Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker

You are going to LOVE this red beans and rice in the slow cooker because it is so delicious and easy!

You can make it by throwing all the ingredients in the slow cooker/ crock pot in the morning, and poof! Dinner practically prepares itself.

It’s like kitchen magic! 🙂

And PS: You do not have to soak your dried beans ahead of time! Yes, you heard me right. This article from the LA Times explains why. I did rinse mine, but I did NOT soak them, and this turned out perfect. I use this same method for my slow cooker black bean soup too, and it also is a gem of a recipe.

Note: Since they are not pre-soaked you will need to allow plenty of time to cook. I would suggest at least 10 hours on low, or at least 6 hours on high. This might vary a little if your slow cooker is different than mine.

Update Note: Please make sure your crock pot heats up hot enough to eliminate any potential toxins, as explained here. My crock pot gets very hot, so it works out fine for us to cook them this way. If you are in doubt, go ahead and soak your beans first just to be safe. I do not want anyone to get sick from this recipe!

My slow cooker (<- Amazon affiliate link) is one of my most used kitchen appliances. It is SUCH a valuable tool for making really yummy food that is easy to set and forget. Perfect for busy folks! Which, aren’t we ALL?!

Enter: red beans and rice, which is known for cooking low and slow. And LONG. You could totally make this low and slow on the stovetop, but the slow cooker is my cooking method of choice here. It is just so easy!

Side note: If you want to make this dish quicker (like less than 90 minutes, starting with dry beans), check out my Instant Pot red beans and rice recipe!

You can use any type of cajun sausage, but I am using Amylu’s chicken andouille sausage that I found at Costco. I had never used this in any recipe before, and I bought it on a whim…as I so often do at Costco! (<- anybody else?? I am a sucker for the sample pushers too.)

Usually, Costco doesn’t let me down. Nine times out of ten I absolutely LOVE everything that I ever try there. And they are good about letting you return stuff, too, which is awesome.

Anyway, I liked it!  The chicken andouille sausage has all the flavor, while being kinder to the waistline. Win!

Tools Used to Make This Recipe

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.

• Slow cooker
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Bowl (for soaking the beans)
• Strainer (for draining the beans)
• Optional – rice cooker. You can also just prepare the rice on the stovetop, according to package directions.

Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker Recipe

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Red Beans and Rice in the slow cooker

You are going to LOVE this red beans and rice in the slow cooker because it is so delicious and easy! Throw the ingredients into your slow cooker, and dinner practically prepares itself.

Course Main Course

Cook Time 6 hours

Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes

Servings 10 servings

Calories 563 kcal

Author Marjorie @ APinchOfHealthy.com

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 3 celery stalks chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pounds ¼ chicken andouille sausage cut into thin slices, I used Amylu brand
• 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
• 10 cups cooked rice

Instructions

1. Rinse the kidney beans and drain.
2. Add all the ingredients (except the rice) to the slow cooker.
3. Set the slow cooker to low and cook for either 6 hours on high or 10 hours on low (total).
4. Optional: When there is one hour remaining, use a potato masher to go in and mash up some of the beans, then let it cook the remaining hour.
5. Cook the rice in a separate pot, according to package directions. I used white jasmine rice and cooked it in my rice cooker.
6. Serve with 1 cup rice in each serving.

Recipe Notes

*Nutrition information includes 1 cup cooked rice.

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator. 

Adapted from The Weary Chef.

Update Note: Please make sure your crock pot heats up hot enough to eliminate any potential toxins, as explained here. My crock pot gets very hot, so it works out fine for us to cook them this way. If you are in doubt, go ahead and soak your beans first just to be safe. I do not want anyone to get sick from this recipe!

If You Liked My Red Beans and Rice, You Might Like These Too

If you like this type of recipe, you may also like my slow cooker black bean soup.

…and my best chicken recipes for quick and easy dinners.