In this delicious Vegan Hoppin’ John recipe, a traditional New Year’s black eyed pea stew gets a vegan makeover. This smoky, healthy, and satisfying meatless recipe is a lighter version of the Southern classic. It’s the perfect recipe to celebrate the New Year or Rosh Hashanah.
Black-eyed peas are culturally and historically significant during the celebration of the New Year for both Sephardic Jews and those living in the American South.
The Jewish tradition is more ancient with roots in the Babylonian Talmud, which lists nine foods that should be eaten during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Each food listed is representative of a wish to come in the New Year; the black-eyed peas are said to be a symbol of good fortune. In Hebrew and Aramaic they are called “rubiyah” and in Arabic “lubiya,” both related to Hebrew words “l’harabot” and “harbeh” meaning “to increase” and “many.” When you eat black-eyed peas at the Rosh Hashanah Seder, you are inviting wealth and good fortune in the coming year.
In the South, black-eyed peas have been seen as a symbol of good fortune since the Civil War. They were originally planted for livestock consumption and later became a common source of nutrition for slaves. When General William Sherman’s troops swept in, destroying the majority of Southern crops, the black-eyed peas were left behind. They proved to be an important source of nutrition for the starving Confederate soldiers. In the South black-eyed peas are often eaten with other foods that symbolize abundance, like golden cornbread and greens that swell when they are cooked, representing paper money and growing wealth.
It is possible that these two traditions, Jewish and Southern, melded during the 18th century, when many Jewish homes in the South had African American cooks. Black-eyed peas are now enjoyed for both the secular New Year’s Day celebration on January 1 as well as during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year.
Recently I cooked dinner for my new friend John Salley, a former NBA star who happens to be vegan. I’d been developing this Vegan Hoppin’ John recipe, so I included it on the menu. It was a huge hit. So many black-eyed pea preparations I’ve tried in the past have been bland and flavorless. Not this one! The smoked paprika gives it that smoky, ham-like flavor; turmeric gives it depth and adds a healthy anti-inflammatory boost. Seared mushrooms provide a savory meatiness. The traditional combination of black-eyed peas and rice make this a complete protein. It’s a tasty and filling side dish or entree.
Who knows? Maybe it will bring us some luck as we ring in the new year!
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Vegan Hoppin' John
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried black eyed peas
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 4 whole carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks roughly chopped
- 1 whole onion roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
- 15 ounces diced fire roasted tomatoes 1 can
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/8 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 cups vegetable stock low sodium ok
- Salt to taste
- Chopped scallions garnish - optional
- 6 cups steamed white or brown rice for serving prepared
NOTES
Instructions
- Soak black eyed peas overnight, then drain, rinse and set aside. In a medium saucepot or large saute pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over high until it just begins to smoke (keep a close eye on it-- you don't want the oil to darken in color, but you do want it to get very hot). Add the mushrooms in a single layer and let them sear undisturbed for 2-3 minutes until they begin to turn golden on the searing side. Stir continuously for another 1-2 minutes until the mushrooms are golden throughout. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add carrots, celery and onion along with the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil. Cook until vegetables are soft and translucent (about 7-10 minutes), then add garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Add fire roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, turmeric, cayenne, chili powder, vegetable stock and soaked black eyed peas to the pan, stir to blend. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat, then cover and cook for 25 -30 minutes until the beans are just tender - don't overcook them or they will get mushy. Remove the lid and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Season with salt to taste. I usually add about 1 tsp. if using a low sodium broth. Salt really makes the other flavors pop!
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
My new New Years meal. I made the day before and then delivered to friends on January 1. Rave reviews from all. Delicious, tasty, filling. I did not use the olive oil but substituted water.
I added some jalapeño pepper, and could have added another as I like it spicy. The standard bag of black eyed peas is just over 2 cups, so I adjusted the recipe accordingly with some additional veggie broth. Be sure to cover your peas with enough water to allow for expansion overnight – or check them early the next day and add more soaking water if necessary.
