Name: Black Eyed Peas Recipe (Southern Style, No Soaking)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 100 min
Ingredients: 1 pound dried black-eyed peas; 6 slices bacon (chopped); 1 yellow onion (diced); 3 cloves garlic (minced); 6 cups chicken broth (plus more only if needed during cooking); 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 tablespoons butter; 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Jump to Recipe 0 comments

No soaking required and just 15 minutes of hands-on work make this black eyed peas recipe easy to get started the day you want to serve it. Dried peas simmer with smoky bacon and a few grocery store staples, making this an easy dinner or side dish for the week or a potluck.

Serve them with warm sweet cornbread to soak up the broth, and save a little bacon for the top. The peas get a buttery finish, a small splash of apple cider vinegar, and one last step that made all the difference when I tested them: a 10-minute rest before serving.

A bowl of black eyed peas topped with bacon and green onions on a striped towel.

Do You Have to Soak Black Eyed Peas?

No, you don’t need to soak the dried black-eyed peas for this recipe. Just rinse them, pick out any small stones or shriveled peas, and add them to the pot when you’re ready to cook.

The peas simmer for about 1 hour, then rest off the heat for 10 minutes. Older dried peas can take up to 90 minutes of simmering. Including prep, cooking, and resting, this recipe takes 1 hour 40 minutes as tested.

Dried black eyed peas in a white colander.

Ingredient Notes

You’ll find the full ingredient list and measurements in the recipe card below. Here are a few things to keep in mind before you start:

Dried black-eyed peas: Use a 1-pound bag. The broth amount and cooking time are for dried, unsoaked peas.
Bacon: Six slices give the peas smoky flavor, and you’ll use the drippings to cook the onion. Bacon keeps the shopping simple, with no ham hock to track down.
Chicken broth: Start with 6 cups. That was enough in my test to leave the finished broth right around the level of the peas. Keep extra nearby in case your pot needs a little more during cooking.
Smoked paprika and red pepper flakes: The smoked paprika stands in for the smoke you’d get from a ham hock. The pepper flakes add a little heat.
Butter and apple cider vinegar: Both go in at the end. The butter adds richness, and the vinegar balances it. Don’t leave that little splash out!

You’ll also need a yellow onion, garlic, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper.

How to Make Black Eyed Peas with Bacon

Cook the bacon. Cook the chopped bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer it to a paper towel, leaving the grease in the pot.

Diced onion cooking in bacon drippings in a Dutch oven.

Soften the onion. Add the diced onion to the bacon grease and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Black eyed peas bubbling in seasoned broth in a Dutch oven.

Add the peas and simmer. Stir in the rinsed peas, broth, brown sugar, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer about 1 hour, until the peas are creamy all the way through with no chalk in the center. Older dried peas can take up to 90 minutes.

Butter and cooked bacon added to black eyed peas in a Dutch oven.

Finish and rest. Take the pot off the heat, stir in the butter, vinegar, and most of the bacon. Let it sit 10 minutes before serving.

Don’t skip the vinegar: Two teaspoons in the whole pot balance the bacon and butter without giving the peas a vinegary flavor.

After the rest, top each bowl with some of the reserved bacon, and spoon in the broth along with the peas. The sliced green onions shown in the photos are an optional garnish.

How to Know When Black Eyed Peas Are Done

Bite one of the peas. It should be creamy all the way through with no chalk in the center. Older dried peas take longer to soften, so use that texture to guide you.

When I tested this recipe on my gas stove, I used 6 cups of broth, a 1-hour simmer, and a 10-minute rest off the heat. After the rest, the peas had the creamy texture I was looking for. That’s why the rest is part of the recipe.

Watch the simmer, too. You want a few lazy bubbles. If your stove keeps the pot bubbling hard even on low, try a smaller burner. A hard boil can split the skins, and the liquid can cook away too quickly.

My black eyed peas were still firm, what happened?

Older dried peas take longer to soften. Keep simmering and check every 10 minutes, going by the bite rather than the timer. The 10-minute rest off the heat also helps the peas finish softening, so give every batch that rest before serving.

Are Black Eyed Peas Supposed to Be Soupy or Thick?

This version is brothy, with a consistency like a loose stew. In my test, the finished liquid was glossy and amber, sitting about level with the peas.

That seasoned cooking liquid, often called pot likker, belongs in the bowl. Don’t drain it off or keep cooking just to make the peas dry. Spoon some over your cornbread, too.

Cooked black eyed peas and broth in a Dutch oven with a wooden spoon.

What to Serve with Black Eyed Peas

Cornbread and a bowl of these peas can make a simple supper. To fill out the meal, try one of these:

Slow cooker cabbage: An easy vegetable side to serve alongside your peas and cornbread.
Southern fried pork chops: A crisp main dish to pair with the creamy peas.
Southern fried chicken: Another option when you’re making a bigger Southern-style dinner.
Cooked rice: Spoon the peas and broth over a serving of rice for a heartier bowl.

Black eyed peas served with cornbread, with a Dutch oven of peas in the background.

Can I use canned black eyed peas?

You can, and it cuts this down to about 30 minutes. Use 4 cans (15 ounces each), drained and rinsed. Cook the bacon, onion, and garlic the same way, then add the peas with 2 cups of broth instead of 6 and all the seasonings. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, just long enough for everything to come together. Stir in the butter, vinegar, and bacon like usual.

The broth won’t be as thick, since you don’t get the starch that comes off dried peas as they cook. Still good, just a little thinner.

For another easy canned vegetable side, see how to make canned green beans taste better.

What’s the Difference Between Black Eyed Peas and Hoppin’ John?

Hoppin’ John combines peas and rice; the type of pea and preparation can vary. Anson Mills describes the traditional Carolina version as a combination of Sea Island red peas and Carolina Gold rice.

This recipe makes a pot of black-eyed peas with bacon, with no rice cooked into it. If you’d like rice with yours, cook it separately and spoon the peas over it so you can keep the tested broth amount and cooking time.

Why Eat Black Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day?

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a Southern tradition associated with good luck for the year ahead. They’re often served with greens, which symbolize money or prosperity, a tradition explored in the Smithsonian’s look at New Year’s foods.

If they’re on your January 1 menu, this no-soak recipe lets you start that day. It’s also a cozy pot of peas to make whenever a bowl of something warm sounds good.

Storage and Reheating

Divide leftovers into shallow, covered containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Keep them in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months for best quality. These storage times follow USDA guidance for leftovers.

The peas thicken as they sit, so keep their broth with them. When reheating, add a splash of broth to loosen them, stir occasionally, and heat to 165°F throughout. Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator before reheating.

More Bean Recipes

Ham and beans, made with canned great northern beans and ham.
15 bean soup, for another hearty pot of beans with ham.
Apple pie baked beans, for a sweet and savory side dish.

Black Eyed Peas Recipe (Southern Style, No Soaking)