Slow‑cooked comfort: tender Purple Hull Peas in the crockpot with a meaty ham hock, serving up Southern goodness with almost zero effort.
Slow Cooker Purple Hull Peas Recipe
If your idea of weeknight bliss is letting the slow cooker do the heavy lifting while your kitchen smells like Grandma's porch on a Sunday, these slow‑cooker Purple Hull Peas with ham hock are your new best friend.
Toss humble field peas, a smoky ham hock, and a few pantry staples into the Crockpot before lunch, and by supper, you have fork‑tender peas swimming in savory pot‑likker ready to ladle over crunchy Cornbread Sticks.
This fuss‑free, one‑pot Southern comfort food checks every box: budget‑friendly, protein‑rich, and make‑ahead meal prep gold.
Whether you call them "pink‑eye peas" or "purple hulls," this recipe brings the soul‑warming flavor you're craving.
If easy crockpot recipes are your thing, add the ingredients for Pot Roast and Peach Cobbler to your grocery list.
Ingredients
- Purple Hull Peas -- I bought mine at a roadside farm stand, but they are available in the southern region in the freezer section.
- Ham Hock -- adds just a little salty, smoky, rich flavor the the pot-likker.
- Onion, chopped
- Garlic
- Chicken Bouillon
- Cajun Seasoning -- I like Tony Chachere's
- Black Pepper
- Baking Soda -- Helps prevent legumes from causing gas in some people.
- Toppings -- chopped onion, hot sauce
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and add just enough water to cover the purple hull peas.
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until peas are tender and cooked through.
- Adjust seasonings. Top with chopped fresh onion and hot sauce. Serve with cornbread.
- Remove the ham bone and shred the ham to add back into the pot.
- Leave a review and comment on this website.
Hint: Very little water evaporates when cooking in the Crock Pot so be careful not to add too much liquid.
Substitutions & Variations
- Bacon - instead of ham hock, cook 3-4 slices of good bacon and add it to the crock pot.
- Stovetop Purple Hull Peas - This recipe can certainly be made on the stovetop. Start by cooking your onions and garlic until tender. Add all the ingredients and just enough water to cover the peas by about an inch. Cook on medium-low until the peas are tender -- 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- Vegetarian - leave out the ham hock and use vegetable bouillon for a vegetarian purple hull pea soup.
- Gluten-Free Soup -- This soup is naturally gluten-free. Select gluten-free ham hock and bouillon.
Storage
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in a shallow container for up to 5 days.
Leftover Remake
Use the leftover Purple Hull Peas to make our version of Cowboy Beans.
Top Tip
Adjust the seasonings about halfway through cooking time. The ham, bouillon, and seasoning all contain salt, so only add more if they taste "flat".
FAQ
Nope. Purple hull peas and black-eyed peas, both from the cowpea family, differ primarily in their appearance and flavor.
Purple hull peas are known for their light green color with a pink or purple ring around the eye, while black-eyed peas are light tan with a black spot (the "eye").
In terms of taste, purple hull peas are often described as creamier and sweeter, with a more delicate texture, while black-eyed peas are considered more earthy and may have a slightly chalky texture.
Southern peas are known as "cowpeas," "field peas," "blackeyes," "crowders," "pinkeye-purple hulls" and several other names.
Southern peas were brought to the Americas from Africa and are well adapted to low-fertility soils and production during the hot summer months.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Purple Hull Peas:
Have a Question
Leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer you!
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Food Safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Purple Hull Peas
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Put all of the ingredients in your slow cooker and add just enough water to cover the purple hull peas.1 ½ pounds Purple Hull Peas, 1 Ham Hock, ½ large Onion, 1-2 clove Garlic, 2 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon, ½ teaspoon Cajun Seasoning, ½ teaspoon Black Pepper, 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- Cook on low for 3-4 hours or until peas are tender and cooked through.
- Adjust seasonings. Top with chopped fresh onion and hot sauce. Serve with cornbread.
- Remove the ham bone and shred the ham to add back into the pot.
- Leave a review and comment on this website.
Chuckie says
This recipe made me a fan of purple hull peas! I like lots of pepper and a few splashes of hot sauce in mine. And… a little side of corn bread sticks!