West African cooking uses more than one type of bean, and swapping one for the other without adjusting the method is a common way a dish comes out with the wrong texture. Here's how the two most common types actually compare.
Black-Eyed Peas: The Waakye Standard
Black-eyed peas are the standard bean used in waakye and many other West African rice-and-bean dishes — a cream-colored bean with a distinctive black "eye" marking, relatively quick-cooking compared to some other dried beans, and known for holding its shape well without turning mushy. Our black-eyed peas, 5 lbs are the same variety used in traditional waakye.
African Brown Beans
African brown (or honey) beans are a different variety entirely — smaller, denser, and typically requiring a longer cook time than black-eyed peas to soften fully. Their flavor is often described as slightly sweeter and nuttier once cooked, which is part of why they're sometimes called "honey beans." Our African honey beans (Oloyin beans) are this denser, sweeter variety.
Cooking Time Differences
Because African brown beans are denser, they generally take longer to soften than black-eyed peas — soaking brown beans beforehand is more commonly recommended to cut down the cooking time, while black-eyed peas can often be cooked without soaking in a reasonable amount of time, though soaking still helps either way.
Texture in the Finished Dish
Black-eyed peas hold their shape well even after extended cooking, which is exactly why they work so well in a dish like waakye that's simmered for a long time alongside rice — see our full how to make Ghanaian waakye guide. African brown beans, once fully cooked, tend to be a bit softer and creamier, which suits dishes where a slightly mashed or stewed bean texture is welcome.
Choosing Rice to Pair With Either
Whichever bean you're using, choosing a long-grain rice — like our basmati long-grain rice — that holds its own texture well through extended cooking matters just as much as the bean choice. Our rice guide for jollof and waakye covers this pairing in more detail.
Nutritional Similarities
Both bean types are good sources of plant-based protein and fiber, a big part of why beans are such a staple across West African cooking generally — the choice between them usually comes down to the specific dish's texture requirements and traditional pairing rather than a meaningful nutritional difference between the two.
Buying and Storing Dried Beans
Whichever type you buy, choose beans that look uniform in size and color without excessive dust or debris in the bag, a sign of fresher stock. Store dried beans in a sealed, airtight container in a cool, dry pantry, where they'll keep for many months without spoiling, though very old dried beans can take noticeably longer to soften when cooked.
Cooking Both from Scratch
Regardless of which bean you're using, simmering gently rather than at a rolling boil tends to produce a more evenly cooked result with fewer split or blown-out beans — a common issue when beans are cooked too aggressively, especially toward the end of the cooking time as they soften.
Which One Should You Use?
If a recipe specifically calls for one or the other, it's usually because the cooking time and texture were built around that specific bean — substituting can work, but expect to adjust cook time accordingly (longer for brown beans, and watch black-eyed peas closely so they don't overcook and break apart).
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the main difference between black-eyed peas and African brown beans?
Black-eyed peas cook faster and hold their shape well, while African brown beans are denser, take longer to cook, and turn softer and creamier once fully cooked.
Which bean is used for waakye?
Black-eyed peas are the standard bean used in traditional waakye, valued for holding their shape through the dish's long simmering time.
Do African brown beans need to be soaked?
Soaking is more commonly recommended for African brown beans to cut down their longer cooking time, though soaking helps with either bean type.
Why are African brown beans sometimes called honey beans?
They're often described as having a slightly sweeter, nuttier flavor once cooked, which is where the "honey beans" name comes from.
