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This black-eyed pea salad takes a humble bean and gives it a zesty, herby glow-up. It’s proof that the simplest foods are often the ones you’ll crave the most.
Love salads? You’re in the right place! Check out my Mango Avocado Salad, Vegan Caesar Salad, Crunchy Sesame Tofu Salad, and Creamy Cucumber Avocado Salad.
Quick Look: Black Eyed Pea Salad
- 🔪 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🔥 Marinating Time: 2 hours
- 🍽 Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- 👨👩👧👧 Servings: 4
- 🌱 Calories: 230
- 🫘 Protein: 11g
- 🍠 Dietary breakdown: Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and soy-free.
- 😋 Flavor Profile: Zesty, herby, and a little smoky—bright Dijon and hot sauce play off tender beans and sweet roasted pepper.
- ✅ Difficulty: Easy and painless—perfect for beginners, meal prep, and make-ahead entertaining.
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Table of Contents
- Quick Look: Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Praise for Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Key Ingredients
- Recipe Variations
- How to Make Black Eyed Pea Salad
- How to Cook Black Eyed Peas from Scratch
- Jenné’s Recipe Tips
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage Directions
- Black Eyed Pea Salad FAQs
- More Bean Salad Recipes
- Black Eyed Pea Salad Recipe
Praise for Black Eyed Pea Salad
I’m not sure I’d be a Southerner if I didn’t love black-eyed peas, and this salad is one of my favorite ways to make and enjoy them. Tender, silky beans get tossed in a zesty Dijon dressing with crunchy celery, sharp red onion, and smoky-sweet roasted red bell pepper. Simple, but every bite earns its place.
It’s perfect for summer, whether that’s a 4th of July cookout, a relaxed evening with friends and family, or a lunch you can grab on your way out the door. Best of all, it actually gets better when you make it ahead, and it doesn’t ask much of you—leaving more time to enjoy the season while it lasts.
For more black eyed pea recipes, check out my Vegan Black Eyed Peas., Black Eyed Pea Fritters, Sweet Potato Black Eyed Pea Curry, and Black Eyed Pea Gumbo.
Key Ingredients
Black-Eyed Peas: The belle of this bean ball! Use two cans of beans (drained well) or make them from scratch following my directions below.
Celery and Onion: Add crunch, aromatic notes, and textural contrast. Mince them both finely so they tuck into the beans, complementing without overpowering.
Roasted Red Bell Pepper: Roasting adds a light smokiness to the pepper, giving the salad a delightful earthy element. Roast them from scratch or use jarred peppers, drained well.
Roasted Red Bell Pepper: Roasting adds a light smokiness, giving the salad a delightful earthy element. Roast them from scratch or use jarred peppers, drained well.
Olive Oil: A higher-quality extra virgin olive oil works best for its pure taste and peppery notes, which balance the zesty hot sauce and dried herbs—though whatever you have on hand certainly works.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Variations
Though the classic recipe is always a hit, there are many ways to add your own spin or adapt it to what you have on hand:
- Make it spicy. Add a few extra shakes of hot sauce, a couple dashes of cayenne, or fold in some finely minced jalapeño.
- Make it Texas Caviar. Lean into the classic by stirring in black beans, corn, diced tomato, and a handful of chopped cilantro—then scoop it up with tortilla chips.
- Switch up the veggies. Try finely diced cucumber in place of the celery, sliced green onions or pickled red onions instead of red onion, or fresh diced bell pepper instead of roasted.
- Add-ins. Sliced black olives for a briny finish, or chopped artichokes (canned and drained, or frozen and thawed). Halved cherry tomatoes, corn kernels, or a handful of capers would all be right at home here too.
- Try different herbs. Flat-leaf parsley keeps it fresh and almost citrusy; chives bring a grassy little bite. Cilantro is a natural fit given the Texas Caviar roots, and a little fresh dill plays beautifully with the Dijon.
How to Make Black Eyed Pea Salad
- Prepare. Add the black eyed peas, celery, onion, and roasted red bell pepper to a large bowl.
- Make dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, maple syrup, salt, oregano, and thyme. Drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously until the mixture is well blended and creamy.
- Dress. Pour the dressing over the black-eyed peas and toss well to combine. Add the parsley and toss again.
- Marinate. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to overnight before serving, letting the salad marinate. It gets tastier as it sits.
How to Cook Black Eyed Peas from Scratch
Use canned beans for convenience, or make them from scratch for extra silky beans and a more budget-friendly dish. Here’s how:
Stovetop: Soak the dried peas overnight in cold water, then drain. Add them to a pot, cover with about 2 inches of cold water, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook for about 30-45 minutes, until tender but not mushy. Allow the beans to cool completely before using in the salad.
Instant Pot: Soak and drain the peas as above, then add them to the Instant Pot with enough fresh water to cover by about 2 inches. Cook on high pressure for about 10 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes before quick-releasing the rest. Short on time? You can skip the soak and cook unsoaked peas on high pressure for about 20–25 minutes instead. Allow the beans to cool completely before using in the salad.
For my full method, aromatics and all, see How to Cook Beans.
Jenné’s Recipe Tips
- Season to taste before serving. The dressing can mellow as the salad marinates, so give it a taste and add a little salt, black pepper, or host sauce if it needs waking up.
- Emulsify the dressing. Drizzle the olive oil in slowly while you whisk so the dressing comes together creamy instead of split. A lidded jar (shake it hard) or a quick blitz in the blender or food processor does the trick too—just keep drizzling as you go.
