Crowder Peas Recipe: How to Cook Crowder Beans

Crowder peas are long, thin legumes that resemble green beans and possess a sweet and creamy flavor. They are a cultivar of cowpeas, along with Southern peas, field peas, and black-eyed peas, although all of these are actually beans, rather than peas. All parts of the crowder pea—including the pod, the leaves, and the green seeds—are edible. Like butter beans, lima beans, and other beans, crowder peas contain complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber but no saturated fat or cholesterol.

Crowder peas are a popular ingredient in everyday dishes as well as celebratory meals. In New Orleans, chefs spice the peas with Cajun seasoning and serve them with greens and rice around the start of each new year. To prepare crowder peas at home, cook them in plenty of liquid to make them edible, then use them in soups, stews, purées, and salads. Ingredients that complement crowder peas well include okra, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and green onions, as well as dried thyme, fresh parsley, and garlic powder.

Cooking crowder peas is similar to cooking any other kind of dried beans. Here are five tips to ensure the process goes smoothly:

1. 1. Add seasonings as the peas cook. The peas need to cook for a long time and will absorb more flavor the longer they simmer. Add a bay leaf, ham hocks or salt pork, garlic cloves, diced green bell pepper, salt, and other flavorings and spices for the peas to soak up throughout the cooking process.
2. 2. Cook the peas in a slow cooker. For a weeknight meal that requires little monitoring, cook the crowder peas in a slow cooker. Allow the peas, liquid, and seasonings to cook on the low setting for about eight hours. Drain away any excess liquid after the peas are fully cooked and before you serve them.
3. 3. Factor in soaking time or lack thereof. Soaking dried beans overnight makes them softer, which helps them cook faster, but it’s not a requirement. If a longer cooking time is not a concern, you can skip soaking the crowder peas in advance. Alternatively, use fresh crowder peas, which require a shorter cooking time.
4. 4. Think about other elements of the dish. Allow your crowder pea seasoning to inform the other ingredients in your dish, or vice versa. Serve jalapeño-flavored crowder peas with cornbread like you might a bean chili, or use a spicy Cajun blend before enjoying your peas over rice for a different take on a classic red beans and rice dish.
5. 5. Use plenty of liquid. Whether you use water, chicken broth, or another broth, cook the dried crowder peas in enough liquid for them to cook fully and absorb their maximum amount of moisture. Water is sufficient, but stock or broth adds more flavor to the finished dish.