These slow cooker black eyed peas are loaded with ham, sausage and veggies. The perfect crock pot meal to get your new year off to the right start!

Ring in the new year the Southern way with these easy and delicious black eyed peas. They’re full of smoky meat and are absolutely amazing served over rice. Enjoy these peas with other Southern favorites like mustard greens and fried okra.

A bowl of slow cooker black eyed peas with a scoop of rice.

In the South, eating black eyed peas in recipes like Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day is thought to bring prosperity or good luck for the new year. Get your new year started off on the right foot with these easy (and totally delicious) slow cooker black eyed peas. They’re hearty, loaded with smoky flavor and are sure to bring you lots of luck!

Enjoy these beans on New Years’ Day while watching the game with some game day recipes like sausage cheese balls, bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers, and homemade Chex mix.

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas Ingredeints

To make this slow cooker black eyed peas recipe you will need an onion, a green bell pepper, garlic, black eyed peas, a ham bone or ham hock, chicken broth, chopped ham, smoked rope sausage, salt, black pepper and parsley for garnish.

How Do You Make Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas

To make slow cooker black eyed peas first soak the black eyed peas in water for 4 to 8 hours. Next, place the onion, bell pepper, garlic, soaked black eyed peas, ham bone and chicken broth in a slow cooker. This will cook on high for 5 hours with the lid closed. Uncover the crock pot and remove one cup of peas. The peas should be tender. Mash them and return them to the pot. Stir in ham, sausage, salt and pepper. Cover the crock pot and cook for another hour. Remove the ham bone and serve the peas over rice.

Ingredients for slow cooker black eyed peas with ham.

Tips For The Perfect Dish

  • You’ll want to soak your beans for anywhere from 4-8 hours before you put them in the slow cooker. Soaking the peas helps them to cook faster. If you don’t have time to soak your peas, you can still make this recipe. Just be aware that it might take longer to cook.
  • I use both a ham hock or bone and chopped ham in my crock pot black eyed peas for maximum pork flavor.
  • You can often find a ham hock in the grocery store near other cuts of pork.
  • If you can’t find a ham bone or ham hock you can make this dish with just the diced ham. The taste will still be great!
  • I add the seasoning at the end because sometimes salt can interfere with the cooking process and make the peas tough. If you add it after the peas are mostly cooked, you avoid that issue.

Quick Tip

You can use your ham bone from Christmas. Just toss it in the freezer after Christmas dinner!

These crock pot black eyed peas with sausage and ham are the perfect meal for new years.

Recipe FAQs

Do I have to soak my black-eyed peas before cooking them?

For slow cooker black eyed peas, I recommend soaking the peas, but you do not have to soak them. If you don’t soak them, they will take longer to cook in a crock pot.

How do you doctor up black eyed peas?

You can doctor up black eyed peas by cooking them with ham and sausage in a slow cooker, by cooking them with smoked turkey or by adding seasonings like Creole seasoning or Cajun seasoning.

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Flavor Variations

This slow cooker black eyed peas recipe is fantastic as-is; however you can change the dish to suit your taste.

  • Sausage: I use a rope style sausage like kielbasa. But you can really use any type of smoked sausage that is available to you.
  • Rice: I typically serve this dish over steamed rice. However, you can serve them with brown rice, grits or honey cornbread.
  • Vegetables: You can add in veggies like diced celery, carrots or a can of stewed tomatoes. Also, serve these peas with veggies like collard greens, bacon ranch green beans or fried corn.
  • Meat: Substitute the ham hock or ham bone with a smoked turkey wing. You can also use diced turkey meat in place of ham.
  • Broth: You can substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth or beef broth.
  • Spicy: Add extra spice with Cajun seasoning, Creole seasoning or some cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.

My whole family loves these black eyed peas, even the kids! We eat them all year long, but they’re always on our New Year’s Day menu too, because who couldn’t use a little extra luck?!

