The best Instant Pot red beans and rice recipe ever! Really easy to make and cheap too. Great pressure cooker dinner idea that’s hearty and packed with lots of flavor. Using uncooked rice and a few other ingredients it’s a one pot meal my kids absolutely love.
We’re back with another favorite pressure cooker meal, this Instant Pot red beans and rice. It came out great! This one made it to our list of fabulous Instant Pot recipes, perfect for any time of year. (originally published 3/17, affiliate links present)
- Instead of dry beans we used canned beans so it would cook faster.
- Then instead of adding just water we used chicken broth to cook the rice.
- This gave our hearty rice dinner a great added flavor.
You could use any sausage links that are precooked. This is the style I typically pick up at the store. There are many varieties, spicy is quite good too.
Everyone is a bit different. Some like red beans and rice a bit soupier in it’s consistency, we like it on the drier side but you can make it either way with this recipe. Just add a bit more chicken broth or water before you put your Instant Pot lid on and it will come out just as you had envisioned it.
Equipment you need to make Instant Pot red beans and rice
- Pressure cooker – we have an Instant Pot but there are many other brands
- Wooden spoon – my preference when cooking, especially sauteeing in my pot
- Knife to dice your onion, bacon and sausage
I ate a lot of this in Louisiana when I lived down South, plus crawfish (oh so good), gumbo and more.
This is what you’ll need to make this easy Instant Pot beans and rice recipe
- Onion
- Bacon
- Sausage – Andouille sausage is best if you like a bit of a kick
- Can of red kidney beans is what I used
- If you wanted to start with dry small red beans, use our cooking times for beans chart to get them tender first. You do not have to soak the beans if using this pressure cooking method.
- Chicken broth
- Rice – white, long grain uncooked
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Spices
- Green onion and hot sauce can be served on top
Are red beans and kidney beans the same thing?
No, red beans and kidney beans are actually different types. The main difference is that red beans are smaller and rounder, more like pinto beans. However, these beans still are fairly similar and can generally be used interchangeably in recipes that call for either dried or canned beans
- I use what I find at the store on sale. I don’t feel there is enough of a difference to search for either one specifically.
Typically it is quite a lengthy process but there is always a way you can simplify things. That is what we did for you here.
We loved this recipe because it had a great flavor and was a complete meal in a bowl! If you are not about a lot of spice use a different type of sausage as opposed to Andouille. That is where a lot of the spiciness comes from.
- I am not a spice loving person but this is just perfect for me and my kids enjoy it too for dinner.
It feeds the 5 of us with leftovers for lunch the next day as well which makes it a really inexpensive meal idea.
Here’s a quick rundown of how it’s done:
- Set pot to saute, add olive oil, bacon, onion and garlic.
- Cook until bacon is pretty cooked and onions begin to soften.
- Add moon shaped slices of precooked sausage and warm them together with other ingredients.
- Turn pot off and pour in your red beans that have been drained and rinsed.
- If you want to use dry beans refer to our post on cooking beans in a pressure cooker. Once they’re tender you can begin with step one of this recipe. You cannot put them in without already being soft using this cook time.
How long does it cook red beans?
On the stovetop you’d need to cook red beans for 1 hour, and then begin checking for doneness. These can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to cook through though depending on their size and age. Be patient. In an Instant Pot it takes closer to 30 minutes with no pre-soaking required.
- Pour in your chicken broth, water, cumin and salt now. Stir
- Sprinkle in uncooked rice and submerge into the liquid on top, do not stir.
- Close lid and set valve to sealing. Push the rice button which will automatically set to 12 minutes.
- Those without this button, set to high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Allow to naturally pressure release for 2 minutes when done, then let rest of steam out quickly.
Looking for more easy Instant Pot recipes
Soon after we made this other cheesy version of Instant Pot sausage and rice using the same links!
- Instant Pot chili has only 5 ingredients and we make this every few weeks on top of rice
- For a vegetarian option try Instant Pot cream of mushroom rice
- New Years dish = Instant Pot Hoppin John with black eyed peas inside
- A huge kid fave is this Instant Pot chili mac recipe
- These Instant Pot black beans are a great side dish
- We have listed other Instant Pot sausage recipes here for you too
Yes I am sure you could find a stove top recipe for beans and rice but why bother when you can make it to perfection in under 20 minutes here??!!
What do you serve with red beans and rice?
- Southern Bacon Cheesy Grits are known to be a favorite to some
- Cajun Shrimp are a good add in if you want more protein
- Of course mixed vegetables work as well as:
This is how we made it, and the complete Instant Pot red beans and rice recipe is below for you.
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put Instant Pot on saute, high.
- Add olive oil. Add onions, garlic and bacon and cook down until bacon cooks a bit and onions soften.
- Add precooked sausage and warm along side other ingredients.
- Turn off IP by pressing cancel. Add red beans, drained and rinsed.
- Add chicken broth and water (we used 2 c. of each to look like this picture, if you want it wetter add an extra 1/2-1 c. chicken broth for a soupier consistency). Stir.
