Warm up with our Vegan Black Eyed Pea Stew recipe! (2024)

What do black-eyed peas taste like?

Black-eyed peas are dense with an earthy flavor. The longer they get cooked, the more creamy the consistency gets. I like them with just a bit of a bite. The key is to cook them with salt to bring out the flavor, along with dried Chile de árbol.

Why you are going to love this recipe

One word: flavor.

This soup has a lot of flavor! But what is the secret, you may ask?

The secret is the Chile de árbol. It's my secret ingredient and will likely have you asking for another bowl. It's that good!

Every time I serve this soup, my husband keeps saying, "This is awesome….This is everything I want in a soup….This is delicious", over and over. I am not kidding, even with the leftovers.

This is one of my favorite soup recipes and I can't wait for you to try it! This recipe serves four. If you want leftovers or are serving a crowd, double or triple the recipe.

What are black-eyed peas?

Black-eyed peas are legumes originating from Africa and are grown throughout the world. Soul food and Southern food typically feature black-eyed peas. As the name hints, black-eyed peas are cream in color and have a black spot resembling an eye.

Many consider it good luck to consume black-eyed peas on New Year's Day, particularly in the South. As the black-eyed peas cook, they swell, symbolizing prosperity.

Substitutions

• Kale - stir in collard greens, turnip greens, or spinach for a few minutes before planning to serve the soup.
• Coconut oil - Try olive oil, avocado oil, olive oil, or grapeseed oil.
• Allspice - try ras el hanout for a spicy kick. This Moroccan spice mix works well in this recipe! Or use freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning.
• Black-eyed peas - try purple hull peas, cannellini beans, black beans, or lima beans!
• Dried Chile de árbol - try canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.

Variations

• Less spicy - To make this vegan black-eyed pea stew less spicy with less of a flavor punch, you can omit the freshly ground allspice powder and skip the Arbol chiles completely. Or you can seed the Arbol chiles before you add them to the beans or the stew.
• Oil-free - Omit the oil and use a bit of water or vegetable broth as needed when cooking the onion to prevent it from sticking to the pot. I recommend adding a bit of salt to draw out water from the onion as it's cooking.
• Garnish - I garnished the stew with homegrown kohlrabi sprouts which are optional. I usually don't garnish this stew with anything, however.
• Add cooked vegan sage sausage - crumble or slice it. Saute it in the oil until it starts to brown before adding the vegetables.
• Smoky flavor - add smoked paprika or a couple drops of liquid smoke.

How to cook black-eyed peas

Here's how to cook dry black-eyed peas at home:

1. Soak one pound of black-eyed peas in water overnight on the counter in the same pot you'll be cooking them in. If it's warm, refrigerate them overnight.
2. Drain the beans in a colander and rinse them.
3. Place the beans in the stock pot and cover them with two inches of water.
4. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and reduce heat to low or low-medium. Add one tablespoon of kosher salt and three Arbol chiles (optional). Occasionally stir to make sure they're not sticking to the bottom, and cook for 45 minutes at a simmer, not a constant rolling boil.
5. Taste the beans for tenderness. Drain the beans, rinse with fresh, cool water, and reserve the chiles to add to the soup later after they've been chopped.
6. To cool the beans quickly, place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Let cool, and refrigerate half for making the soup again in a couple of days or for other uses. Otherwise, freeze the beans in a single layer in a freezer-safe ziplock bag.

How to make this vegan black eyed pea stew with kale

It's easy to make this black-eyed pea soup, even if it is your first time.

1. Heat a large pot on medium heat for 3 minutes. Add coconut oil; when it is shimmering, add the vegetables.
2. Add the onion, green bell pepper, celery, garlic, and salt. Cook for five minutes or so, occasionally stirring, until you see the onion starting to turn light golden. If the pot's bottom is getting brown, add a tablespoon of water and stir to deglaze it.
3. Add the bay leaves, poultry seasoning, and allspice, stirring for a minute or two.
4. Pour in the veg broth, cooked black-eyed peas and Arbol chiles - you can toss them in whole or chop them first. I usually throw them in whole.
5. Cook the stew for 20 to 30 minutes.
6. A few minutes before serving, remove the whole Arbol chiles (if not chopped already), let them cool briefly, and chop them. Put them back into the soup for extra flavor.
7. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. Stir in the chopped kale for a few minutes until it starts to soften before serving the soup.

Expert Tips

• If you're using canned beans, you can stir the three whole Arbol chiles into the soup when you add the veg broth. When the soup is done cooking, remove the chiles, chop them, and stir them back into the soup. Or, chop the chiles first.
• Cook dried black-eyed peas if you have the time versus opening a can or jar. The difference in taste is worth it! I like to keep canned beans as a backup but cooked-at-home beans rule for taste and texture. They're so good I can eat them right out of the stockpot. To save time, make them ahead of time and freeze them in a single layer in a freezer-safe ziploc bag.

How to serve

I love to serve this vegan black-eyed pea soup as a main dish with cornbread, or a crusty loaf of sourdough and plant-based butter. Sometimes I'll serve a salad or roasted brussels sprouts or other vegetables first.

However, if you have my Vegan Lentil Loaf as the main course, maybe you'd like it as a first course.

Storage

• Let the soup cool on the counter first.
• Refrigerate the bean stew within two hours of cooking in covered airtight containers for up to 3 to 4 days.
• Freeze it in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags for up to 4 to 6 months.
• Cooked bean stew thawed in the fridge can be kept for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator before cooking; bean stew thawed in the microwave or cold water should be eaten immediately.
• When reheating, be sure to add enough water if the soup is too thick.

Did you make this recipe?

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Hearty Vegan Black Eyed Pea Stew Recipe with Kale

Emily Miller

This Vegan Black-eyed Pea Stew recipe with kale is a delicious way to enjoy a healthy and hearty meal. This soup is full of fiber and vegetables and perfect for a winter meal.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 278.4kcalCarbohydrates: 40.7gProtein: 13.4gFat: 7.8gSaturated Fat: 5.9gSodium: 1119mgFiber: 11.7gSugar: 8.4g

Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.