Southern Black Eyed Pea Salad (Printable)

Vibrant Southern-style salad with black-eyed peas, brown rice, crisp vegetables, and zesty lemon-mint dressing.

# What You Need:

→ Salad

01 - 1½ cups cooked black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
02 - 1 cup cooked brown rice, cooled
03 - ½ small red onion, finely diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, finely diced
05 - ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

→ Lemon Vinaigrette

06 - ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
07 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
08 - 1 teaspoon lemon zest
09 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
10 - ½ teaspoon honey or maple syrup
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# Steps:

01 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the black-eyed peas, cooked brown rice, red onion, celery, and chopped mint.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and pepper until emulsified.
03 - Pour the lemon vinaigrette over the salad ingredients and toss gently to combine.
04 - Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice as desired.
05 - Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.
06 - Serve chilled or at room temperature, garnished with extra mint if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes even better the next day, so you can actually relax instead of cooking last-minute.
  • Comes together in under an hour and feels like you put in way more effort than you did.
  • Works as a side dish, lunch, or something to pack for a picnic without falling apart.
02 -
  • Don't dress the salad and serve it immediately—the brown rice needs time to actually absorb the vinaigrette, or it'll taste like you just poured dressing on top of separate ingredients.
  • If you're making this ahead for a picnic, pack the mint separately and stir it in right before serving so it stays bright green and flavorful instead of turning dark and wilted.
03 -
  • If you're cooking black-eyed peas from dried instead of using canned, cook them with a bay leaf and a pinch of salt—they'll taste deeper and less one-note.
  • Toast the brown rice in a dry pan for a minute before cooking it; this brings out its nuttiness and changes the whole flavor profile of the salad.
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