- Toss gently. Black-eyed peas are tender, so fold everything together with a light hand to keep the beans whole instead of mashing them.
- Let it marinate. This is where the magic happens—the dressing infuses the beans with flavor as it sits. A few hours is good, overnight is even better, which is exactly why this one’s so good for meal prep.
Serving Suggestions
When it comes to how to enjoy this salad, there are so many delicious pairings. Scoop it with pita chips or sourdough crackers for an appetizer (paired with an Agave Margarita, of course!), pile it onto a light summer lunch topped with Pan-Fried Oyster Mushrooms, or serve it as a hearty side with any of the following plant-based mains:
- BBQ Tempeh or BBQ Tofu
- Vegan Potato Salad
- Zucchini Burgers
- Vegan Pasta Salad
- Mushroom Veggie Sliders
- Vegan Fried Chicken
And if you’re looking for even more, check out my roundup of the best vegan cookout recipes!
Storage Directions
- Refrigerating: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Toss well before serving, since the dressing tends to settle at the bottom of the bowl.
- Freezing: I don’t recommend it. The fresh celery, onion, and herbs lose their crunch once thawed, and the texture goes mushy.
Black Eyed Pea Salad FAQs
Not quite! This is my Harlem Caviar—a marinated black-eyed pea salad I named in my cookbook. Texas Caviar is its close cousin, usually built with extra mix-ins. To make it Texan, stir in black beans, corn, and diced tomato, add a handful of chopped cilantro, and scoop it up with tortilla chips.
Absolutely. Canned is the quick route and works beautifully—just drain and rinse well. Dried beans cooked from scratch come out a little silkier and more budget-friendly, but on a busy day, canned has your back.
This is a make-ahead dream. It’s best after a few hours in the fridge, and even better overnight—the beans drink up the dressing as it sits. It’s one of the few salads that gets tastier the next day. Make it up to 5 days ahead of serving. Add the parsley right before serving for the freshest taste.
It is, as written—just double-check your Dijon mustard and hot sauce, since the rare brand may sneak in gluten.
It’s built to be enjoyed cold or at room temperature, which is what makes it such a great picnic and meal-prep dish. I wouldn’t heat it up. Also, avoid making this recipe with hot beans, as they will create a mushy salad.
More Bean Salad Recipes
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Zesty Black Bean and Corn Salad
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Summer Peach White Bean Salad
If you tried this Black Eyed Pea Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Black Eyed Pea Salad
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Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked black-eyed peas, or 2 15-oz cans of black-eyed peas (drained and rinsed). Equivalent to approximately 1 cup of uncooked beans.
- 1/2 cup minced celery
- 1/4 cup minced red onion
- 1 medium roasted red bell pepper, chopped, or use raw red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1-2 tsp hot sauce, to taste
- 1 tsp pure maple syrup, or agave syrup
- 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the black eyed peas, celery, onion, and roasted red bell pepper until well combined.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, maple syrup, salt, oregano, and thyme. Drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously until the mixture is well blended and creamy.
- Pour the dressing over the black-eyed peas and toss well to combine. Add the parsley and toss again.
- Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to overnight before serving to let the salad marinate. It gets tastier as it sits.
This is so fresh and innovative. It’s like the South meets California. Nice flavor. Easily adaptable to what’s on hand, but I like it best the way it’s written. Thank you!!
a classic and so delicious! Thank you for putting this back on my radar, especially with summer coming 😋
Thanks so much!! This one is going to be in my new YT video (going live tonight) along with some other yummy bean salads for summer 🌞
If I could give this recipe a 10, I would! Sooo good. Took it to a party and had to pass along the recipe to everyone, who couldn’t get enough of it. Left it in the marinade overnight, as recommended, and added just a bit more honey. Thanks for posting this super simple tasty salad!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing! I took it to our family Easter celebration, and it was a hit. Always a winner!
yummy 😋! I’ve been loving & following Jenne since Al Roker! You’re getting better with age!!! luv ya! 😘 luv baby J too!
This black-eyed pea salad is delicious! I tried it right after I made and I love it, I can only imagine how good it’s going to be after it sits for a few hours. This will definitely be a repeat recipe for me!
The Black Eye Pea Salad, hands down a favorite for me, as it extends the range of influence of the black eye pea, which is not that common, while also extending the range of run of the mill salad ingredients. It’s got legs, too, ingredients can be adapted by those who prefer a color-pallet plate, or seasonal look. I would compare the flavor profile of the humble pea with that of the umami savory taste. It blends in with many veggies and condiments. Fun, good, inexpensive. What is not to like.
Thanks for sharing!! Black eyed peas are my favorite, and I LOVE trying new recipes with them.
Made this salad for work, celebrating Juneteenth this year, and it was delicious, definitely overnight chill made it so good! Everyone lovedcit!
Hi Doris! That’s wonderful Thanks for sharing!
Great quick salad! I love the mustard twist. The recipe does not state the amount of olive oil to add but I winged it.
Thanks Susie! Just double checked, the recipe calls for just 2 tablespoons olive oil.
I have made this salad in the past with a slightly different recipe. Previous recipes instructed to drain and rinse the canned peas. However this recipe does not. I poured off most of the liquid but didn’t rinse the peas. Big mistake! I also used balsamic vinegar rather than apple cider vinegar and always received compliments. This is a good recipe. Just drain and rinse your peas if they are canned. I have added cherry tomatoes and yellow bell peppers in the past and I think they make a little prettier presentation. Cucumbers work well too.
Thanks for sharing! I’ll make sure it says that in the post now. I always drain and rinse mine 🙂