Simple Southern Black Eyed Peas - Grits and Pinecones

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With their nutty texture and tasty, earthy flavor, Southern Black-Eyed Peas are an inexpensive, nutritious, and easy-to-make side dish.

Although they are delicious at any time of the year, many people believe that eating them along with ham, collard greens, cornbread, or hoe cakes on New Year’s Day brings good luck and prosperity in the new year.

Made from scratch, this simple southern-style recipe is the best and features rehydrated, dried black-eyed peas gently simmered in chicken stock and then perfectly seasoned with a ham hock, onion, and garlic.

Considered soul food, black-eyed peas are a true southern delicacy and are as versatile as they are delicious. While they are usually served as a side dish, Black-Eyed Peas and Rice (Hoppin’ John) is often served as a main dish. They can also be substituted for chickpeas to make Black-Eyed Pea Hummus, a tasty appetizer.

Southern black-eyed peas, or cowpeas as they are sometimes called, have come a long way from their lowly beginnings as food for cattle to the tasty legumes we enjoy today.

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Why you will love this recipe:
Ingredient notes and substitutions:
How to rehydrate them:
How to cook and season them:
What are black-eyed peas:
Recipe variations:
What to serve them with:
Recipe FAQs:
Sharon’s tips:
Recipes with black-eyed peas:
📋 Recipe:

Why you will love this recipe:

These delicious little gems have high levels of dietary fiber, iron, folate, potassium, protein, and Vitamin A. Pair them with brown rice, and you have a nutritional powerhouse!
They are budget-friendly; a one-pound bag of dried black-eyed peas costs around $2.00 and contains 12 servings. How’s that for a bargain?
Like fresh Purple Hull Peas, Zipper Peas, White Acre Peas, Field Peas, and Pink Lady Peas, they are the ultimate comfort food!

Ingredient notes and substitutions:

Ingredients to make black-eyed peas including dried peas, chicken stock and a ham hock.

(Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.)

Black-eyed peas – this recipe calls for dried peas; however, I’ve included directions below to substitute fresh, refrigerated, and even canned.
Ham hock – you can substitute a ham shank, leftover ham, salt pork, pork belly, a ham bone, or even the meat from a smoked turkey leg or neck for the ham hock.
Chicken stock – adds additional flavor. Feel free to use vegetable stock instead. I like to use Roasted Chicken, Better Than Boullion, but you can use whatever kind you have.
Onion and fresh garlic – these cruciferous veggies add great flavor.
Kosher salt, ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper – all work together to perfectly season the dish.
Olive oil – is used to saute the onion and garlic. (not pictured)
Red wine vinegar – adds just a bit of acid, which enhances the flavor.

How to rehydrate them:

Before you begin cooking with dried peas, you need to rehydrate them using one of two methods.

The first method is to soak them overnight by placing the peas in a bowl or pot of cold water and allowing them to stand for 6-8 hours. Then they need to be drained and rinsed with fresh water. At this point, they are ready to cook.

Black-eyed peas soaking in a bowl of water.

The second is the quick-soak method. Add the dried peas to a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, cover with water, and bring to a rapid boil. Continue boiling for two more minutes. Next, remove them from the heat, cover them, and let them sit for at least an hour. Then drain and rinse with fresh water.

For both of these methods, keep an eye on the peas and add more water, if needed, to keep them covered while they rehydrate. When properly rehydrated, they will be doubled in size.

How to cook and season them:

Once they are rehydrated, and you are ready to cook, add olive oil to a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and ham hock and cook until the onions are tender, which should take about four to five minutes. Then, add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Cooking onions and a ham hock in a saucepan.

Add the drained and rinsed peas, chicken stock, red wine vinegar, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and let them simmer for 45-60 minutes or until they are tender.

A ham hock and black-eyed peas cooking in a pot.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. If desired, garnish with parsley, thyme, or chives.

What are black-eyed peas:

They are a variety of legumes commonly used in Southern cooking. They have a beige color with a black “eye” or spot on one end, which explains their name. They are frequently used in soups, stews, or salads or served as a side dish.

Once fed to cattle, these tasty protein-filled treats are a prized commodity at local farmers’ markets in the summer and are often eaten on New Year’s Day for good luck and prosperity.

Recipe variations:

To change things up a bit, consider adding or substituting the following ingredients:

Add a handful of chopped kale or collards.
A can of Rotel or fire-roasted tomatoes adds excellent flavor and more veggies.
Swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
Add a cup of chopped leftover ham.
Cook a few slices of bacon, remove them from the pan, and drain. Cook the onion in bacon grease instead of olive oil. Before serving, top with the crumbled bacon.
Add a cup or so of chopped-up smoked sausage.
In addition to the onion, feel free to add any or all of these vegetables: celery, green pepper, carrots, or jalapeno peppers.
Add a few bay leaves while cooking, and remove them before serving.
Throw in some sliced okra.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless.

What to serve them with:

I like to serve these tasty legumes with entrees such as Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Glaze, Fried Fish, Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs, Mushroom Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with Bacon, Fried Oysters, Blackened Mahi Mahi, and Double Smoked Ham,

They also pair well with my Au Gratin Potatoes and Ham, Hasselback Potatoes, and Southern Potato Salad.

Recipe FAQs:

Which is best: dried or fresh?

Fresh black-eyed peas are generally best, but you can’t distinguish between them once they are rehydrated and cooked. The major plus with dried is that they are inexpensive, readily available all year long and keep indefinitely in your pantry.

Around the holidays, you can often find dried black-eyed peas that have already been rehydrated in the refrigerated section at your grocery store. They are more expensive, coming in at about $4.00 for 12 ounces. But you can skip the step of rehydrating them.

If you are lucky enough to have fresh, follow the directions as written, except do not hydrate them before cooking. They will also not take as long to cook.

How to cook canned black-eyed peas?

I don’t recommend canned black-eyed peas. However, if that’s all you have, they will work in a pinch, but be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly.

Then you can go ahead with the recipe, but only add one-half cup of chicken stock for every can and reduce the other ingredients proportionately instead of the amounts listed. Also, only cook them for about 10-20 minutes.

Can you make this recipe in a Crockpot or slow cooker?

Absolutely! Saute the onions and garlic as directed, and when they are done, put them and the rest of the ingredients, including the rehydrated peas, in your Crockpot or slow cooker. Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.

Can this recipe be made ahead?

Yes, this recipe can be made up to 48 hours ahead. Store them covered in the refrigerator and reheat them on the stove when ready to serve. They do tend to thicken when refrigerated, so you may need to add more water or chicken stock to thin them out a bit.

Sharon’s tips:

Leftovers can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to four days. They can also be frozen in an airtight container for several months.
To reheat leftovers, place them in a saucepan on the stove over medium-low heat. Feel free to add water or chicken stock if they get too thick.