Black Eyed Pea Salad with Collard Greens

Black eyed pea salad with collard greens is a vegan side dish of black eyed peas tossed with garlic-ginger vinaigrette and fresh veggies. This recipe is a great option for outdoor dining since it contains no dairy. If you love black eyed peas, this flavorful, fresh take on them will soon become a favorite. 

What Is A Black Eyed Pea Salad?

This salad features dried black eyed peas that are soaked and simmered until tender. The peas are then tossed with red onions and a freshly made garlic-ginger vinaigrette, which they cool down in and absorb. Finally, the legumes are tossed with ribbons of fresh collard greens and a rainbow of other veggies to create a stunning side dish that suits any diet. 

Black eyed pea salad with collard greens is a vegan and gluten-free recipe. While using dried black eyed peas adds a few more hours to this recipe, I do prefer their texture over canned or frozen. Frozen or canned peas are acceptable substitutes if you are pressed for time. 

What Are Black Eyed Peas?

Black eyed peas are legumes originally from West Africa. Their name comes from the black spot on the beige pea, which resembles an eye. Many cultures around the world consume black eyed peas, and it’s a prominent ingredient in Soul Food or African-American cuisine. They are full of nutrients like folate, calcium, and vitamin A, making them a very nutritious ingredient to add to your diet. Additionally, black eyed peas are a great source of protein, which makes them a great addition to vegan or vegetarian diets. 

Using any dried legume in your cooking requires some preparation, but the texture and flavor of dried legumes far surpass their canned counterparts. First, sort through your black eyed peas to remove any that appear moldy, split, or wrinkled. My reject pile is on the left side of this image. 

How Long Does It Take To Soak Black Eyed Peas?

Once you sort out the rejects, add the black eyed peas to a dutch oven and cover them with at least 4 inches of cold water. 

Black eyed peas don’t require soaking as other dried beans, as some legumes do. Soaking does help to soften them, however, slightly reducing the cooking time required to make them tender. Soak the black eyed peas for 3 hours. 

Drain the water and rinse the peas to remove any residual field or factory dirt. Return the peas to the dutch oven and cover them with 4 inches of water. Bring this water up to a boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce the cooking temperature to medium-low after the water comes to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer the black eyed peas for 45 minutes or until al dente. 

Increase the cooking time to 1 hour 30 minutes if you didn’t soak the peas beforehand. 

Carefully pour the softened black eyed peas into a colander to drain off the water. Rinse the peas under cold water and allow them to drain while you prepare the garlic-ginger vinaigrette.

Can I Use Canned Peas Instead?

You can replace the dry black eyed peas in this salad with canned. Drain and rinse the can of peas in a colander to remove the canning liquid. Drain them well, or pat the black eyed peas dry so the dressing coats them later. 

You can also swap the dried black eyed peas for frozen and thawed peas. Thaw the black eyed peas in the refrigerator and strain off any liquid. Again, dry the peas to ensure the garlic-ginger vinaigrette sticks to them later. 

How Do I Make The Dressing For Black Eyed Pea Salad?

A garlic-ginger vinaigrette adds bright, zesty flavor to black eyed pea salad. To make the garlic-ginger vinaigrette dressing, you need olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, ginger, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, cumin, harissa spice blend, kosher salt, and black pepper. 

You can swap the lemon juice for fresh lime juice in this recipe. You can also replace the shallot with the same amount of yellow onion if you don’t have one. 

Can I Substitute The Harissa Spice Blend?

Harissa spice blend is a seasoning of dried chilies, paprika, garlic powder, and warm spices like cumin, coriander, and caraway. Mexican spice blend or Middle Eastern Spice Blend can replace the harissa spice blend if you don’t keep it in the pantry. 

Add the oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, ginger, mustard, syrup, and spices to a quart-sized mason jar or blender. Use an immersion blender to blend the vinaigrette until it emulsifies or becomes thick and cohesive. If you’re making the garlic-ginger vinaigrette in a blender, blend the ingredients together at low speed. Add a small amount of cold water to the blender if things aren’t moving around enough. 

How Far Ahead Can I Make The Garlic-Ginger Vinaigrette?

Once the vinaigrette forms an emulsion, it’s ready to use. 

You can prepare the garlic-ginger vinaigrette 7 to 10 days ahead and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. You might have to blend it for 30 seconds to emulsify it again, but it’s good to go after that. 

What Other Ingredients Do I Need To Make Black Eyed Pea Salad?

