Black Eyed Peas (Stovetop) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

Black Eyed Peas (Stovetop) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (1)

By: Becky - The Cookie Rookie

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Black Eyed Peas are a classic Southern dish filled with flavor. This Classic black eyed pea soup recipe with bacon is the perfect thing to eat for New Year’s (a good luck tradition), and it makes a great dinner or side dish for any comforting meal!

Black Eyed Peas (Stovetop) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2)

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Black Eyed Peas Recipe

This black eyed peas recipe is the best ever (in my humble opinion)! I appreciate some good ole’ Southern food, and this dish is a classic. It’s so comforting and flavorful!

This soup is filled with beans, bacon, onion, garlic, broth, and so much more. It makes a great side dish for hearty meals, and it works as a meal on its own too!

Eating black eyed peas for New Year’s is a Southern tradition, so this is the perfect time of year to make up a batch of this and dig in. Add in a nice ham, some cornbread, and you’ve got a deliciously filling dinner ahead!

Learn how to cook black eyed peas for New Year’s, a tasty side dish, or as a warm winter soup.

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What are black eyed peas?

Black eyed peas are not actually peas; they are a type of bean (close enough though, right?). They get their name from the dark, black spot in the middle of the otherwise light-colored bean. And I guess they’re known as “peas” because they come from a cowpea plant.

With this black eyed peas recipe, you get a nice mixture of soupiness and hearty ingredients. So you can serve it and eat it like a soup!

Are Black Eyed Peas Healthy?

Beans are a great source of protein and fiber, which keeps you feeling full. So eating a soup filled with beans and a few other ingredients is a good choice for a simple filling meal.

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How to Cook Black Eyed Peas on the Stove

This recipe is pretty easy to make, but soaking the beans and letting them soften will take some time. Other than that, it’s just adding ingredients to a pot, letting everything cook together, and done!

You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!

Ingredients:

  • Dried Black Eyed Peas (not canned)
  • Bacon
  • Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth
  • Yellow Onion
  • Garlic
  • Water
  • Bouquet Garni Seasoning
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Bay Leaves
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Hot Sauce (I like Tabasco)
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Parsley (for garnish)

How To (Quick Overview):

  1. Rinse and sort beans.
  2. Soak beans (about 1 hour).
  3. Cook bacon.
  4. Add other ingredients into a pot and let them simmer.
  5. Add in the peas/beans and bacon, and let mixture simmer (1-1 1/2 hours).
  6. Serve garnished with parsley.

You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!

Do black eyed peas need to be soaked?

Soaking the beans before cooking hydrates them and shortens the overall cooking time.

How to Soak:

  1. Rinse and sort the peas (discard any that are dark or damaged).
  2. Place them in a large pot and add 4 cups of broth.
  3. Bring to a boil over high heat for 2 minutes and cover.
  4. Remove from heat and let them soak (covered) for 1 hour.

Note: Don’t remove the lid while they soak and don’t drain them. You’ll pour the beans along with the broth into the rest of the soup mixture later.

How long do they take to cook?

Cooking the black eyed pea soup takes about 2-2 1/2 hours. If you’re looking for a quicker recipe for Black Eyed Peas, check out our new Instant Pot Black Eyed Pea Soup (made in just 20 minutes).

What to eat with black eye peas?

You can eat this as a main dish or as a side dish. If you’re serving it as a side to a larger meal, it goes well with things like ham, mashed potatoes, collard greens, cornbread, rice, green beans, or other vegetables.

Black Eyed Peas (Stovetop) Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (7)
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Classic Black Eyed Peas Recipe for New Years

In the South, black eyed peas and the accompanying meal have become a tradition for good luck. So eating it on New Year’s day is meant to bring prosperity for the rest of the year.

According to Wikipedia, here’s the full meal and what each food represents:

  • Black Eyed Peas = Prosperity
  • Collard Greens = Wealth and Money
  • Pork (there’s bacon in the soup and these dishes are often served with a ham as the main dish) = Positive Motion
  • Cornbread = Gold

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Ring in the New Year

74+ New Years Recipes

This Black Eyed Peas recipe is just one of our many NYE favorites. Be sure to give them all a chance!

See Recipes

Why do people put a dime in black eyed peas?

Some people will put a dime in the soup, and whoever gets it in their serving will get EXTRA good luck. (Admittedly this could be dangerous if people don’t notice the dime in their soup!).

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Whether you eat this black eye peas recipe for New Year’s, or make it for another meal throughout the year, I hope you love it as much as I do. So yummy!

More Classic Southern Recipes:

  • Pimento Cheese Grits
  • Easy Buttermilk Biscuits
  • Homemade Sweet Tea
  • Green Beans with Molasses
  • Classic Sausage Balls
  • Crockpot Black Eyed Peas
  • Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas

Check the recipe card for full details on how to cook black eyed peas. Enjoy!

Recipe

Black Eyed Peas Recipe

4.57 from 79 votes

Author: Becky – The Cookie Rookie

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Serves8 people

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This black eyed peas recipe is a Southern tradition for good luck, and it's just plain delicious!

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Ingredients

  • ½ pound bacon
  • 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 large yellow onion diced
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon Bouquet Garni herb seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½-1 teaspoon Tobasco or other hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Rinse the peas and discard any that are damaged or dark. Place the peas in a large pot set over high heat. Add 4 cups broth and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, and cover the pot. Remove the pot from the heat, and let the beans soak 1 hour. Don’t lift the lid and don’t drain the beans after the hour has passed.

  • Cut the bacon strips into ¼-inch slices, and place in a large Dutch oven set over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper towel (leaving the rendered bacon fat).

