How to Cook Black Eyed Peas

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Want to know how to cook black eyed beans (black eyed peas)? This convenient guide shows you how easy it is to cook this awesome pantry staple ingredient in a variety of methods.

Suitable for vegan and gluten free diets. Post includes Weight Watchers Points.

overhead view of black eyed beans in a bowl with greens on top

Now more than ever, it’s especially helpful to know how to cook a variety of basic pantry staples from scratch.

And in my opinion, one of the best staple ingredients around are Black Eyed Peas. Seriously, everyone has to have some of these in their pantry.

Also known as black eyed beans, these aren’t sweet like green peas. Black Eyes Peas have a nutty earthy flavor, and a soft yet firm texture, which makes them ideal for adding to other recipes.

For more beans you might like to check out How To Cook Canned Pinto Beans and these How To Cook Black Beans.

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Yeap, you can add your cooked black eyed peas to everything from salad, stir fry and soups to casseroles and grain bowls.

 And don’t forget about classic dishes like Hoppin John Soup and these delicious side dish Rice and Peas.

Why Cook From Scratch?

Here are just a few reasons should you cook Black Eyed Beans from scratch instead of relying on the canned version:

  • You can add sooooo much more flavor to the beans when you cook them from scratch.
  • You can also cook them to the firmness you desire for different recipes (i.e. softer for soups, firmer for salads).
  • And even better, you can reserve the cooking liquid and use it to cook a divine tasting rice.
An easy guide on how to cook black eyed beans (black eyed peas, black eyed beans) from scratch with pictures. recipesfromapantry.com #blackeyedbeans #blackeyedpeas #howtocookblackeyedbeans #howtocookblackeyedpeas

Oh and you can easily cook more beans than you need and store them in the fridge. They keep this way for about 5 days without any problems. #mealprepforthewin

Ingredient Notes

  • Dried black eyed peas – you start with dried peas which you can get from your grocery store.
  • Cooking liquid – you can use water, chicken broth or vegetable broth to your taste.
  • Seasoning – to your taste. I tend to add in garlic powder, onion powder, a bay leaf and some chili flakes. See plenty of suggestions below.
Soak the beans - how to cook black-eyed beans (black-eyed peas, black eyed beans) from scratch with pictures. recipesfromapantry.com #blackeyedbeans #blackeyedpeas #howtocookblackeyedbeans #howtocookblackeyedpeas

Soak Black Eyed Peas Overnight

Whilst you don’t need to soak these, soaking them means that you will greatly reduce the cooking time. The easiest way to do this is to soak your beans overnight.

Place the dried beans into a container and add approximately 4 times the volume of cold water to beans (easiest if you use cup measures, so 1 cup beans to 4 cups water) and soak overnight. In the morning, drain soaking water, rinse and proceed with cooking.

How To Quick Soak Dried Black Eyed Beans

You can also quick soak dried beans. Just place them in a pot with approximately 4 times the volume of water, bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes.

Then switch off the heat and let them soak for 1 hour. Drain, rinse and proceed with your recipe.

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How To Cook Black Eyed Peas On The Stovetop

Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.

  1. Add black eyed peas into a saucepan.
  2. Add enough water or broth so that the liquid is about 1 inch (3cm) above the beans.
  3. Add in seasonings of your choice. I generally add in garlic, bay leaves and onions.
  4. Bring to the boil, then simmer partially uncovered for between 45 – 90 mins depending on how firm or soft you want your beans.
  5. If the water or broth dries out before the beans finish cooking then add some more.
  6. When cooked, drain the beans. You can reserve the cooking liquid and use it to cook rice or flavour soups and stews.

Cook Them In The Oven

Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card further below.

Cooking them in the oven is also so easy.

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C / fan-assisted 160C / gas 4.
  2. Place the pre-soaked beans into an oven-ready dish with enough water or chicken stock or vegetable stock so that there is 4cm (1.5 inches) of liquid above the beans.
  3. Add in your seasoning or flavors and bake about 80 minutes
  4. Check the beans if they are cooked through.
  5. If not then bake them for a little bit longer checking them every 10 minutes till don.
closeup of black eyed beans with bacon on top in pot

How To Cook Instant Pot Black Eyed Beans

Get complete ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card further below.

No soaking needed when you cook black eyed beans in the Instant Pot!

  1. Rinse beans and add to the Instant Pot insert.
  2. Pour in water, chicken or vegetable broth and stir.
  3. Place lid on, and turn the valve to the sealing position. Set the Instant Pot to manual pressure / high pressure for 30 minutes.
  4. Cook beans till done, then allow for a complete natural pressure release (NPR). Then open lid, stir, season to taste and serve.

Recipe Tips

  • Pick through the beans. Remove shrivelled beans and any debris before cooking.
  • You can reserve the cooking liquid and use it to cook rice or flavour soups and stews.
  • Bulk it out. Add bulk to the meal by serving the beans over another starch such as rice or quinoa.
  • Thicken it. Feel free to remove some of the beans, mash them and add back in to thicken it.
  • Thin it out. If you plan to reheat you may want to add more broth too thin as desired.
  • If you prefer very soft beans then cook for longer.
  • Change up the beans. Use other beans like navy beans, pinto beans etc but be aware that cook time will vary.

