In this vegan Creole black-eyed peas recipe, the seasonings combine in a nice, thick gravy that envelops the peas like a cream sauce and actually isn’t very spicy at all.
Last year, a cold made me feel so miserable that I didn’t even think of having my traditional New Year’s black-eyed peas until a few days into the new year. This year I was determined to have them on New Year’s Day, despite the fact that a sizzling, burning short in our breaker box had knocked out most of the electricity to our all-electric house. Though last year had turned out perfectly fine despite the delay, this year I wasn’t going to take any chances, even if it meant cooking on our little Coleman camp stove.
All right, all right. Actually, I’m about as superstitious as a pair of old boots. And as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not really big on traditions (or maybe I just like to pick and choose the traditions I follow). The truth is, I just like black-eyed peas, the long-simmered kind you make from dried beans, not the canned variety (which are fine for ordinary meals but nothing special), and the beginning of the year reminds me to go ahead and make them.
When I was growing up, my mother made black-eyed peas, greens, and corn bread for lunch every New Year’s Day, and carrying on the tradition brings back good memories. Even though I probably turned up my nose at it at the time, these days it’s a meal that epitomizes comfort food to me.
My mother isn’t fond of heavy seasoning (and truly, black-eyed peas are flavorful enough that a minimalist treatment is all they need), so she would probably never think of adding so many ingredients to her peas. But she grew up in Alabama where she learned the art of plain cooking, whereas I grew up in Louisiana and fell in love with embellishments: the “trinity” of onion, bell pepper, and celery and the heat of a little cayenne and hot sauce.
In this “Creole” take on black-eyed peas, the seasonings combine in a nice, thick gravy that envelops the peas like a cream sauce and actually isn’t spicy at all, as long as you keep the hot sauce to a minimum. Even my mother would approve.
For more lucky New Year’s Day recipes, check out my other favorite Black Eyed Peas and Greens Recipes.
Creole Black-eyed Peas
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 1 rib celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups dried black-eyed peas picked over and rinsed
- 5 cups water
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce or to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne or more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Liquid Smoke flavoring or smoked salt to taste
- cooked rice to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large pressure cooker over high heat (use the Sauté button on the Instant Pot). Add the onion and sauté until it begins to brown; add the bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes, adding a tablespoon or two of water if needed to prevent sticking. Add the black-eyed peas and water, stir well, scrapping the bottom to remove any burned bits, seal the cooker, and bring to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 10 minutes. (Use the Manual button on the IP and set to 10 minutes.) Remove from heat and allow pressure to come down naturally.
- Once the pressure is down, open the cooker and add all remaining ingredients except Liquid Smoke. Return to the heat and simmer for 15-30 minutes, until peas are completely soft and thickened. (Use Sauté on IP, adjust to low, and stir scrapping the bottom once in a while.) Add the Liquid Smoke and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve hot over rice with more hot sauce on the table.
- To make without a pressure cooker, soak the peas overnight in cold water. Drain. Follow the directions for sautéing the vegetables. Then add all ingredients except liquid smoke to the pot, along with enough additional water to cover the peas by one inch. Cook until peas are completely tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, adding more water as necessary. When they’re tender, add the Liquid Smoke, cook for 5 more minutes, and serve over rice.
Nutritional info is approximate.
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Original 2008 photo
Jane
October 13, 2012 at 1:36 amThanks this looks like a great recipe. I’m going to make it tonight.
VeganNosh
November 12, 2012 at 10:13 pmChristie made this for Mom tonight, who’s just come to live with us, and it was a hit! We had it with the brown/wild rice mix from Bob’s Red Mill and homemade cornbread.
Yep, I’m a lucky woman 🙂
Christina
December 30, 2012 at 12:07 pmI plan on making these however I’m a little confused. The directions say to cook at high pressure for 10 minutes and remove from heat and allow pressure to come down. I have an electric cooker…..how do I remove from heat then add ingredients and continue to cook? Do I cover it again?
Thanks
Chris
Susan Voisin
December 30, 2012 at 12:37 pmChris, just turn your electric cooker completely off after 10 minutes at high pressure. Let it sit there for about 15 minutes. Then, if the pressure is not down, use the quick-release option on your cooker. Remove the lid, add your other ingredients, replace the lid but don’t seal it. Set your cooker to cook for another 15 minutes. Stir it often, and if the peas aren’t tender in 15 minutes, add more time and, if necessary, water. If your cooker has a low setting, you might try using it for the non-pressure cooking time.
Christina
December 30, 2012 at 12:46 pmThank you Susan!!
Linda
December 30, 2012 at 1:49 pmDo you cover the beans with a lid when you cook them on the stove?
I always need exact details sorry
Love your your site
Susan Voisin
December 30, 2012 at 2:14 pmYes, they’ll cook faster if you cover them. Sorry not being specific!
Thommie
December 31, 2012 at 9:38 amCan this be made in the crockpot? I normally cook my black eye peas in the crockpot. Since I’m not very experienced with my pressure cooker, I was a bit nervous about it.
Susan Voisin
December 31, 2012 at 9:39 amSure, just cook it the same way you usually do using these seasonings.
Alex
December 31, 2012 at 5:15 pmThanks for sharing your recipe. I tried a quicker version inspired by yours. I cooked the black eyed peas for a couple of hours. Then I added salsa at a ratio of one cup to 4 cups of peas. It turned out pretty tasty!
Karen Havling
January 1, 2013 at 10:53 amI’ve got these cooking right now….for dinner tonight. The house smells incredible!
Laurel
January 1, 2013 at 5:01 pmI made this last year on the stove and it was delicious. Trying a pressure cooker for very first time! Scary! I know the recipe is good but hoping the thing does not blow up in my kitchen!! Lol! Will reply after to let you know how I did for my first pressure cooker dish 🙂
Jen
January 2, 2013 at 1:40 pmThese were delicious! We made them for New Year’s Day, and the leftovers are even better now that I’m eating them for lunch! Great recipe!
kensington cooker
January 3, 2013 at 12:25 pmHappy New Year Susan! I hope your black-eyes bring you plenty of luck, as your great recipes have brought luck to our kitchen. For those wondering about making this recipe in the slow cooker, I put all the ingredients in the crockpot just as listed, with these exceptions: Way less hot stuff ( we’re pepper wimps around here). Veg broth (heated up on the stove first) instead of water, a matter of personal preference. And I didn’t add the salt, black pepper, and liquid smoke until the end. After five and a half hours on high it came out delicious. Even better the next day. A squeeze of lime juice over it is yummy too. Kensington Cooker
Jaimie
January 3, 2013 at 12:41 pmThis was delicious. I sauteed the vegetables until brown in a skillet, added the tomatoes and allowed the liquid to reduce about 10 minutes before adding to the peas in the pressure cooker. I find this extra step adds depth to the flavor when pressure cooking. Also added a bay leaf and a teaspoon of thyme. Happy New Year!
Connie
January 4, 2013 at 4:19 pmI made the Creole Black Eye Pea dish using my pressure cooker and even put a timbale of brown rice in the middle just like the photograph. Mmmmmmm New Favorite.
sara
January 5, 2013 at 5:35 pmmmmm, mmmm! I just made this and I am on my 2nd bowl! This is my first time trying black eyed peas. They are so fantastic!
Tonya
January 6, 2013 at 7:02 pmThis dish is tasty! I added chopped kale to it and altered the habanero hot sauce to 1/3 for my mom and kids and then bumped it up on my plate with more. Served jasmine brown rice on it and it will now be a staple in this house! I just love your recipes!
Liane Blanco
February 26, 2013 at 9:54 pmThese are so delicious! They are the second recipe of yours that I’ve made – the first was red beans and rice, also outstanding!
I am so glad I found your site. I used to be quite a cook, but that was back in my omnivore days. It takes a lot more creativity to make food taste good and be healthy too – you’re a huge help! Thanks so much!
liz
April 23, 2013 at 5:50 pmi’m going vegan and your blog is my new favorite. every recipe i google for specific comfort foods brings me here. you are saving my life right now, you have no idea! thank you for posting your recipes.
