Southern Black Eyed Peas Recipe
Southern Black-Eyed Peas, or Hoppin’ John, is a hearty, soul-warming delicacy. This black-eyed peas recipe is smokey, spicy, and pure satisfaction with a deep yet not overwhelming bacon flavor. And it’s a traditional Southern dish served on New Year’s Day to bring good luck!
I love anything with beans! Perhaps it started back in grade school when my Auntie cooked beans for dinner in its modest rusticity – onions, salt, and oil, nothing fancy. That simple recipe made all my troubles go away like magic.
And now, this Southern black-eyed peas recipe is the perfect comfort food with soul-satisfying goodness any time of year. It warms us up even in the coldest weather and graces the best cookouts in the heat of summer. This dish will remind you of home and nostalgic, happy memories. ❤️
Black-Eyed Peas for More Than New Year’s Good Luck
Black-eyed peas are from my native Africa, and they’re so delicious they became popular worldwide. After arriving in the southern U.S. in the 17th century, they became a symbol of prosperity because they resemble pennies and coins. They grow exceptionally well in the heat and so gave birth to a delicious Southern tradition.
People believe eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day brings good luck and a slew of other beautiful things. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy this heartwarming dish all year round.
Recipe Ingredients
- Black-Eyed Peas offer a slightly smoky flavor and high protein and fiber content, making them nutritious and delicious.
- Meat – Bacon and smoked sausage add flavor and more meaty goodness. Ham hock or leftover smoked turkey are also excellent additions.
- Seasonings – Caramelized onion, garlic, thyme, celery, bay leaf, jalapenos, Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper deliver fantastic smells and flavors. You can kick up the heat more with a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Chicken Broth is the essential liquid bursting with chicken essence and rich umami flavors to simmer the black-eyed peas.
- Collard Greens – Black-eyed beans symbolize pennies. Collard greens, on the other hand, represent bills in this lucky dish. Plus, adding greens makes it more nourishing.
How to Make Southern Black-Eyed Peas
Prep
- Soak – Rinse dry black-eyed pea beans and pick through and discard any foreign object. Add beans to a large pot, covering them with 3-4 inches of cold water. Let sit for 2-3 hours or overnight.
- Cook the Meat – In a large, heavy sauté pan, fry the chopped bacon until brown and crispy (4-5 minutes). Add sausage and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the bacon and sausage mixture and set aside. (Photo 1)
- Saute – Add the onions, celery, garlic, jalapenos, thyme, and bay leaf, and saute for 5 minutes or so until the onions become translucent and the seasonings release their fragrance. (Photos 2-3)
Cook
- Add Liquid – Then pour in the chicken broth or water. (Photo 4)
- Season – Drain the soaked beans, rinse, and place the beans in the pot—season with Creole seasoning and salt to taste. Mix and bring to a boil.
- Simmer – Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. (Photos 5-7)
- Assemble– Toss in the collard greens, bacon, and sausage into the pot, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or more, stirring occasionally, or until beans are tender and slightly thickened to your desire. (Photo 8)
- Final Touch – Add more stock or water if the mixture becomes dry and thick. The texture of the beans should be thick and somewhat creamy but not watery. Remove the bay leaves.
- Serve – Taste and adjust for seasonings with pepper, Creole seasoning, and salt if needed. Serve over cooked rice and garnish with green onion.
Flavor Variations
- Vegan – Omit the meat and replace the rendered fat with olive oil; then vegetable broth can replace the chicken broth for a vegan version. And to make this dish more nutritious, you can add collard greens, carrots, and bell peppers.
- Crockpot Southern Black-Eyed Peas – This one is more effortless but equally delicious. Put everything in the crockpot, and you’ll have your dinner ready in 5-6 hours on high and about 9-10 hours on low. Imagine the things you can accomplish in those waiting hours. 😉
- Tropical Twist – Make these black-eyed peas with bacon and pork creamy and interestingly yummy with coconut milk. And I bet you’ll love this dish even more.
- Tomato – Fresh tomatoes or tomato sauce will also add a nice variation to this Hoppin John recipe. The kick of tangy goodness will surely make your tastebuds happy.
