An easy vegan Black Eyed Pea Salad recipe with a bright, tangy dressing! Made with crisp veggies, fresh herbs, and hearty protein-rich beans. Plus it's great made ahead of time to enjoy as a side dish, light lunch, or even chip dip! (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)
This flavorful Black-Eyed Pea Salad is made with crisp veggies, fresh herbs, and an easy, tangy dressing.
It's so delicious, plus includes plant-based protein, fiber, and many other wholesome nutrients.
Plus it's incredibly versatile! Change it up with your own favorite vegetables or herbs.
You can serve it as a side dish, light lunch, or grab your favorite chips and enjoy it as a dip. (It's great served next to creamy guacamole!)
Ingredients for Black-Eyed Pea Salad
For this recipe you will toss together in a medium bowl:
- Black-eyed peas: You will need one 15-ounce can black-eyed peas for this recipe.
- Roasted red pepper: I use jarred fire-roasted red bell pepper. However you can replace this with a fresh bell pepper if desired. Either red bell pepper, orange bell pepper, or yellow bell pepper will work.
- Cucumber: We'll use about a half English cucumber for this recipe. (These are also known as hothouse cucumbers.)
- Red onion: Or you can substitute green onions for a milder onion taste.
- Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes: I use these because they are so sweet and flavorful, but feel free to substitute roma tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or other garden tomatoes.
- Fresh parsley
- Rice vinegar: I use unseasoned vinegar which does not include added sugar.
- Fresh garlic clove: Or you can substitute this with a quarter teaspoon dried garlic powder.
- Stoneground mustard: If you don't have stoneground, then Dijon mustard works great as well.
- Pure maple syrup: Or you can use another sweetener of choice like agave nectar.
- Salt: I use fine grain salt for this recipe. You can also include black pepper to taste.
Note: I like to prepare the dressing oil-free, however you can whisk in a teaspoon to a tablespoon of good quality extra-virgin olive oil if desired.
Customizing
Make it spicy: Add jalapeño or a pinch of cayenne pepper to taste.
Vegetables: Change it up with the veggies you enjoy. You can also toss in cooked sweet corn, Kalamata olives, celery, or diced avocado.
Herbs: Stir in your favorite fresh herbs and flavors. Fresh cilantro, dill, chives, or even basil would be tasty.
Add dairy-free cheese: Sprinkle on some crumbled vegan feta cheese on top of your bowl before serving if desired.
Serving
It's a great dish to make ahead for picnics, meal prep, potlucks, summer BBQs, or take-along lunches. You also can enjoy it as a side salad, appetizer, light lunch, or even a dip with tortilla chips.
Traditionally, eating black eyed peas on New Year's Day is also said to bring good luck and prosperity!
Storing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I find it's best enjoyed within 3-4 days.
You can enjoy this bean salad immediately, but it tastes best after it chills and marinates in the fridge for at least an hour.
For more inspiration, also browse all bean recipes or oil-free recipes.
Black-Eyed Pea Salad (Oil-Free!)
Ingredients
- 15 oz. can black-eyed peas
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 1/2 English cucumber (about 1 cup diced)
- 1/4 cup red onion
- 4 oz. grape/cherry tomatoes (or 2 roma tomatoes)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar*
- 2 tsp. stoneground mustard (or Dijon)
- 1 1/2 tsp. pure maple syrup
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Make the dressing: Add all dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- Rinse and drain black-eyed peas. Add to a medium mixing bowl.
- Finely dice red pepper, cucumber, red onion, and tomatoes. Roughly chop parsley. Add to bowl.
- Pour dressing over top and toss well to combine.
- Enjoy immediately, or chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour to let flavors further combine. Re-stir before serving as some dressing will settle at bottom.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
If you are enjoying this healthy vegan black eyed peas recipe, also check out:
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Sara
Whipped this up for a light lunch for me and my husband. Really hit the spot, so fresh and tasty! We also added Kalamata olives that gave it a Mediterranean-style feel.
Kaitlin
So glad you both enjoyed it! Great idea adding olives - thanks for sharing!