Pigeon Peas Recipes

If you're not familiar with pigeon peas, you need to be. They are readily available in canned form at your local supermarket, close to Latin American foods. You can try them in a variety of ways, but we recommend one of the 5 recipes below.

  👉 Recipe Note: Coconut oil and milk are extremely high in saturated fat. Swap coconut oil for olive oil, and always use 1 Tablespoon or less to keep the fat and calories lower in a recipe. For coconut milk, always opt for lite coconut milk.

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Caribbean Style Pigeon Peas

Make it a Full Plate Meal: Plate your pigeon peas on top of cooked farro. Add an avocado onion salad to finish off the plate.

75% fiber foods – pigeon peas, onion, garlic, pimento pepper, tomato, pumpkin, fresh thyme, green onion, hot pepper, farro, avocado, onion
25% foods – oil, lite coconut milk, sugar

Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas

Make it a Full Plate Meal: Use the rice and beans as a side to grilled chicken or tofu. Serve with a side of garlic roasted veggies.

75% fiber foods – sofrito, brown rice, pigeon peas, tomato sauce, olives, garlic, zucchini, squash, red bell pepper, broccoli
25% foods – olive oil, white rice, chicken/tofu

Recipe Note: Use brown rice instead of white to open up your 25% zone to the chicken or tofu.

Coconut Pumpkin Pigeon Peas

Make it a Full Plate Meal: Serve the pumpkin pigeon peas with brown rice as directed in the recipe. Fresh pineapple pieces would finish the meal off nicely.

75% fiber foods – red onion, garlic, pigeon peas, pumpkin puree, diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, scallions, pineapple
25% foods – olive oil, lite coconut milk

Jamaican Pigeon Peas Stew

Make it a Full Plate Meal: A generous bowl of this stew would go nicely with a piece of cornbread as the 25% part of the plate.

75% fiber foods – onion, garlic, celery, green onion, pigeon peas, potato, sweet potato, carrots, tomato paste, Scotch Bonnet pepper
25% foods – olive oil, coconut milk, cornbread    

Instant Pot Pigeon Peas Dahl

Make it a Full Plate Meal: Serve the pigeon peas dahl with quinoa. The 25% part of the plate is open for your item of choice. I would pick a small cupcake.

75% fiber foods – split pigeon peas, onion, garlic, cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, quinoa
25% foods – olive oil