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It’s easier than ever to make this classic Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas for New Year’s this year! Dump dried peas into the crockpot, pour in all of the remaining ingredients, including ham, bacon, broth, and plenty of seasoning, and let the slow cooker do the rest. The results are buttery textures and savory and smoky flavors in a comfort food recipe to start your year off right!
Crock-Pot Black Eyed Peas with Ham
Known for their unique flavor and iconic black center, black eyed peas are a traditional meal to enjoy on New Year’s Day. They have an understated heat that warms you up from the inside out and is the perfect creamy and hearty comfort food when it’s freezing outside.
Use leftover spiral ham to give the creamy beans a sweet and smoky element that can’t be missed. Then, let it simmer all day in the slow cooker to allow the flavors of the ham and beans to come together. Start your year off with some good luck this year and enjoy a bowlful of crockpot black-eyed peas!
Why you’ll love Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas
Traditional – It’s believed that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Eve brings good luck in the upcoming year.
Budget-Friendly – This recipe only uses peas, chicken broth, bacon, ham, and spices. It’s really easy on the budget, especially if you use leftover ham.
Easy – You literally add everything to the slow cooker, stir it, and let it cook! It will be ready for dinner when you are.
Tons of nutrients – Believe it or not, as delicious as this recipe is, it’s got plenty of nutrition too. They’re high in fiber, protein, and complex carbohydrates.
Equipment you’ll need
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
- Black Eyed Peas – Rinse and sort the dried black-eyed peas before adding them to the slow cooker. Pick them over to get rid of debris.
- Chicken Broth – Use either chicken broth or chicken stock as the base of the recipe. The peas absorb the flavor as they cook down. If you’re worried about the level of sodium, go ahead and use low-sodium chicken broth.
- Water – Adding water helps to prevent the peas from tasting too salty.
- Ham – Cut up the ham into diced pieces. Use a store bought ham hock or leftover pork in your dish. You can also throw in a ham bone for extra flavor.
- Bacon – Use your favorite kind of bacon in this dish. Maple smoked can add a bit of sweetness, if preferred. You’re adding it uncooked to the crock-pot.
- Onion – A diced sweet onion adds an aromatic flavor to the ham and beans.
- Green Chiles – For a bit of spice.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic cloves will give the beans a fuller flavor.
- Cumin – This is an earthy spice that pairs well with chili powder to give it a smoky flavor.
- Pepper – Pepper is without its friend salt today because the ham, bacon, and broth all provide the dish with more than enough.
- Chili Powder – This makes the dish taste spicier, so use more to increase the heat. You can also sprinkle in some cayenne or red pepper flakes for even more spice.
How to make Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Step One: Add the rinsed peas to the basic of a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Step Two: Pour in the remaining ingredients. This includes broth, water, ham, bacon, onion, green chiles, garlic, cumin, pepper, and chili powder.
- Step Three: Stir so that everything is evenly distributed. Then, cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- Step Four: Once cook time is up, season to taste, and serve it over rice with a side of cornbread and greens.
Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
What to serve with Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas
This is a smoky recipe with a heat that sneaks up on you. It’s also a traditional southern recipe, so serve it over fluffy white rice.
On the side, make homemade honey cornbread. The sweet flavors will complement the heat of the beans. Buttery collard greens are perfect with them, too. Or serve them with oven roasted garlic green beans.
Tips & Suggestions
- No need to pre-soak the beans. The long cook time is perfect for cooking the beans to a buttery, creamy texture. .
- You can alter the cooking time until the peas are at your desired level of softness. More or less time may be needed.
- 4 hours on HIGH may be enough in your slow cooker. All slow cookers run differently, so don’t stray too far.
- Replace chicken broth with 1 chicken bouillon cube and 6 cups of water.
- Want even more heat? Remove the seeds from a jalapeno (or keep some) and diced it up. Use it instead of the green chiles.
- For creamier peas, once the cook time is up, remove 1 cup of peas, mash them, and then stir back into the slow cooker.
- A vegetarian version requires an omission of ham and replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth. Rice and beans on their own are still a complete protein.
How to reheat and store Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas
How to store leftovers
Store the leftover black eyed peas in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How long will crockpot black eyed peas last in the fridge?
This easy ham and beans recipe will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about four days.
Can I freeze this peas recipe?
Yes, you can freeze this recipe. Freeze it in a freezer-safe bag like a Zip-lock bag. Store leftovers in the freezer for up to six months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
How to reheat them
It’s best to reheat the black eyed peas in a large skillet over low heat.
FAQs
Yes, it’s possible to cook the black eyed peas for too long. If you overcook them in the slow cooker, they will be so soft that they will be mushy, almost melting in your mouth. Tender and creamy is good, but mushy, not so much.
Even though they are called peas, they are technically beans. Both peas and beans are legumes which means they have edible seeds and pods.
Adding jalapeno or poblano peppers to the slow cooker is the easiest way to make this recipe even spicier. If it’s still not spicy enough, add some hot sauce at the end when you’re serving them.
Certainly. You can swap the ham for smoked turkey. It has a similar sweetness and pink hue that ham does.
It is! As written, there should be no gluten in any of the ingredients. Just be sure to check the label on things like store-bought broth and any seasoning blends.
Need more slow cooker dinner recipes? Try these:
Creamy Ranch Slow Cooker Chicken
Slow Cooker Beef Ramen Noodles
Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Click here for my entire collection of slow cooker recipes.
Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas with Ham
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound black eyed peas sorted & rinsed
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup diced ham
- 4 slices chopped bacon
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 4 ounces green chiles
- 2 cloves garlic diced
- 1.5 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- salt to taste
Instructions
- To the basin of a 6 quart slow cooker, add the rinsed peas.
- Pour in the broth, water, ham, bacon, onion, green chiles, garlic, cumin, pepper, and chili powder.
- Stir then cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
- Once cook time is up, taste and add salt if needed.
- Serve over rice with cornbread and greens.
Notes
- There is no need to soak the peas because of the long cook time.
- Cook until the peas are your desired level of soft.
- 4 hours on HIGH may be enough in your slow cooker.
- Sort and rinse the black eyed peas before getting started.
- If you don’t have chicken broth, you can use 6 cups of water + 1 chicken bouillon cube.
- If you prefer more heat, one jalapeno, seeded and diced, can be used in place of the green chiles.
- For creamier peas, once the cook time is up, remove 1 cup of peas, mash, and then stir back into the slow cooker.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
