Red Beans and Rice
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So thick, so creamy and so flavorful! The beans are cooked just right – perfectly tender, served with rice and smoky andouille sausage.
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I kind of have a thing for Louisiana. I don’t know if it’s all the beignets and the powdered sugar I leave on my pants or if it’s the classic red beans and rice, but I keep returning to this state again and again.
We just got back last week and I’m ready for another trip back. But until then, I’ll be making the creamiest (and quickest) red beans and rice every. single. day.
tips and tricks for success
- Use small red beans or kidney beans. Soaking dry beans is not required here. Canned red beans (or kidney beans) allows this recipe to come together so so fast, making it a true weeknight hero.
- Mash the beans. Add the finishing touches by mashing up about 1 cup of the softened beans off to the side of the pot – this is what makes the red beans and rice so thick and velvety creamy.
- Make it vegetarian. For our vegetarian friends, substitute plant-based sausage for the andouille sausage, and vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
- Serve with cornbread. Serve with a scoop of rice and a side of cornbread, a quintessential pairing.
what to serve with red beans and rice
Red Beans and Rice: Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! There is no need for an overnight or quick soak here. This is a super quick recipe using canned red beans – perfect for when you just don’t have the time to soak dry beans.
We recommend using small red beans or kidney beans.
Traditionally red beans and rice is prepared with spicy andouille sausage but you can substitute any sausage (such as kielbasa) to your liking.
The spice level can be adjusted to mild by using mild andouille sausage and omitting the hot sauce.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the rice (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked rice when serving.
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 (12.8-ounce) package smoked andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 2 celery ribs, diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Cajun seasoning, salt-free
- 3 (15-ounce) cans small red beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes; set aside.
- Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, garlic and Cajun seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in red beans, chicken stock, hot sauce, bay leaf and sausage; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover; continue to simmer until reduced, an additional 15 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, mash beans until slightly thickened, if desired; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately, topped with rice and garnished with parsley, if desired.
Did you make this recipe?
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This is delicious! One of my favorite go to comfort dishes! Vey easy recipe. I omit the salt because there is enough in the sausage already. As I write this I am again making this dish. I have made and served this to friends who have been to New Orleans. They say this is the real deal folks!
This is sooooooo good and sooooo easy! This recipe is constant rotation! Thanks so much 🙂
Wow! I was craving red beans and rice after having some from Popeyes the other day. I have a go to recipe for authentic red beans and rice made with dry beans and it’s delicious but I didn’t have time to do the dry bean method. I searched for a quick red beans and rice recipe and when I saw Damn Delicious I instantly clicked the link. I have made SO many of your recipes and like your name they are always DAMN DELICIOUS! Well, yet again, these beans, like many recipes before them, did not disappoint! They are soft and creamy and taste like I cooked them all day long. They are every bit as good as my dry beans but oh so much quicker and easier! Thank you for yet another amazing recipe!
I made this a couple of days ago and It was quite good, I was expecting it to be a bit off compared to some “more involved” recipes, but this is very authentic and quite easy to make; it also reheat very well.
I did add a little extra broth and let it simmer a bit longer and it thickened up nicely, smaahwd about half the beans and it was perfect. With spicy Anidoulle sausage it had just the right amount of heat without losing flavor. Everything in the recipe is spot on.
I will 100% be making this again
I’ve made this recipe several times and everyone in my house loves it! Its very easy to make. One minor substitute is I swapped the andouille sausage for kielbasa. Love it!
Made this last night! It was great! Not too spicy, not too juicy. Added okra and it was perfect with out becoming dry with the extra addition! Definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing!!
So I used a mix of white and brown rice and black beans instead of red (which is a big change obvi) and used a sausage other than anidoulle. Didnt thicken as much after 30 minutes of simmering but some cornstarch cured that. Still very delicious. Will make again. Maybe even with actual red beans 😉
This sounds delicious and I plan on making it this weekend. Can it be made in a crock pot?
Could you use wild rice?
Have not made yet.
Hubby loved this from the first bite and has requested it quite frequently. I am now in the process of making it for dinner tonight. Since no particular Cajun seasoning was mentioned, I wanted to let readers know that I use “Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic” which is a Cajun/Creole mix.
This was really good and really easy! I omitted the peppers because we don’t like them but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. I would totally make this again. 5 stars for the fact that everyone liked it, it was quick and easy, and inexpensive. I served it with a side of coleslaw.
This is in our regular rotation. Loved by adults and kids alike! We serve with jasmine rice and sweet cornbread. Thanks for another stellar go-to recipe!
Excellent recipe. The only thing I did different is we added some crawfish tails. Great flavor and very filling. We will definitely try this again.
Excellent!
Red beans. As in kidney beans?
No they are literally called red beans but, I only had one can red beans so I added a dark kidney and light kidney bean can in addition and it turned out delicious
This was soooo good. I can’t wait to make it again for a potluck
So simple and so good. Me and my wife are trying new recipes almost every week and this will for sure stay as one of our go to recipes, It is kind of addictive and you will just crave for more after each spoon you taste. We did not have hot sauce so we added habanero sauce instead, which probably made it spicier than what it calls for, but that was just perfect for us since we like it spicy.
By red beans do you mean kidney beans?
You can use kidney, but they are drier than red beans. Red beans will be a creamier consistency. I sometimes have to go to the refried bean area and buy the Goya brand if they dont have regular red beans with the other beans.
I made this for dinner last night and we all loved it. My husband said he would definitely like to have this again and often. I didn’t have a fresh bell pepper so I used a frozen three pepper mix (red, yellow & green). I only had one can of red beans in the pantry so I made “three beans and rice”, using a can each of red, black and pinto beans. I used Tony’s creole seasoning and used half a teaspoon with the rice as it cooked and one teaspoon with the beans and sauce. I also only added two cups of the stock (as another review suggested) but ended up wishing I hadn’t as it definitely wasn’t quite saucy enough. And I thought three cans of beans was plenty. I will be adding this to my regular rotation. I’m going to try adding shrimp along with the andouille sausage next time. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Maybe you can have it “on the daily”.
I’ve made this four times. So hearty, easy and delicious.
Perfect just as it is. Mashed some of the beans as instructed and it thickened up nicely. I used Louisiana Hot Sauce and Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning.
Tasted great. A bit soupy. I would cut the stock amount down to 2 cups. Also, needs another can of red beans, in my opinion.
This is a staple recipe in our household. My husband and children love it, picky eaters and all!
If it’s soupy you should try mashing up the beans. It thickens up nicely and I’ve made this recipe as is each and every time I’ve made it. It’s perfect *chefs kiss*