Recipe Notes
- You can substitute the dried black-eyed peas with canned ones. However, add them 10 minutes before the dish finishes cooking so they have time to heat through because they’re already cooked.
- For a thicker consistency, I suggest mashing a few softened beans against the side of the pot with the back of your spoon. The mashed beans will make a creamier and thicker broth. Or remove about a cup, puree them in a blender or food processor, and then pour the puree back into the pot and give it a good stir.
Making-Ahead and Storage
Surprisingly, this bean stew freezes well. So go for it and make a large batch. It’ll come in handy when a soul-food craving hits.❤️ Transfer the black-eyed peas stew into a clean, airtight container or heavy-duty freezer-safe ziplock bags once cooled.
Refrigerate for 3-5 days or freeze for 6 months. Pack them in a freezer bag, either the whole thing or in single-serving sizes, for easy thawing and reheating. Thaw overnight in the fridge when ready to serve. Reheat in a pan on medium-low heat or in a microwave. You may add more chicken broth or water as needed.
FAQs
Technically, you don’t need to soak black-eyed peas. However, soaking them for a few hours or overnight shortens the cooking time. It’s totally up to you.
Adding bacon, sausage, and seasonings intensifies this dish’s flavor. But to take this dish to another level, add tomato sauce or coconut milk.
As a tradition, Southerners put clean pennies and dimes into their pot of black-eyed peas, believing they’ll bring luck and prosperity. They believe the one who gets the most coins in their bowl is the luckiest.
What to Serve With Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day
Double your luck by serving this black-eyed peas recipe with collard greens (representing money) and cornbread (for gold). Pork (because it roots forward) will complete a traditional New Year’s dinner. No lobster or chicken if you’re going for good luck. Oven-baked pork chops, smoked bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, or fried pork chops are all good.
More Traditional Southern Dishes to Try
- Southern Mac and Cheese
- Butter Biscuits
- Southern Fried Cabbage
- New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
- Southern Deviled Eggs
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”8AgprXDl” upload-date=”2019-04-01T07:08:53.000Z” name=”Black Eyed Peas Recipe” description=”Southern Black Eyed Peas Recipe or Hoppin’ John is a hearty, warm and soulful food. This black eyed peas recipe is smokey, spicy with a deep yet not too overwhelming bacon flavor. A Southern traditional dish served on New Year’s Day to bring good luck charm!”]
This blog post was originally published in December 2017 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video
Southern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453g) black-eyed peas
- 4-5 thick slices bacon, chopped
- 5 ounces smoked sausage or turkey, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2-3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 optional jalapeno, minced (can replace with ¼ teaspoon cayenne)
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 7-8 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups (or more) collard greens (or you can use kale)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse dry black-eyed pea beans, pick through, and discard any foreign objects. Add beans to a large pot and cover with 3-4 inches of cold water. Let sit for 2-3 hours (or overnight).
- In a large, heavy sauté pan, saute chopped bacon until brown and crispy (4-5 minutes), then add sausage and saute for 2-3 more minutes. Remove bacon and sausage mixture, and set aside.
- Throw in the onions, celery, garlic, jalapenos, thyme, and bay leaf, and saute for 3-5 minutes until the onions are wilted and aromatic.
- Then pour in the chicken broth or water.
- Drain the soaked beans, rinse, and place them in the pot. Season with Creole seasoning and salt to taste. Stir and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes.
- Toss the collard greens, bacon, and sausage into the pot, and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or more, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the broth thickens to your desired texture.
- Add more stock or water if the mixture becomes dry and thick. The texture of the beans should be thick and somewhat creamy but not watery.
- Remove the bay leaf.
- Taste and adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning if needed. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onion.
I made this with smoked turkey and homemade sourdough on the side. The whole family loved it!
Thank you, I am happy to hear it was a hit.
Awesome and delicious. It’s a keeper! Thank you
YESS!!
Can you use canned black eyed peas?
YEs. 🙂
This was a wonderful dish! I used fresh spinach instead of collards because that’s what I had. Everything else remained the same. Family really enjoyed this.
Absolutely delicious. I wasn’t sure that I liked black eyed peas. I like these black eyed peas. We didn’t add greens because I made greens separately and I was out of bacon so I just did the smoked turkey. Still entirely delicious.
