A Pinch of Healthy

Simple, tasty recipes with a healthy twist

Display Search Bar
Home » Food » Recipes » slow cooker » Delicious and Easy Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker

Delicious and Easy Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

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

Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker | APinchOfHealthy.com

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

Note: This post may contain Amazon affiliate links. See my full affiliate disclosure policy here.

Side note: If you prefer to make this traditionally on the stovetop, see my stovetop red beans and rice.

How to make slow cooker red beans and rice

First, gather your ingredients.

Ingredients

For tastiest results, always use the best quality ingredients you have access to. To make this slow cooker red beans and rice recipe, you will need the following:

  • onion
  • bell pepper
  • celery
  • garlic
  • chicken andouille sausage (or your favorite andouille sausage)
  • dry red beans (or red kidney beans work well too)
  • salt and pepper
  • white pepper (optional – still good without it)
  • hot sauce
  • thyme – fresh or dried
  • bay leaves
  • water
  • 10 cups cooked rice (prepared just prior to serving)

Assembling this recipe

After you prep/ chop and measure your ingredients, just add them to the slow cooker. Except for the rice! I cook that just prior to serving at meal time.

Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker | APinchOfHealthy.com

Slow cooking red beans and rice

So how long does the red bean mixture need to cook? It depends on which setting you use.

On high, it will need to cook for about 6 hours. On low, it will need at least 10 hours. Of course slow cooker can vary a little bit, so it wouldn’t hurt to plan some buffer time. The beans will keep warm for a while if needed, no problem. And if they need extra cook time, make sure the pot is turned to high, and cook a bit longer.

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?!

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!

Serving

Like I mentioned, I cook the rice just ahead of meal time so that it will be ready in time to serve. I have a rice cooker, but you can also prepare it on the stovetop.

Serve with some diced green onion, extra hot sauce if you wish and a side of southern skillet cornbread.

Important cooking tips and notes

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!

What type of sausage should I use?

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.)

You can use any type of andouille or cajun sausage though – pork, chicken or even vegan andouille sausages work great.

Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker | APinchOfHealthy.com

More Cajun Recipes You May Enjoy

More Slow Cooker Recipes You May Enjoy

Tools Used to Make This Recipe

Note: These are Amazon affiliate links.

Share this recipe

Did you try this recipe? Give it a star rating. Pin it and share it if it looks good to you. And be sure and stay connected on social media! 

Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok

Be sure and check out all my favorite kitchen tools in my Amazon store (affiliate).

Red Beans and Rice in the Slow Cooker | APinchOfHealthy.com
4.5 from 18 votes
Print

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
Cuisine Cajun
Keyword crock pot red beans and rice, slow cooker red beans and rice
Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 8 hours 45 minutes
Servings 10 servings
Calories 461 kcal
Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

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!

Nutrition Facts
Red Beans and Rice in the slow cooker
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.
(Visited 982,450 times, 17 visits today)

No related posts.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Stacey says

    I 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!

    Reply

  4. Allison Hardy says

    5 stars
    I 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.

    Reply

    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      Thanks 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.

      Reply

    • Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

      Good 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!

      Reply

  9. Marjorie@APinchOfHealthy says

    Thanks 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.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating