This BBQ Black-Eyed Pea Dip is tangy and full of fantastic flavor. Made with black-eyed peas and seasoned with BBQ sauce, two kinds of cheese, and green chilies.
This post contains affiliate links, please read my full disclaimer here.
Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I’m that person who must make black-eyed peas every New Year because of tradition. It's said to bring luck and prosperity if you eat it on New Year's Day. I like to change up the recipes we eat on that day, so sometimes I keep it traditional with black-eyed peas cooked in a big ol' pot, and other times I mix it up.
This is what I consider mixing it up. A delicious dip made with black-eyed peas, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, green chilies, and tomatoes...from a can. This dip is so delicious that you won’t even want to wait until New Year's to make it.
Seriously, I made it for Thanksgiving, and everyone loved it. Now, it's the most requested dip I get for parties.
A Quick Look at the Ingredients
Ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions are on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Base Ingredients
- Black-eyed peas (canned or cooked): The star ingredient provides a hearty and creamy texture while adding a Southern touch.
- Cream cheese (softened): Adds a creamy, tangy base that binds the dip together.
- Tomatoes and Green chilies - Adds a flavorful and mildly spicy element, enhancing the dip's overall taste.
Flavor Enhancers
- BBQ sauce: Delivers the signature smoky, tangy flavor essential to the dip's BBQ profile.
- Shredded cheese (cheddar or a blend): Melts into the dip, adding gooey richness and a sharp flavor.
- Garlic powder, Onion powder, and cayenne pepper: Adds depth and enhances the overall savory taste.
- Onion powder: Complements the garlic and adds a subtle, sweet-savory flavor.
- Green onion - for garnish
How to make BBQ Black-Eyed Pea Dip
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shred a block of cheddar cheese and cut a block of cream cheese into small pieces. Set aside. Drain black-eyed peas and the can of tomatoes with green chilies and place them in a large bowl.
Add green chilies, bbq sauce, onion powder, cayenne pepper, ½ of the shredded cheddar cheese, and cream cheese to the bowl and stir until it’s all combined.
Pour into a 2-quart baking dish. Top with the remainder of the cheddar cheese and bake in a preheated oven on the middle rack for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
Remove from oven and top with chopped green onion. Serve and enjoy!
Tanya's Top Tips:
- This recipe is so much better with blocked cheddar cheese. It melts better than the pre-shredded kind in the bag. However, if you really need to sub pre-bagged cheese, I would just mix the cheese in the mixture and not spread it on the top before baking. Doing so will stop the cheese from clunking together on top.
- This dip is great with tortilla chips, especially the scoops. You can also serve it with fresh cut vegetables, like carrots, celery, and cauliflower.
- This dip is awesome with a BBQ sauce that has a slight kick to it. I’ve used my homemade BBQ sauce and Sweet Baby Ray’s.
- You can prep this dip and place it in the fridge before baking. To bake, remove from the fridge and allow it to get to room temperature before placing it in the oven.
FAQs
Absolutely! Cook the fresh peas until tender, then proceed with the recipe. You will need about 11/2 cups of cooked beans.
To make it milder, skip the cayenne pepper or reduce the green chilies. For more heat, add jalapeños, hot sauce, or extra cayenne.
I hope you love this Black-Eyed Pea Dip as much as we do. Looking for more easy dip recipes? Try these out:
If you have tried this or any other recipe on my blog, please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
BBQ Black-Eyed Pea Dip
Ingredients
- 14 oz can black-eyed peas drained
- 8 oz cream cheese softened and cut into small cubes
- 10 oz can tomatoes with green chilies
- 4 oz green chilies
- ⅓ cup bbq sauce
- 8 oz block sharp cheddar cheese shredded and separated in half
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 green onion chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Add drained black-eyed peas, drained tomatoes with green chilies, green chilies, bbq sauce, cream cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and ½ cheese and stir until combined.
- Pour into a 2 qt baking dish. Top with the remainder of cheddar cheese and bake in preheated oven on the middle rack for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.
- Remove from oven and enjoy.
Notes
- This recipe is so much better with blocked cheddar cheese. It melts better than the pre-shredded kind in the bag. However, if you really need to sub pre-bagged cheese, I would just mix the cheese in the mixture and not spread it on the top before baking. Doing so will stop the cheese from clunking together.
- You can prep this dip and place it in the fridge before baking. To bake, remove from the fridge and allow it to get to room temperature, about 30 minutes, before placing it in the oven.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on December 19, 2019. It has been updated with new information and photos.
bob says
Can't wait to try this!! What a fantastic idea! I love black-eyed peas and never occurred to make it a dip!
Tanya says
Thanks so much bob 🙂