Thanks so much !!
This recipe was amazing! So easy and packed full of flavor. I’ll definitely make this again.
Thanks so much!
This is delicious! We loved it and will be a using it every time we consider cooking black eye peas. I adjusted a few things, instead of sausage, I used diced ham with a small amount of skin. Omitted everything that made it spicy and simmered it much longer than suggested.
Thanks for the feedback!
So I’m from New England and my fiance is a native Virginian she wanted Black eyed peas for New year’s I found this recipe and made them omg absolutely amazing first time I’ve ever had Black eyed peas and wow they are so good I appreciate your recipe I will continue to cook them I honestly can’t wait to go back to mass and make them for my family. Thanks so much and Happy New Year.
This was fantastic. Great flavor! My husband and I agree it is our favorite way to have black eyed peas. Thank you for sharing!
SUCH a great recipe! I followed the recipe to a T, and it was awesome. I love the idea of having the collard greens in the black eyed peas. Made the dish a full meal. Will eat the leftovers with corn bread. Thank you!
This recipe was AMAZING! We had no leftovers and I am making another batch at the request of my family. In all my years of eating black eyed peas on New Years Day, this was the best they’ve ever tasted! Sharing far and wide!
This was SOOOOOOO yummy! My husband declared this his new favorite of all time. I used smoked turkey as suggested instead of the sausage. It is easy to make, delicious and satisfying. It makes a nice size batch for leftovers. I served it with cornbread. Thank you for sharing!
This dish was fan favorite on New Year’s Day. Absolutely delicious. I will be cooking this again and my friend asked for the recipe.
Thank you, it makes my day to hear that.
I never liked Black Eyed Peas until THIS recipe! So Good!! I used the canned black eyed peas, added 2 roma tomatoes and used kale. Definitely will do this again! Thank you!
Glad it worked out well! Thanks for taking time out to share this with us.
How did you do it with the canned?
Hands down the best black eyed pea recipe ever. I have made this recipe about 4 times now and it never fails. I used greens from my brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collards and carrots from pruning my garden on New Year’s Eve. Holy cow. Amazing!
Thank you for sharing such an amazing recipe!
My pleasure so happy it worked out well for you.
This recipe sounds good, but you included nutrition information with no serving size. This makes it unusable for the purposes of people counting calories. Thanks
Sorry about that . I use a plugin for this and it doesn’t include the serving size.
The tastiest BEP I’ve had, but probably the first I’ve made. My family has always made them and they were rather one-dimensional. At one point my husband said it smelled like a “wet dog wrapped in bacon”, which I was not pleased to hear, but BEP generally don’t smell very good so I didn’t take it personally. I used andouille and kale since I had them and skipped the jalapenos because I didn’t. We each ate two bowls, and my toddlers liked it too. I think I’ll be incorporating this into my meal rotation. Absolutely worth a try.
Glad to hear it worked out well. And the addition of kale and sausage makes it extra special. Thanks for sharing your version with us.
Wonderful recipe! Made this today, subbing a leftover ham bone. Absolutely delicious!!! Will definitely make this again! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
My family loved this recipe. I bought black eyed peas on a whim and when I realized it was supposed to be good luck, I knew we needed to try them. Goodbye 2020!
I used leftover ham bone and other odds and ends from the fridge adding in some carrots. I added salt before cooking and that was a mistake because it ended up almost too much. Thanks for introducing a new recipe to my regular list.
Oh and I cooked it in my instant pot. No soaking. I did 30 minutes high pressure, 20-25 minutes would have been perfect.
Thanks for sharing .
Glad it worked out well! Thanks for taking time out to share these tips with us. Goodbye 2020!!!
WOW is all I can say!!!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
They are absolutely delicious.
I really put a lot of thought into this recipe , thank you for noticing.
I just made this recipe for New Years Day 2021 and it turned out fabulous. My husband grew up eating soul food and taught me about black eyed peas and collard greens. Up until I met him I had never experienced any soul food before so when I found this recipe I had to try it. It turned out so amazingly delicious and tasty. I even added the ham hock cooked with the instant pot trick you posted in your collard greens recipe. Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe and Happy New Year 2021!
Happy New year to you too! Thanks so much.