Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Tools Used to Make Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice is a flavorful dish you can make without waiting all day, thanks to the magic of the pressure cooker. And you do not have to presoak the beans.

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My slow cooker red beans and rice is a reader favorite! And it is one of our favorites in my family too. And the stovetop red beans and rice is a classic as well!

But sometimes you just can’t wait all day to make dinner. Amiright?!

So picture this: I am standing in my kitchen at 5:00 pm, staring at a bag of dry beans, wishing we could have red beans and rice for dinner. But red beans and rice are known for cooking low and slow for a long time.

That is why I decided to adapt that recipe to the pressure cooker! And it is a GEM of a recipe, y’all! I was able to have it on the table in a little over an hour and a half, by 6:45 pm.

I had to try it a few times before I got it just right. The biggest obstacle was that the meat texture got all weird when I cooked everything all at once.

So my solution: I cook everything but the meat, and then throw the meat in for the last 15 minutes of cook time (+ more time for natural pressure release).

Side note: The Instant Pot is my favorite (electric, hands-off) pressure cooker of all time.

How to make Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

First, gather your ingredients.

Ingredients

For best taste, always use the highest quality ingredients you have access to. 

To make this pressure cooker red beans and rice recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• Onion, diced
• Bell pepper, diced
• Celery stalks, diced
• Garlic, minced
• Dry red kidney beans
• Salt (to taste)
• Black pepper
• White pepper (optional)
• Hot sauce (Texas Pete works great)
• Fresh or dried thyme
• Bay leaves
• Water
• Chicken andouille sausage, thinly sliced
• Cooked rice (for serving)

Feel free to tweak this recipe to suit your preferences or dietary needs. If you prefer a vegetarian version, simply leave out the sausage or substitute it with a plant-based sausage alternative (just add it after pressure cooking so it doesn’t overcook).

Smoked turkey sausage or traditional pork andouille are also great options. If you don’t have hot sauce, you can use a pinch of cayenne pepper or add a diced jalapeño for heat. Dried thyme works well if fresh isn’t available, and vegetable broth can be used instead of water to boost flavor. If you’re short on time, canned red beans are an option. Just reduce the cooking time and adjust the liquid accordingly.

Helpful Tools

• Instant Pot
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Measuring Cup
• Measuring spoons
• An extra inner pot and this lid would be handy if you also want to make rice in your Instant Pot. But it is not necessary. I have both and love the convenience!

Cooking Instant Pot red beans and rice

Instant Pot red beans and rice is a simple recipe that takes just a few steps. Here is how to make it.

First, start by adding all of the ingredients (except the sausage and rice) to your Instant Pot.

Give everything a good stir so it settles evenly.

Pro tip: There’s no need to soak the beans ahead of time. They’ll cook right in the pot and absorb all the flavor from the aromatics, so be sure not to skip the diced onion, celery, and bell pepper.

Next, seal the lid and set your Instant Pot to “Manual High Pressure” for 28 minutes. Once the cooking cycle is complete, carefully use the quick-release method to release the steam.

When the pot is fully depressurized and the pin has dropped, remove the lid and set it under cold water to help the seal reset.

Stir in the sliced andouille sausage, then lock the lid back on. Cook on Manual High Pressure for another 15 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. This step usually takes about 26 minutes.

After the pin drops, open the lid and stir. If the mixture is a little soupy, let it sit uncovered for a few minutes to thicken.

Spoon the red beans over a bed of warm cooked rice and garnish however you’d like. Enjoy!

Add More Flavor To Your Red Beans and Rice

The base recipe below is how we make it most of the time. But! There are a couple of things you can do to add even more flavor to your Instant Pot red beans and rice.

• Use vegetable or chicken stock in place of the water.
• Add a bit of bullion. There are different kinds of cubes, but I love Better Than Bullion. Their vegetable base would be great in this. Heads up, though, it is very, very salty on its own. I would wait and add any additional salt at the end, after you taste it.
• Add Cajun seasoning – we never do this. Why? A well-flavored andouille sausage, along with the veggies, hot sauce, and thyme, provides plenty of flavor for us. But, you can add a Cajun blend, such as Tony Chachery’s (or your favorite Cajun blend), or add your own combination of Cajun spices if you wish. Again, I would recommend holding off until the end.
• Add ham hocks!
• Butter! I was so surprised to see this was a thing, but lots of people apparently add a whole stick of butter to their bean mixture. We never do this, but I have seen so many people swear by it that I thought I’d mention it here.

Recipe FAQ

Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Always use common sense and good judgment when it comes to leftovers, though! If something looks or smells funky, don’t eat it.

I hope y’all enjoy this Instant Pot red beans and rice recipe! Let me know if you try it.

More Recipes Like This

• Cajun Shrimp and Grits
• Easy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
• Shrimp Po Boy
• Southern Skillet Cornbread
• Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

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4.66 from 23 votes

Print

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Instant Pot Red beans and rice is a flavorful dish that you can make without having to wait all day, thanks to the magic of the pressure cooker. And you do not have to presoak the beans.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cajun

Keyword cajun, instant pot, red beans and rice

Prep Time 12 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 7 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 461 kcal

Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 3 stalks celery diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound dry red kidney beans
• 1 tsp salt or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp white pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp hot sauce (I used Texas Pete.)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
• 2 leaves bay
• 7 cups water
• 1 pound chicken andouille sausage cut into thin slices
• 10 cups cooked rice

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients, except for sausage and rice to the Instant Pot.
2. Place the lid on, lock it, and set to manual high pressure for 28 minutes.
3. At the end of the 28 minutes, use the quick release method (release the valve).
4. When the Instant Pot is fully depressurized the pin will fall, and you can remove the lid.
5. Run the lid under cold water, and set aside. This will help the Instant Pot to re-seal.
6. Add the chicken andouille sausage, place the lid on and lock it.
7. Use the manual setting at 15 minutes high pressure, and allow the Instant Pot to release naturally this time (no using the pressure release valve, just let it sit until the pin drops). Mine took about 26 minutes to naturally release, FYI.
8. You can let the beans mixture sit with the lid of for a few minutes to thicken the liquid.
9. Serve the bean mixture over a cup of cooked rice.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• If you want to thicken the bean mixture, use a potato masher or fork and mash a few. Then use the sauté setting to reduce/ thicken the liquid a bit more. OR you can use a blender to slightly puree some (not all) of the bean mixture.
• You can totally use the more traditional small red beans for this recipe. These are easily found in Louisiana and other parts of the southeastern USA. My store did not carry them, so I used red kidneys.
• This recipe freezes well (bean mixture alone). We often freeze half of this. When we take it out to reheat, we just make a fresh batch of rice.
• The nutritional information includes 1 cup of cooked Jasmine rice.
• You can use any type of andouille sausage for this recipe (but it will change nutritional values).
• This recipe was written specifically for un-soaked beans. If you soak the beans ahead of time, you will need to reduce the liquids and the cook time.
• The “quickness” of this recipe is relative to old fashioned red-beans and rice made on the stovetop. It will take approximately an hour and a half to make (includes time to come to pressure). Also, to speed things up I make my rice in a rice cooker, on the stovetop, or in my second Instant Pot to speed things up.
• The liquids will thicken as it stands, and for next day leftovers (out of the fridge). If you want to thin out leftovers, add a splash of chicken/ vegetable stock or water.

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 461 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 32mg11%

Sodium 735mg32%

Potassium 747mg21%

Carbohydrates 77g26%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 600IU12%

Vitamin C 19.9mg24%

Calcium 69mg7%

Iron 3.9mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: This recipe originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy on October 22, 2016. 

See ALL of my Instant Pot recipes here.