I had never tried Red Beans & Rice before I moved to Louisiana many years ago. I’ve eaten a lot of the dish since, and everyone has their own “way” of doing it. This is my version–red beans from a Utah girl living in the South and learning from the best! This slow cooker dinner recipe is comforting, flavorful, and simple.
Ingredients Needed
- Red Kidney Beans – if you’re at a higher elevation, it’s important to soak these overnight (or for at least 5 hours) before proceeding with the recipe; raw or undercooked beans are high in lectin content, which can lead to stomach upset.
- Chicken Broth – you can get yours from a carton or can at the store, or make your own.
- Smoked Sausage – we recommend Andouille sausage for this recipe, if you can find it. A large, meaty ham bone works well too.
- Onion – a sharp knife, well ventilated area, and chilling the onion beforehand will result in less tears while cutting.
- Garlic – we recommend using freshly minced garlic for this recipe, not jarred.
- Cajun or Creole seasoning – Tony Chachere’s is the best! If you’re using Andouille sausage, omit this ingredient.
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Oregano
- Cinnamon – not a typo; you definitely don’t want to leave this out!
- Smoked paprika – or liquid smoke to taste
How to Make Red Beans & Rice
- Soak the beans overnight (or for at least 5 hours), if you are at a higher elevation. If you don’t have time for soaking beforehand, you could also cook the beans longer in the slow cooker; just be sure to adjust your timeline accordingly and start earlier in the day.
- Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker, and cook for 4 – 5 hours.
- When beans are tender, mash most of them while still in the slow cooker.
- Cook rice and serve. Most people in the South put their rice on the bottom with beans on top, but you can put in your beans first too. This recipe makes 8 1-cup servings of beans, and 8 1/2 cup servings of rice.
Tips
- If you’re looking for a really good quality smoked sausage, try a local butcher. Quality sausage makes a world of difference in this recipe!
- For leftover storage, store the red beans and rice separately from each other.
- When re-heating rice, always add 1 – 2 tablespoons of water per cup of leftover rice. Heat in 30 second intervals until it’s piping hot. Due to food safety concerns, it’s recommended to reheat leftover rice only once. Take out only what you need, or reheat it all together and discard any remainder.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re close to sea level, yes, just please ensure they are rinsed and sorted first. If you’re at a higher elevation, we recommend soaking the beans for 5+ hours (or overnight), or, plan on a longer cooking time in the slow cooker.
Yes! Just note, the flavor might not be as rich and as complex with canned beans. Keep in mind, you’ll just have to get around 8 cups of mashed beans and liquid (you want it semi-soupy, not thick like canned refried beans). You will probably want to cut down on the amount of water used, and include some of the liquid from the beans. We have never personally tried it this way, so we can not offer any guarantees on the outcome.
Yes! Although the classic Red Beans and Rice calls for – you guessed it, red beans – this method makes any variety of bean taste delicious. Black, white, or pinto will all taste great with the same technique.
Sorting and rinsing beans means to comb through the dry beans carefully, and remove any stones, damaged beans, or other debris. Then, rinse under cold water to remove dust and dirt. It’s surprising what can end up in dry beans, so taking a moment to complete this step is vital.
Yes! Freezer meal instructions can be found at the bottom of the recipe card.
Red Beans and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
Beans
- 1 pound red kidney beans, dry rinsed and sorted
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ⅓-½ pound smoked sausage, or 1 large, meaty ham bone Andouille sausage recommended
- 1 onion chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Cajun or Creole seasoning Tony Chachere’s is the best; omit this if using Andouille sausage
- ¾ teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon coriander
- ¾ teaspoon oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon not a typo; you definitely want this in there!
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or liquid smoke to taste
Rice
- 4 cups water
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 cups white rice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low all day, or you can start on high until it starts to simmer and then switch it to low. If you're at a high elevation, the beans will need to cook longer and/or you need to soak them overnight before you start cooking them in the morning.
- When beans are tender, mash about 85-90% of them against the side of the crock pot. Give them a taste and add any extra seasonings if you need to, particularly more Tony’s or salt and pepper. Replace lid and set heat to “low", or "off".
- In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups water, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, and 2 cups of white rice to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steam for 20 minutes.
- Serve beans with rice.
Questions & Reviews
Ahhh! Thanks for this recipe. We did the same thing…. moved from the west to L.A. (lower Alabama). I love the south and was looking for a good Red Beans and Rice recipe. I don’t like Gumbo either! Love this site! Do you have a good Etouffee recipe?
I’m a country boy from Illinois. Been eating ham’n beans with cornbread my whole life. Went to NO for a couple of weeks last year and been doing some Cajun cooking. You really can’t mess up beans in the crock pot I’ve thrown about every spice in the cupboard in there and also some brown sugar. I pretty much always put in the trinity, green pepper, onion, and celery. Minced garlic a must also. Cinnamon just a pinch is good. Saute’ the sausage and throw it in for the last half to one hour of cooking. Beans are a very healthy food.
Okay, I’ve totally come to discover that red beans are a highly personal thing, haha! I personally don’t think these are chili-y. I’ve had friends who grew up here who love these and others who think they’re an abomination, but to me, they kind of taste like the red beans from Popeye’s. So use that as your barometer–if you hate the flavor of Popeye’s red beans, these might not be for you. 🙂
Seriously, if they even kind of taste like Poyeyes I’m in. I’m gonna follow you blindly. Because if you can closely replicate Popeyes beans with only 4 WW points (I’ve heard they put, or used to put, lard in there). Sorry to be a PITA. We’ ll see.
Okay, I was seriously mocked by someone who lived here for loving Popeye’s red beans, so now I feel completely vindicated! 🙂 The flavor of these beans will differ so much depending on the sausage you use, but I really think the cinnamon is the thing that makes them taste Popeye’s-ish. You just need a little pinch–start out very small and then add a little more if you need it.
Oh, and you’re not a PITA. Promise. 🙂
So since finding your blog, I have made a few of your recipes, all yummy I might add. I am making red beans this week and I said I was going to give your recipe a try because it is so different from mine, but now I’m scared my kids won’t eat them. Can you tell me, with the cumin and the cinnamon (and this might sound strange) are they chili-tasting? I have had Houston (the city) red beans and they are different from new Orleans red beans, and I think these maybe more like that- they put the green onions on top. As you can see I’m having second thoughts now that the time is here…my kids usually devour beans and rice, I don’t want them to turn on me.
Ok I have never ever heard of putting cinnamon in red beans, cumin either or even smoked paprika. I don’t know I been making beans for years and I don’t put any of that in there. I am curious to try it though, that might be a central LA thing maybe because I don’t think that is a New Orleans thing. Also don’t give up on gumbo you just have to find a okra less one, I don’t put okra in mine because it is slimy and yucky. Ok my next pot of beans is going to be this recipe…
I tried this and sadly it was not a recipe I would make again. I’ll just go back to traditional New Orleans Style Red Beans and ham. No cinnamon.
So, so, so good. Next time I will have my rice prepared before I taste the beans – once I started “tasting,” I couldn’t stop!
P.S. Every recipe I’ve tried from this site has been not just good, but stellar. Thanks so much.
I made this for dinner last night. Not only was it simple to make, both of my kids LOVED it!
I made this for dinner tonight. Loved it! My kids even ate it, and that is what I consider success.
Had to come back with the results. They came out delicious! I didn't change anything to the recipe and loved it! Thanks for the recipes ladies!
So excited about trying this recipe! The red beans are simmering as I type. I'll report back when it is all said and done.