Southern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe

Name: I Make These Southern Black-Eyed Peas for New Year’s Luck
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 130 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed; 1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 1 large or 2 small smoked ham hocks (about 1 pound); 2 bay leaves, optional; 8 cups water, chicken or vegetable broth, or a combination of the two; 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

A bowl of cooked blackeyed peas in broth with pieces of meat and a spoon — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

This dish is a cherished Southern tradition for New Year’s Day and also delicious as a side for any weeknight meal.
Smoky ham hock infuses each bite of these black-eyed peas with deep, savory flavor.
Using dried black-eyed peas and simple aromatics delivers tender beans with rich Southern character.

Being from Tennessee, I grew up eating black-eyed peas pretty often. We rotated them into our dinners along with field peas, lima beans, and pinto beans. They tended to be cooked from dried, fresh from my grandpa’s farm, or frozen from last season’s harvest. We would find zip-top bags of beans in my grandmother’s freezer, labeled with several dates crossed out in her tightly packed cursive (she endlessly reused zip-top bags): field peas 1994, corn 1998, lima beans 2000.

While I didn’t truly appreciate these side dishes as a kid (although I did pick at them on my plate), I can’t get enough as an adult.

The one day of the year when you have to eat black-eyed peas is New Year’s Day. We are not a superstitious family by any means, but this one we abide by. It just so happens that some of our favorite foods are good luck, so why not? We often eat some sort of pork, black-eyed peas, and collard greens on the first day of the new year—all lucky foods said to bring you good fortune.

It’s a good thing these foods go so well together. In fact, we rarely cooked peas or beans without ham simmering along with them. Pork + peas/beans = delicious, it’s that simple. So if you’re looking for a little luck in the new year or simply some deliciously smoky and salty peas, then I have you covered.

I Make This Southern Good Luck Soup Every New Year’s

A pot of blackeyed peas stew with a black ladle — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Keep It Simple

The secret to great black-eyed peas? First, buy great peas. My personal favorite are Rancho Gordo’s yearly Super Lucky Black-Eyed Peas. They’re peas with a pedigree but still reasonably priced. You can find them in some grocery stores as well as online.

When shopping for black-eyed peas in the grocery store, ensure they’re as fresh as possible. The older the dried peas, the longer they’ll take to cook and the worse their texture will be.

Smoked ham hock does a lot of heavy lifting here. It’s a real umami, salty flavor bomb, and it infuses into the broth and the beans. Some onion and garlic powder add more savory depth.

Cooked blackeyed peas with pieces of meat in a pot accompanied by a ladle — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Substitutions and Easy Tweaks

If you’re planning ahead, you can soak the black-eyed peas in room-temperature water. Four to six hours is ideal.
Ham hock adds the best flavor, and I can easily find it in my local supermarket in California, so chances are you can find it in yours. If you can’t, you can swap for thick-cut applewood smoked bacon. Skip step 2. Instead, as the peas soak, roughly chop and then cook 1/2 to 1 pound of bacon in the pot until starting to crisp. Add the onion and continue to cook until translucent. You can drain off some of the fat at this point or leave it in. Continue with the recipe as written.
For a bit of brightness, I sometimes add a glug of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice at the end.

More Good Luck Dishes

Two bowls of blackeyed peas soup served with gold spoons on a striped cloth napkin — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Southern Black-Eyed Peas

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 2 hrs

Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins

Servings 8 servings

You may need to adjust the amount of salt depending on how much (if any) broth you use and how salty it is. I like to use half water, half chicken broth and 1 teaspoon of salt, then add salt to taste at the end.

Keep Screen Awake

1 pound dried black-eyed peas, picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 large or 2 small smoked ham hocks (about 1 pound)
2 bay leaves, optional
8 cups water, chicken or vegetable broth, or a combination of the two
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Quick-soak the peas:

Add the peas to a large, heatproof bowl or pot and add enough boiling water to cover by at least an inch. Set aside to soak.
Meanwhile, cook the ham hock:

While the peas soak, add the oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes.

Rinse the ham hock under cold water, then add it to the pot along with the bay leaves (if using). Top with the water and/or broth; the ham hock should be mostly covered. Cover with the lid and bring to a boil, then reduce the temperature to low, cover, and simmer for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. It will get more tender as it cooks. Flip the ham hock over using tongs about halfway through cooking.
Drain and add the peas:

Drain the soaked peas and add them to the pot. Add the salt and garlic powder and stir. Cover, bring back to a boil, then simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the peas are tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour. The timing will depend on how old your peas are.
Finish and serve:

Use tongs to remove the cooked ham hock to a cutting board. Let cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, remove the bay leaves and discard. For a prettier pot of beans, skim any scum off the top. Taste the peas, adding salt and pepper as needed.

Once the ham hock is cooled enough to handle, remove the skin and any excess fat and discard. Remove the meat from the bone, chop or shred it, and add it back to the pot. Taste, adding pepper to taste and more salt, if needed. Serve using a slotted spoon.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the cooking liquid. It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
345	Calories
10g	Fat
36g	Carbs
28g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories	345
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 10g	13%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 52mg	17%
Sodium 222mg	10%
Total Carbohydrate 36g	13%
Dietary Fiber 6g	22%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 28g
Vitamin C 2mg	8%
Calcium 82mg	6%
Iron 5mg	29%
Potassium 857mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.