This classic black eyed pea recipe is made easy with your crockpot. You’ll love Slow Cooker Hoppin John for a quick and easy Southern dinner.

It literally took me over a year to make this recipe for you, which is ridiculous because it’s so simple. I’ve had a bag of dried black eyed peas in my pantry for months but could never remember to soak them the night before when I was in the mood to make hoppin’ john. I finally remembered to soak my beans to make this dish last week, and it was a BIG hit. (If you have trouble remembering to soak beans too, you might be interested in these no-soak bean recipes!)
My husband doesn’t usually ask for repeat recipes because he knows I’m always trying new things. He ate these black eyed peas with rice three nights in a row and asked me each time if it could be added to the regular rotation. That’s a rave review for him! Turns out, we had a repeat of this meal sooner than he expected because I never got around to taking photos the first time around! He was happy to hear that it was on the menu again, and fortunately this time I did snap some pictures before before he we gobbled it all up.

This dinner is so fab because it takes about five minutes to throw into the slow cooker and tastes really good. What more can you ask for? If you wanted to add a vegetable to this, you could add chopped greens with the rice. Black eyed peas and greens are classic New Year’s Day food in the South, so you could cover all your bases in one pot. Don’t save this one only January though. It’s a great easy, healthy meal for any time of year!
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Slow Cooker Hoppin John with Sausage
This classic black eyed pea recipe is made easy with your crockpot. You’ll love Slow Cooker Hoppin John for a quick and easy Southern dinner.
- Total Time: 18 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried black eye peas
- 12–16 ounces spicy chicken sausage links sliced (andouille or habanero flavors are good choices)
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups instant brown rice
Instructions
- Place dry beans in a bowl and cover with water. Soak overnight, then drain and rinse.
- Place soaked peas in the slow cooker. Add sausage, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour broth over the peas, and then enough water to cover the contents (about two cups). Stir everything together, cover, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- A half hour before serving, stir in instant rice and turn heat to warm (if possible on your slow cooker). Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 8
- Category: Dinner, Rice Bowls, Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: Asian
Want more beans and rice? I’m a big fan too. Here are some more recipes you’ll enjoy!


darrell maddox says
I would love to make the hoppin John , but with the regular rice and not instant. What should I do?
Mo K says
O.M.G. This is a wonderful main dish, Andi! It was my first time making Hoppin’ John and all three of us (Mom, hubby and I) absolutely loved it!! This will be our new tradition for New Year’s day.
Only changes I made were to cook it for only 6 hrs. (peas were plenty done by then– perfect consistency according to my southern-raised husband), then add the rice for 30 mins. Also, I pre-cooked the sausage coins– we love the crispy edges and to render out most of the fat. Next time I might add some chopped celery, too. :-) Thanks for this keeper of a recipe!
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you so much, Mo! Your changes sound great! I love browned sausage too but took the easy route on this one ;) Happy New Year!
Becky Hardin | The COokie Rookie says
I have never had this! Looks SO good girl!
Andi Gleeson says
Thank you so much, Becky! <3 <3
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I love Hoppin’ John and this version sounds fabulous!
Andi Gleeson says
I appreciate it, Kimberly!
Megan Keno says
Sounds like the perfect side dish!
Andi Gleeson says
Thanks so much! We ate it as the main!