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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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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 a great recipe! I recently tried it for a Juneteenth event. The ingredients were so simple that I could make the salad from memory after only reading the recipe once!! The celery added a nice crunch. Although I did not have fresh parsley, the salad tasted delicious.
Thank you!! Such a great idea for Juneteenth. I’m so glad you love it 🙂
I wish you would include nutritional information with your recipes. I am on a strict calorie and low sodium diet and have to watch both of these things very closely – doctor’s orders.
I’ve considered adding them. In the meantime, feel free to copy and paste the recipe into a nutrition calculator. Thanks for commenting and rating!
OMG!!! Taste Great excellent flavor
Thanks for sharing, Marcia!! Glad you enjoyed!
I made this recipe using the Rancho Gordo Super Lucky Black Eyed Peas – and WOW! This is an outstanding dish. Amazing flavor, wonderful textures from the celery and the red onion with the beans (a little crunch with the beans which are a little softer). This is absolutely my new favorite way to prepare BEPs — and they were a big hit at the family lunch on New Year’s Day. I made it the night before but a taste test a few hours in revealed a delicious bean salad. I also used a whole, medium-sized red bell pepper, and did 2 tsp each of maple syrup and hot sauce. If you are not a fan of the earthy flavor of BEPs, this is a recipe to try out. If you love BEPs, you will love this recipe too. I made a second batch today, that’s how good this is.
This was an amazing salad! My very picky fiance approved and even the teenage boys enjoyed it. I served it as a side, and then used leftovers as a main dish when I added grilled chicken. I will make this again!
I love it, its healthy, light and taste good
I had Marsh Hen Mill Carolina Conch Peas and a shallot to use up. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. This is a keeper! The dressing is what really makes it special. Thank you so much. Can’t await to try it with Black Eyed Peas!!
This recipe is the bomb! These are all ingredients that keep on hand, so I can whip this up without having to go shopping (just need to cook my dried beans!). This has paired really nicely with all the sides I had on hand this week, including potato salad, roasted okra, and “roasted corn” (frozen sweet corn sauteed in olive oil). It’s crazy how much flavor this has without garlic, but I’m all for it because sometimes I’m just really not in the mood to peel and chop garlic! Well done!
I’d like to know how many people this recipe serves?
Wow! 10++++++for this recipe! I was looking for something different to make this week for my work lunches and came across this recipe. So flavorful and easy to throw together. I included a piece of high protein/fiber flatbread to go along with this. Thank you for the great recipe! It is awesome!