Hoppin John Black-Eyed Peas (Printable)

Savory black-eyed peas with smoky bacon over fluffy rice—a comforting Southern favorite.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 6 ounces thick-cut bacon, diced

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

02 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 green bell pepper, diced (optional)

→ Legumes

06 - 1½ cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and drained, or 3 cups cooked canned black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

→ Liquids

07 - 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
08 - 1 bay leaf

→ Spices & Seasonings

09 - ½ teaspoon dried thyme
10 - ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Rice

12 - 2 cups long-grain white rice
13 - 4 cups water
14 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or oil
15 - Pinch of salt

→ Garnish

16 - 2 scallions, thinly sliced
17 - Hot sauce to taste (optional)

# Steps:

01 - In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook the diced bacon over medium heat until crisp, approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Remove half the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside for garnish, leaving the remainder and the drippings in the pot.
02 - Add onion, celery, and bell pepper if using to the pot. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the soaked black-eyed peas, bay leaf, thyme, cayenne, and broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes for dried peas or 20 to 25 minutes for canned peas, until the peas are tender but not mushy. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaf.
04 - While the peas cook, combine rice, water, butter, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
05 - Serve the black-eyed peas over the fluffy rice. Top with reserved crispy bacon and sliced scallions. Add hot sauce if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's genuinely easy but tastes like you've been cooking all day.
  • Bacon does the heavy lifting flavor-wise, so you don't need anything fancy.
  • One pot means one cleanup, which matters more than any cookbook will admit.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and somehow feels both humble and celebratory at once.
02 -
  • Don't skip the rice resting period—those five minutes covered after you turn off the heat let the steam finish its work and give you grains that actually separate instead of clumping.
  • Canned peas cook much faster than soaked dried ones, and there's no shame in using them on a weeknight when you need dinner on the table quickly.
  • The bay leaf must come out before serving—I learned this the embarrassing way by serving it to a guest who bit down on one.
03 -
  • If your peas are taking forever to soften, it usually means your water was too hard or your heat was too high—just be patient and let them simmer gently, adding more broth if needed.
  • Taste the broth before you add the salt since bacon and broth together can push you toward over-salting if you're not careful.
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