This Vegan Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup is full of flavor, plant-based protein, is oil-free, dairy-free and made with delicious whole foods! A total bowl of comfort that is easy to make and will leave you feeling satisfied!
Who’s ready to ring in the New Year with an amazing, comforting bowl of good-for-you soup? Me. *Raises both hands*. I think you all know by now my affinity for soups. They are my favorite thing to eat…..and create for that matter. This Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup is almost a stew because it is a fabulously, thick and hearty soup that is slow-cooked, but regardless what you call it, you will love it.
There are a ton of black-eyed pea soup recipes out there I’m sure, so I simply created mine based off of ingredients I love and would want in my own soup. I personally think a balance of sweetness goes incredibly perfect with a slightly spicy soup. One of my very first recipes I wrote for blogging, and one of my favorite soups, is my 1 Pot Sweet Potato Lentil Soup. I immediately remembered that one and how incredible the flavors were, so I decided to use that one for inspiration.
This vegan Smoky Sweet Potato Black-Eyed Pea Soup is not only incredibly healthy and good for you, it is also oil-free, low-fat and 1 pot! It’s, of course, just 8 ingredients (+ salt & pepper & water). You do need to soak the beans the night before, this produces the best texture and flavor. Sometimes canned beans just don’t cut it.
Speaking of the New Year, are you one to make traditional new commitments or plans, or do you not fall into that? I, personally, think it’s dependent on one’s personality. Some people like the new year as a new start, but I don’t need a new year for that. When I decide I want to make a change, I attempt to do it right then and there. I find if you wait until a specific date or this or that, it doesn’t tend to really stick as much. If you want something, go for it now!
Kind of like this soup, go start soaking your dried black-eyed peas now!
HOW DO YOU MAKE BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP?
To make this Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup, first you will add your dried beans to a large pot. Cover with water. Put the lid on and soak overnight or 8 hours max. Drain and rinse them well and remove any rocks or debris. Add them back to the pot and add the 6 cups warm water.
Bring the beans to a boil and as soon as it is a rolling boil, turn to low simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 60 minutes. While it is cooking, chop your bell peppers, onion, garlic and sweet potato. Gather the salsa, cumin, paprika and salt & pepper). Note: You can also prepare the cornbread muffins at this time if you want.
After the 60 minutes is up, add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and bring it back to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to medium-low heat, cover with the lid slightly tilted allowing steam still to escape and let it cook 15-20 minutes just until the potatoes are tender.
Serve this soup alongside my Magic Skillet Cornbread. But to make things a bit quicker and easier, I made them as muffins. Easier to dip into each bowl.
Let me know below what you think of this vegan, gluten-free Smoky Sweet Potato Black-Eyed Pea Soup by leaving feedback and doing the star rating please!! It means the world to me. Thank you and Happy New Year!
Smoky Sweet Potato Black-eyed Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb (16 oz bag) dried black-eyed peas, soaked 8 hours (overnight) covered in water
- 6 cups warm water or low-sodium veggie broth (see note below)
- 2 cups (280g) chopped bell peppers (I used 1 red and 1 green)
- 1 1/2 cups (195g) finely diced onion
- 4 (2 1/2 tablespoons minced) x-large garlic cloves
- 3 cups (470g) of 1/2 inch chunks peeled and chopped sweet potato
- 3/4 cup (120g) medium heat salsa (use mild for less spicy)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2-3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper
NOTE
- I used a medium heat level salsa from Trader Joes . This gives QUITE the kick of heat to the soup, which I wanted. If you are afraid of it being too spicy, then use a mild salsa and you can always add in cayenne pepper at the end to your liking. I found this level of spice to be perfect with the medium salsa. Also, I used water and the soup was delicious and flavorful, but if you want to use a low-sodium veggie broth, you may need a little less salt. Start with 1 tbsp and add more at the end if necessary, otherwise use the full amount)
Instructions
- Time-saving tip: The day before I cooked the soup, when I placed the beans to soak I also chopped the bell peppers and onion and placed them in the freezer, so all I had to do was add them the next day and chop the sweet potato and garlic. Made it simpler.
This recipe is written based on the large amount of water used with the dried beans. I don't recommend canned, as it will totally change everything else about the recipe. This makes a huge pot, which is how I like to make a good soup at New Year's for leftovers.
