Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H. It wasn’t until we visited Charleston in South Carolina that I had a chance to try them homemade. In the southern United States, you’ll find boiled peanuts at gas stations, roadside stands and farmers markets. They’re a southern staple. Check out the post on my Foodie Trip to Charleson, SC, here. If you’ve never had boiled peanuts, you owe it to yourself to print this recipe. Go make some right away. You will thank me for it. You pull them from the dirt, and they are raw. And green. You need to clean them and cook them before eating them. Roasted peanuts are crunchy and hard after roasting. Boiled peanuts, on the other hand, are soft and rather squishy in texture. Much like a bean. You peel them and pluck them from their shells. And enjoy them! If you’re used to roasted peanuts, you might be surprised by the difference in texture. The flavor, though, is outstanding. Boiled peanuts absorb so much more flavor than roasted. Let’s talk about how to make boiled peanuts, shall we? Stir in the shrimp and crab boil liquid and Cajun seasonings (or Creole seasonings) with salt. You can also add in garlic powder to the salted water if you love garlic. Add the habanero peppers, if using them. They add a very good level of heat to the whole batch. Dash in your hot sauce and give it a good stir. Cool to Room Temperature. You can eat the peanuts now if you’d like, but to develop more flavor, cover and set the pot into the refrigerator. Refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop. The peanuts will become much more infused with the seasonings as they steep in the liquid. BOOM! Easy, right? I love a good easy spicy snack, the traditional southern way. If you’re concerned about the habanero heat but still want to use peppers, try jalapeno peppers for a milder heat or serrano peppers for a bit more. Or, go with ghost peppers or even a Carolina Reaper for some REAL heat! You can also skip them. You’ll still get plenty of flavor from the mix of seasonings. There is no guarantee raw green peanuts will be contaminated, but cooking them is the safest measure. Here is what they look like raw, still in the shell. Set your crock pot to low and cook them low and slow. Your cooking time is 24 hours. Then, enjoy! I’ll have to make some in my pressure cooker, too. See how they turn out! Boiled peanuts are softer. The shells pull apart easily, but the softer nuts do not always fall out. You need to pull them out sometimes. Also, I like to heat my boiled peanuts before eating them. You can eat them cold, though. They will keep 6 months if frozen. That’s it, my friends! I hope you enjoy my Cajun boiled peanuts recipe! They’re AWESOME. Go get snacking! NOTE: This recipe was updated on 3/20/24 to include new photos and information. It was originally published on 3/4/19.
