My version of this popular Texas side dish is fresh and spicy, with a simple lime dressing that allows the flavors to shine through. It's delicious in the summer served with grilled meats, as a salsa-type dip with chips, or as a lucky side dish on New Year's Day.
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🗝️ Key takeaways
- I love it because it's inexpensive to make and the flavor is some crazy combination of earthy-tangy-sweet-salty that I love.
- Cool and refreshing, I like to serve it as a hearty side dish to burgers, bbq, and grilled meats all summer long.
- Be sure to make it a day ahead for the best flavor.
Black eyed pea salad is pretty much required at summer potlucks and picnics all over Texas! Nearly every Texas cook worth their salt has their own recipe for it, also called Cowboy caviar or Texas caviar.
It even has an interesting backstory.
Helen Corbitt, although not a Texan by birth, was head chef at Neiman Marcus's Zodiac Room (still one of my favorite places to lunch). She was asked to prepare a menu with only Texas products and created this recipe as one of the options.
It became SO popular that Neimans canned it and sold it in their store. Side note: Helen did not like black eyed peas.
🧾 Ingredients
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Variations
This recipe has plenty of variations - we're kind of a laid back bunch here in Texas and will almost always look the other way if you stray from the original recipe.
Just don't put Italian dressing in there. We'll judge you for that for sure.
- fresh or frozen corn
- crispy bacon
- bell peppers (green, red, yellow, or orange... or all)
- chipotle paste to spice it up
- avocado
- lemon instead of lime
- red wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar (if you must)
- chopped tomatoes
- black beans
- fire-roasted corn
- blackened poblano pepper
As I said before - I like my black eyed pea salad pretty simple but you can certainly try it with all the bells and whistles.
🤫 Cook's secrets -
Refrigerate it overnight for the best flavor.
🍴 Equipment
- large
mixing bowl - measuring cups and spoons
- chef's knife
- cutting board
🥫 How to store leftovers
Cover with plastic wrap or put in an airtight container.
You can keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days or so. The sugar and vinegar help preserve it, so I think it will be fine longer than that—we've always eaten it all well before day 5, so I can't tell you for sure.
Marye's Tip
No black eyed peas? You can use garbanzo beans, black beans, or most any kind of bean you like.
💭 Things to know
The key to this dish is keeping it simple and fresh then letting it sit overnight so that it all kind of blends together.
The black eyed peas lend an earthy taste and a soft, buttery texture while the celery and jicama add crunch. Spicy jalapenos and sweet red onions lend both crunch and flavor.
Cilantro always tastes like summer to me so I usually add a lot - even more than is called for in this recipe.
I realize not everyone is as enamored of it as I am!
The vinaigrette is just a quick blend of cider vinegar, sugar, and olive oil with some cracked black pepper and a pinch of salt. Right before serving a squeeze of lime brightens the flavors and it's ready to go.
Inexpensive and delicious, the perfect cauliflower salad is the perfect salad for summer.
👩🍳 FAQs
Glad you asked. It's considered by some to be a side dish and by others to be a dip. It's often called Texas caviar or black eyed pea salad. Fun fact: there is NO actual caviar in it at all!
You sure can! Don't let anyone fool you - real cowboy caviar is best if it's made the night before you plan to serve it so that all the flavor gets soaked into the vegetables. Oh my gosh - it's so good.
If you are one of those people who hates cilantro you can leave it out. You might want to add parsley or dill.
Nope. It's so easy to throw together that there's no need. If you did freeze it the texture would be awful.
📚 Related recipes
🍽️ Repurpose leftovers
If you happen to have leftovers use them to top nachos. Spread tortilla chips over a baking sheet, top with taco seasoned ground beef and shredded cheese. Bake at 375F until the cheese melts. Remove from the oven then top with the leftover black eyed pea salad. YUM!
📞 The last word
Black eyed pea salad is often called cowboy caviar, Texas caviar, or even Black eyed pea salsa. There are as many varieties of the dish as there are Texans making it!
Black eyed peas were served a lot in my house growing up.
My parents had reached adulthood during the Great Depression, and even though Dad was in a position that paid very well, they never stopped being thrifty.
I grew up with fresh vegetables from the vegetable garden and lots of meatless meals. Black eyed pea soup in the winter and black eyed pea salad in the summer were routinely on the menu.
Even today I can quite happily open a can of black eyed peas and just eat them with a spoon right out of the can.
I love this stuff and I can eat it all day long. I like it on chips, as a side to bbq and burgers, mixed in with fried potatoes... you name it. Take it to your next cookout or potluck and see if it doesn't disappear quickly!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Black Eyed Pea Salad
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ¾ cup olive oil
- ½ cup cider vinegar
- ½ cup sugar, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper, or more to taste
- 3 cups black eyed peas, cooked
- ½ cup red onion, diced
- ½ cup jicama, chopped, optional
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ¼ cup diced celery, diced
- 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped
- 2 limes, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Blend the oil, vinegar, sugar, and black pepper.
- Shake well and set aside.
- Stir together the black eyed peas, red onion, jicama, cilantro, celery, and jalapenos in a bowl.
- Pour the oil mixture over the top.
- Stir to coat the vegetables.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Just before serving check taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the top.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published February 2, 2017. Last updated May 24, 2024 for editorial improvements and more helpful tips.
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Black Eyed Pea Salad
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