11 Traditional Good Luck Recipes for the New Year (2024)

Date: Dec 27, 2023 · Updated: Mar 27, 2024 Author: Sharon Rigsby

If you want good luck and prosperity in the new year, ensure your New Year’s Day menu includes traditional Southern dishes, including greens, pork, black-eyed peas, and cornbread.

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I have rounded up these tasty and lucky recipes to give you the best chance of a happy and prosperous new year! I’ve also thrown in a festive co*cktail recipe because every new year should be celebrated!

Southern Black-Eyed Peas

Black-Eyed Peas are considered a classic New Year’s Day tradition in the South! And, according to tradition, eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year!

My healthy Southern Black-Eyed Peas recipe is also perfect for a delicious, low-calorie, nutritional bonanza paired with brown rice!

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Black-Eyed Pea Soup – Southern-Style

Black-Eyed Pea Soup, full of carrots, celery, onions, and collard greens, is the epitome of a lucky New Year’s Day dish. With black-eyed peas for luck and greens, which symbolize money, you can’t go wrong with this nutritious and delicious soup to welcome in the new year.

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Healthy Southern Collard Greens

Healthy Southern Collard Greens are made without traditional ham hocks or other pork products. This simple, straightforward method of cooking the greens enhances the mild flavor of the fresh collards and keeps them crisp and tender.

According to tradition, greens are the same color as money, and making a dish using green, leafy vegetables ensures good fortune for the coming year.

Easy Southern Hoppin’ John

Another New Year’s Day tradition in the South is eating Hoppin’ John for dinner. Hoppin’ John is nothing more than cooked Black-Eyed Peas served over white or brown rice, and this recipe couldn’t be easier.

Some folks also like to serve Hoppin’ John with a side of cooked turnip or collard greens and cornbread to soak up all the delicious juices.

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The Best Oven-Baked Baby Back Ribs

Oven-baked baby back ribs are mouthwateringly juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. When slathered with tangy barbecue sauce, they are plain finger-lickin’ good! According to tradition, the more pork you have on New Year’s day, the more good luck you will have! And that’s good enough for me!

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Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

New Year’s Day is coming up, and we have established that you need black-eyed peas so that you will have the best chance for good luck and prosperity. How about serving this hummus as an appetizer on New Year’s Eve, and then another black-eyed pea recipe for New Year’s Day? You can never have too much good luck.

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Best Old-Fashioned Cornbread

Hot out of the oven, this Old-Fashioned Southern Buttermilk Cornbread, with its delicious corn flavor and crispy, crunchy edges, has been a family favorite for generations. And it’s a quick and easy, gluten-free recipe. Classic Southern cornbread made in a cast-iron skillet is a true Southern staple, and according to tradition, it symbolizes gold.

Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Salad

We have already established that eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year’s Day brings prosperity and good luck in the year ahead. That’s why this delicious and nutritious dish is called Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Salad.

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Brown Sugar Bourbon-Glazed Ham

Nothing says New Year’s Day dinner like baked ham! Lots of it, especially this classic bourbon-glazed ham with pineapple! You and your family or guests will love this easy-baked ham recipe.

It’s complete with traditional pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. Don’t forget the more pork you have, the better your luck will be!

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Traditional Southern Cornbread

Easy traditional southern cornbread, made with buttermilk and stone-ground cornmeal, has rich corn flavor and a deliciously crunchy crust.

A true reflection of Southern goodness, this cornbread is made in a cast-iron skillet. It’s versatile, easy to prepare, and a welcome addition to any meal. Plan to serve it with your black-eyed peas and collard greens.

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Bonus: Meyer Lemon French 75

See, just reading this roundup post about lucky foods has already brought you good luck! You are lucky to find this recipe for an elegant champagne co*cktail to welcome in the New Year!

It is a celebration, after all. Not only is this co*cktail delicious, but it is a great way to use up some of your Meyer lemons.

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I guarantee all of these recipes taste great! The lucky part is up to you! Happy New Year!

