Canned Black Eyed Peas Recipe Easy

Here’s an easy black eyed peas recipe: 2 ways! Try them creamy and smoky as a side dish, or learn how to cook them for salads and dips.

Are you a lover of black eyed peas? This mighty legume is full of plant-based protein and nutrients: and it can be eaten in so many different ways! You can usually find black eyed peas canned at the grocery store: but it’s cheaper and tastier if you cook them from dried! Here’s a black eyed peas recipe to show you how to cook them two ways. Cook them until they’re just tender for salads and dips like Texas caviar, or make them into this creamy, smoky side dish. You choose! Let’s get started.

Black eye peas are not really not peas at all: they’re beans! They’re part of the legume family withblack beans, chickpeas, andpeas. You might first think of them as the cuisine of the American South, but they originated in Africa and are eaten all over the world.

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas For New Years ( Hoppin' John)

A popular black eyed peas recipe in the US is as a lucky New Year’s Day tradition: Hoppin’ John, a dish with rice and pork. But there are so many other ways to serve them: Texas caviar (like a Tex Mex salsa served with chips), or black eyed pea salad. Or, you can simply serve them as a side dish! Which gets us to this recipe…

This black eyed peas recipe works two ways! The creamy side dish is our favorite: the black eyed peas break down into a creamy sauce that tastes rich and smoky. The flavor will blow your mind! But you can also use this recipe as a guide for how to cook black eyed peas for salads and dips.

Got a pressure cooker? This black eyed peas recipe is even easier in the Instant Pot! It makes for even more tender, creamier beans. The cook time is slightly less than stovetop, and it’s a totally hands off method. Go to Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas.

Vegan Black Eyed Peas With Greens (instant Pot Or Stovetop Stewed)

If you make the side dish version of this black eyed peas recipe, here are a few more notes about making the creamy sauce:

If you cook the black eyed peas and keep them whole for salads and Texas caviar, you’ll only use a portion of them. Here’s how to store the remaining peas:

Legumes are full of plant-based protein and great for making filling vegetarian and vegan meals. Here are some of our master methods for making recipes with beans and peas:This black-eyed peas recipe is comfort food at its best! A soul food staple, black-eyed peas are cooked with bacon and sausage until perfect and creamy. Eat for New Year’s Eve if you want prosperity in the new year, or all year long if you are craving something delicious.

Easy Southern Black Eyed Peas Recipe (stovetop)

Serve these black-eyed peas with rice for a satisfying meal! It also goes great with my collard greens and a side of cornbread, turning them into a true Southern feast.

Black-eyed peas are more than good luck charms on New Year’s Eve, they are something I like to eat all year round!

And while they are very much associated with Southern cuisine, they are also popular in my home country, Brazil. Coincidentally, this black-eyed peas recipe resembles many I’ve seen shared in soul food blogs, just not spicy – as Brazilian cuisine is rarely spicy.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

That leads me to (boldly) thinking it would be perfectly fine to serve them as part of both a Southern meal as well as a Brazilian one. And that shouldn’t come as a surprise, as both these cuisines have strong African roots and black-eyed peas come from Africa.

Despite the name, black-eyed peas (also known as cowpeas) are not peas but beans! Native to Africa, they are rich in iron, potassium, fiber and protein while also low in fat and sodium.

They are popular in several cuisines around the world, including Brazil, where they are called “feijão fradinho” and used to make the popular acarajé (black-eyed pea and shrimp fritters).

Canned Black Eyed Peas Recipes

Here in the United States, they are a soul food staple in the South. In fact, Southerners believe that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day will bring you prosperity in the new year.

The first one claims that when General William T. Sherman pillaged the Confederates’ food supplies, it left black-eyed peas and salted pork untouched, saying they were animal food and unfit for human consumptions. These supplies ended up helping Southerners survive the winter, so the black-eyed peas became a representation of good luck.

