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 2 hours, 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!
More Cajun Recipes You May Enjoy
- Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice – tastes like this version, only quicker!
- Chicken and Sausage jambalaya (one pot recipe)
- Cajun shrimp and grits
More Slow Cooker Recipes You May Enjoy
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
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Pin it if it looks good to you.
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.
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
- Rinse the kidney beans and drain.
- Add all the ingredients (except the rice) to the slow cooker.
- Set the slow cooker to low and cook for either 6 hours on high or 10 hours on low (total).
- 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.
- Cook the rice in a separate pot, according to package directions. I used white jasmine rice and cooked it in my rice cooker.
- 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!
Tamara says
February 3, 2019 at 8:31 pmI cooked the dry red kidney beans 10-15 minutes before putting in Crock-Pot and at 5 1/2 hrs of cooking on high, they are DEFINITELY done…..taste great…..only problem is I still put 7 cups of water in Crock-Pot like original recipe called for, and it’s too soupy!!!! It still taste great but way too liquidy. Also, the recipe makes for 8 people….a TON OF food. Very good though. Thank you for sharing.
Teachermommy says
June 23, 2018 at 10:46 pmWe found this to be bland, even after using lots of extra hot sauce and some Cajun creole spice mix.
Cole says
February 12, 2019 at 7:52 amWhen using so much water you have to use a good bit of seasoning! Although you added cajun it just might not have been enough. I’ve made this recipe several times & have never run into a problem flavor wise. Also next time maybe throw a few bouillon cubes (flavor depends on your sausage choice) in your water.
Karen says
May 24, 2018 at 10:39 pmWaste of time. Rinsed beans like recipe said but after 14 hours on low, beans still on harder side and sitting in so much liquid. Threw out. Never will I try this again!
Cole says
February 12, 2019 at 7:48 amIt must be depending upon your crockpot. I’ve used this recipe as a GUIDELINE serveral times & have always enjoyed the outcome. It never took longer than 8hrs too cook & everything turned out great.
Fritmama says
April 29, 2018 at 6:56 pmHi, Marjorie!
I made this recipe as meal prep lunches for my boyfriend and I. I played it safe and pre-boiled the beans for 10 minutes. I was silly, however, and did not adjust the amount of water (since the beans were boiled I needed less). after 4.5 hours, the mixture was still quite liquidy.
to fix this, I decided to mix in rice with the other ingredients in the slow cooker, so it would absorb the liquid and some flavor! I did about 1.5 cups of dry rice. this worked perfectly for me, and I think I like it better as a whole mixture, rather than the beans on top of the rice.
thanks for this recipe! I will be making it again.
Bree says
November 11, 2018 at 8:25 amI wish I hadn’t read this comment before making this! With adding in the rice from the beginning, the rice turned into something like a pourage …..and the beans weren’t done yet. I do NOT suggest cooking the rice with the beans. However, i just added more water and continued to cook it until the beans were done. It tasted delicious, but the texture was mushy. I’ll try it again with the rice seperate. The flavor was great. I also added some old bay seasoning.
JESS says
February 27, 2019 at 11:37 pmYou may notice the previous poster mentioned they added the rice at the end of the cooking time not the start.
Many slow cooker meals have rice added but it’s almost always in the last 30min – 1hr, never for the whole cook.
Michelle says
April 18, 2018 at 11:11 amI just want to know.. if I’m making the recipe for only 4 servings how long should I cook it?
Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy says
April 18, 2018 at 11:28 amHi Michelle. The same cook time should apply. If the beans are not tender enough to your liking at the end, put the lid back on and cook for another 15 minutes. Hope that helps!
Carolyn says
December 12, 2017 at 5:23 amThe toxic compound phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin, is present in many common bean varieties, but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. White kidney beans contain about a third as much toxin as the red variety; broad beans (Vicia faba) contain 5 to 10% as much as red kidney beans.
Phytohaemagglutinin can be deactivated by boiling beans for ten minutes; the ten minutes at boiling point (100 °C (212 °F)) are sufficient to degrade the toxin, but not to cook the beans. For dry beans, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water, which should then be discarded.
Janet Smith Patterson says
November 16, 2017 at 1:43 pmThis was so delicious. I’ve made it twice. I used red beans in place of the kidney beans, just a personal preference and added one 15 oz. can of refried beans to thicken it. I did not mash up any of the good red beans!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
November 16, 2017 at 2:44 pmGlad you enjoyed it👏🏻
Sarah Latourette says
November 7, 2017 at 1:10 pmDo I need to soak the beans? If so, how long? Or do I just rinse them in a strainer?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
November 7, 2017 at 8:58 pmHi Sarah! No, this is a no-soak recipe. I just rinse mine in a strainer first.✅👌🏻
Haley says
October 11, 2017 at 2:06 pmThis might be a dumb question, but do the 7 cups of water go in the crockpot? Or are they for the rice?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
October 11, 2017 at 3:36 pmThe 7 cups goes in the crockpot👍🏻
Nate says
June 20, 2017 at 3:45 pmNow my go to red beans and rice recipe. They only change I did was add extra liquid smoke, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce at the beginning. Followed by more to taste at the end.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
June 21, 2017 at 4:48 pmSo happy to hear that Nate! So much of the flavor depends on the sausage. Adding in a few extras like you mention can get the taste exactly as you like it. 👌🏻
Kate P. says
February 27, 2017 at 11:31 amI’m making this for dinner tonight! I did a quick soak on my beans, do I need to adjust the cooking time?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
March 1, 2017 at 8:33 amI am sorry I am just now seeing this, and you probably already made it. Hope it turned out okay! Soaking would mean you would need to reduce the cook time and the liquids. I am not sure by how much, but I would say at least a cup less liquid, maybe reduce even more than that.