  • Place the diced onion in the Dutch oven and cook until onion is translucent. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds, stirring often.

  • Slowly add the water while scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze the pan. Add the Bouquet Garni, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, hot sauce and apple cider vinegar. Set heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat until peas have softened.

  • After the peas have softened (about 1 hour), add them and the broth to the onion mixture in the Dutch oven and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and add all except 3 tablespoons crisped bacon. Replace the lid and simmer the peas until tender (or about 1-1½ hours), stirring every 20 minutes. Season, if needed, with salt and black pepper.

  • To serve, ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with reserved crispy bacon and chopped parsley.

  • Enjoy!

Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Nutrition Information

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FAQs

How long do you soak black-eyed peas before cooking? ›

Soaking black-eyed peas make the cooking process shorter. The ideal time for soaking any kind of bean in cold water is overnight or 8-10 hours. To speed up the process, try my favourite quick hot-soak method. Pour boiling water over your beans and allow to soak for 15-20 minutes.

What is the meaning of eating black-eyed peas on New Year's? ›

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved, as many traditions do, into a number of variations – but most hold the theme of luck and prosperity that harkens back to the Civil War days when people felt lucky to have black-eyed peas to eat and help them survive the cold, harsh winter ...

Why do southerners eat black-eyed peas? ›

When Sherman's troops overtook and raided the food supplies of the Confederate South, Union soldiers regarded as them as animal feed and left them behind in the fields. The Confederates, however, survived by eating this crop and considered themselves lucky to have had them and, so, the peas became symbolic of luck.

What song made Black Eyed Peas famous? ›

The Black Eyed Peas' first major hit was the 2003 single "Where Is the Love?" from Elephunk, which topped the charts in 13 countries, including the United Kingdom, where it spent seven weeks at number one and went on to become Britain's biggest-selling single of 2003.

Who is the new girl in the Black Eyed Peas? ›

Meet Jessica Reynoso, who goes by the stage name J. Rey Soul. She first got involved with the Peas when apl.de. ap selected her for his team on The Voice Philippines, where he is a celebrity judge.

What happens if you don't soak your black-eyed peas? ›

Not soaking the black-eyed peas can slightly impact the texture, as they can take longer to cook and may be slightly firmer compared to soaked ones. However, the taste will remain similar whether you soak them or not.

Can you overcook black-eyed peas? ›

Drain them the next day and bring them to a boil in cold water, then reduce the heat so the water barely simmers: dried black-eyed peas can overcook, and a rolling boil could cause them to break apart. Taste the peas often to check their doneness: They should be creamy but retain their shape.

What are the health benefits of eating black-eyed peas? ›

The bottom line

Black-eyed peas are highly nutritious and associated with many impressive health benefits. In particular, they may help support weight loss, improve heart health, and promote digestive health. They're also versatile, delicious, and easy to incorporate into a number of recipes as part of a healthy diet.

Can dogs eat black-eyed peas? ›

The black eye pea is an amazing food for your dog. It's high in protein and dietary fiber to keep them happy and healthy. It also contains vitamins A, C, K, and folate that promote good health. The black eye pea has the added benefit of being heart-friendly.

Why do people put black-eyed peas in their purse? ›

And that even today, many people carry one in their bag or pocket for prosperity. And that the significance of the pea in West African and diasporic cultures included a symbol of fertility, offerings for spirits, protection from the evil eye, and good luck.

When should you eat black-eyed peas? ›

Today, the tradition of eating black-eyed peas for the New Year has evolved into a number of variations and embellishments of the luck and prosperity theme including: Served with greens (collards, mustard or turnip greens, which varies regionally), the peas represent coins and the greens represent paper money.

What is the southern name for black-eyed peas? ›

In the Southern United States, eating black-eyed peas or Hoppin' John (a traditional soul food) on New Year's Day is thought to bring prosperity in the new year.

Do Mexicans eat black-eyed peas? ›

It turns out they're also popular in Yucatán and Campeche, where they go by the Mayan word (or maybe a kinda Mayan/Spanish hybrid word?) “xpelón,” (they have two varieties, both cowpeas but not exactly what we know as black-eyed peas) and are favored by poorer people.

What religion eats black-eyed peas? ›

It has been customary to eat black-eyed peas on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, for hundreds of years, but this dish also has history stemming from the African diaspora and has been spread throughout the Southern United States.

What happened with Black Eyed Peas and Fergie? ›

ap and Taboo stated that their former bandmate left the group out of a desire to devote herself to being a "great mom." Will.i.am explained, "We love her, and she's focusing on being a mom. That's a hard job, and that's what she really wants to do and we're here for her...

What happened to Fergie after the national anthem? ›

SHAPIRO: Well, Fergie issued an apology last night for her performance. She wrote, I wanted to try something special for the NBA. I'm a risk taker artistically, but clearly this rendition didn't strike the intended tone. I love this country and honestly tried my best.

Will Fergie ever come back to Black Eyed Peas? ›

While fans might be hoping that Fergie is gearing up to release new music in 2023, they likely shouldn't expect it to be as a member of the Black Eyed Peas. Her former bandmates explained why a reunion seemed highly unlikely in a recent interview. If you forgot, the pop star left the group in 2017.

What happened to Duchess Fergie? ›

Ferguson, 64, who was married to Prince Andrew, was treated for breast cancer last year and has now been diagnosed with malignant melanoma after several moles were removed. "She is undergoing further investigations to ensure that this has been caught in the early stages," Sky News quoted her spokesman as saying.

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