Vegetarian Black Eyed Peas Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure.This vegetarian black eyed peas recipe or Hoppin’ John is a healthy and meatless version of the southern classic. Onions, bell pepper, celery, and kale are sautéed in spices with black eyed beans and a smoky finish served with brown rice. Homemade black eyed peas without meat is total soul food, and a delicious complete meal in one pan!
This easy vegetarian Hoppin’ John recipe is a delicious and nutritious weeknight meal. It’s made with brown rice, tons of veggies, and black eyed beans. Packed full of flavor this is a great family meal that everyone will love!
Black-eyed peas are part of the family of beans & peas. It’s also known as a cowpea, but it is actually a bean! Most black-eyed peas recipes contain pork (ham or bacon typically), which makes it not vegan or vegetarian friendly.
We lightened up the traditional ham hock version of Hoppin John with a vegetarian friendly option that is so hearty, even the meat eaters you serve it to will love it!
This quick & easy vegetarian black eyed peas and rice recipe is one bowl meal. It’s full of vegetables, protein, and whole grains.
But if you’re looking to go the traditional route or want to serve it on New Year’s Day for good luck, serve it with this healthy cornbread, low calorie biscuits, or these biscuits without baking powder and collard greens.
You can even add it to a bigger spread that includes a variety of side dishes like these roasted green beans and potatoes, this vegan turkey, and this keto creamed spinach!
This is a great recipe for when you don’t know what to have for dinner. It’s made with pantry basics and comes together so quickly, but tastes like it’s been cooking all day. This is one of my one of my favorite recipes for black eyed peas, and I know it will become yours too!
👩🏽🍳 Why This Recipe Works
- Packed with fresh veggies
- Perfect dish for new year’s day or anytime of the year
- Vegan and gluten free
- Feels just like a southern black-eyed peas recipe, but lightened up
- Delicious and satisfying
- Super filling dish
- Best black eyed peas recipe ever!
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🥘 Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients for black eyed peas that can be found at most grocery stores. For step by step instructions and nutrition information, see the recipe card below.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic Cloves, Salt: The base of flavor for this tasty meal! You can also use coconut oil if you don’t have olive oil.
- Veggies: I used onions, red bell pepper, celery, and kale but you can really use any veggies you have on hand for this vegetarian spicy black eyed peas recipe. Baby spinach or mustard greens would work great instead of the kale.
- Brown Basmati Rice: I like to cook the rice in vegetable stock for additional flavor, but you can cook it in water as well.
- Spices: You’ll need smoked paprika (or liquid smoke), regular paprika, dried thyme, crushed red pepper flakes (or hot sauce or cayenne pepper), and black pepper for this black eyed pea recipe. If you don’t have this particular mix of spices, cajun seasoning would also work. Feel free to add a bay leaf for more flavor.
- Canned Black-Eyed Peas: Because you can’t make Hoppin Johns without this key ingredient! Using canned beans helps you save on prep time, because you don’t have to soak them before the way you would with dried beans. But you can use dried beans for this vegan black eyed peas recipe – just be sure to soak the black eyed beans if you’re using them dry before cooking them. If you don’t have black eyed beans, black beans or pinto beans would both work in this recipe.
- Toppings: Diced tomato and green onions add brightness and crunch to finish this black eyed pea stew.
🔪 Instructions
This tasty, easy black-eyed peas recipe without meat is so simple to make! Here’s how:
Stove Top Meatless Black Eyed Peas Recipe
Step 1: Heat a large nonstick skillet or a large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery; sauté 10 minutes. Add garlic; cook 2-3 more minutes.
Step 2: Cook brown rice according to package directions. For best results, cook in vegetable broth for more flavor. Add spices (salt through black pepper) and kale to the large skillet, bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat, cook another 5-10 minutes until combined.
Step 3: Drain and rinse the black eyed beans. Add blackeyed peas to the pan and cook another 5-10 minutes until tender. Cooking canned black eyed peas takes way less time than cooking these beans from scratch – which is why I love using them in this southern style black eyed peas recipe!
Step 4: Add in cooked rice, stir until combined. Add more salt and spices to taste, if needed. Simmer until it has reached your desired consistency (about 3-5 minutes typically).
Step 5: Serve this healthy black eyed peas recipe with diced tomato and green onions for topping.
How To Make Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
To cut down on the cooking time, you can also make pressure cooker black eyed peas without meat. To make in the instant pot:
- Press the sauté button and saute the onion, olive oil and garlic for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients into the instant pot
- Cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, natural release for 10 minutes, then manual release pressure.
💭 Expert Tips
- Don’t burn your garlic: Add the garlic after the other vegetables have sautéed. This will keep the garlic from burning and enhance the garlic flavor.
- Cook the brown rice ahead of time: Brown rice can take 45-55 minutes to cook. Start cooking the brown rice before you begin chopping your vegetables for this Vegan Hoppin’ John recipe so that is ready when it’s time to add it to the sauté pan.
- For more smoky flavor: The smoky paprika is what gives this black eyed beans recipe a smoky flavor with using bacon. You can increase this spice if you like a smokier finish.
- Make it for kids: To make this vegetarian black eyed peas and greens for kids: cut back or remove the crushed pepper and smoked paprika, and chop the veggies up super small.
📖 Variations
- Slow Cooker New Year’s Day Black-Eyed Peas: Throw everything into the slow cooker or crockpot, cook on high for 5-6 hours and serve!
- Make It Meatier: If you want to mimic that meaty bacon texture of traditional black eyed beans, feel free to add in some diced vegan bacon.
- Creamy Black Eyed Beans: Add in 1 can of light coconut milk for a super creamy finish to this recipe.