If you are planning a New Year’s Eve celebration, check out my round-up post .

I have included my appetizer recipes here if you need more menu ideas.

⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐If you make this dish, please leave a comment and give this recipe a star rating. I would love to know how you liked it!

Thank you so much for visiting Grits and Pinecones; I hope you come back soon!

More New Year's Recipes

Easy Southern Black-Eyed Peas Recipe (Stovetop)
Easy Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Dates with Almonds Recipe
Easy Baked Ricotta Cheese Dip Recipe with Tomatoes
Stuffed Cornish Hens Recipe with Cornbread Stuffing

Reader Interactions

Comments

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Linger
December 27, 2019 at 1:50 pm
Sharon, you always pull together the best recipes for every season. These recipes look great and what a wonderful start for a New Year. I hope yours is wonderful.
Reply
- Sharon Rigsby
  December 28, 2019 at 4:13 pm
  Kristy, thank you so much! I hope you have a wonderful New Year too!
  All my best,
  Sharon
  Reply

11 Traditional Good Luck Recipes for the New Year (2024)

FAQs

Which food is traditionally eaten at new year for good luck? ›

Along with black-eyed peas, some cultures believe that grapes, noodles, pork, or pomegranates can be considered lucky when eaten on New Year's.

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What is a traditional new year's Day dish? ›

Greens, pork, and cornbread, as well as black-eyed peas, cowpeas, or beans, are some of the typical symbolic foods served on New Year's Day. When planning your dinner menu, add the Southern foods that some say bring good luck and avoid those that may do just the opposite in the new year.

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What is the traditional food for good luck? ›

A ubiquitous New Year's Day good luck food in Europe and the United States, leafy greens from kale to collards are eaten to represent money and wealth. In the American South, collard greens especially are eaten with two other New Year's good luck foods, black-eyed peas and cornbread, for some extra fortune.

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What are 3 foods that are eaten on new year's Day? ›

Looking for prosperity? As Southern tradition dictates, black-eyed peas, greens, and cornbread represent pennies, dollars, and gold, respectively, so eating them together on New Year's will keep your purse full all year long.

What food symbolizes wealth? ›

Beans & grains are considered lucky because they resemble coins and they are in abundance representing wealth. Any bean or grain can show you the money, but black-eyed peas are the most common type for New Year's Day recipes.

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What brings good luck for the new year? ›

Eat 12 Grapes

The tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight began in Spain and spread to other Central and South American countries, making it a fairly known New Year's superstition. As the clock strikes midnight, you're supposed to eat one grape with each chime to welcome good luck for each month in the new year.

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What not to eat on new year's Eve? ›

It's said that you shouldn't eat winged fowl (read: birds like turkey or chicken), bottom feeders (like shrimp or catfish), or any seafood that swims backward or side to side (like lobster or crab).

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What two vegetables are traditionally eaten on new year's Day Why? ›

A major New Year's food tradition in the American South, Hoppin' John is a dish of pork-flavored field peas or black-eyed peas (symbolizing coins) and rice, frequently served with collards or other cooked greens (as they're the color of money) and cornbread (the color of gold).

What does cabbage mean for New Years? ›

This eastern European tradition of eating cabbage on New Year's—either as a dish or as cabbage rolls—is meant to signify luck, particularly on the financial side of things. People who eat cabbage on New Year's believe that it'll help them make more money in the year ahead.

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What is the lucky food for new year 2024 in the Philippines? ›

Lumpia is said to attract luck and money and is a symbol for wealth prosperity because of their resemblance to gold bars. Lumpia is a delicious way to serve up good fortune for New Year 2024. Have some fun and try these different variations of lumpia recipes for your Filipino new year food menu.

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What do Italians eat for new year's? ›

What Do Italians Eat to Celebrate New Year's? Popular Italian New Year's dishes include pork and lentils. Pork – usually in the form of cotechino (cooked sausage) or zampone (pig trotter) – represents life's fullness and richness to come.

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