Enjoy flavorful and classic Southern Black-Eyed Peas (Vegan). seasoned with onions, garlic, peppers, and thyme. Oh my this Southern Black Eyed Peas recipe is so comforting on cold winter nights.
FOR THE FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS, SCROLL TO SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END. BUT BEFORE YOU SCROLL CHECK IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT IS INCLUDED IN THE BLURB.
Since moving to Florida, I noticed that fresh peas are very popular in grocery stores. These fresh peas like field peas, butter peas, and black-eyed peas can be prepared quickly and they taste buttery when done.
For the purpose of this recipe, I will use dry black-eyed peas instead. Check out my Curry Black-Eyed Peas Recipes.
How To Cook Black Eyed Peas Southern Style
Soaking is not a must for your black-eyed peas but it helps to shorten cooking times, increase digestibility. Sort peas, remove debris and wash and soak in water in a large bowl.
Allow the water to be at least 2-3 inches above peas because peas will swell. Soak peas overnight, discard water, rinse and add 6 cups of water, bring to a boil and cook until tender.
For a Southern flavor, I substituted the traditional ham hock with tofu pups hot dog to add a smoky flavor but you don't have to at all, other options include liquid smoke, smoked paprika, even chipotle pepper or whatever you desire.
I enjoyed my black-eyed peas with Cornbread, stewed potatoes, and Vegan Southern-Style Collard Greens and it was so delicious, comforting and hearty. Hmmm, the perfect dish to enjoy during these wintry days! You can also serve it with my Cornbread Casserole.
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Nutrition
- Energy:
- 122 kcal / 510 kJ
- Fat:
- 4 g
- Protein:
- 9 g
- Carbs:
- 11 g
Cooking Time
- Preparation:
- 15 min
- Cooking:
- 1 h 36 min
- Ready in:
- 1 h 51 min
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black eyed peas, sorted and soaked overnight or for 8 hours
- 6-8 cups water, or vegetable broth
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped (I used both red and green)
- 2 aprigs thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- sea salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 Tofu pups hot dog, or 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Add peas to 6 cups of water in a large bowl and soak overnight. Drain peas and rinse. Place peas in a large pot with 6 cups of water and bring to boil on medium-high. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for about 45 minutes or until peas are tender. If they are drying out before being tender then add extra water or vegetable broth.
- Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium, cut each hot dogs into coins and saute until golden brown. Set aside.
- Stir in onion, garlic, bell pepper, thyme, cayenne, hot dog coins or smoked paprika and salt into the peas and continue to cook until sauce is thickened. Delicious served with cornbread and collards greens.
Notes
That was good thanks. I add better than bouillon cude, and liquid smoke cause I only had regular paprika to add. I would have never guessed to put tyme in there thanks so much. I added it to my go to recipe book. Very delicious.
Jessica, I’m so happy it turned out great for you, I love your adjustments, thank you for sharing!
It’s a fantastic recipe! I’m not a fan of tofu so I took your advice and used chipotle sauce to smoke it up. I also used a poblano pepper instead of a green pepper and I had some mini sweet peppers I needed to use. I didn’t add any chili pepper because I figured it would be spicy enough with the poblano and the chipotle peppers. I love that this recipe is versatile and that it’s very flavorful!
Penny, I’m so happy you enjoyed it and I love how you made substitutions to make it your own. Thank you for sharing your feedback.
I can wait to try this recipe. Thank you for coming up with a great recipe for black eyed peas!
You are welcome Pam, I hope you enjoy it.
I’ve never cooked black eyed peas before, but my local farmer’s market had lots so I gave it a shot. Turned out fantastic! I sauteed the peppers and onion and used smoked paprika. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Jen I’m happy you tried it and it turned out great for you. Love your adjustments. Thank you for your feedback.
This is delicious. I will be making this again soon. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for your feedback TT, I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Simply amazing. Proportions were correct and this will become a Sunday staple. There are not that many Vegan Southern Comfort food options that can stand up to the original dishes. This one definitely succeeded. Excited to make the vegan cornbread to accompany this dish. :)
Kristopher-Grant, I’m so excited that you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind words.
Hi Michelle,
The black-eyed peas recipe sounds like a great one. I’m going to try it today, thank you!
Thank you Linda, hope you enjoy!
Good day to you Michelle!
I’m having a little issue with my black eyed peas. I soaked them for around 8-9 hrs, rinsed them, then cooked them for it seemed like forever. They are still a little crunchy, and the water I cooked them in is blackish. I didn’t add any veges to it yet, and not sure if I should keep the water, although I’ve read to always keep it for it has so many nutrients. I’m excited to make this recipe but could really use some advice, for this is my first time cooking these beans. Thanks
Meg
Meg, it sounds like your peas are old. What you can do is pressure cook them if you have a pressure cooker for about 5 minutes. If you don’t add liquid, vegetable broth or water. Bring to a boil in a large pot. Cover the pot and reduce to a simmer for about 20 more minutes or until the peas are softer. They shouldn’t be crunchy. I hope this helps.
Thanks for a great recipe. It is helpful to have vegan versions of Southern food!
