Kick off the New Year the right way with this hearty and flavorful vegan black-eyed pea soup! Every bite is loaded with smoky black-eyed peas, vegan sausage, tender collard greens, and loads of vegetables! This vegan black-eyed pea soup recipe is naturally dairy-free and slow cooker instructions are included.
I've been making this black-eyed pea and collard greens soup with vegan sausage for our New Year's Day dinner for the last few years, so I thought that it would be perfect timing to share it with you on the last day of 2019! It's a tradition that we really enjoy and I hope that you try it for your first meal of 2020!
In the South, black-eyed peas are considered to be very lucky, collard greens represent money, and cornbread represents gold coin and wealth. When this Southern meal is eaten on the first day of the new year, it's supposed to bring prosperity and good luck for the rest of the year!
Traditionally, black-eyed pea soup is made with a ham bone, ham hocks, bacon, or hog jowls for extra flavor. Obviously, this vegan version doesn't contain any animal products, so I used minced mushrooms and meatless sausage to add that meaty flavor to the soup. This vegan black-eyed pea recipe is smoky, hearty, and perfect to enjoy any night of the year.
What Do Black Eyed Peas Taste Like?
Black-eyed peas have a starchy, nutty, earthy flavor. Actually, they don't taste like peas at all, they have more of a bean-like flavor and texture. They're quite delicious!
How to Cook Black-Eyed Peas
I always use my Instant Pot to cook the peas from scratch because it's quick and easy and inexpensive. I love being able to set it and forget it and then have the beans ready in just one hour. I never remember to soak the beans the night before so it's very convenient!
If you don't have an Instant Pot, there are a bunch of other ways to cook black-eyed peas.
Canned (Instant) -
- Rinse and drain the canned black-eyed peas (to get rid of any excess sodium) and then they're ready to eat. No cooking required.
Instant Pot (1 hour) -
- Rinse and drain the dried peas and then put them in the Instant Pot.
- Cover the beans with 1 ½ inches of cool water and add ½ teaspoon of sea salt.
- Put the lid on the Instant pot and press the beans/chili button.
- The beans will cook for 35 minutes and then let the steam naturally release for 15-20 additional minutes. If you like your beans to be on the softer side, let the steam naturally release for the full 20 minutes.
- Push the valve to vent and let any remaining steam release and then remove the lid. Drain any excess water.
Quick Cook (1 ½ hours) -
- Follow this guide to soak and then quick cook the dried black-eyed peas.
Soaking (8 hours) -
- Put the beans in a large pot and cover them with four inches of cool water. Let the beans soak overnight and then drain the water. Rinse the beans once more and drain the water again.
How to Make It - Step by Step Instructions
(Find the full instructions on the recipe card at the end of this post)
In a large 6-quart dutch oven, saute diced onion, celery, and carrots over medium heat until they're soft (Photo 1). Next, add the minced mushrooms and garlic, mix the vegetables together, and let it cook for a few minutes (Photo 2).
Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, and dried seasonings to the soup. Mix everything together and let it cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld (Photos 3 & 4).
Add the vegetable broth, water, cooked black-eyed peas, and frozen collard greens to the pot. Bring the soup to a simmer and then reduce the heat and let the soup cook for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables have softened (Photos 5 & 6).
Next, you're going to add the sliced vegan sausage to the soup. You have two options:
- You can slice the vegan sausage and add it directly to the soup to warm it up.
- You can saute the sliced vegan sausage in a little bit of oil in a separate pan until each slice has a little bit of color and crispy edges, and then add the cooked sausage to the soup.
Lastly, stir the soup and let it cook for 5 more minutes or until the sausages are hot all the way through. Garnish each bowl of soup with freshly ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
Serving Suggestions
I like to serve this soup with a big salad with vegan ranch dressing, a slice of crusty no-knead bread to dip, and a baked potato, it's a classic combo! You could also serve any of the following
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
- Vegan Cornbread
- Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Garlic
- Roasted Lemon Garlic Asparagus
- Avocado Arugula Cherry Tomato Salad
How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator?
Store the vegan black-eyed pea soup in an airtight container in the soup for up to 4-5 days.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes, this vegan black-eyed pea soup recipe freezes perfectly! Store the leftover soup in a freezer-safe container and freeze it for 3-4 months for optimal freshness.
How To Reheat It
From the Freezer: When you're ready to eat the soup, take the container of soup out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours.
From the Fridge: Transfer the defrosted soup to a bowl and you can warm it up in the microwave or reheat it in a pan on the stovetop. You might need to add more vegetable broth to the soup as you reheat it if it's too thick.
