How to Cook Dried Split Peas

Cooking dried split peas is simple. The peas have one of the shortest cooking times of all legumes. Once you get the hang of it, you will be cooking a variety of split pea soups in no time.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup dried split peas

Instructions

1. Before cooking peas, pick over them and remove debris or unsatisfactory peas. Wash and drain those remaining.

2. Place 1 cup of peas in a pot and add 3 cups of water. You can add seasonings at this point. Adding 1 teaspoon of oil will prevent foaming but do not add salt--it will only take longer for the peas to soften.

3. Bring the pot to a boil, cover it with a lid leaving room for the steam to escape, and lower the temperature so that the peas simmer.

4. Split peas take about an hour to cook. A cup of dried split peas should yield about 2 1/4 cups of cooked peas.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not add acidic ingredients like tomatoes or vinegar until the peas are nearly done because acid slows down the cooking process.

References

• University of Idaho Extension Bean Cooking Instructions
• The World's Healthiest Foods Newsletter