❓Recipe FAQs
Is black eyed peas healthy?
Black-eyed peas on their own are super healthy, as they’re with health benefits: they contain anti-inflammatory compounds, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein.
Typically, a traditional Hoppin John recipe isn’t super healthy because it’s high in saturated fat and calories. But this version is much healthier than the classic recipe for a few reasons:
1) Loaded with Vegetables: This vegetarian Hoppin Johns is loaded with nutrient rich veggies. Onions and garlic are naturally anti-fungal and antibacterial, making them a natural antibiotic. Bell peppers are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. Kale is a superfood with a variety of nutrients and celery contains vitamins A, K, and C, and potassium and folate.
2) Low in Fat and Calories: The traditional Hoppin’ John recipe calls for bacon. Leaving the bacon out of this vegan version reduces the fat and calories. Each hearty serving is only 383 calories, with 21g of protein and only 1g of saturated fat.
3) High in Fiber: This canned black eyed peas recipe is high in plant protein and fiber. They help reduce the risk of heart disease, and cholesterol. Additionally, the traditional version uses Carolina yellow rice. Brown rice is used in this to increase the fiber.
How do you make black eyed peas taste better?
When it comes to how to season canned black eyed peas without pork, you have lots of options! Black eyed beans will take on the flavor of whatever seasoning you pair them with, making them super versatile.
The best spices for a southern black eyed peas dinner are those with lots of heat and smoky flavor – like smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, coriander, garlic, red pepper flakes, chili powder and regular paprika.
But you can use black eyed beans in so many ways, you can give them an Indian inspired twist by adding curry powder, turmeric, fennel, cumin, coriander and garam masala, or Italian flavors with rosemary, oregano, sage, thyme, and more!
Why is this vegetarian black eyed peas recipe called Hoppin’ John?
Hoppin’ John has its roots in the Southern US and is often known as Carolina peas and rice. Made with black eyed beans, rice, onion and seasoned, it’s a simple dish that’s made in one pot. Traditional black eyed peas has bacon added, but this is obviously omitted in my vegan version.
According to the website History, in their article Hoppin’ John A New Year’s Tradition, there are several different stories regarding where the name Hoppin’ John originated. Hoppin’ John is a dish that originated in South Carolina during the slave trade.
One story says that it got its name from an old man named Hoppin’ John who sold peas and rice in Charleston. The most plausible story according to historians is that the name derives from the french phrase for dried peas, “pois pigeons.”
Why do people eat Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day?
This traditional southern dish is eaten on New Year’s Day in many southern homes because it represents luck in the coming year. Hoppin John is often served with cornbread and collard greens, representing gold and paper money, while the black eyed beans represent coins.
🧊 How To Store
This sauteed black-eyed peas meal is a great dish to make a large batch of as it keeps really well! Let any leftovers cool completely, then place in the fridge in an airtight container. It will keep for around 5 days in the fridge, and can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. It is great eaten when just cooked, but you can also have this as a cold lunch (like a cold salad!).
🍲 More Delicious Vegan And Vegetarian Recipes!
- Vegan Black Bean Burgers
- Vegan Butternut Squash Chili
- Tuscan Bean Stew
- Chili Stuffed Peppers
- Southwestern Pinto Bean Burgers
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📋 Recipe Card
🎥 Watch How to Make It
Vegetarian Black Eyed Peas Recipe
This vegetarian black eyed peas recipe for Hoppin' John is a healthy and meatless version of the southern classic. Onions, bell pepper, celery, and kale are sautéed in spices with black eyed peas and a smoky finish served with brown rice. It’s a complete meal in one pan!
Servings: 6
Calories: 287kcal
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 red bell peppers diced
- 4 celery sticks diced
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt more to taste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp regular paprika
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 6 oz box baby kale chopped
- ½ cup uncooked brown basmati rice
- 3 15-ounce cans unsalted black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 3 chopped tomato
- chopped green onions for topping
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add oil; swirl to coat.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and celery; sauté 10 minutes.
- Add garlic; cook 2-3 more minutes.
- Cook brown rice according to package directions.
- Add spices (salt through black peppeand kale to skillet, cook another 5-10 minutes until combined.
- Add black eyed peas and cook another 5-10 minutes.
- Add in cooked rice, stir until combined.
- Serve with diced tomato and green onions for topping
Notes
- You don’t need a lot of oil to sauté the vegetables. Adding too much oil increases the fat and calories. You need just enough to coat the vegetables, 1 tablespoon.
- Add the garlic after the other vegetables have sautéed. This will keep the garlic from burning and enhance the garlic flavor.
- Brown rice can take 45-55 minutes to cook. Start cooking the brown rice before you begin chopping your vegetables for the Vegan Hoppin’ Johns so that is ready when it’s time to add it to the sauté pan.
- Drain and rinse the black eyed peas before adding them to the pan.
- The smoky paprika is what gives this dish a smoky flavor with using bacon. You can increase this spice if you like a smokier finish.
- Cut back or remove the crushed pepper and smoked paprika if you want to make it subtler for the kids.
Nutrition
Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 458mg | Potassium: 842mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 5g
I accidentally ordered a bag of frozen black-eyed-peas (wanted dried). Cut the recipe in half and used spinach instead of kale. Left the brown rice off since I decided to serve as a side with Hodo Soy Moroccan tofu cubes atop Trader Joe’s paratha (not vegan, I’m pretty sure). Will definitely make again! Came together quickly. Super tasty. Leftovers will probably be even better. Thanks!
Glad to hear it Rhonda!! Your modifications sound delicious too! 🙂