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
Ideally, the small red beans used traditionally are best. These are easily found in Louisiana and other parts of the southeastern USA.
My stores either do not carry them, or they are always out of stock when I go to buy them. So I used red kidneys. I see you purists clutching your pearls in horror right now. Don’t worry, I still love you. And you can totally use your red beans, if you are lucky enough to find them! or are always out of stock when I try
For the record: even the famous Camellia beans company (who makes the small red beans) uses the red kidney’s for the recipe on their site. My guess is that the “small red beans” many of us all love are a regional product, not found in all parts of the country. So I think I am in good company using these as a next-best substitute.
For the record: even the famous Camellia beans company (which makes the small red beans) uses the red kidney beans for the recipe on their site.
The liquids will thicken as they stand, and for the next day’s leftovers (out of the fridge).
If you want to thicken them right away, you can either use a potato masher to mash a few, then use the sauté setting to reduce the liquid a bit more. OR you can use a blender to slightly puree some (not all) of the bean mixture.
We don’t usually do this extra step because we like it just fine as it is (consistency seen in video). If you want to go thick or go home, the above trick will get you there.
On a related note, If you want to thin out leftovers, add a splash of stock or water.if
Yes! If you have any ham hocks or bones that will fit in your Instant Pot, I say add them at the beginning, during the first cooking cycle.
Side note: I always freeze my ham hocks if I don’t plan to use them right away. And if I have one, I always add it to my red beans and rice. Note: You may need to use less salt if you use ham, since ham is already fairly salty.
If you don’t have ham hocks, no worries! We have made this tons of times without it, and it is still very good!
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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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
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
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Add all ingredients, except for sausage and rice to the Instant Pot.
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Place the lid on, lock it, and set to manual high pressure for 28 minutes.
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At the end of the 28 minutes, use the quick release method (release the valve).
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When the Instant Pot is fully depressurized the pin will fall, and you can remove the lid.
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Run the lid under cold water, and set aside. This will help the Instant Pot to re-seal.
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Add the chicken andouille sausage, place the lid on and lock it.
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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.
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You can let the beans mixture sit with the lid of for a few minutes to thicken the liquid.
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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.
Note: This recipe originally appeared on A Pinch of Healthy on October 22, 2016.
See ALL of my Instant Pot recipes here.
Rebecca McGinnis says
I modified this a bit tonight to get it to where I thought I could put it all in the IP at once. I used sauté to brown my sausage with some garlic & bell pepper. (I forgot to buy an onion.) then I added my spices, a can of rotel, a can of petite diced tomatoes, a can of diced green chilis, and 2 cans of kidney beans (drained & rinsed). Then I cooked it for 10 minutes in my pressure cooker. I let it NPR until my rice was done & then quick released the rest. Everything was fully cooked & awesome!
Not quite the same as authentic, but still surely an inexpensive meal that’s done in about 30 minutes, 45 if you count the time to round up ingredients & cut the sausage & bell pepper.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing that easy version Rebecca! 💖
JulieOh! says
Have you tried to cook the rice with all of the other ingredients? Making it more like a stew?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Julie! No, I have not tried that, and I probably would not recommend that for this recipe. I’m afraid the rice would get too mushy.
Amy says
I’ve done pot in pot rice above food for the last 12 minutes or so, so I’m guessing that this would actually work at the point when the sausage goes in, or a little after that.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Interesting idea! What would you elevate the rice bowl in? The bean mixture fills it up pretty full, and I know it would not work with the trivet I have. If you figure that our let me know!
