Black Eyed Pea Salad
Make this plant-based Black Eyed Pea Salad in just 15 minutes without any cooking. It’s filled with crisp veggies and tossed with a tangy cider dressing.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You will love how easy this colorful salad is to make! It’s a twist on cowboy caviar (also known as Texas caviar).
It’s perfect for hot summer days since it’s a no-cook recipe filled with fresh summer produce. You can even make it all year round because it has easy-to-find ingredients.
Bring this Black Eyed Pea Salad to any event, from bbqs to football watch parties. It fits with many special diets and is both vegan and gluten-free. It’s filled with fresh veggies, protein, and fiber.
Eat it as a side salad, or as a black eyed pea dip with tortilla chips or crackers.
And, of course, remember to make it in January for New Year’s Day! Eating black eyed peas for New Year’s is a tradition that’s been around for many years that’s said to bring luck for the year.
Try this Cannellini Bean and Sun Dried Tomato Salad or Crunchy Chickpea Mediterranean Salad for more bean salad recipes. And of course, my favorite, Chickpea Avocado Salad.
Ingredients
Make this salad with a handful of simple and common ingredients, any time of year.
- Black Eyed Peas: Canned black eyed peas, rinsed and drained. You can cook your own if you don’t want to use canned.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Diced cherry tomatoes for their juicy texture and fresh flavor. You can use Roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or your favorite variety, although cherry tomatoes add the best flavor to this salad.
- Bell Pepper: Diced orange bell pepper for some added crunch and color. You can substitute for a red bell pepper or yellow bell pepper.
- Onion and Garlic: To add a savory zing.
- Cilantro: Fresh cilantro, chopped. I love cilantro, however some people find it to taste soapy. You can leave it out or substitute it for your favorite fresh herbs like parsley or basil.
- Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil for the base of the cider vinaigrette dressing.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This gives the dressing a tangy flavor. You could substitute for your preferred type of vinegar, but it will change the salad’s flavor.
- Sea Salt: To make the flavors pop.
*The full ingredient list with amounts is in the recipe card below.
Variations
- Make it spicy. If you want to make it spicy, add some minced jalapeño, Fresno pepper, or habanero, depending on the level of spice you’re looking for.
- Give it a Mediterranean flair. Add crumbled feta cheese and swap out the cilantro for a mix of fresh parsley and basil. Instead of a cider vinaigrette, use an Italian dressing, lemon vinaigrette, or red wine vinaigrette.
- Add more veggies. Stir in corn, diced cucumber, celery, and sliced green onions.
- Use a different vinegar. Instead of cider vinegar, get creative! Use your favorite type of vinegar, like balsamic or red wine vinegar. You could even use lemon juice for a bright flavor.
How to Make the Best Black Eyed Pea Salad
- In a medium bowl, toss together the black eyed peas, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and garlic.
- Whisk together or shake the olive oil and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl or jar until well blended. Pour the dressing over the black eyed peas mixture and stir until combined.
- Taste and season with sea salt, as desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to marinate together.
Expert Tip: Let it chill. Although this salad is delicious enjoyed immediately, it gets even better after marinating in the refrigerator for an hour or two. This gives all the flavors a chance to come together.
How to Rinse and Drain Canned Beans
When using canned beans, many recipes will say to rinse and drain the beans. This liquid will affect the texture of many recipes, since it’s excess starchy liquid.
To do this:
- Open your can, then dump it into a colander over your sink.
- Rinse with cold water until the water becomes clear.
- Give the colander a good shake to remove excess water.
No need to boil them, your beans are now ready to use!
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to enjoy this Black Eyed Pea Salad is on toast for a light lunch! Or you could have it over some greens for a lunch salad.
It’s also great as a party dip for your next game day get-together, bbq, cookout, or picnic. It travels well, so it’s great to bring to potlucks. Serve it alongside tortilla chips for dipping.
Though it’s excellent in the summer since it has fresh summer tomatoes and peppers, it’s also good to serve for New Year’s. It’s believed that eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day will bring you good luck throughout the year. Read more about this tradition.
Make it as a weeknight or holiday side dish. Want to know what to serve with black eyed pea salad? Try these turkey veggie burgers or baked cornflake chicken tenders.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make Ahead: This is the perfect salad for making ahead since it gets better as it marinates. You can make it up to a few days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. This makes it great for meal prep.
To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Give it a good stir before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
Black eyed peas are a type of bean that are a variety of the cowpea. They are medium sized, pale in color, and have a distinctive black spot.
You can substitute black eyed peas for your favorite type of beans, like navy beans or pinto beans.
More Dip Recipes
- Hummus with Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Pico De Gallo with Avocado
- Mango Salsa with Jalapeno
- Classic Guacamole
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Black Eyed Peas Salad
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Toss
- Cuisine: American
Description
Make this plant-based Black Eyed Pea Salad in just 15 minutes without any cooking. It’s filled with crisp veggies and tossed with a tangy cider dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 small orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- sea salt, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, toss together the black eyed peas, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and garlic.
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together or shake the olive oil and apple cider vinegar until well blended. Pour the dressing over the black eyed peas mixture and stir until combined.
- Taste and season with sea salt, as desired. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to marinate together.
Notes
Some people find cilantro to taste soapy. You can leave it out or substitute it for your favorite fresh herbs, like parsley or basil.
Let it chill. Although this salad is delicious enjoyed immediately, it gets even better after marinating in the refrigerator for an hour or two. This gives all the flavors a chance to come together.
Nutritional Values (per serving) are approximates only.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 348
- Sugar: 6.3 g
- Sodium: 159.1 mg
- Fat: 14.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 41 g
- Fiber: 7.6 g
- Protein: 15.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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