For the rest of the black eyed pea salad, you need fresh collard greens, Roma tomatoes, English cucumber, carrots, jalapeño pepper, (purple) red onion, cilantro, and mint. 

Grab a large mixing bowl and a set of salad spoons to mix the salad. 

How Far Ahead Can I Prepare It?

Add the tender black eyed peas to a large mixing bowl with the red onion while they’re still warm. Pour half of the garlic-ginger vinaigrette into the bowl and use salad spoons to toss the peas and onions into the dressing. I recommend doing this while the black eyed peas are still warm because they absorb more of the dressing then.

Allow the peas to cool completely. You can put the bowl in the refrigerator uncovered and start prepping the rest of the salad ingredients while you wait for them to cool down. 

You can prepare black-eyed pea salad a day before serving it and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator. Making the salad a day ahead gives the peas enough time to absorb the dressing and meld with the rest of the ingredients’ flavors. 

Can I Replace The Collard Greens In This Recipe?

Collard greens are a member of the broccoli family. This vegetable’s dark green leaves are popular worldwide, but especially in Brazil, Africa, and the American South. Collards have bitter, tough leaves but are a rich source of vitamins A, C, and K. Collards are notoriously gritty, so you must clean them thoroughly before using them in recipes. You can soak them in a bowlful of cold water and let the grit settle to the bottom of the bowl on its own. You can also agitate the leaves to encourage the dirt to come off them. 

The best way to prep collard greens you plan to eat raw is to thinly slice the thick leaves. Remove the woody stems that run down the center of the leaf. Cut the leaves down the middle, then stack them. Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the leaves across their width into ribbons. 

Add the collard greens, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and mint to the bowl of peas. 

You can replace the collards in this recipe with kale, Swiss chard, or spinach. The jalapeño pepper is optional, but I love the mild spice it gives the salad. You can also replace the cilantro with flat-leaf parsley, basil, or dill. 

Add the remaining garlic-ginger vinaigrette and use the salad spoons to toss these ingredients together until combined. 

What Do I Serve Black Eyed Pea Salad With?

Once you toss everything together, the black eyed pea salad is ready. 

Black eyed pea salad is a great side dish to serve with grilled meat, chicken wings, or seafood dishes. Serve it with grilled tofu or on its own for a delicious vegan meal. 

How Do I Store Leftovers?

Transfer leftover black eyed pea salad to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

As time passes, the tomatoes in the salad will soften to the point of mushiness, so enjoy it sooner rather than later.

Can I Freeze Black Eyed Pea Salad After I Make It?

I don’t recommend freezing black eyed pea salad after assembling it. The fresh vegetables and herbs wilt upon thawing, and the herbs turn black, which is so gross. Instead, only freeze the tender black eyed peas. Thaw them when you’re ready to make the salad, drain them, and continue with the rest of the recipe. 

I wanted to name this “Black Folk’s Salad” because of how well it represents our culture: it has flavor, variety, and looks amazing. Alas, black eyed pea salad is a great recipe to serve at your next cookout, BBQ, or gathering. You and your family will love the zingy garlic-ginger vinaigrette and the amazing texture of this salad. Apart from that, it’s super-easy to prepare, even with dried peas.

Let me know what you think of this black eyed pea salad recipe in the comments. Don’t forget to pin it to your salad board for easy finding later.

Black Eyed Pea Salad

Marta Rivera at Sense & Edibility

5 from 16 votes

Black eyed pea salad with collard greens is a vegan side dish of black eyed peas tossed with garlic-ginger vinaigrette and fresh veggies.

Prep time include soaking and simmering the dried black eyed peas until tender. Frozen or canned peas are acceptable substitutes if you are pressed for time. 

Servings: 12

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Equipment

• immersion blender or blender
• dutch oven
• large mixing bowl

Ingredients

  

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• 1 pound (460 grams) dried black eyed peas sorted

For the Garlic-Ginger Vinaigrette

• 2/3 cup (155 milliliters) olive oil
• 3 large lemons juiced (1/3 cup or 80 milliliters)
• 1 small shallot rough chopped (about 20 grams)
• 3 large cloves garlic rough chopped
• 2 inch piece ginger peeled and chopped (about 15 grams)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 milliliters) maple syrup or agave syrup
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt plus more to taste
• 3/4 teaspoon (1 gram) harissa spice blend
• 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

For the Salad

• 1 bunch collard greens destemmed and sliced into ribbons (about 3 1/2 cups or 125 grams)
• 2 medium carrots peeled and minced (about 1 cup or 110 grams)
• 2 small Roma tomatoes seeded and diced (1 cup or 110 grams)
• 1/2 English cucumber seeded and diced (1 cup or 110 grams)
• 1 small jalapeño seeded and minced (20 grams)
• 1/4 bunch cilantro trimmed and chopped (30 grams)
• 1 stem mint destemmed and chopped (1 tablespoon or 15 grams)

Instructions 

Soften the Black Eyed Peas

• Add the black eyed peas to a large dutch oven and cover them with at least 4 inches of cold water. 

