I'll be ringing in the new year with a big bowl of Southern style black eyed peas and a batch of gluten free cornbread, because I need all the good fortune I can get. Like most Southern dishes, these black eyed peas are packed with flavor from just a few simple ingredients. It's the perfect comfort food!
A lot of Southerners make their black eyed peas with ham hocks, but I prefer to use bacon so I can make them year round. This simple recipe gets a thick, flavorful broth from smoky pork and a long cook time. The beans soften and become almost stew like. It's a classic Southern dish that is gluten free!
If you like Southern food, you should check out my green beans and potatoes recipe or my classic BBQ baked beans.
What is the tradition of eating black eyed peas?
As a Southern tradition, we eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day for good luck. They are usually served along side corn bread and collard greens.
Black eyed peas are said to symbolize coins and since they swell as they cook, it means your fortune will be growing. Cornbread is the symbol for gold and collard greens the symbol for dollars.
Eating these three together at the beginning of a new year will bring your fortune and prosperity for the coming months.
Ingredient Notes
This Southern black-eyed peas recipe uses just a few simple ingredients and it's both gluten free and dairy free.
- Bacon - Thick-cut bacon is used here in place of ham hock, which is common in some Southern recipes. If you're following a gluten free diet, make sure to get bacon that is marked gluten free. Boar's Head is the brand I normally use.
- Yellow Onion - A little bit of sweet onion is used as a base flavor for these peas.
- Garlic - Garlic is another aromatic used to flavor this dish. I always use freshly minced garlic for the most flavor.
- Salt, Black Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes - Most Southern style black eyed peas have a little bit of heat, either from red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper or hot sauce.
- Bay Leaves - A lot of people think a bay leaf adds nothing, but they do add a little something to a dish. It's the kind of thing that's hard to put your finger on, but if you tasted it both ways you would notice. I like to buy fresh bay leaves from the produce section of the grocery store for maximum effect.
- Gluten Free Chicken Broth - Use a low sodium chicken broth, since the bacon will add a lot of salty flavor to the peas. If you can't find low sodium chicken stock, you can use half broth and half water. If you're following a gluten free diet, make sure you buy gluten free chicken broth. Pacific Foods brand is my favorite.
- Black Eyed Peas - This recipe is written for dried peas, but you could also use fresh black-eyed peas. For dried peas, you'll need to give them an overnight soak in cold water to soften them up. If you don't have time to soak overnight, you will have to increase the cooking time significantly. See the recipe card for more details.
- Vegan Butter - I don't think there is a person in the South who doesn't add a little butter to a finished vegetable dish. If you're not dairy free, add unsalted butter in the same measure.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - use unsalted butter in the same measure.
- No chicken broth - Replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth or the same measure of water. The flavor will be altered but still delicious.
- Add Celery - A lot for recipes call for celery to be added along with the onion. I'm not really a fan, but if you like celery I'd recommend about ½ cup in this recipe.
- Make it Hot - Add cayenne pepper or a few dashes of hot sauce to your taste.
- Make Hoppin John - Serve over white rice for a traditional Southern dish.
- Make the Broth Thicker - After the beans are cooked, you can scoop out a portion and mash them with a potato masher or puree them with an immersion blender. Return the bean mash to the pot to thicken the broth.
How to make Southern Black Eyed Peas
These black eyed peas are easy to make. Everything happens in one pot! I love to use my Dutch oven for this recipe.
STEP 1: Cook the bacon in a large pot or large Dutch oven for about 5 minutes.
STEP 2: Add in the diced onions and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the onions are softened.
STEP 3: Add the garlic and spices and cook while stirring constantly for 1 minute more.
STEP 4: Finally, add the black eyed peas, chicken broth and bay leaves to the pot. Stir well and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to cook for 60-90 minutes until the peas have softened.
Expert Tip
If you soak your black eyed peas in cool water overnight, it cuts the cooking time to around 90 minutes. If you use dried peas that haven't been soaked, you will need to simmer for 3-4 hours for them to soften.
Storage
Store leftover peas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
More side dish recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Southern Style Black Eyed Peas
Ingredients
- 8 ounces Bacon cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 Cup Yellow Onion diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 pound Dried Black Eyed Peas soaked overnight and drained
- 6 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
Instructions
- The day before cooking, place all of your dried peas in a large bowl and add enough water to cover them by 1-2 inches. Let them soak overnight.
- Add the bacon to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes.8 ounces Bacon
- Add the diced onion to the bacon and continue to cook for another 5 minutes until the onion is softened.1 Cup Yellow Onion
- If you have a lot of bacon grease in the pot, drain and discard it.
- Add the garlic, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Continue to cook while stirring constantly for 1 minutes.3 cloves Garlic, ½ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, ¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- Add in the soaked black eyed peas, chicken broth and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the temperature to medium low. Cover and simmer for 60 minutes.1 pound Dried Black Eyed Peas, 6 Cups Gluten Free Chicken Broth, 2 Bay Leaves
- Remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes until the peas are softened.
- Remove the bay leaves and stir in the butter.2 Tablespoons Vegan Butter
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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