Deebi27 says
January 6, 2017 at 2:15 pmThis looks amazing…that’s why I already pinned this earlier this week! Showed pictures and told the hubby the ingredients and he said, “Yes, I just got a new bottle of salsa!” So, it’s obvious you like hot flavored foods…looking through a few recipes! Just how spicy hot is the chicken andouille sausage? I know this is going to be a winner for the hubby and I…not to mention mostly healthy!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
January 6, 2017 at 2:51 pmHa ha. 🙂 Yes, the spiciness probably depends on the brand. I’ve used Amylu’s, Aidele’s and Trader Joe’s and none of those were too spicy for us. I always add extra hot sauce on mine as well. 😆👌🏻 I hope you enjoy it!
Elizabeth Reichart says
October 3, 2016 at 9:46 amHello, I was wondering if I could substitute chicken thighs for the chicken andouille sausage?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
October 3, 2016 at 10:44 amHi Elizabeth! Thanks for your question. 🙂 I would not recommend that. The chicken andouille sausage provides a lot of flavoring that seasons the whole dish. Any other kind of cajun sausage should work, but not plain chicken thighs, since it tends to be pretty bland on its own.
Matt Lenko says
September 27, 2016 at 1:52 pmSo the 7 cups water is for the ingredients in the crockpot? Correct? You put 2 bay leaves in the crockpot as well?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
September 27, 2016 at 3:00 pmCorrect, the water and bay leaves go into the slow cooker. I hope that you enjoy it!
Stacey says
September 26, 2016 at 7:01 amI only used half the amount of beans and I chose to soak and boil them ahead of time. What I’m wondering is about the amount of water I should use in the crock pot. The recipe calls for 7 but I’m going to try 4 1/2 and see how that works out…Fingers crossed!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
September 26, 2016 at 7:22 amYeah, I am not sure how much water either since I did not test it that way. Significantly less, but I am not sure how much. Let me know how it turns out! Good luck!
Ashley Green says
September 15, 2016 at 8:15 amHello how long would you cook this if on high with your crockpot?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
September 17, 2016 at 1:49 pmI am sorry to say that I am not sure…since I have not tested it on high myself. That would be a good test for me to do one day soon!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
November 3, 2016 at 6:57 amUpdate: I have since made this on high, and it took about 6 hours on my slow cooker. I updated the recipe to reflect this.
Allison Hardy says
September 6, 2016 at 7:36 pmI made this today and it was AMAZING!! My Husband is from Louisiana and he can cook, he said this was great and reminds him of back home 🙂 Thank you for sharing, this is going in our recipe book.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
September 6, 2016 at 9:09 pmYay! I am so glad that y’all liked it! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave that feedback. 🙂
Amy says
August 27, 2016 at 9:27 amCan I use canned red kidney beans instead of dry? How many cans?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
August 27, 2016 at 10:54 amThanks for your question! 🙂 I would not recommend using canned beans for this recipe. I am not sure that would taste too good or work very well. What makes this taste so good is that it cooks low and slow all day. Plus, using canned beans would decrease the cooking time significantly, reduce liquids significantly, and the other veggies wouldn’t get as tender.
Elisha Cole says
August 26, 2016 at 3:22 pmWhat is the serving size of just the beans and sausage portion (without the rice)?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
August 26, 2016 at 3:42 pmGood question! That is hard to answer with too much precision, since the veggies (onion, bell pepper, celery) can vary in size. I estimate between a cup and a third to a cup and a half of the bean/sausage mixture. Hope this helps!
Pickwick2 says
August 18, 2016 at 10:46 amCurious. Recipe calls for red beans. Photo shows black beans. Something’s not quite right here.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
August 18, 2016 at 11:00 amHi there! If you read the text above that last photo (the one with black beans), it is describing a similar recipe that you might like – my slow cooker black bean soup. It is another great recipe where you dump everything in the slow cooker, and you do not soak the beans ahead of time. If you like the red beans & rice recipe, you might like this one also. 🙂
Pickwick2 says
August 18, 2016 at 11:30 amAh! Sorry. That’s what I get for skimming through the text. I’ll try the red beans and rice!
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
August 18, 2016 at 12:22 pmLOL…no problem! The photos are really similar. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
StevieLynn says
July 26, 2016 at 8:26 amThis is a huge amount for just my husband & I. Do the leftovers freeze well?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
July 26, 2016 at 8:37 amThat is a great question! Yes, this recipe freezes well. I would freeze only the bean mixture, and just make as much rice as you need at the time you eat it. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Lauren Marie says
November 27, 2016 at 5:56 amrice can be frozen. Just portion it off into individual servings and freeze. defrost before eating and heat in the microwave.
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
May 20, 2016 at 4:18 pmThanks for the heads up Tara! I did not know about this. My crock pot gets pretty hot, so I am guessing that’s why none of us have ever had problems. I am going to update the post with a note to warn of this, though.
Elizabeth Holt says
July 24, 2017 at 6:16 amNot sure if this will get a reply since it was a year ago y’all discussed this, but will soaking beans and boiling change the cook time or water amount in this recipe?
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
August 10, 2017 at 6:41 amYes, it would reduce the cook time and the liquids needed in the recipe. I am not exactly sure by how much🤔
Cailee Joy says
March 17, 2016 at 4:47 pmYUM!! This looks amazing! So warm and comforting! And so healthy! I love this! Thanks for the recipe!
xoxo Cailee @ http://hellohealthyeating.com <3
Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says
March 17, 2016 at 8:38 pmThanks Cailee! 🙂