This hoppin' John recipe layers seasoned black-eyed peas over rice then tops them with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and green onions.
The result is a delicious perfection. This will be the BEST Southern hoppin' John you will ever make!
"Katie, I made this tonight for friends and it was a huge hit! Since I cooked bacon for the hoppin John, we had BLTs as well. It was super easy and really tasty! I will definitely make it again!"
★★★★★-Melanie
Black-eyed Peas is a comfort food staple in many Southern homes. Cook them all day in a little ham hock or bacon grease and you got yourself a delicious treat.
Take your Black-eyed Peas up a notch by layering it over rice, hence the Hoppin' John.
Southerners like to serve black eyed peas and collard greens for good luck on New Year's Day. We eat them together every year. They go great with cornbread! I hope you like them as much as we do. Enjoy! Xoxo ~Katie.
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Ingredient notes and substitutions
To make this hoppin john recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- canned black-eyed peas- This cuts cooking time. If you want to make your black eyed peas from scratch, click here.
- bacon fat or vegetable bouillon- This is what will flavor your peas. Don't skip this part. If you don't have bacon grease on hand, cook about 4 slices of bacon and use the bacon grease. You can also crumble the bacon and add that to the peas for extra flavor.
- rice-I like white rice for this recipe, but you can use brown rice. For extra flavor, cook your rice in chicken broth.
- cheddar cheese- Freshly grate the cheese. This is NOT a corner to cut. Pre-shredded cheese is NOT as moist and tasty as freshly shredded cheese. It takes 5 minutes.
- tomatoes-Use any variety you prefer.
- green onions
- jalapeno- Jalapeno adds another great great flavor and a little heat to the hoppin John. Serrano peppers are also a tasty hot pepper that will compliment the black eyed peas. However, some people do not like spicy food, so I serve it on the side. You can also chop a green bell pepper for those who like the addition of pepper flavor without the heat.
Steps
Follow these simple steps to make hopping John.
- Cook rice according to directions.
- Meanwhile, cook canned black-eyed peas in their liquid with either bacon fat or vegetable bouillon for 20 minutes on a low simmer. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Layer black-eyed peas with the liquid over cooked rice.
- Layer freshly shredded cheese over black-eyed peas.
- Top chopped tomatoes over cheese.
- Layer chopped green onions over tomatoes. Serve.
Why use canned black eyed peas over fresh or dried peas?
Now for this particular dish, I used canned black-eyed peas. To some people, this is blasphemy….And I would agree if they were served solo. But after simmering them in bacon fat or a vegetable boullion (for the vegetarians), and adding the toppings; no one will know they aren't homemade…. I promise. This keeps the recipe simple, easy, and fast to make.
This is an opportunity to cut corners. They are going to be soooooo good. You will thank me!
Flavor Tip
In our home, we set out bottle of our favorite hot sauce to top the black eyed peas. It adds extra flavor and heat.
If you want, you could eat this as a meal all by itself. I wish you could taste this Hoppin' John Dish right now. I would share if I could!
Would you like to try some more Southern recipes? Try some of these:
📖 Recipe
Hoppin' John Recipe- Southern Black-Eyed Peas
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
- (3) 15.5 ounces black-eyed canned peas
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat or 1 vegetable bouillon
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomato
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 8 ounces freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook rice according to directions.1 ½ cups uncooked rice
- Meanwhile, cook canned black-eyed peas in their liquid with either bacon fat or vegetable bouillon for 20 minutes on a low simmer. Salt and pepper to taste.(3) 15.5 ounces black-eyed canned peas, 1 tablespoon bacon fat or 1 vegetable bouillon, salt and pepper to taste
- Layer black-eyed peas with the liquid over cooked rice.
- Layer 8 oz freshly shredded cheese over black-eyed peas.8 ounces freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- Layer 1 ½ cups of chopped tomatoes over cheese.1 ½ cup chopped tomato
- Layer 1 cup chopped green onions over tomatoes. Serve.1 cup chopped green onions
Rochelle Murray says
Delicious! I wanted something close to a dish my sister prepared some time ago and this is what I remember. I served it up in a big glass bowl and it presented like a pot luck salad! PS: I used Texas Pete Pepper sauce and it made the green onions sparkle!
Chalk it up as a WIN.
Deborah Huther says
Is this meant to be a dip?
Katie Crenshaw says
No. It is a side dish. Sorry. If you wanted to make it into a dip, you could omit the rice, add more cheese, and serve with tortilla or corn chips. I imagine it would be delicious!
Ramona says
This recipe is divine. I am loving the flavors and combinations in this dish! Thank you for sharing this recipe, It was so easy to make!
Jenny says
I made this last night, and it was terrific. All the flavors mingle very well, it is hearty and cheesy and really good. My kids devoured the whole bowl!
Hayley Dhanecha says
This is a new dish for me, however we love to make and enjoy black eye bean curry and rice. I am excited to try this version.
Aditi Bahl says
Made this and it came out lovely. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Jere Cassidy says
Making this for my hubby. He talks about his mother making this all the time, so it's about time I make it for him. I am all about canned beans.
Jessica says
I must be living under a rock because until recently I'd never heard of Hoppin John. I've seen several recipes over the past week and this one looks the best with all those toppings! Definitely will be giving this a try in the near future.
Mikayla says
I made this on New Year's Day for good luck. It was so tasty! The whole family loved it. It is such an easy side dish. Can't wait to make again.
Linda says
I've never tried the dish before and I really enjoy it. So delicious and makes a perfect side dish for so many different meals.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It's really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Megan Ellam says
Colourful, vibrant and absolutely delicious! Thanks for another ripper recipe!
Heather Perine says
I love black eyed peas! And love that these are made with canned so easy. Pinning for later because this is getting made ASAP!
Jenni LeBaron says
I love black-eyed peas. This dish is not served often enough for my liking. Can't wait to try your recipe!
Beth says
That is the most colorful bowl of Hoppin John that I have ever seen. I find nothing wrong with using canned beans for lots of applications! They are so much quicker than dried!
Angelica Berrios says
I am really enjoying this recipe! So many colors, it looks so fresh, I would eat it on its own!
Ramona says
This recipe looks soo divine - vibrant and soo inviting - such a versatile side dish or a meal on its own. Perfect! Thank you soo much for sharing this absolutely cheering recipe - love the combo and all the ingredients in this - a must make as soon as.
Michelle says
I can't wait to try this recipe out. It looks so delicious. And it's a perfect side dish for so many different meals.
Melanie says
Katie, I made this tonight for friends and it was a huge hit! Since I cooked bacon for the hoppin John, we had BLTs as well. It was super easy and really tasty! I will definitely make it again!