Black Eyed Peas and Ham Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This no-soak Black Eyed Peas Recipe shows you how to make black-eyed peas with cooked ham in the Instant Pot or on the stove. Savor these creamy black-eyed peas for New Year's Day or any weeknight dinner!

Here's an easy, creamy black-eyed peas recipe we like to make with leftover holiday ham and a few pantry ingredients. This no-soak recipe can be made via stove, oven, or Instant Pot. Everyone needs an easy, scrumptious black-eyed peas New Year's recipe to eat for good luck.

Black eyed peas recipe ingredients

• dried black-eyed peas
• chicken broth (or water)
• ham bone or leftover ham
• dried onion flakes (or onion powder)
• salt and pepper
• bay leaf

Black eyed peas New Year's tradition

Eating black-eyed peas for the new year is a Southern tradition that's believed to bring luck and prosperity in the coming year. I'm not superstitious, but I'll take all the luck I can get. I happen to also love to share food and any excuse to see people on the first day of the new year.

Do black eyed peas need to soak?

It's really not necessary. Dry black eyed peas cook in about an hour without soaking, which is perfectly reasonable. If you cook them in the pressure cooker, they'll cook even faster!

How to cook black eyed peas in the Instant Pot

1. Place the inner pot in the Instant Pot base and plug in the unit.
2. Add all ingredients to the cooker except for leftover ham or turkey.
3. Select the "Manual" function on the control panel and press the "+/-" buttons to display 12 minutes on the LED (or 20 minutes for very soft beans). Toggle the "Pressure" function to set the pressure indicator light to "High Pressure". Allow the cook cycle to run.
4. When the cycle is complete, the cooker beeps and the LED display reads "0". Allow the cooker do natural pressure release (NPR) until the 'float valve' drops (about 10 minutes). The cooker then goes into "Keep warm" mode. At this point, you can add any leftover ham to the cooker and let it warm through before serving.

How to cook black eyed peas on the stove

1. In a 4½-quart stock pot (with lid), combine black-eyed peas, ham bone or ham hock, dried onion, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and broth (or water).
2. Cook over high heat until it reaches a rolling boil for about 5 minutes.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the black-eyed peas 60-90 minutes, or until beans are softened to your liking. (optional) Near the end of the cooking cycle, you can add leftover ham or turkey, and kale or spinach to this recipe.

How to cook black eyed peas in the oven

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a 4.5-quart Dutch oven or heavy soup pot with lid, combine black-eyed peas, dried onion, salt, pepper, bay leaf, ham hock, and chicken broth (or water).
3. Cover with a heavy lid and bake for 60 minutes. Near the end of the cooking cycle, you can add kale or spinach to this recipe.
4. Carefully remove pot to check for doneness; Note: if liquid level has fallen below bean surface, add enough to slightly cover beans if the beans need more cooking time.
5. Return covered pot to the oven for 15-30 minutes until beans are fully cooked; carefully remove when done. At this point, you can add any leftover ham to the cooker and let it warm through before serving.

How to serve black eyed peas

Every year on New Year's Day, I serve black eyed peas with Instant Pot Collard Greens and Homemade Cornbread. I love them with my French bread too! Serve black eyed peas with rice, as is quite popular with Hoppin’ John recipes.

Recommended Tools

• chef's knife (to cut ham...or tear in pieces with hands)
• colander
• 6 qt Instant Pot or dutch oven with lid
• measuring cup
• serving ladle

Related posts

If you want to serve black-eyed peas as an appetizer or side dish, check out my Black Eyed Pea Salad, which is very similar to cowboy caviar.

Check out my other post on How to Cook Dried Beans in 2 Hours...and look at the testimonials under the recipe. People swear by this method!

📖 Recipe