- Add your dried beans to a large pot and cover in water. Put the lid on and soak overnight or 8 hours max. Drain and rinse them well and remove any rocks or debris. Add them back to the pot and add the 6 cups warm water.
- Bring the beans to a boil and as soon as it is a rolling boil, turn to low simmer, cover with a lid and let cook for 60 minutes (set your timer). While it is cooking, chop your bell peppers, onion, garlic and sweet potato. Get all your remaining ingredients ready as well (salsa, cumin, paprika and salt & pepper). Note: You can also prepare the cornbread muffins at this time if you want. They add a wonderful slightly sweet taste and texture to the soup. Come on, make them.
- After the 60 minutes is up, add the remaining ingredients. Stir well and bring it back to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to medium-low heat, cover with the lid slightly tilted allowing steam still to escape and let it cook 15-20 minutes just until the potatoes are tender. The beans should be done at this point as well. If you follow each step as I've noted, the beans should be done. If not, let them cook just a few minutes more. Remove from the heat and serve with my Magic Skillet Cornbread ! Click the link for the recipe. I made them into muffins instead of skillet pan. Made it easier for serving the soup.
This will be a New Year’s Day tradition for years to come! This soup is a hearty and healthy meal that my entire family enjoyed. Thank you, Brandi, for sharing these delicious, simple dishes!
So very happy to hear that Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing!
This is delicious. I didn’t have sweet potatoes so I used white!
Awesome!
Just made this soup. Absolutely delicious!
I saw a chef from Senegal on a TV show whipping up this dish — he called in ndambe — and really wanted to try this recipe. After scrolling through dozens of recipes on Google I found this one, the closest to what I had seen on TV. OMG, it was everything I had hoped it would be, and more! I *did* make a couple of small changes to make it more like what I had seen, on TV, mainly using fresh tomatoes and a bit of tomato paste (along with some chopped Fresno peppers) in lieu of the salsa, but I think the recipe as written would still yield terrific results. I followed your cooking times precisely and they were on point.
That is so wonderful to hear!! So glad you loved it! At first when you said a chef on TV, I thought you meant he was cooking my actual recipe, haha. So glad you googled and found mine and made and most importantly, enjoyed it. Thank you for taking the time to review it!
OK, I’m a complete “newby” to anything even remotely related to vegan cooking, looking for ways to eat healthier that don’t make we want to cry tears of boredom…I luckily ran across you on Google and this recipe just “sounded good” and all the ingredients were just so interesting, so I’m going to give it a try tomorrow morning. I can’t honestly remember being this interested in cooking “ANYTHING” before…Stay tuned for results tomorrow over lunch LOL!
P.S. My wife generously rounded up the ingredients for my on her shopping trip and as I unpacked them the “Smoked Paprika” bottle had me so freaking curious I had to open it up and explore…woooooohhhh! Talk about a “nose’gasm” this spice is beyond sublime! I was so curious I tried some Smoked Paprika out on bit of traditional chili we were having and I fell in love w. the taste at first bite…what a transforming taste and scent…just exotic. I cannot wait to try this in your recipe. Thank you for so generously sharing your creativity with food with the world. What gift…just thank you!
Haha, thank you Mark! Yes, smoked paprika is so delicious and one of my favorite spices to use!!
I love sweet potatoes but am going to make this soup for those who don’t. Any advice? Should I just leave the potatoes out and maybe increase bell peppers? Or, substitute something else, maybe cauliflower or carrots?
Hi Jan, I definitely wouldn’t just leave them out, they give a ton of bulk and texture to the soup. Try gold potatoes instead and maybe add 2 long carrots. The sweet potatoes work really well with the salsa, since they are sweet and it’s a nice balance. So, they flavor will change a bit with the gold, so that is why I suggest the carrots for a touch of sweetness.
Loved it! We made it for New Year’s Day. Both of us went back for seconds! Had it with rice.
I was originally going. to make a pot of black-eyed peas to go with the rice, then we decided to make this recipe, and meanwhile had only a cup of BEP in the InstaPot — 7 minutes the beans were not quite cooked — so made 2 more cups at 10 minutes, and that was almost too much. (In case anyone else is cooking the beans in a pressure cooker.) Then we added the other ingredients and simmered on the stovetop.