Flavor Ideas and Variations

  • Add in some meat – feel free to add in things like leftover ham hocks or diced ham, salt pork, bacon, chorizo, smoked turkey or turkey bacon etc
  • Heat – add heat with hot sauce, red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, adobo chili etc.
  • Add spices – like garlic powder, smoked paprika, cajun seasoning, black pepper and more.
  • Add greens – add in collard greens or kale and spinach towards the end of cook time.
  • Add veggies – things like sauteed onions, peppers, celery etc
  • Oil – a drizzle of olive oil makes a great addition.

beans in a bowl with 2 slices of bread

MEAL PREP AND PREP AHEAD

Black Eyed Beans is an ideal meal prep recipe because it can be easily stored in the fridge or freezer until you need it. I love to make big batches and freeze till out when I need beans for other meals.

Prep Ahead – Make ahead and refrigerate for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Freeze – Follow the handy tips below on how to freeze this.

  • Let cool down then transfer into  Ziploc freezer bags.
  • Squeeze out all the extra air and seal the bags.
  • Label the bags and then lay them flat in the freezer.
  • Store in the freezer for 3 months.

Meal Prep – Feel free to make a fair amount of beans and with a few adjustments you can get several meals out of one pot of beans. Here are some suggestions:

  • Add additional broth, bring the pot to a boil and serve as a soup.
  • You can also pour some of the brothy beans over rice, potatoes, and cornbread.
  • Mash the leftover beans and serve refried beans style as a side dish.

Benefits of Black Eyes Beans

There are many:

  • They are high in fiber (always good for us).
  • They are an excellent source of vegetarian or vegan protein.
  • Filling and affordable.

More Pantry Staple Recipes

Weight Watchers Points

If you do not add any meats, there are 0 (yeap zero!) Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of beans.

Thank you for reading my guide on how to cook black eyed beans. And please come visit again as I continue dreaming up recipes, traditional African recipes, African fusion recipes, Sierra Leone recipes, travel plans and much more for you.

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overhead view of black eyed beans in a bowl with greens on top
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5 from 4 votes

How To Cook Black Eyed Beans

How To Cook Black Eyed Beans
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Western
Servings: 8
Calories: 87kcal
Author: Bintu Hardy

Ingredients

  • 1 lb (450g) black eyed beans rinsed and sorted
  • 3 cups water or chicken or vegetable broth
  • seasonings of your choice

Instructions

How To Cook Black Eyed Beans On The Stovetop

  • Measure out beans and soak them overnight in cold water.
  • Then drain and wash them and transfer them to a pot.
  • Add enough water or broth so that the liquid is about 1 inch (3cm) above the beans.
  • Add in seasonings of your choice. I generally add in garlic, bay leaves and onions.
  • Bring to the boil, then simmer partially uncovered for between 45 – 90 mins depending on how firm or soft you want your beans.
  • If the water or broth dries out before the beans finish cooking then add some more.
  • When cooked, drain the beans. You can reserve the cooking liquid and use it to cook rice or flavour soups and stews.

How To Cook Instant Pot Black Eyed Beans

  • Rinse beans and add to the Instant Pot insert.
  • Pour in water, chicken or vegetable broth and stir.
  • Place lid on, and turn the valve to the sealing position. Set the Instant Pot to manual pressure / high pressure for 30 mins.
  • Once done, allow for a complete natural pressure release (NPR). Then open lid, stir, season to taste and serve.

How To Cook Black Eyed Beans In The Oven

  • Place the pre-soaked beans into an oven-ready dish with enough water or broth so that there is 4cm (1.5 inches) of liquid above the beans.
  • Add in your flavorings and bake about 80 mins at fan-assisted 160C / 180C / 350F / gas 4.
  • Check the beans to see if they are cooked through.
  • If not then bake them for a little bit longer, checking them every 10 mins.
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Video

Notes

More Pantry Staple Recipes

Weight Watchers Points

If you do not add any meats, there are 0 (yeap zero!) Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of beans.

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 5g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 208mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1.9mg

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21 Comments

  1. Just add a pinch of baking soda to your beans and it will soften them right up when you cook them. I do this when I make split pea soup and cook lentils too. Sometimes soaking just isn’t enough.

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  3. I’m a newlywed so I’m learning how to cook for my husband and be the best wife possible. This was worded great & u made it very simple for me to make & understand. When I get on other sites I get discouraged bc they make it difficult to understand unlike this site. Thank you so much for your recipe. The hubby loved it :))

  4. I cooked fresh black eye peas for a recipe I have for 6 hours and the beans are still a little hard I don’t know why? The recipe call for two hours.cooking. I cooked on the stove on low and then transferred to slow cooker for an additional 2 hours on high.
    Can you explain why this is.

    1. Help! I had the same problem today. Cooked for 5 hours on the stove so far and still al dente. Package said “fresh Blacked Peas – Pre-soaked, ready to cook”?

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  6. Is black eye beans the same as black peas or pigeon peas, that they do on Guy Falkes night in England

    1. Eileen no these are not the same. But you can substitute these black-eyed beans for most beans in recipes.

    1. Beth, that is because it depends on how much you want to cook. The main thing is that the cooking water is well above the beans when cooking.

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  8. What a great idea. I don’t think I’ve ever had black eyed beans! Crazy, I know! Thanks for sharing with Foodie Friends Friday!

  9. We make black-eyed beans a lot. I don’t soak mine before making, just rinse and go. I cook mine for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours depending on what I am using them for. Thanks for sharing on Foodie Friends Friday and remember to come back and vote on Sunday.