What happens if you eat expired Canned Black-Eyed Peas?

Black eyed peas are a familiar side dish on New Year’s Eve and our popular in southern style dishes. They also go on sale sometimes and we end up with a quite a few cans in our pantry.

To be honest, black-eyed peas are not my favorite, so I tend to forget about them. This means they sometimes get pretty close to the expiration date before finally getting used. So, let’s deep dive into everything we need to know about expired canned black-eyed peas!

Do canned black-eyed peas expire?

Technically every food item will expire at some point. It can go bad due to storage conditions, or the food and packaging starts to breakdown. The “best by” or expiration date on black eyed peas is not an indicator of when the product is no longer safe to eat.

This date is simply a way for the manufacturers to indicate that the product may taste best or be at the best quality if used before that “use by” date. The canned black-eyed peas are perfectly fine to eat after the expiration date if you look for a few signs first.

What are signs that black eyed peas have gone bad?

In order to tell if canned black-eyed peas have gone bad, we will use our 5 senses (look, hear, smell, touch, and taste.)

First, we will look over the can of black-eyed peas and see if it has any dents or bulging seams. Dents or a bulging can is a good indicator that the product is bad and may be growing bacteria. As long as the product packaging (the can) looks normal and is undamaged we can move on to the next sense. (Normally we would go to hear, but for canned goods there is no noise like a glass jar would give.)

Second, we are going to smell after we open the can. Black eyed peas have a musky earthy smell so that is what we should get. If the contents of the can smell pungent or strongly bad this is a sign that the black eyed peas have gone bad. (Pro tip: if something that is savory smells sweet, this is also a good sign that the item has gone bad.)

Third, as long as the black-eyed peas smell fine, we can now move on to touch. I would use a spoon and scoop the peas out into a bowl. If there are any large clumps of peas sticking together or if the coloring looks off, this is a sign that the peas have gone bad.

Fourth, if the black-eyed peas look completely normal, then we will go to taste. I take a small taste and make sure the black-eyed peas taste normal.

If you go through the 4 senses with your canned black-eyed peas, and everything comes out normal, it is perfectly fine and safe to eat them.

How long can black-eyed peas last after expiration date?

Canned foods are made using an optimal process to keep food safe and to store for long periods of time. Think of farmers that can their harvest so they can use them all year long instead of just when the crops are first picked.

Over the years, commercial canning has improved so much that most canned foods can last indefinitely. In fact, the part that “expires” is more likely to be the can and the lining inside the can before the food product itself.

The lining inside the metal can keeps that food from reacting to the metal over time. High acid foods like tomatoes will slowly breakdown the lining and the metal over a long amount of time.

According to the USDA, canned foods are perfectly fine to eat 2-5 years after the expiration date as long as it is stored properly. This means that cans should be stored in a cool dark place like a pantry or cabinet.

If you were to store canned black-eyed peas in a hot area or in direct sunlight, this will actually increase the risk of spoilage. Ideally, store your canned foods away from the stove and oven.

A friend recently gave me a can of black-eyed peas that expired back in December of 2021. (Fun Fact: Yes, my friends like to donate expired goods so I will try them out!) That means these peas were almost 2 years past the expiration date.

The outside of the can was in ideal condition with no dents or bulges. When I opened them, they smelled fine, and they looked fine inside. I gave it a little taste test and they were a little bland but tasted normal.

I double checked the can and noticed there was no additional seasonings added to the peas, so I knew that the bland taste was to be expected.

We added some black pepper and garlic powder and heated them up for New Year’s Day dinner. I am not a huge fan of black-eyed peas, but I did eat a portion for good luck. The kids also ate a few for luck but were not a fan.

So even black-eyed peas that expired 2 years ago, were perfectly fine to eat and not get sick. If you use your 5 senses and use common sense, you will notice that food lasts a whole lot longer than the expiration date!

I personally test every single expired food on this site, so if you want to check out more expired food tests, check out “Expired Jiffy Cornbread Mix: to Eat or Not to Eat?” and “What happens if you eat expired Greek Yogurt?“