A quick and easy meal for busy evenings, this collard greens and black eyed peas recipe is simple to pull together. Making Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas ahead means dinner is ready in about 30 minutes! This recipe is vegetarian or vegan and easily gluten free. [ recipe VIDEO on recipe card ]
Collard Greens and Black Eyed Peas
Black Eyed Peas are on the menu year round in our home, but especially as we transition into the new year because they’re a tradition and it’s said they good luck!
Whether it’s this tasty Cheesy Black Eyed Pea Dip, Hoppin John Stew or this popular Harissa Stewed Black Eyed Peas with Okra and Collard Greens recipe, there’s lots to choose from around here!
Black eyed peas with smoky collard and cheesy grits has Southern roots I adore and takes me back to my days growing up in Texas. Ma always made black eyed peas to ring in the new year. However collard greens are a green I discovered later in life.
New to Collard Greens?
They’re a delicious green to incorporate into your food rotation. Raw, they’re a sturdy thick green with a texture similar to kale but even heftier. Cooked, they become tender yet still hold their structure.
Collard greens typically call for some sort of meat to flavor them. But for this vegetarian and vegan recipe, I use liquid smoke, garlic and Tamari to bring out their best flavor!
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How to Make Black Eyed Peas with Collard Greens and Cheesy Grits
This dish is delicious served with a drizzle of homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce or pickled jalapenos for a spicy finish.
Traci’s Tips
- Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas can be made the day of or the day prior to when they are needed for quicker prep. If not making the black eyed peas ahead, the recipe comes together in about an hour.
- Grits or Polenta (or Both?!): I grew up eating white hominy corn grits (often quick cook). They’re hard to find and I’ve read that some are bleached to obtain the white color. I opt for Bob’s Red Mill corn grits, also known as polenta. However, other brands labeled as Polenta can be used instead with delicious results, although polenta does take longer to cook. If using polenta instead of grits, cook as indicated on the package rather than the shorter time indicated in the recipe.
Maker Notes
I love reading your takes on this recipe! Thank you for sharing your tips and adaptations. Here are a few reader’s notes:
- Christina said: “I made the BEP in the instant pot. I had 2 cups of peas and used 6 c of water 17 mins on high pressure with a 30 min NPR. Turned out great!”
- Joan commented: “I cooked my collards a bit longer as hubby likes his softer. I love tomatoes with black eyed peas and corn bread with collards so we added those to our meal. I didn’t use the optional BBQ sauce. I used your slow cooker recipe to cook the BEP.”
- DJ said: “I made this with vegan cheese. It was perfect!”
Black Eyed Peas with Smoky Collards and Cheesy Grits
Servings:4 Servings
Calories:520kcal
A quick and easy meal for those busy nights, slow cooking the peas means dinner is ready in under 30 minutes (reflected in the time above)! If preparing the black eyed peas stove top, the recipe comes together in about an hour. This black eyed peas and collard greens recipe is vegetarian or vegan and easily gluten free.
Ingredients
For the Black Eyed Peas:
- 2 1/2 C (670g) Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas*
- *OR*
- 1 C (165g) Dry Black Eyed Peas soaked overnight, rinsed.
- 2 C (472g) Vegetable Broth
- 1 C (210g) Yellow Onion small dice, about one onion
- 1 C (150g) Green Bell Pepper small dice, about one or a mix of green and red
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Bayleaf
- 1 tsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce gluten free if needed
- 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
- A few dashes of Tabasco optional but recommended!
For the Collard Greens:
- 1/2 C (130g) Vegetable Broth
- 1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
- 1/2 tsp Tamari
- 4 Cloves of Garlic minced
- 1 lb (565g) Collard Greens cut into ribbons and washed thoroughly
- 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes optional but recommended!
For the Grits:
- 3 C (710g) Water
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 C (150g) White or Yellow Corn Grits**
- 1/2 C (50g) Monterey Jack or Cheddar Cheese shredded, OR 1 1/2 TBS Nutritional Yeast*** for dairy free
For Serving:
- Serve with Fresh Sliced Jalapeños
- Tabasco
- Smoky Bourbon Homemade BBQ Sauce (optional)
Instructions
- If using Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas, skip #2 and move right into cooking the collards.
