This hoppin' John recipe layers black-eyed peas over rice then tops them with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and green onions.
The result is perfection. This will be the BEST Southern hoppin' John you will ever make!
What is Hoppin' John?
Black-eyed Peas is a 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.
Watch how to make
Ingredients:
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.
- rice-I like white rice for this recipe, but you can use brown rice.
- cheddar cheese- Freshly shred the cheese. This is NOT a corner to cut. That pre-shredded cheese is NOT as moist and tasty as freshly shredded cheese. It takes 5 minutes.
- tomatoes
- green onions
- jalapeno- Jalapeno adds another great great flavor to the hoppin John. However, some people do not like spicy food, so I serve it on the side.
Canned Peas
Now for this particular dish, I used canned black-eyed peas. To some that 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.
So keep it simple. Make them easy. This is an opportunity to cut corners.
They are going to be soooooo good. You will thank me!
Steps
- 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 1 cup chopped green onions over tomatoes. Serve.
*This post contains affiliate links.
Note: I use my Panasonic SR-DF101 5-Cup (Uncooked) One-Touch "Fuzzy Logic" Rice Cooker to cook all of my rice. It is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. My rice comes out perfect every time.
Tip
I like to add freshly diced jalapeno on topof the hoppin' John. If you have those that can't take the heat, have some diced jalapeño set to the side.
If you want, you could eat this 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:
- Easy Southern Banana Pudding
- How to Cook Field Peas
- Carolina Barbecue Sauce
- How to Cook Collard Greens
- Slow Cooker Green Beans and Potatoes
Recipe
The Best Southern Hoppin' John Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
- (3) 15.5 oz black-eyed canned peas
- 1 tbs bacon fat or 1 vegetable bouillon
- 1 ½ cup chopped tomato
- 1 cup chopped green onions
- 8 oz freshly shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook 1 ½ cups rice according to directions.
- Meanwhile, cook three 15.5 oz canned black-eyed peas in their liquid with either 1 tbs bacon fat or 1 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 8 oz freshly shredded cheese over black-eyed peas.
- Layer 1 ½ cups of chopped tomatoes over cheese.
- Layer 1 cup chopped green onions over tomatoes. Serve.
Katie Crenshaw
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!
Deborah Huther
Is this meant to be a dip?
Ramona
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
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
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
Made this and it came out lovely. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Jere Cassidy
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
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
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
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
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
Colourful, vibrant and absolutely delicious! Thanks for another ripper recipe!
Heather Perine
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
I love black-eyed peas. This dish is not served often enough for my liking. Can't wait to try your recipe!
Beth
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
I am really enjoying this recipe! So many colors, it looks so fresh, I would eat it on its own!
Ramona
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
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
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!