Luscious02
June 3, 2013 at 10:27 amHi Susan! I have used your site countless times for inspiration, but I have never made a comment. I made your Creole Black Eyed Peas last night and it turned out perfect. My husband LOVED it and so did I. The only thing I changed was use 1 tsp Creole seasoning, in place of the Cayenne and made it in a soup pot as I don’t have a pressure cooker. Delicious!!! Thank you.
Debra
June 3, 2013 at 5:17 pmI just made this and it’s very good, even without the rice. I hope you will indulge me, and you’ve probably already seen it, but I just loved this video of a little boy about why we should not eat animals. So I wanted to share.
http://laughingsquid.com/little-boy-makes-a-strong-touching-argument-on-why-he-shouldnt-eat-octopus/
Dandi
July 13, 2013 at 4:02 amJust discovered your blog as I was googling “black eyed pea recipes”! I cannot wait to try this – it looks delicious!
sherri
September 11, 2013 at 5:22 pmThis was soooooo good! I didn’t have liquid smoke so I added McCormick’s Mesquite Grill Mates in it’s place. It made it taste like it had meat flavor in it but without the meat! It was Better than liquid smoke would have been IMO because it had other spices as well. I think I added about a teaspoon.
This will be my new “go to” recipe for black eyed peas.
Lori
September 12, 2013 at 6:56 pmHi Susan! I’ve made this dish and loved it on the stove top but this evening is my first ever foray into pressure cooking. My Fagor multi-cooker just arrived at my doorstep! I’m wondering in step 2 if the 15 – 30 minutes, then 5 minutes of cooking time to add additional ingredients is also done with the pressure function on high? That’s probably common sense to most but I felt the need to double check. Can’t wait to cook/eat my way through your list of pressure cooker recipes! Thanks.
Natalie
November 15, 2013 at 10:56 pmI just made this for the first time in two years! I had forgotten about this recipe but not sure how. I love this so much!! Every time I make it I can’t wait to make it again! Thankfully my husband doesn’t eat leftovers so I always get some for lunch! Thank you for your blog. Your recipes make it easy to be vegan/vegetarian.
Deborah
January 3, 2014 at 6:40 pmI made this for New Years Dat this year – it was a hit!
Sharon Herbitter
January 3, 2014 at 7:15 pmFollowed your directions exactly and the first words out of my husband’s mouth were, “Outstanding! Another winner!” (And I concur!) I bought a pressure cooker years ago and had never used it until tonight (bad me). I’ll be using it often!
Lynn
January 5, 2014 at 11:12 amThis was a wonderful recipe and will make again. I am not a fan of tomato chunks so I used tomato paste when I was cooking the vegetables. It was great. My mom, who normally does not care for beans of any kind (she thinks they are all thick and heavy tasting) loved it! Thank you for this.
Diana
April 19, 2014 at 7:02 pmI made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
Diana
June 11, 2014 at 11:27 amI had to make this again because I was craving it. 🙂 It’s also delicious served over leftover sauteed kale instead of rice. I used the organic dinosaur kale from trader joe’s. Thank you so much for your awesome recipes.
Pat
January 1, 2015 at 5:05 pmHappy New Year, Susan! Wishing you and your family the best in this new year. I don’t know why I haven’t posted before but this is the 3rd time I’ve made this recipe and it’s just wonderful. When I went vegan, I didn’t know how to cook beans without salt pork or bacon drippings, ham hocks,etc. but your recipes are so flavorful that I just don’t miss that awful meat stuff! I am also making your collard greens (with some kale added) and we love them! The food is still cooking and it is cold and snowy here but your wonderful dishes will warm us up!
Lisa
July 19, 2015 at 9:20 pmHi Susan, thanks for this recipe. I made the peas tonight in my Instant Pot, and it worked out great. I had a half can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, which are smoky and spicy, so I chopped those and used them and their sauce in place of the cayenne, hot sauce, and liquid smoke. This dish was delish, and so easy! Thanks again, Lisa
Robin
August 31, 2015 at 7:19 pmI was born and raised in South Louisiana and have made Black Eyed Peas every year for New Years since I was 15. That was a long time ago. Only difference to mine is I do not add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning, or Liquid smoke. I do add a bay leaf and smoked Hamhocks. May try your version just to see.