- In a medium saucepot, add the soaked black eyed peas, vegetable broth, onion, bell pepper, garlic, bayleaf, and optional tabasco. Bring to a boil, turn down to low or to a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes to one hour, uncovered. The peas should be tender with just a slight tooth, not mushy. Add the worcestershire, and liquid smoke. Taste for seasoning adjustment.
For the Collard Greens:
- In a large stockpot, bring the broth, liquid smoke, tamari sauce, and garlic to a boil. Add the collard greens, stir thoroughly using tongs, lid the pot and cook on med-low for between 10-15 minutes. Stir the greens at least twice while they cook down and become tender. Their color will darken a bit too. Add the apple cider vinegar and pinch of red pepper flakes. Taste for seasoning adjustment (add salt if needed).
For the Grits:
- In a medium saucepot bring water and salt to a boil. Turn down to low and whisk in the grits. Cook on low, covered, for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. Stir in the cheese OR the nutritional yeast***. Grits can dry out pretty quick, so if needed, add a TBS of water at a time and stir after they're done cooking. Lid to keep warm.
To Assemble:
- To an individual serving bowl, add the peas, greens and grits arranged separately. Serve with jalapeños and/or tabasco and plenty of BBQ sauce for slathering
- Store in individual lidded containers, refrigerated for up to two days.
Video
Notes
*Slow Cooked Black Eyed Peas can be made the day of or the day prior to when they are needed. The quick cook (re: 45 minutes), will take a bit more ‘cook’ time for the entire dish, but you can prepare the other components of this recipe while the peas are cooking.
**Grits or Polenta (or Both?!): I grew up eating white hominy corn grits (often quick cook). They are hard to find and I’ve read that some are ‘bleached’ to obtain the white color. So I opt for Bob’s Red Mill corn grits, also known as polenta. Brands labeled as Polenta can be used instead with delicious results, although they do take longer to cook.
***Easily Dairy Free: Nutritional yeast is somewhat of an acquired taste, so if it’s not preferred as a dairy free option, leave it out and season the grits with additional salt to taste.
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 476mg | Potassium: 1118mg | Fiber: 22g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 7440IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 503mg | Iron: 7mg
Made It? Leave a comment below! The most helpful comment may include recipe rating, feedback, any modifications and/or helping other commenters. On Instagram? Take a snap of your make and share, tagging @VanillaAndBean #VanillaAndBean!
This was a hit in our house! So good, and easy to do. We’ll definitely be making it often! I made it with the cheesy grits, and tomorrow will try the leftovers with polenta. Thanks for this!
Love hearing this, Marilynn! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go… leftovers with polenta is a win-win!
I have cooked this for New Years Day for 5 years counting today. I love it. Its delicious
Best news ever! Thank you for your note, Robin! Happy New Year!
Oh my goodness! Just put the green bean and polenta together tonight for dinner. What flavor! Just delicious! Thank you so much. 5 star rating! Happy new year!
Thank you for sending a smile, Sharon! Hooray!!
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for and it looks terrific aside from the part where you say, slather it with barbecue sauce? 😀
Hi Carla! Thank you! The sauce is optional , but we love it!
I made this a few days ago and it was awesome! I’m so glad I found your recipes.
Hi Sondra! I love hearing this. Thank you for your note and giving a new recipe a go. SO happy you’re here!
Delicious!! We are new vegetarians and my hubby ate 2 large bowls
(regretfully lol). I tweaked the cooking time for the collards, and I did up the flavor profile by just adding more seasonings. First time making collards AND black eyed peas, first ever using Tamari and Liquid Smoke. Sent the recipe to two people. I’m definitely making again!!!
I just made this last night so I have a comment about the collard greens. After 15 minutes of cooking they were slightly tough and bitter. The addition of apple cider vinegar made them even more bitter. I looked at a different collard green recipe and they say to cook them for almost an hour and to add lemon juice to lessen the bitter taste.. the grits and peas were delicious but I think the collard greens need tweaking next time I make this. I will try cooking them a lot longer.