  Soak the black eyed peas for 3 hours. 
• Drain the water and rinse the peas to remove any residual field or factory dirt.

  Return the peas to the dutch oven and cover them with 4 inches of water.

  Bring this water up to a boil over medium-high heat.
• Reduce the cooking temperature to medium-low after the water comes to a boil.

  Cover the pot and simmer the black eyed peas for 45 minutes or until al dente. 
• Carefully pour the black eyed peas into a colander to drain the water.

  Rinse the peas under cold water and allow them to drain while you prepare the garlic-ginger vinaigrette.

Make the Garlic-Ginger Vinaigrette

• Add the oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, ginger, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, harissa spice blend, ground cumin, and black pepper to a quart-sized mason jar or blender.
• Use an immersion blender to blend the vinaigrette until it emulsifies or becomes thick and cohesive.

  *If you're making the garlic-ginger vinaigrette in a blender, blend the ingredients together at low speed. Add a small amount of cold water to the blender if things aren't moving around enough.*

  Once the vinaigrette forms an emulsion, it's ready to use.

Assemble the Black Eyed Pea Salad

• Add the drained black eyed peas to a large mixing bowl with the red onion while the peas are still warm.

  Pour half of the garlic-ginger vinaigrette into the bowl and use salad spoons to toss the peas and onions into the dressing.

  Allow the peas to cool completely.
• Add the collard greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, jalapeño, cilantro, and mint to the bowl of peas. 

  Add the remaining garlic-ginger vinaigrette and use the salad spoons to toss these ingredients together until combined. 
• Once you toss everything together, the black eyed pea salad is ready to serve 

  Black eyed pea salad is a great side dish to serve with grilled meat, chicken wings, or seafood dishes. Serve it with grilled tofu or on its own for a delicious vegan meal. 

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

• You can replace the dry black eyed peas with canned. Drain and rinse the can of peas in a colander to remove the canning liquid.
• Swap the dried black eyed peas for frozen and thawed peas. Thaw the black eyed peas in the refrigerator and strain off any liquid.
• You can swap the lemon juice for fresh lime juice in this recipe.
• Replace the shallot with the same amount of yellow onion if you don't have one. 
• Mexican spice blend or Middle Eastern Spice Blend can replace the harissa spice blend in this recipe.
• You can replace the collard greens in this recipe with kale, Swiss chard, or spinach.
• The jalapeño pepper is optional in this salad.
• You can also replace the cilantro with flat-leaf parsley, basil, or dill. 

Tips and Techniques:

• Black eyed peas don't require soaking as other dried beans, as some legumes do, though soaking does help to soften them and slightly reduces the cooking time required to make them tender.
• Increase the cooking time to 1 hour 30 minutes if you didn't soak the peas beforehand. 
• You can prepare the garlic-ginger vinaigrette 7 to 10 days ahead and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.
• Blend any dressing that's sat for more than 1 hour for 30 seconds to emulsify it again. 
• Dressing the black eyed peas while they are still warm allows them to absorb more of the dressing.
• You can put the bowl in the refrigerator uncovered and start prepping the rest of the salad ingredients while you wait for them to cool down.  
• You can prepare black-eyed pea salad a day before serving it and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.
• Making the salad a day ahead gives the peas enough time to absorb the dressing and meld with the rest of the ingredients' flavors.
• You can soak the collard greens in a bowlful of cold water and let the grit settle to the bottom of the bowl on its own or agitate the leaves to encourage the dirt to come off them. 

Storage Instructions:

• Transfer leftover black eyed pea salad to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
• I don't recommend freezing black eyed pea salad after assembling it because the vegetables and herbs wilt upon thawing, and the herbs turn black. Instead, only freeze the softened black eyed peas. Thaw them when you're ready to make the salad, drain them, and continue with the rest of the recipe. 

Nutrition

Calories: 274kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 10gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 195mgPotassium: 593mgFiber: 6gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 2647IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 99mgIron: 4mg

Course Side Dish

Cuisine African American, Soul Food, Southern

Keyword black eyed peas, collard greens, salad, vegan, vegetarian

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