Recipe Variations
- Make it in the Slow Cooker: Add all of the soup ingredients (except the vegan sausage) to a large slow cooker and set it to cook for 3-4 hours on high. Slice the sausages and fry them in a pan and then add them to the vegan black-eyed pea soup.
- Serve it Over Rice: Serve the smoky vegan black-eyed peas over brown or basmati rice, this dish is similar to "hoppin' John."
- Make it Spicy: Use spicy sausage (I really like Field Roast Chorizo) or add cayenne pepper to taste to give this vegan black-eyed pea recipe a little bit of heat!
- Serve it Over Potatoes: Roast or mash russet potatoes and serve the black-eyed pea soup over the potatoes.
Substitutions & FAQ
- Gluten-Free: This recipe can be gluten-free if you omit the vegan sausage. Or if you can find a vegan sausage that is gluten-free, that would work too.
- Collard Green Substitutes: You could use fresh or frozen spinach, kale, or swiss chard instead of collard greens.
- What can I substitute for black-eyed peas? You can substitute black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans, or great northern beans.
- Do you have to soak black-eyed peas? No, you don't need to soak black-eyed peas before cooking them.
- What brand of vegan sausage should I use? I used Field Roast Italian sausage, but Beyond Meat sausages taste great too. Or you could make your own vegan sausages with this recipe.
Success Tips
- Use canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes (don't drain the juice) instead of plain canned tomatoes, it adds so much flavor to the soup!
- Make sure that you use smoked paprika, not plain paprika, there's a big difference in flavor.
- If you prefer your sausage to have crispy edges, you should fry it in a pan first before adding the sausage slices to the soup.
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.
Want More Delicious Vegan Soup Recipes?
Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Soup
Equipment
- 6-Quart Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 ½ cups celery diced
- 1 ½ cups carrots diced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms minced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 28 oz fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp himalayan pink sea salt (more to taste)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 6 cups cooked black-eyed peas (2 cups of dried black eyed peas or (3) 14 oz cans of cooked black-eyed peas)
- 10 oz frozen collard greens
- 4 vegan sausage links sliced (I used Field Roast Italian sausages)
Instructions
- In a large 6-quart dutch oven, saute the medium diced onion, 1 ½ cups of celery, and 1 ½ cups of carrots in 3-4 tbsp of vegetable broth over medium heat until the vegetables are soft.
- Once the vegetables have softened slightly, add 8 oz of minced mushrooms and 3 minced garlic cloves, mix the vegetables together and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Â
- Add the 28 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes (with the juice), 2 tbsp of tomato paste, 1 tbsp of smoked paprika, 1 tsp of dried oregano, ½ tsp of crushed red pepper flakes, 2 bay leaves, ½ tsp of salt, and ½ tsp of black pepper to the soup. Mix everything together and let it cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.Â
- Add the 4 cups of vegetable broth, 1 cup of water, 6 cups of cooked black-eyed peas, and 10 oz of frozen collard greens to the pot. Bring the soup to a low simmer and then reduce the heat to medium. Let the soup cook for 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables have softened to your desired consistency.Â
- Next, you’re going to add the sliced vegan sausage to the soup. You have two options: You can slice the vegan sausage and add it directly to the soup to warm it up. Or you can saute the sliced vegan sausage in a little bit of oil in a separate pan until each slice has a little bit of color and crispy edges, and then add the cooked sausage to the soup.
- Lastly, stir the soup to mix the sausage in and let it cook for 5 more minutes or until the sausage slices are hot all the way through. Garnish each bowl of soup with freshly ground black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
Notes
- Use canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes (don't drain the juice) instead of plain canned tomatoes, it adds so much flavor to the soup!
- Make sure that you use smoked paprika, not plain paprika, there's a big difference in flavor.Â
- If you prefer your sausage to have crispy edges, you should fry it in a pan first before adding the sausage slices to the soup.Â
- Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.Â
This was way too spicy for my tastes. The spice was so overpowering I couldn’t taste any other flavors. I followed the tip to use fire roasted tomatoes, so maybe that’s it, as the amount of red pepper flakes didn’t seem to be a large amount. I ended up straining all of the soup off and just ate what remained with a fork.
Hello! I'm so sorry that the soup was too spicy for you. The fire-roasted tomatoes shouldn't add heat, just a smoky flavor. I'm glad you still found a way to enjoy it.
This was very tasty and cheap to make. Thanks for sharing!!
I'm so glad you liked it, CeCe! Thank you!