New Years Day Black Eyed Peas

⏲ ~26 min total · prep 14 · cook 12 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Two 15-oz cans black soybeans, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 green onions, sliced, for garnish

Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in a 3-quart Dutch oven over medium heat for 7-9 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pieces are crisp and the fat has rendered. Pour off all but 2 tbsp of fat.
2. Add the onion and celery to the bacon fat and cook 4-5 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until the vegetables are soft and translucent.
3. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, just until you smell it.
4. Add the soybeans, broth, bay leaf, smoked paprika, and salt and bring everything to a boil over high heat.
5. Cover, drop to a bare simmer, and cook 25 minutes, stirring twice, until the beans are tender and the liquid has cooked down to a thick, spoon-coating sauce.
6. Fish out the bay leaf and stir in the vinegar — it wakes up the smoky bacon flavor.
7. Taste and adjust the salt, then serve in bowls with the green onions scattered over.

Why this recipe works

• Black soybeans hold their shape Canned and rinsed, they turn tender in a 25-minute simmer instead of the hours dried peas demand. They keep their skins through the simmer, which is what makes the pot read like the traditional one.
• Bacon fat as the flavor base Rendering 4 slices leaves crisp pieces and 2 tablespoons of fat, and the onion and celery cook in that fat while scraping up the browned bits. Smoke runs through the whole pot from the bottom up.
• Vinegar poured in last A tablespoon of apple cider vinegar goes in once the bay leaf is out, and it wakes up the smoky bacon flavor. Without it the pot tastes heavy; with it the pot tastes finished.

Tips for making this recipe well

Pour off all but 2 tablespoons

The rendered bacon fat is an ingredient, not a sink for the rest. More than 2 tablespoons and the finished beans taste greasy instead of smoky.

Rinse the soybeans well

The can liquid is cloudy and starchy, and it muddies the broth you are building. Cold water and a colander take ten seconds.

Keep the simmer bare

Covered and barely moving, the beans go 25 minutes with two stirs. A rolling boil breaks the skins and turns the sauce grainy.

Fish out the bay leaf first

A fished-out bay leaf is easy; a blended one is bitter confetti. Do it before the vinegar goes in, while you can still see the pot clearly.

Taste before adding salt

The recipe adds 1/2 teaspoon with the broth, but bacon and broth both carry salt. Taste after the vinegar and adjust from there.

Serving suggestions

New Year's Day is the stated occasion, and the habit sticks because the pot asks for 45 minutes and mostly ignores you while it works. Ladle into bowls with the green onions scattered over, and put hot sauce on the table for anyone who wants more smoke and fire. At 1.7 net carbs a serving, this is a side that eats like a main, and a spoon is the only tool required.

Storage and meal prep

This is a better pot on day two, after the soybeans have sat in the smoky sauce overnight. Covered, it keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and thickens as it chills; loosen with a splash of water or broth when reheating on low. The pot also freezes well for 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and warm slowly, and the vinegar brightness holds.

Variations worth trying

• Greens in the pot Stir a few handfuls of chopped collard greens in with the broth and simmer the full 25 minutes.
• Leftover ham Add 1 cup of diced cooked ham with the soybeans for an even deeper smoke; hold back on the added salt until the end.
• No bacon Cook the vegetables in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and lean on the smoked paprika for the smoky note; vegetable broth keeps the pot vegetarian.
• Hot sauce finish A few dashes stirred in at the table along with the vinegar push the pot toward Cajun territory.

Frequently asked questions

Are these actual black-eyed peas?

No, the pot uses canned black soybeans, which is how the dish lands at 1.7 net carbs a serving. After the 25-minute simmer in the bacon sauce, the texture reads close to the traditional bowl.

Can I cook dried black soybeans instead?

This recipe is built around canned, and the 25-minute timing depends on it. Dried beans need soaking and much longer cooking, so treat that as a separate project.

Why vinegar in a Southern pot?

The tablespoon of apple cider vinegar wakes up the smoky bacon flavor, exactly as the recipe notes. It is the same thing a dash of pepper vinegar does at the table, moved into the pot where every spoonful gets it.

Can I make this vegetarian?

Skip the bacon, start the vegetables in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and use vegetable broth. The smoked paprika keeps a smoky signature in the pot.

My sauce is thinner than I expected.

Cook the covered pot a few minutes longer at a bare simmer, since the sauce reduces as the beans tenderize. It also thickens noticeably during the rest and again overnight.

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