New Year's Black-Eyed Peas with Ham

These festive black-eyed peas are simmered with ham, aromatic spices, and savory vegetables to bring in the New Year with flavor. What better way to ring in the year than with this delicious dish?

Why Are Black-Eyed Peas Eaten on New Year's?

As part of Southern tradition, eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day is believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the year ahead. These peas are also a customary dish for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

How to Prepare New Year's Black-Eyed Peas

The full, detailed recipe is below, but here’s a quick summary of what you’ll do when preparing New Year’s black-eyed peas:

1. Soak the peas overnight.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in oil, then add broth and water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
4. Add the remaining ingredients.
5. Simmer until the peas are tender and the meat easily falls off the bone.

What to Pair with New Year's Black-Eyed Peas

Looking for a complete holiday spread? Serve your black-eyed peas alongside these top-rated recipes for a deliciously lucky start to the New Year:

• Southern-Style Collard Greens
• Grandmother's Buttermilk Cornbread
• Roasted Pork Loin

For more ideas, explore our full collection of New Year's Recipes.

How to Store Leftover New Year's Black-Eyed Peas

Let your leftover black-eyed peas cool completely before transferring them to a shallow, airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Cooking Tip

Dinogo Community Feedback and Reviews

"Absolutely incredible!" raves dinolawson726. "I made it exactly as the recipe states but added a bit of juice from the pepperoncini peppers. It was so good, I’ll be making this regularly."

"Wow, so delicious," says jorjetr. "I followed the recipe, but used pre-soaked peas and substituted bacon for the ham hocks. It turned out amazing! I made a large batch and froze the leftovers—can't wait to eat them again!"

"These are hands down the best black-eyed peas I've ever tasted," says JanAtch. "I used a leftover ham bone, and they turned out absolutely fantastic."

Editorial contributions by Corey Williams

Ingredients List

• 1 pound dry black-eyed peas

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 (32 ounce) cartons chicken broth

• 8 cups water

• 1 pound smoked ham hocks

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes

• 5 pepperoncini peppers

• 1 bay leaf

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• ¼ teaspoon ground thyme

• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cover and simmer until the peas are soft, the ham is falling off the bone, and the broth has thickened, approximately 3 hours.

Nutrition Information (per serving)