More Slow Cooker Recipes

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas Video


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5 from 39 votes

Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas

AuthorSara Welch
These slow cooker black eyed peas are loaded with ham, sausage and veggies. The perfect crock pot meal to get your new year off to the right start!
These slow cooker black eyed peas are loaded with ham, sausage and veggies. The perfect crock pot meal to get your new year off to the right start!
Time
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time6 hours
Total Time6 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Serves 8

Ingredients 

  • 1 yellow onion finely diced
  • 1 green bell pepper finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lb dried black eyed peas soaked for at least 4 hours
  • 1 ham bone or ham hock
  • 5 cups chicken broth low sodium
  • 2 cups chopped ham
  • 14 ounces smoked rope sausage such as kielbasa or andouille, halved lengthwise and sliced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Instructions 

  • Place the onion, bell pepper, garlic, black eyed peas, ham bone and chicken broth in a slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours.
  • Uncover and remove one cup of the peas. Mash thoroughly then return to the pot. Add the ham, sausage, salt and pepper to the pot. Stir thoroughly.
  • Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 more hour.
  • Remove the ham bone. Stir in the parsley and serve with rice.

Notes

  1. You’ll want to soak your beans for anywhere from 4-8 hours before you put them in the slow cooker. Soaking the peas helps them to cook faster. If you don’t have time to soak your peas, you can still make this recipe; just be aware that it might take longer to cook.
  2. I use both a ham hock or bone and chopped ham in my crock pot black eyed peas for maximum pork flavor.
  3. You can use your ham bone from Christmas. Just toss it in the freezer after Christmas dinner!

Nutrition

Calories: 454kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 543mg | Potassium: 1011mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 24.8mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 6.1mg

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this this past New Year…but added a few more ingredients . I added two small cans of diced green chile along with a can of Rotel. I also put all the ingredients in at once since I knew I was going to be cooking this overnight…10 hrs on low. This recipe along with my old way of cooking them was amazing!!! Definitely doing this from now on every year! Thank you so much for posting!

  2. 5 stars
    Greetings from a frozen boston..this was a perfect project for me ..and i only wanted to say its missing one thing….beer. Im telling ya lol..huuuuge difference lol…red stripe here but play with it lol…ROLL TIDE

  3. 5 stars
    After I soaked them can they stay in there longer wirh the water or do i have to finished putting everything in them and start cooking them

    1. After they’re soaked, drain off the water and proceed with the recipe. There’s a video at the bottom of this post you can watch to see what to do!

  4. 5 stars
    I’m a lil confused do i soaked the peas for 4 hours before putting the onions, bell pepper and garlic or do i do it all at one one no soaking before.

    1. You soak the peas, then use the peas after they’re soaked in the recipe. There’s a short video at the bottom of this post that you can watch to see how the recipe is made, the peas are soaked before they go into the crock pot!

  5. I found your blog on Pinterest and pinned this recipe. It’s been a tradition to prepare black eyed peas for the new year in my family, and I want it to continue. I can’t wait to start the new year on a positive note!!! 🙂

    1. I would try cooking it for 3-4 hours on high, then test to see if they’re tender. You can always add more time after that if needed.

  6. That’s definitely a meal to start the new year off right! What a hearty and delicious combination of flavors. I love that it is made in the crockpot too to save on time and less mess.

  7. Yum! Thanks for the great recipe. This will be perfect to toss in the crock pot for New Year’s day. Good tip for the black eyed peas. I wouldn’t have known to soak them.

  8. It looks delightful and I appreciate the tips that you shared so we can cook it perfectly. I love slow cooker recipes because they’re easy and the flavor becomes really lovely. Thanks for the recipe!

  9. I haven’t had black eyed peas in AGES, I love this combo with the Polish Sausage, I have the Sausage on hand, but not the Black Eyed Peas, I should definitely get some before New Year’s Eve!

  10. 5 stars
    Ringing in the New Year with black-eyed peas for dinner is an age-old tradition that’s been passed down from my mom. She says it’s to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year. I like your recipe with ham, pepper and onions!

  11. 5 stars
    There’s something wonderful about black-eyed peas! I like your version with ham included. We usually do Italian sweet sausage in ours!