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. ❤️
Content…For More Than New Year’s |
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.
Lacey says
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.
ImmaculateBites says
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.
Sue W says
Wonderful recipe! Made this today, subbing a leftover ham bone. Absolutely delicious!!! Will definitely make this again! Thanks for sharing!
ImmaculateBites says
You’re welcome. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Karen says
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.
Karen says
Oh and I cooked it in my instant pot. No soaking. I did 30 minutes high pressure, 20-25 minutes would have been perfect.
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks for sharing .
ImmaculateBites says
Glad it worked out well! Thanks for taking time out to share these tips with us. Goodbye 2020!!!
Daisey Anderson says
WOW is all I can say!!!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
They are absolutely delicious.
ImmaculateBites says
I really put a lot of thought into this recipe , thank you for noticing.
Rae Rae says
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!
ImmaculateBites says
Happy New year to you too! Thanks so much.
Stacey Phelps says
This recipe was delicious!! Thank you!! Been eating southern blacked eyed peas with ham hocks forever but this is my new fave! I omitted the bacon, added green bell pepper to keep the trinity veggie base, also added dry parsley, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, a splash of liquid smoke and Louisiana hot sauce! Love the collard greens and smoked Turkey sausage in it!! My non-bean eating boyfriend loved it and had 2 big bowls! This is after he said “I’m not hungry” lol p.s. I cooked it all together in my Dutch oven on 300 for an hour after sautéing sausage and veggie base first then finished it off on stove top removing lid adding greens and simmering down liquid last 20 min. Used frozen peas. Can’t wait to share with my fam next yr!
ImmaculateBites says
Sounds Delicious! Thanks for taking time out to share your version with us.
Jordan M says
Unbelievably delicious. I rarely love dishes I make from recipes I come across online the first time I make them, but this is incredible the first time through. I subbed the black eyed peas for yellow eyed, subbed the smoked sausage for the fire roasted chicken sausage I had on hand, and it was still great.
ImmaculateBites says
Am humbled ! Thanks so much.
Katherine says
Absolutely divine, thank you for helping us ring in the new year well!!
ImmaculateBites says
My pleasure ! Happy New Year!
Ellen says
My husband and I are not crazy about black eyed peas but this recipe was amazing! We could not stop eating them.
Dori says
Just ate this up for New Years Day! Delicious-and I used canned beans and bacon bits. Yummy!
ImmaculateBites says
Fantastic ! Happy New Year!
Wacheera Davis says
This was sooo good…
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks so much.
Colleen K says
Oh my goodness, this was a fantastic recipe! It crowned me as a southern gal from the North! Thank you so much!
ImmaculateBites says
WooHoo!! Thanks for letting me know.
Katy says
I really enjoyed this recipe. Absolutely delicious.
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you!
Katie Malloch says
Hello from the frozen north!
I’m writing from Canada, just made this recipe for the first time today, New Years 2021, and it’s delicious!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks! Happy New year to you!
Shelley says
I fixed this today for our New Year’s Day meal. It was a joy to put together, filling the house with the most wonderful, savory aromas! I served it with white rice and buttermilk cornbread. It was delicious! My hubs enjoyed it as well as our guest, who went back for seconds. Thanks for a great recipe that will be our new New Year’s Day tradition!
ImmaculateBites says
WooHoo! Thanks so much.