They taste like most beans: savory, starchy and a touch of nutty. They are also pretty earthy! When cooked, they have a dense, creamy consistency that is absolutely delicious.

Best Hoppin' John Recipe

Optional: I like to add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Black-eyed peas don’t produce a dark broth like most beans, and I find that they look more appetizing if I add a bit of color with the tomato paste.

Cooking black-eyed peas is no different than cooking any other bean. Here I’m showing you how I cook them on the stove, but you can certainly adapt this recipe for the instant pot or slow cooker. I’ll share instructions down below!

I recommend using a Dutch Oven – because they retain and distribute heat evenly – but any heavy bottomed pot will do! Just make sure to keep an eye on your black-eyed peas while they cook, as pots and stoves vary and you might need to add some more liquid if the broth is evaporating too fast. There should always be liquid covering your beans as they cook.

Black Eyed Peas And Rice (easy, Meatless!)

Here’s how I make this black-eyed peas recipe. As always, you will find the printable (and more complete) version of the recipe at the end of this post!

To cook black-eyed peas in a pressure cooker, heat the oil on the sauté mode and then brown the bacon and sausage. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until softened. Stir in the soaked or unsoaked black-eyed peas, bay leaves, seasonings and broth. Make sure to not exceed the max fill line for your Instant Pot. Close the lid and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and then let pressure release naturally. (Check for tenderness and cook longer if needed.) Turn the sauté mode again, smash 1/2 cup of peas and return them to the pressure cooker, letting the broth boil until it reaches the desired consistency. Discard bay leaves, stir in the parsley and scallions, adjust seasoning and serve!

To use a slow cooker to make this black-eyed peas recipe, follow the recipe as written to brown the bacon and sausage, and sauté the aromatics on the stove. Then, transfer everything to the slow cooker, and add the black-eyed peas, bay leaves, seasonings and broth. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or high for 4 to 5 hours), or until the peas are tender. Smash 1/2 cup of the beans and return to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for about 30 minutes, or until the broth thickens to the desired consistency. Then, discard bay leaves, stir in the parsley and scallions, adjust seasoning and serve!

Vegetarian Black Eyed Peas Recipe

To me, a pot of hot black-eyed peas goes with white rice like Romeo goes with Juliet! 😂 And, together, they make a great side for chicken or beef.

In the South, they are often accompanied by greens (collard-greens, cabbage or mustard greens) and a side of cornbread or biscuits. And, if you are going the Southern way, don’t forget the hot chili sauce or pepper-flavored vinegar!

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze them, in an airtight container, for up to 4 months.

Southern Vegetarian Black Eyed Peas Recipe

Soaking the black-eyed peas will help them cook faster. But peas that have not been soaked will also cook, so don’t worry if you don’t have time to do it!

Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you wish to keep them longer, you can freeze them in an airtight container for up to 4 months.

Serving: 1 cup , Calories: 486 kcal , Carbohydrates: 51 g , Protein: 26 g , Fat: 21 g , Saturated Fat: 7 g , Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g , Monounsaturated Fat: 9 g , Trans Fat: 1 g , Cholesterol: 35 mg , Sodium: 1512 mg , Potassium: 1193 mg , Fiber: 9 g , Sugar: 6 g , Vitamin A: 422 IU , Vitamin C: 23 mg , Calcium: 115 mg , Iron: 7 mgHealthy fried black eyed peas recipe makes for quick, but still comforting alternative to a traditional long-simmered pot of the soul-food version.

Creamy Southern Black Eyed Peas (instant Pot + Stovetop!)

I love old traditional ways of cooking especially my grandmother's soul food recipes, which require high involvement and are slow and long. However, given the pace of our lives I'm always looking for effective and efficient ways to reproduce the flavor in those recipes that require less time.

Not including the salt and pepper, this is a 6 ingredient recipe featuring ingredients you're likely to have in your pantry and/or fridge. I won't judge you if you don't keep canned black-eyed peas on