What to Eat With Black Eyed Peas – 33 ideas!

Black-eyed peas are such a delightful and delicious, but often overlooked, side option. Tender and creamy and packed with health benefits, black-eyed peas are the perfect component for so many dishes. Read on for 30+ great ideas for what to eat with black eyed peas.

What to Eat With Black Eyed Peas

Black-eyed peas have an amazing depth of flavor and are packed with nutrients and other health benefits. They are high in protein, fiber, and even potassium, but they are such an overlooked and underrated ingredient addition to many meals. 

It can be kind of hard to know what to pair with this beautiful bean when it’s so underused. Consider using them in or serving them with a few of these options to get started. I’ve included a lot more ideas for main dishes and side dishes below.

• Vegetables – spicy collard greens, kale, or mustard green, oven-roasted broccoli, carrots, cabbage, asparagus, spinach. They all go great with black eyed peas.
• Bread – make sure you have some Garlic bread, dinner rolls, biscuits, or cornbread to sop up all the goodness.
• Beans – use them with or in green beans, baked beans, 3-bean salad and more.
• Salad – chopped salad, spinach salad, potato salad or veggie salad.
• Pasta – mac and cheese or pasta salad.
• Corn – creamed corn, Hush puppies or corn on the cob.
• Potatoes – sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, hash brown potatoes.
• Meats – they’re great with chicken, ribs, smoked turkey or other smoked meat, and of course, pork.

Origin of Black Eyed Peas

In the American South, black-eyed peas are a standard ingredient in a wide variety of recipes. They’re even eaten as the main New Year’s meal as a southern tradition that has carried over since the civil war for good luck in the coming year. 

For those of us not in the southern U.S., black-eyed peas are almost an exotic sort of food. Many of us have heard of them but never even actually seen them. If that describes you, boy are you missing out!

In this post I’ve gathered over 30 of my favorite ideas using this southern classic ingredient. I’ve also 

included some great recipes to serve with them. 

Don’t wait until New Years Day, grab a couple cans of black eyed peas the next time you’re at the grocery store and find out the treasure that is black-eyed peas today.

What Are Black Eyed Peas

First, let’s start with the fact that despite their name, they are not actually peas, but they are in the same family of legumes.

Black eyed peas have a tremendously rich history. They originated from West Africa and have been grown and used throughout Asia, the West Indies, and even in ancient Greece and Rome since prehistoric times. 

Black eyed peas were brought to the Americas with the African enslaved people and became a very popular crop in colonial Virginia. First promoted by Thomas Jefferson and later by George Washington Carver for its nutritional value both for humans and for replenishing soil, it also quickly became a very popular crop throughout the southern United States.

Black eyed peas have a slightly earthy, kind of nutty flavor and make the best side dishes, soups, stews, and more. They are tremendously popular in southern and soul food recipes.

Recipes with Black Eyed Peas

These are just a few black-eyed peas recipe ideas to get you started. I’m sure you’ll find more in the complete list below!

• I love them in this Spicy Bean Salsa or Texas Caviar
• It is said the ancient Romans preferred black eyed peas to garbanzo beans. Use black eyed peas in this Crispy Kale and Garbanzo Bean Salad and see if they were right.
• Add them with or use them in place of garbanzo beans or black beans in this Spicy Chickpea and Black Bean Salad. 
• They’re a great addition to this delicious Loaded Veggie Salad.

What to Do with Leftover Black Eyed Peas

Cooked black eyed peas will be at their best for 3-5 days when stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can use leftover black eyed peas to make a bean dip for tortilla chips, baked beans, black-eyed bean patties, or serve them as a simple side with breakfast for extra fiber and protein to start the day.

33 Ideas – What to Eat With Black Eyed Peas

These are my top 33 ideas of how to serve or what to serve with black-eyed peas. You’re sure to find a few black eyed peas recipe ideas that will definitely get your taste buds tingling.

1. I have to start by saying try them in a big batch of Hoppin’ John. It is one of the best comfort foods.
2. They make the best and creamiest Baked Beans.
3. Make a simple black-eyed pea stew or chili.
4. Black eyed peas pair perfectly with this Jerk Chicken Recipe.
5. They’re amazing next to or mixed in with these Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
6. Make refried beans to use in taco, quesadillas, fajitas, and more.
7. Makes a great breakfast addition with Hash Brown Casserole.
8. They go great with ham and are especially good cooked in the ham juices or with the ham hocks!
9. Serve them with Pineapple BBQ Chicken.
10. Pan Fried Pork Chops go so well with seasoned black-eyed peas. All pork recipes go great with black-eyed peas.
11. Have them New Year’s Day with Instant Pot Pork and Apples for a little extra luck.
12. Mash up leftover beans and put them on toast for breakfast or afternoon protein snack.
13. Serve them alongside this Crockpot Creamed Corn as a great BBQ side that goes with everything.
14. Have them as a side with this Easy Cubano Sandwich.
15. They’re a great bean to use in a wide variety of soups.
16. A great addition in this Classic Chopped Salad.
17. Top a simple baked potato with seasoned and saucy black eyed peas.
18. Add them to the existing ingredients for amazing Twice Baked Potatoes.
19. Perfect for breakfast or dinner with this Cheesy Breakfast Potato Casserole
20. Saute them with some shredded cabbage and collard greens.
21. Serve them with BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches made in the Instant Pot.
22. They make a great addition to Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie.
23. Add some in with some chicken broth, stewed tomatoes, and a little garlic powder and black pepper for an amazingly flavorful side dish.
24. Black eyed peas are a great side dish with this Easy Chicken and Rice Bake.
25. Have them alongside this Easy Air Fried Salmon.
26. Black eyed peas make a fantastic hummus or bean dip. Serve with vegetables and pita chips.
27. Cook them in a little bacon grease with some crispy bacon pieces for an amazing breakfast option.
28. Mix a can in with this Zesty Italian Pasta Salad.
29. I like mixing some black eyed peas in with a large bowl of creamy Baked Mac and Cheese.
30. Serve them with these Perfectly Grilled Cabbage Steaks and some BBQ chicken.
31. Black eyed peas were made to go with this Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread.
32. Use them to make Simple and Delicious Brown Rice and Beans that can be served as a side or a main course.
33. They go amazingly well with Louisiana-style “dirty rice” and beans.

I hope you enjoyed this list of black-eyed pea recipes and ideas for serving. If you have never tried them before, I think you are in for quite a delicious treat.