Doris
January 2, 2016 at 7:46 amWhat could you use in place of a pressure cooker?
Dawn
January 4, 2017 at 12:12 amUse a regular pot and follow the cooking instructions under point #3.
Jill
January 5, 2016 at 8:08 pmI made this last night, it was great. No black-eyed peas 🙁 but I used Red Nightfall beans from Rancho Gordo, and it worked fine. Very tasty and comes together quickly. I ended up cooking the beans first in my IP only because I don’t soak beans and had no idea how long it would take to cook them. Then I just threw everything together and simmered it. Wonderful!
Deanna
October 16, 2016 at 12:54 pmJust made this today. I used pinto beans since I didn’t have black eyed peas. The pintos take a little longer to cook. They tasted amazing! Made it to go along with a pot of gumbo z’herbs and will make some wild rice. I imagine they will taste even better tomorrow !!!
Sue
December 31, 2016 at 3:45 pmThis looks delicious and I have all of the ingredients on hand! One question I have is concerning pressure cooking the beans, they tend to start to fall apart. They still taste amazing but look funny. Any suggestions to avoid that? I use the Fagor.
Susan Voisin
December 31, 2016 at 5:14 pmI find that 10 minutes at high pressure with quick release gives me peas that are still intact. How much time are you giving yours?
Jocelyn
March 1, 2017 at 6:32 pmThis is great! I added a can of tomato sauce , some chili powder, and extra hot sauce. I soaked overnight, so I probably should have put one less cup of water in the instant pot.
Made some cornbread to go with this and ate it like stew without any rice.
Yum!
Emma
March 5, 2017 at 12:07 pmHi thanks for your recipe i was googling vegan black eye peas. Here in the uk i wasnt aware of your new years tradition with black eye peas but this so yummy could eat eveeyday. I only added some fresh coriander/cilantro and served with quinoa and raw spinach salad and home made slaw. Will definately check out your other recipes. Many thanks again Emma Derby Uk
Krista
October 7, 2017 at 4:52 pmMy hubby and i love this recipe! So easy and delivious. Yum! Thank you#
Ruth Sandin
December 30, 2017 at 9:42 am5 years ago, when I was just 2 months into my new, vegan diet, I found your black eyed peas New Year’s recipe. I live in MN so had no idea of this tradition. I had forgotten about it till this posting. I loved it then and am sure I will love it now. Thanks and Happy New Year!!
Anu
December 31, 2017 at 5:26 amMade this yesterday for lunch and had it over brown rice with a side of collard greens. So delicious and so easy. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Kim
January 1, 2018 at 4:22 pmExcellent! My roomies love them! I served them with brown rice and cornmeal crusted Panko onion rings baked in the oven. Thanks , Susan!
Alison Blanchard
January 1, 2018 at 4:50 pmThank you for this fantastic recipe. It’s still going strong in 2018! I made it for my omni crew at our annual New Year’s Day Black-eyed Pea feast again this year, and they scraped the cooker clean! I doubled it in my pressure cooker, and wound up with some extra liquid, so I added some quinoa (as in your Black-eyed Pea Chili recipe), and also threw in some sautéed kale for the “greens” aspect. Deeee-lish!
Sharon
January 1, 2018 at 6:20 pmI have made this recipe several times in the last few months, and am making it again today for New Years. I cook it on the stove top. After I sauté the vegetables, I add the spices, peas and tomatoes. Then I add water to cover by about 1/2 an inch. Any more than that I find the peas too soupy. I use smoked paprika instead of liquid smoke. Sometimes I add greens ( kale or Swiss chard) and that’s delicious also. I do add a bit more cayenne and also add more hot sauce when I’m eating it. I generally serve with brown rice. I freeze leftovers in individual servings. We really love this recipe and many others you have posted. Thank you!