Black Eyed Pea Soup

Name: Black Eyed Pea Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 120 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 medium yellow onion (diced small (white or sweet Vidalia may be substituted)); 2 medium carrots (peeled and diced small); 2 celery stalks (diced into small half moons); 3 cloves garlic (finely minced); 14.5 ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes (undrained (if very sensitive to heat, you can sub with a can of petite diced tomatoes)); 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika ((regular paprika may be substituted, but you'll lose some of the smoky aspect)); 1 cup dried black eyed peas; 1 medium ham hock (optional (2 cups cooked and diced ham such as from leftover holiday ham may be substituted; or simply omit the ham)); 6 cups reduced sodium beef broth ((reduced sodium chicken broth may be substituted)); 2 bay leaves; 2 cups kale leaves; 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more, optional and to taste ); 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste (depending on if you used a ham hock, ham, the broth used, amounts will vary)); 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)

Black Eyed Pea Soup – 🫘🥕🍅 Hearty, savory, smokey and the PERFECT wintertime comfort food soup recipe! Tender black eyed peas, chunks of ham, along with vegetables and greens keeps this EASY soup recipe intensely flavorful! This soup keeps you full for hours and warms you from the inside-out!

A bowl of soup with black-eyed peas, kale, tomatoes, and visible seasonings, placed on a white surface next to two spoons and a green cloth.

Easy Black Eyed Pea Soup
Ingredients in Black Eyed Pea Soup with Ham
How To Make Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe with Dried Beans
Recipe FAQs
what to serve with ham and black eyed pea soup
Storage
Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe
More favorite bean soup recipes:

Easy Black Eyed Pea Soup

The past few years on New Year’s Day I like to post recipes that some people suggest may bring good fortune, prosperity, health, and wealth in the new year.

Last year I posted a Spicy Peanut Noodles recipe because many people say that eating noodles is good luck. The same can be said about black eyed peas.

A bowl of vegetable soup with beans, greens, and tomatoes, next to a pot and salt and pepper shakers on a white surface.

You’re going to love this easy black eyed pea soup because:

It’s hearty, smokey, and deeply flavorful. This is winter time comfort food at its finest.
The combination of tender black eye peas (which are beans, not peas, in case didn’t know), veggies, savory broth, and rich herbs and spices creates a comforting and very satisfying soup that’ll keep you full for hours.
No soaking required for the beans. I love scratch beans – especially when I can enjoy them in a recipe that doesn’t require them to be soaked previously.
The salty ham creates such a lovely savory broth while some greens at the end balance it out. The ham is optional, see the FAQs below for all the details.
As written, this is a gluten-free recipe and if you remove the ham, it become a vegan recipe.
Either way, it’s high in protein and a hearty yet healthier meal (that hopefully brings some luck) to get your new years started.

A close-up of a vegetable stew with black-eyed peas, kale, tomatoes, and bell peppers. A white ladle scoops a portion of the colorful mixture.

A bowl of vegetable soup with black-eyed peas, tomatoes, and greens on a white surface. A spoon rests in the bowl. Salt and pepper shakers are in the background.

Ingredients in Black Eyed Pea Soup with Ham

🐷🫘Make sure to also consult the FAQ section below for more info, specifically, about the beans and the ham if you have substitutions questions.

Olive oil
Onion – Yellow, white, or sweet Vidalia are all fine.
Carrots
Celery
Garlic – I prefer using cloves of garlic but garlic powder will work.
Canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes – I don’t find that 1 can of tomatoes in an entire pot of soup that serves 6+ makes the soup spicy. Rather, they enhance the smoky flavor profile so nicely. However, if you’re sensitive to heat, replace with a can of regular petite diced tomatoes.
Ground cumin
Smoked paprika – I love the smokiness it adds to this soup and works so well here, but regular paprika is ok.
Bay leaves
Black eyed peas – The recipe is written using dried black eyed peas. You don’t need to pre-soak them. However, if you want to use canned beans, you certainly can. Please see the FAQ section below for quantities and when to add them.
Ham – I used a ham hock but if you have leftover holiday ham to use instead, that is just fine. See the FAQs below for all the details. You can also just use some cubed ham, easy-peasy.
Broth – Reduced sodium beef broth is my go-to here, but you can also use chicken broth or vegetable broth if that’s what you have on hand.
Kale – I love having some hearty greens in soup and kale is perfect. Or you can try chard, collard greens, or a couple handfuls of baby spinach leaves.
Lemon juice – Highly recommended to really brighten up the flavor and balance some of the savoriness and smokiness of the overall flavor profile. A touch of an acidic element does wonders for soup. Readers swear by it in my Easy 30-Minute Chicken Noodle Soup recipe!
Salt and pepper – The amounts you use will depend on if you added a ham hock or not (they tend to be quite salty), if you used reduced-sodium broth or regular, and your preferences.

Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.

Ingredients for a soup recipe: kale, celery, carrots, onion, broth, tomato paste, seasonings, black-eyed peas, a ham hock, and a bay leaf arranged on a white surface.

A bowl of bean soup filled with kale, tomatoes, and vegetables on a white surface, next to a green cloth and wooden salt and pepper shakers.

How To Make Black Eyed Pea Soup Recipe with Dried Beans

This is an overview of the recipe making black eyed pea soup using dried beans. If you want to use canned, go for it. I cover it in the FAQs below.

To a large Dutch oven or pot, add the olive oil, onions, carrots, celery, and saute over medium-high heat for about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and saute momentarily.
Add the canned tomatoes, cumin, smoked paprika, bay leaves, dried and sorted black eye peas, ham hock if using, and add the broth.
Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1-3 hours or until black eyed peas are done. Wondering how to tell? Consult the FAQs below.
When the beans are tender, remove the bay leaves and ham hock, and shred the meat, discard the bone, then add the meat back into the soup.
Add the kale, allow it to wilt momentarily over medium heat, taste the soup and check for seasoning balance, and serve immediately.

Chopped vegetables and spices in a pot, including diced tomatoes, celery, onions, and carrots, atop a white surface.

A pot filled with cooked black-eyed peas mixed with small pieces of vegetables on a light surface.

A pot filled with leafy greens and diced ingredients, possibly meat, in a red broth.

A pot of vegetable stew with black-eyed peas, kale, tomatoes, and carrots on a light countertop.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use canned black eyed peas?

You definitely can shave hours off this recipe by using canned black eyed peas. Use two 15-ounce cans. Drain and rinse the beans, and add them near the end, after you’ve simmered the ham hock for an hour or so.

If you’re not using a ham hock, and are going to use diced ham or just omit the meat, then add the beans near the end, when the veggies have simmered in the broth for 15 minutes or so. Add the beans (and diced ham if using) at that point, then add the kale and finish off the soup.

how do I know when black eyed peas are done?

Black eyed peas are done when they are tender but still hold their shape. Taste a few as the soup cooks to check for your preferred texture. Feel free to simmer longer if they are still too firm. It will depend on how old your beans were, how fast your simmer is, the size and fullness of your pot, and personal preference.

what’s a ham hock?

It’s a cut of meat from the lower portion of the pig’s leg. There’s not a ton of meat on them, and they serve to flavor soups and stews more so than add a large quantity of ham.

Ham hocks are generally sold in the US cooked and smoked. Sometimes they’re very salty and you may want to soak your smoked ham hock in water, overnight, in the fridge to remove some of the salt, but it’s optional.

do i have to use a ham hock?

If you don’t want to use one, no problem. Alternatively, you can use leftover holiday ham, such as from my Honey Baked Ham. There’s no reason why leftover shredded turkey meat wouldn’t work, either. I’d add about 2 cups of diced or shredded meat, but it’s flexible based on your preferences.

If you want to keep it super easy, pick up a piece of ham from your grocery store’s deli counter, cube it, and add it near the end when you’re making the soup. You can also used cooked and sliced sausage like kielbasa – really this soup is so flexible!

If you want to keep this soup meatless, that’s also just fine.

can i make this soup in a slow cooker?

Yes, probably, but I haven’t tested it. I suggest sauteeing the vegetables on your stove, transferring them to your slow cooker, adding the tomatoes, beans, broth, ham hock, and slow cooking for at least 7-8 hours on low OR at least 4-5 hours on high. Beans take a long time to cook through in a slow cooker so plan accordingly with the cooking time. If you want a similar soup that’s tested and well-loved, try this Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup.

A bowl of stew with black-eyed peas, kale, tomatoes, and vegetables in a tomato-based broth, placed on a white table near pepper shakers.

Storage

In the Refrigerator: This recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

In the Freezer: This recipe will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed. But you can use your stove, whatever is best suited for you.