This is easily the best Hoppin John recipe on the internet. I have been making it for the last two years, and between the earthiness of the mushrooms and the low liquid content (I hate soupy Hoppin John!) I will be keeping this recipe for years to come… thank you!
I have made this several times for New Year’s Day and it is so delicious. Serve with brown rice and collard greens. I love the smoked paprika which adds a nice earthy flavor along with the mushrooms. Yum! I made this in the instant pot for the first time and followed comments below to add 6 cups of liquid, pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, and natural release. I would suggest others who want to cook using the instant pot to use less liquid. It came out more soupy this time, but the beans were fully cooked. Next time, I think I will only add 4 cups of the vegetable broth. That would be enough to cook the beans but not result in a soup. Definitely a New Years tradition we will keep in our household.
Happy 2021! This was v tasty, and despite fears of bitterness due to homemade veg broth that leaned somewhat heavily on kale and collard stems, was slightly sweet. I’m chocking that up to the carrots. Just an additional thought in case helpful: In hindsight, the standard 16oz bag of black-eyed peas has bit over 3 cups dry. So either plan to increase recipe by 1.5 or measure out the 2 cups before soaking. I ended up using the whole 3 cups dry, minus maybe 1/4 that spilled, and increased spices by 50% (plus 1/4 tsp liquid smoke). Needed 3-4 cups broth vs called-for 2. If I’d had a larger pan, I’d have upped veggies and/or added 2nd can fire-roasted tomatoes. Did stir in several handfuls of fresh kale, finely ribboned, at end after heat was off. They wilted nicely and added some color. Oh, if possible, highly recommended topping with chopped fresh flat-leaved parsley—adds more flavor than one might think.
And loved the history lesson on black-eyed peas!
Really extraordinary! Here in Black-eye Pea, Collard Greens, and Corn Bread country I have tried many recipes for H.J. This is the best. We are not vegetarian but we do dive into the vegetarian and vegan repertoire at times for exemplary recipes. This is one of the tops. Canned Black Eyes work, drain and rinse them and cook the recipe as though you are using dried peas, just add the canned ones just after “cook for 25 -30 minutes until the beans are just tender” then have at it.
Gotta go wash the collards, thanks Tori.
Charley
Absolutely delicious! I’ve been trying to use up all of my canned goods, as I tend to overstock. I NEVER cook black-eyed peas, so I don’t even know why I had these on my shelf! Anyway, I will be making again. The family loved it!!
A great way to use them up! 😀
I made this for a New Year’s Day potluck and it disappeared pretty fast. It’s maybe a little heavy on the carrots (or maybe the carrots I used were too big), but they gentle out the cayenne. Next time I’ll cut them back a bit and add some chopped kale and some other peppers, because I like it hot.
For an oil-free version, you could saute the mushrooms in a dry pan until they release their own liquid. My spouse cooks them that way pretty often. Then just add the other vegetables, with a little stock if needed to prevent scorching.
I should note that I added oregano, thyme, and a bay leaf, because mushrooms beg for oregano, and thyme and bay leaf go without saying. Also a little rice wine vinegar because I thought it needed a little sweetening and punching up due to an unfortunate incident where someone decided to start the blackeyed peas on their own before I’d even started on the rest. They’d already been soaking 36 hours, so the last thing they needed was to get boiled in tap water, but these things happen when you share a kitchen.
This was delicious over brown rice. Also by itself with some Romano cheese grated on top. Oops, no longer vegan. Sorry!
Thanks for the nutritional information, it’s nice to have so handy. Another handy thing, if you have the time/resources to add it, would be an ingredients list to print out and put next to the serving dish. I pretty much always do that at potlucks now because so many of my friends need to know if there’s meat/gluten/tomatoes/peppers/whatever in there.
Great input John, noted.
Made this for my New Years’ hopping john — excellent! Happy (and lucky) 2020 to you!!!
Made this tonight for New Year’s dinner. I made this oil free and skipped the mushrooms. Threw everything into the instant pot with 6 cups veggie broth & cooked 15 minutes, then natural release. Perfect! Served with rice & collard greens. Thanks for a great recipe!