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Hoppin’ John

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Published: May 26, 2025

Hoppin’ John is classic Southern comfort food. With smoky bacon, hearty black-eyed peas, and bold flavor from herbs and spices, it’s a one-pot meal that brings big taste with simple ingredients. Whether you’re making it for tradition or just because it’s delicious, it’s always a solid pick.

A bowl of rice topped with black-eyed peas, diced ham, and vegetables sits on a marble surface next to a spoon, a green bell pepper, garlic, and a blue napkin.

This dish is easy to make, budget-friendly, and even better the next day. Great for family dinners, potlucks, or New Year’s Day when you’re hoping for a little luck.

A close-up of a bowl filled with cooked white rice topped with black-eyed peas, diced vegetables, and pieces of meat.

Ingredients

  • Bacon – Chopped. Thick-cut bacon won’t dissolve in the slow cooking time, but you could certainly use regular bacon.
  • Yellow onion – Diced. You want the punchy flavor of cooking onions. Save your sweet onions for another recipe.
  • Green bell pepper – Diced.
  • Celery – Chop up the leaves and all. There’s so much flavor in the leaves!
  • Garlic – You need about 1 tablespoon of garlic, but use fresh garlic for the best flavor, not jarlic.
  • Fresh thyme – If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme.
  • Black pepper & Salt
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Chicken broth – I prefer homemade chicken broth in this recipe but you can use store-bought. Just use a good brand with minimal ingredients.
  • Black-eyed peas – Look for fresh or frozen peas.
  • Smoked ham hock – Always rinse the ham hock before using to remove any bone chips. No, you won’t wash off the smoke flavor.
  • White vinegar
  • Long grain white rice – Cooked according to package instructions.
  • Fresh scallions and parsley – For garnish.
Overhead view of labeled ingredients for a dish, including rice, celery, bacon, black-eyed peas, spices, onion, vinegar, ham hock, bell pepper, garlic, and chicken broth.

How To Make Hoppin’ John

  1. Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until it starts to crisp, around 6 minutes.
  2. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook for 8 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens.
  3. Pour in the chicken broth. Add black-eyed peas and the ham hock. Bring everything to a boil.
  4. Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered for 30–40 minutes. Stir once in a while as the peas cook until they’re tender.
  5. Cook the rice separately. Fluff it once done and set aside.
  6. Taste the bean mixture and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in the last ½ teaspoon of salt along with the vinegar.
  7. Take out the ham hock, shred some of the meat, and stir it back into the pot for extra smoky flavor.
  8. Serve the peas and broth over bowls of hot rice. Finish with chopped scallions and parsley.

Step-By-Step Process

Overhead view of bowls containing rice, chopped celery, chopped onions, black-eyed peas, ham, seasonings, garlic, water, and broth on a white surface with a blue cloth.
Ingredients.
Chopped bacon pieces in a skillet with bowls of chopped celery, green bell pepper, and onion on the side.
Sauté the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Chopped bacon cooking in a black pan, with bowls of diced celery, green bell pepper, and onion arranged nearby on a white countertop.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until it just starts to crisp, about 6 minutes.
Chopped onions and green bell peppers with seasonings in a saucepan, ready to be cooked, with a blue cloth nearby on a white surface.
Add the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon of the salt.
A pot containing chopped celery, onions, and bacon pieces being sautéed on a stovetop, with a blue kitchen towel nearby.
Stir and cook for about 8 minutes, until the onion becomes soft and translucent.
A pot of soup with a large piece of smoked meat and black-eyed peas simmering in broth on a white surface, next to a blue cloth.
Pour in the broth and add the black-eyed peas and ham hock. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
A wooden cutting board with a large knife, a blue kitchen towel, and chopped pieces of smoked ham hock.
Remove the ham hock, shred some of the meat.
A pot of black-eyed peas with ham and vegetables simmers, with a wooden spoon resting inside; a blue kitchen towel is beside the pot on a white marble surface.
Stir it back into the pot for extra smoky richness.
A wooden spoon holds black-eyed peas, diced vegetables, and pieces of ham in a broth.
Taste and adjust the seasoning in the bean mixture. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the white vinegar.
A close-up of a bowl filled with cooked white rice topped with black-eyed peas, diced vegetables, and pieces of meat.
Serve and enjoy!

Chef Jenn’s Tips

  • If you’re using dried peas, soak them overnight and plan to simmer for closer to an hour.
  • Don’t skip the vinegar, it brightens the flavor which could otherwise be flat.
  • Hold onto that ham hock until the end; the meat and flavor it brings is essential.
  • This meal gets even better after sitting overnight in the fridge.

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Make It A Meal

It’s filling on its own, but cornbread or collard greens make great sides. For gatherings, serve it with fried okra, a green salad, and sweet tea.

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A bowl of rice topped with black-eyed peas, diced ham, and vegetables is placed next to a spoon on a white surface.

Storage

Keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave. It freezes well too; just cool completely, then freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

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A bowl of rice topped with black-eyed peas, diced ham, and vegetables sits on a marble surface next to a spoon, a green bell pepper, garlic, and a blue napkin.
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Hoppin’ John

Hoppin’ John is a traditional Southern dish made with black-eyed peas, rice, and smoky meat like bacon or ham. It’s a hearty, flavorful comfort food often served on New Year’s Day for good luck but delicious any time of year.
Course main dish, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword black-eyed peas, Hoppin’ John, rice and peas, Southern food
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 servings
Calories 438kcal
Author Chef Jenn

Ingredients

  • 2 slices thick-cut bacon chopped
  • 1 ½ cups yellow onion diced
  • 1 cup green bell pepper diced
  • 1 cup celery diced
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 1 pound black-eyed peas
  • 1 small smoked ham hock
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
  • scallions for garnish
  • parsley for garnish

Instructions

  • Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until it starts to crisp, around 6 minutes.
  • Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, thyme, black pepper, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook for 8 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens.
  • Pour in the chicken broth. Add black-eyed peas and the ham hock. Bring everything to a boil.
  • Lower the heat to medium-low and let it simmer uncovered for 30–40 minutes. Stir once in a while as the peas cook until they’re tender.
  • Cook the rice separately. Fluff it once done and set aside.
  • Taste the bean mixture and adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in the last ½ teaspoon of salt along with the vinegar.
  • Take out the ham hock, shred some of the meat, and stir it back into the pot for extra smoky flavor.
  • Serve the peas and broth over bowls of hot rice. Finish with chopped scallions and parsley.

Notes

Chef Jenn’s Tips

  • If you’re using dried peas, soak them overnight and plan to simmer for closer to an hour.
  • Don’t skip the vinegar—it lifts the flavor at the end.
  • Hold onto that ham hock until the end; the meat and flavor it brings is essential.
  • This meal gets even better after sitting overnight in the fridge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1heaping bowl | Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 1480mg | Potassium: 584mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg

A Note on Nutritional Information

Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.

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