Thank you Melissa, I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
I’ve always been interested in southern style cooking (particularly liked the idea of black eyed peas, okra, grits, collards and cornbread). Having grown up on the Canadian prairies my mother’s cooking style was a far cry from it. The only spices I recall being used in my childhood were very basic…salt, pepper and seasoning salt. My mother was a fantastic cook but the meals were shy on creativity and plants, and very heavy in the animal sourced fats and meat department. All that meant that by the time I was in my late 40’s I had a wealth of health issues…heart, arthritis, overweight, psoriasis, etc, etc. I’ve started experimenting with all kinds of amazing plant based recipes and particularly LOVE beans, any and all. Really loved your Southern Black Eyed Peas recipe shared here. I followed your recipe to the T, opting for the smoked paprika you as suggested as an option. I grew collards in my garden the past 3 years so I could have it on hand for my southern style meals since it’s difficult to find consistently in the stores here. I’ll be whipping up a batch to go along with this recipe. Thank you so much for helping me turn my health around with nutritious recipes like this one.
Joan, thank you very much for your inspiring comment. I’m so happy you enjoyed my black-eyed peas recipe, many blessings to you on your journey.
Thank you, Thank you. Made for Nre Years. I will always make my black eyes peas by this recipe. First time making black eyed peas with meat. LOVED IT!! If I could post a pic I would.
Awesome Sonia. I’m so happy you enjoyed it. I appreciate your feedback. thank you.
Very delicious and satisfying!!! I make this dish every other week because it’s so good!!!
I made this on New Year’s Day for my daughter and her husband. They were really impressed. My daughter said that the paprika gave the peas the flavor of smokiness that she expected for this dish. I am looking forward to trying your other recipes.
We have become vegan for health reasons to reduce our choloesterol. It has worked!
Thank you so much Barbara for your feedback. I’m so happy you and your family enjoyed it and I’m even more excited that your cholesterol levels were lowered.
Amazing recipes
Thank you Kimberly, I am happy you enjoyed it.
I sauteed the onion & garlic & added the spices. There was too much water in the peas, so I dumped a bunch of it. (But mine had been soaking for a day and a half, due to me not getting around to cooking them, so they’d absorbed a lot of water already.) After dumping the water, I added the onion/garlic/spices and a tablespoon of olive oil. Soooo good! Thank you Michelle!
Pippen, I’m happy that you enjoyed it and you figured out to dump some of the water better than cooking longer on the stove to get the right consistency.
Hi! Do you saute the onions and garlic at all? Also, you stir in everything after the peas are done cooking?
Nope, if you follow the recipe exactly how it is written you will enjoy a delicious black-eyed pea but you can also saute the onions and garlic if you prefer.
This was delicous! I used smoked paprika and a few drops of liquid smoke. Yummy! Thanks for sharing.
Doreen, I’m so happy you enjoyed them and thank you for sharing your adjustments.
Great recipe! Thanks!
You are welcome Steve, I’m so happy you enjoyed it. Happy New Year!
YUM, YUM, YUM. Did it in an InstantPot for twenty minutes. So delicious. Didn’t do the dogs, used the paprika and broth. Thank You this will be in my repertoire.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it Danielle and love that you did it in an Instant Pot. Thank you for your feedback.
This looks delicious! How would you modify for frozen peas?
Thank you Teresa, I assume that you are using frozen peas that you either soaked before freezing or you cooked it but didn’t season it. Not really sure which one, I only tested the recipe as written. Cook it with 6 cups of broth and then follow the recipe as written.
Very simple recipe and extremely delicious!!!
Thank you Candace, I’m happy you enjoy it. Happy New Year.
I would love to try this recipe. How would you cook this in a crock pot?
I didn’t do it in a crockpot but 6-8 hours on high settings in a crockpot should be fine.
I modified this recipe only slightly, adding a can of roasted tomatoes and skipping the tofu dogs. Delicious! Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
Jerry, I’m happy it turned out delicious with your adjustments, thank you for your feedback.
I knew I’d like this, but wasn’t sure about my husband. Turns out, he loved it and requested I make it again next week! I served it with salad and cornbread.
I had a can of field peas left in the cupboard before payday and tried this recipe. It was very good and everything else here looks good too! It was nice to try something with only a few ingredients with thyme. (Something I’m personally not used to eating)
Thank you Rocky, I’m so happy you enjoy it. I love field peas so delicious. I’m so happy you got to use thyme, most of my stews have thyme in them. My Chickpea stew is another low budget, easy to prepare and flavorful recipe you should try. Praying for your increase!
This was my first time ever cooking with Black Eyed Peas and your recipe is delicious!
I didn’t have any cayenne pepper so I substituted with a can of jalapeno peppers. I also chopped the onion and garlic in the blender and softened them with the bell peppers , jalapenos , thyme and smoked paprika in a skillet before adding to the black eyed peas. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Marion, I’m happy you enjoyed it and made it your own. Thank you for your feedback.
Can you do this in the Instant Pot instead?
I’m sure you can, I just haven’t done so as yet.
Yes you could, I have made it in my instant pot, so yummy!
YUMMMMM!!!! I used liquid smoke, omitted the oil and added some Jamaican curry seasoning…WHAATTTTT?!?! Came out BOMB!!! Thank you! I love your recipes.
Deanna, I love your variation sounds so flavorful, thank you.
Made this recipe for New Years and I have been wanting to say thank you for this delicious recipe, my family loved it.
I’d like to try the recipe but I already have cooked the black eyed peas and eaten some… How much does 1 pound yield?… in cups?I’ve frozen the ‘beans’ in 3 oz portions.