Lauren Proctor says
Fabulous recipe! When it was time to add in the meat, I added Tasso (Cajun Smoked pork), and Pot-In-Pot rice. For the P-I-P rice, I used a Corningware dish in top of my trivet. I only cooked it for the correct amount of time for the rice to cook. It was all so delicious! Thanks for this awesome recipe, my Cajun husband was thrilled!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing that Lauren. 👍🏻 And thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!😘
Melisha M. Meredith says
I would like to do this without the sausage added in. Will the beans be completely cooked after the first 28 minutes?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
I would do 40 minutes with NPR. I would also suggest adding more seasoning, since the original recipe gets a ton of flavor from the meat. Some ideas: Vegetable stock instead of water, probably some cajun seasoning too (I love Tony Chachere’s), and maybe some salt, since the meat would also have a lot of salt in it. Good luck! I hope it turns out well for you.
gummywormz says
this looks delicious! have you tried it with pre-soaked beans? I’m hoping it would decrease the cooking time enough that it would be possible for a weeknight dinner, but I’m not sure how much to decrease the water by.
katherine.blackford says
I just got an insta pot for Christmas and I definitely want to try this! I’ll probably leave the sausage out to make it a cheap meal for us. Any idea on how I should adjust the cooking time for the beans?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Katherine! I would suggest adding more seasoning, since the beans get their flavor from the meat. If you are a meat-eater, and you happen to have a leftover ham bone, that would work too. If no meat, I’d add some creole seasoning and salt. For cook time, I’d go 43 minutes with NPR. Good luck!
Lisa G says
Amazingly easy and so delicious!! This recipe required no prep aside from chopping vegetables and the fresh veggies. I was nervous that it would be bland without a ton of seasoning but the fresh veggies added such a great flavor. I cooked the rice on my stovetop and added creole seasoning and red pepper flakes to the adults bowls (skipped the spice in the cooking pots for kids). Everyone devoured it and we have exactly half leftover for another meal. Thank you and I look forward to making another recipe of your soon!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed it Lisa! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave me a comment.
Anna says
I was just wondering. I fallowed your recipe exactly. It turned out watery and I did not expect that. Beans in water kind off. Is that how it supposed to be? I did everything by the recipe, did not change anything at all.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Hi Anna! I wouldn’t say it is watery for us, but it is definitely thinner at first. That liquid is full of flavor, though, and we love to let the rice kind of sop it up. 🙂 The pictures in this post are about 10 minutes after it was done. The liquid gets thicker as it sits. And it gets reeeally thick for leftovers the next day after refrigeration (like gel). If you want to reduce it a little next time, you could put it on sauté and simmer it a bit (uncovered) to reduce the liquids down a little. Just stir a bit to prevent scorching, since that liquid is really starchy. Hope this helps!
Kim says
This sounds awesome. I’m totally obsessed with my IP too 🙂
I’m making it tonight. I’m doing WW and wonder if you know how much one serving, one tenth of the recipe, would be.
Thanks!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
I am really not sure. I don’t calculate points anymore since I am no longer doing WW. Sorry!
Melissa says
This is my first Quick Oot recipe. I am disappointed in how long this recipe takes. Between cooking the rice separately, I stopped and started the Quick Pot 3 times and the recipe took almost 2 hours!! This is not quick. My son had to leave tonight without dinner!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
I am so sorry you are disappointed Melissa! My mom made this growing up, and it took allllllll day. So compared to that, it is quick.
I did mention in the post itself that it took me an hour and a half, and I did explain why I decided to open the pot up to add the meat, so the texture didn’t get all weird. Tip: It does help to cook the rice separately, and I did mine on the stovetop, since the IP was busy with the bean mixture. Other than that, there is no faster way to make authentic red beans and rice that I know of.
You might be happier with some easier recipes like my white bean chicken chili or Mexican shredded chicken. Better luck next time!
Jaye Deveraux says
I paired this down to 4-servings using the conversion tool built into the webpage. (I admit I was impressed by that). Anyway–it came out decently but I either didn’t give it enough salt or I should have just used Chachere’s to season it (since it contains salt). Everything else (flavor-profile-wise) was spot-on! TO the person who complained about this taking long–you can do a “pot in pot” method to cook the rice at the same time if you add it when you dump in your sausage (as long as it’s not super full). Just stick a trivet on top of the food, put in your heat-safe bowl with 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of water and pressure cook for the 15 minutes as it says. Done! 🙂
Karly says
Thank heavens for pressure cookers. I mean, all this deliciousness for such little time and effort!? These things are life savers. Love this recipe!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
Thanks so much Karly! I totally agree. I am obsessed with my new Instant Pot, and I have been enjoying adapting some of my longer cooking recipes like this one. XO