Hot Black-Eyed Pea Dip (Printable version)

Warm, cheesy dip with black-eyed peas and jalapeños—perfect for sharing.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dairy

01 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
02 - 1 cup sour cream
03 - 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided

→ Canned Goods

04 - 2 cups black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

→ Vegetables & Flavorings

05 - 1/2 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped
06 - 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
07 - 1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Seasonings

09 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
12 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and sour cream. Beat until smooth and creamy.
03 - Add 1.5 cups cheddar cheese, black-eyed peas, pickled jalapeños, green onions, red bell pepper, garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Mix until well combined.
04 - Transfer mixture to a greased 1.5-quart baking dish.
05 - Sprinkle remaining 0.5 cup cheddar cheese evenly over the top.
06 - Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until hot and bubbly and the cheese is golden brown.
07 - Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve warm with tortilla chips or vegetable sticks.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, which means you can throw it together while people are still on their way over.
  • The warm, creamy texture with little pockets of spicy jalapeño flavor keeps people coming back for another chip.
  • It's a conversation starter because nobody expects black-eyed peas in a cheese dip until they taste it.
02 -
  • Don't skip the rinsing of canned black-eyed peas—I learned this the hard way when my first batch tasted too salty and metallic.
  • The dip will continue to cook slightly after you pull it from the oven, so if it looks just shy of perfect, that's actually perfect.
03 -
  • Softening the cream cheese beforehand prevents your entire mixing bowl from becoming a lumpy situation—trust me on this one.
  • The secret to perfect browning on top is giving that cheese layer a light, even distribution so it melts uniformly rather than in scattered spots.
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