taught him how to make them, too.
Here’s how we make them.
Start with about 3 pounds of green peanuts and put them in your slow cooker.
Pour in salt. Just regular salt is fine.
Then pour water over them until they are covered. This took about 6 cups of water for me.
Now, set your slow cooker for 12 hours and just let them go. You may want to check them about halfway during their cooking to make sure you don’t need to add more water.
After the 12 hours of cooking, leave them in the slow cooker in the brine water for another 9-12 hours or so. This makes them the GOOD kind in my family’s book.
To serve your peanuts, dip out a serving and strain away the brine. Place them into a cup or bowl and serve with plenty of napkins.
Boiled peanuts are great for tailgating, game day festivities, or Fall camping trips! Start your peanuts well in advance to make sure they are done in time for the big game. Then, just serve them straight from your slow cooker to keep them warm!
Boiled Peanuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 pounds green peanuts
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 6 cups water
Instructions
- Rinse peanuts until the water runs clear.
- Place into slow cooker. Add in salt and pour in water.
- Cook for 12 hours on high setting, checking occasionally to add more water if needed.
- Turn slow cooker to warm setting and allow to sit in slow cooker for another 9-12 hours.
- Serve straight from the slow cooker to keep warm, straining off brine and pouring into cups or bowls.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Originally published September 2011.
So simple will be my first time! Thanks
Hope you enjoy!
Great recipe and delicious! We are just about ready to serve some today but giving a few extra hours to get them extra soft (it’s been 26 so far…)
I also used to live near Atlanta. Back when Eastern Airlines went under, a guy used to boil them in a barrel next to the BP gas station by my house. He would serve them in Eastern Airlines barf bags, which were perfectly sized, and had a nice enclosure on them. I was 11 and thought the idea was hilarious — also delicious! To this day, they were the best boiled peanuts I’ve ever eaten. Hopefully that changes today. So far, so good. The only struggle is not “testing” all of them before they’re done!
Being born and raised in Georgia, boiled peanuts are a part of my life. Boiling green peanuts is certainly the preferred way to prepare, but there’s another way that’s pretty good. A friend of mine I grew up with told me he bought peanuts raw, but not green and soaked them in salted water over night and then boiled as others have indicated. I tried it, not expecting to be impressed, but I was wrong. They were good. Maybe not as good as from green, but not all that much better. So if green ones are not available, don’t hesitate to use dried ones.
Hi Dave,
Thanks so much for this tip. We Georgia people love our peanuts, don’t we!
When I was a little girl in Florida, my aunt sold kerosene, roasted and boiled peanuts. I’m very happy that you shared your recipe and story of your childhood. It brought back many memories of my childhood.
Thanks again
Hi Shirley,
I’m so glad this recipe and story brought back good memories for you. Every time I see a stand selling boiled peanuts, I think about those family trips. Thanks!
I grew up in Georgia. Moved to Colorado 25 years ago. You can take the girl out of the south, but not the south out of the girl. I make these often and my two kids love them. Thanks for the yummy recipe.I use raw peanuts I get in the Sprouts. Just cook them longer and keep adding a little water as it gets low
Glad you like them, Debbie! xo
This is the second time making these and I do everything the same except I add 1/3 cup of salt and a half of a 1/3 cup of sugar. It balances each other out and tastes SOO good. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Ashley!
What’s the point of boiling them in the shells? Is it because “that’s the way it’s always been done,” or is there a “reason” for that procedure? It seems logical to me to cook them WITHOUT the shells, like beans, rather than WITH. Please explain.
William it’s the pleasure of throwing down a plastic table cloth with newspaper on top and throwing a pot of boiled peanuts in the shell along with crabs, shrimp and or baby lobster tails. Just more enjoyable that way. Have fun!!
I’m excited to try this TONIGHT.
How do I freeze the green peanuts?
Can you substitute non green peanuts?
Hi Sherri,
You will need to use raw (green) peanuts for this recipe. Thanks so much! xo
Yes jus takes alot longer to cook