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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My family and I have this at least once a month or as often as twice a week! It’s amazing! When I cook this I make a triple batch plus 2 cans of black beans, use New Orleans seasoning in addition to the other seasonings and add an extra beef Kalbausa. I spelled it as close as possible. It’s absolutely wonderful! I make a triple batch and that leaves about 1 batch for left overs. It’s even better the next day!! Oh, I also thicken it a bit more with a corn starch white wash. Thank you for this! It’s going to be a passed down recipe!!
We make this a lot and love it! We make a vegan version by using vegetable stock and beyond sausage links (which I cut in slices) instead. So good!
So delicious! And it’s even better on the 2nd day! Will make again for sure
Made this for Fat Tuesday! Kids and the hubs loved it!!
Made this for dinner tonight… Fat Tuesday. Absolutely delicious! Didn’t change a thing!
Thank you
I just made this for fat tuesdsy.
I highly recomed this recioie its one of the best I ever used.
The only thing I change was draining the liquids before serving into a separate bowl.
I prefer mine a bit more less like soup.
And then added the separated liquid to my preference .
But thats just me
I would defiently recomed this recipe to everyone
So so good! Almost too spicy but that’s pretty adjustable. Serving the rice over the beans is the way to go!
I cook a lot and this is probably my favorite recipe of all time! So delicious! Making your sesame chicken bowls next- fingers crossed it’s near as good as this recipe. Thanks!
Says “serve immediately”, but it’s even better the next day.
You’re so right! Just like gumbo, always better the next day.
This was perfect. Good as if not better than red beans and rice that I have had in NOLA.
This was a hit, even with substitutions. We had two cans of black beans and a can of navy beans. We also used little smokies because that is all we had on hand. It was still awesome!
Fast become a family favorite, Easy to put together and wonderful flavors, We substitute the andouille sausage for a less spicy version for the kids, But I sneak one in every now and then to keep them on their toes!!
Very Good! Not hard at all to make and very delicious.
Please make this recipe. It’s amazing. So damn delicious.
This is one of our favorites!
Does anyone know how this recipe doubles?
My husband requested I cook this for his birthday for his whole family
You can easily double this recipe. I’ve been making red beans and rice (I’m from Louisiana) for decades. Like gumbo, it’s really better the next day so if you can, make it the day before you plan to serve it. It also freezes well.
Fantastic and comforting! Plant based so I subbed field roast chorizo (not traditional, but had a nice smoky flavor- worked better than I expected) and veggie broth. Next time I would add one more can of beans, but overall it was a huge hit!! I served with cornbread. Thanks for the great, simple recipe.
very very good and very easy to make. i can’t wait to eat my leftovers tomorrow! the only change i made was to use my homemade emeril’s cajun spice that contains salt. i just didn’t add any additional salt later. this is a fantastic recipe!
This turned out really good…since I am a Louisiana resident, I added a little more Cajun seasoning(Tony Chachere is the best] and used Conecuh sausage. And I used real beans soaking them over night. Add some crusty French bread and it
Hits the spot!!
oo, adding some crusty French bread sounds great!
This was the best recipe. My husband is from New Orleans and loved it. We’ve decided it’s a keeper recipe just like most of your recipes are.
This recipe is amazing! I’ve been sick and wanted an easy comfort food recipe. I’m not ready for spicy yet so I used Lil Smokies instead of andouille and replaced the hot sauce with apple cider vinegar. I added carrot to bump up the nutrition a bit and used cook in bag rice for the convenience. This is going into the meal rotation!! I can’t wait to try the spicier version.
This is indeed Damn Delicious!