Hi Jade! Thank you for your note. Collards can be bitter depending on when and how they’re grown. Large older leaves can be quite bitter and tough, whereas younger smaller leaves tend to be more tender without bitterness, and so tasty. Collards are at their peak, and best tasting, during winter and early spring after they’ve been frost ‘kissed.’ Cooking the collards longer will result in a softer tooth, so tasting/cooking to preference is a good idea. Whatever acid you use whether it’s lemon/cider vinegar/white vinegar will have the same effect when using in small quantities – like in this recipe. It’s not used for flavor here, rather acid competes with bitter flavor compounds in foods, reducing the taste of bitterness and brightening other ingredients in the recipe. But if the greens are already very bitter, I’m not sure an acid is going to fix it. I hope this helps, Jade! Let us know if you try the collards again, and how they cook up for you!
Since finding this recipe, it has become almost a weekly staple! Easily modified to make vegan, and so, so tasty. I’ve got the entire family eating black eyed peas!
Hooray, HOORAY! SO happy to hear you and fam are enjoying the BEPs! Thank you for your note, Rachel!
I have made and eaten black-eyed peas for New Year’s for over 50 years, and this is the best recipe I’ve ever found!! It was amazing, and I’m not reserving it for once a year!
I have never had BEP and collards before. This recipe was delicious. I made the BEP in the instant pot. I had 2 cups of peas and used 6 c of water 17 mins on high pressure with a 30 min NPR. Turned out great!
Hi Christina! SO happy to hear you’re enjoying the BEP…. thank you for your note, giving the recipe a go and sharing your tips about making the BEP in the IP! Aren’t collards soooo delish!?
Made this tonight for supper and it was so delicious. Only things I did different was to use stone ground grits so I had a longer cooking tim. I also cooked my collards a bit longer as hubby likes his softer. I love tomatoes with black eyed pease and corn bread with collards so we added those to our meal. I didn’t use the optional BBQ sauce. I used your slow cooker recipe to cook the BEP. Thank you for helping me make a delicious fall supper.
Hi Joan! Thank you for your note and giving the recipe a go. SO happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe and adjusted as needed. I’ll look for stone ground grits! They sound delicious!
I made this with vegan cheese. It was perfect!
Hooray! Thank you for your note, Dj and giving the recipe a go :D
Hi Tracy,
It’s still little bit cold here where I am (Monterey, California). I have not heard from You for a couple of weeks now… But Your Wild Rice Mushroom Soup looks good. I also make this soup with Barley and Nutritional Yeast (for more taste). I cook wild rice twice a week and eat it just like white and brown rice… Good 2 Hear From You… Nathan
I’ve just discovered your blog and I’m so excited that you’re a West Aussie like me!
Your recipes are so filled with love and nurturing aND as a new vegetarian and absolute godsend. Thank you!
I feel like a bit of a nerd about collard greens. Where would I find them? Do they have a different name here?
Oh no! I just realized that WA means Washington! Not Western Australia! Double nerd!
Hehe… no worries, Amber! I’m so happy you made it here! Welcome! Thank you for your kind words too. I hope you enjoy the recipes! Collards… I get mine from our local co-op or farm. Many grocery stores carry them too. They’re so good this time of year, because like kale, the cold sweetens them up. They are soooo good for you too! I don’t know if they have a different name.. I’ve never heard them called anything else. I hope you’re able to find them. Ask your produce person at the store or if you have a farmers market, someone there should know! I hope this helps! :D
So Beautiful! Seems entrancing for sure.
Also yum! But my ability to make grits is sub-par, usually ends up with gooey, overcooked glop.
Thank you Diana! I think with grits, it’s a texture, consistency thing. I find people either love em or not so much. They can get/be gooey, but I find that can be adjusted to taste with the addition of more water, and/or leaving the lid on while cooking. I hope this helps! Also, you can always use polenta if that is preferred. I’ve made this dish with both and love them the same!