- Add salt, and cumin. Stir. Sprinkle in uncooked rice and submerge into liquid on top, do not stir.
- Put lid on IP and close steam valve. Push rice button, will automatically set for 12 minutes. When it beeps allow to naturally release steam for 2 minutes, then do a quick release, stir, (season more if desired) and serve!
Joe says
Can I double the size of the recipe on a 6 Qt. IP? Do I have to increase the cook time for a 2x recipe?
The Typical Mom says
I wouldn’t double especially in the 6 qt., it will be too much and won’t pressurize.
Amy Goins says
Very good. First attempt at red beans and rice. Thanks for a fool proof recipe!
Cathleen says
Can I skip the bacon?
The Typical Mom says
Yes of course
Nicole says
So I have a multi function rice cooker..can I still use this recipe with that? It’s pretty similar I looks to the insta pot(aroma 20 cup rice cooker/slow cooker). Would I pre cook the bacon and sausage on the stove and then add to rice cooker?
The Typical Mom says
I’m not sure how that would work in a traditional rice cooker
Carole Fielding says
Hi. I first discovered you because of the name Temecula. My mom was born on Front street, and grandpa Al was the blacksmith for years. My daughter still lives there, but we moved to the mountains of AZ. So far, i love all your recipes! The instapot is an amazing thing! Thanks for the great recipes…
Sharon says
Have made this as is the first time I tried it and we liked it a lot. We like our rice a bit more soupy, so next 3 times I have made it, I added another cup of chicken broth. This is perfect and so so good! I used the Andouille sausage and we loved the spiciness, just right. I am about to make it again, using Keibasa for my 88 year old mother.
Kelseay says
Do I precook the sausage before putting in, or was is it because it’s already precooked that it mentions that?
Kelseay says
Oops, was it*
Joel says
The best red beans and rice I have ever had! Thanks for sharing.
The Typical Mom says
So glad!!
Sissy says
Hi & Thank you for all your yummy recipes! In the video you put in a cube of butter but is not in the recipe. Or did I miss something?
Sissy says
Disregard that apparently the video jumped to a different recipe… Thanks again for your wonderful recipes!
Tim says
I just bought a 3 qt Instant Pot will this recipe work, or do I need to cut the ingredients a bit?
looks delicious, cant wait to try it
The Typical Mom says
Cut all my recipes in half for the 3 qt. pot. 😉
Deena H says
So so good! Even all four of my kids liked it. That never happens! We will make again. The bacon didn’t want to crisp up but was excellent otherwise.
The Typical Mom says
So glad!
Nikki says
made this and it was really easy. Followed the recipe and turned out great. Thanks!
The Typical Mom says
Awesome!
Samantha says
Turned out great and the kids loved it! I used Polska kielbasa with brown rice and doubled the time. I checked it after 12 min, it wasn’t done, so did another 12 min on rice setting and it was perfect!
The Typical Mom says
So glad!!
Lauren says
I have a bag of dry red beans that I want to use. I am new to this whole instapot thing so how would using those change the cooking times? Thank you.
Slicey says
This is an old question, but I always use dried beans in the instant pot, so thought I’d answer in case anyone else has this question. The best way to use dried beans in a recipe like this is to cook the rice separately. When I make rice I always freeze single-serve batches of it to use later.
I made a similar red beans and rice recipe last night and this is what I did: To the instant pot I added a swirl of olive oil, about 1/3 cup frozen seasoning blend, (but you can use fresh chopped onion, garlic, celery, bell peppers + bacon), 1 tsp reduced sodium chicken bullion, and 1 frozen andouille sausage link. To this I added the dried beans + water (your liquid should be 3x-4x the amount of dried beans you use, depending on how soupy you like it), and a couple shakes of cajun seasoning blend (or you can use cumin, like this recipe). I cooked on high pressure for 30 mins + natural release. This wasn’t long enough to soften the beans, so I added another 5 mins. In the future I would cook for 35-40 mins at high pressure plus natural release.
When I opened the pot after 30 mins, I sliced the andouille sausage and mashed the beans, which thickened it a little. I tasted and added a couple more shakes of cajun seasoning before closing the lid and cooking for another 5 mins at pressure. I served over some steamed rice (I had some already made).
*Dried beans cook at different speeds depending on how fresh they are. If you are confident you know how long your beans will take to cook, then you could cook this with dry rice as well. So, if you cooked it like I did and opened the pot at 30 mins, you could make sure you have 1.5x water to dry rice ratio (or a bit more), add the rice and cook for another 5 mins (.
**Make sure you use the correct cooking time for the rice you are using. White rice cooks in 3-5 mins depending on short grain, long grain, basmati, etc. Brown rice takes 22-25 mins. Since the pot is already hot it won’t take as long to get to pressure, so I would add a couple mins cook time to the rice. Generally, 5 mins should be sufficient for white rice and you want to use a 1:1 water ratio and rinse your rice first (12 mins is way too long for rice in the IP!). I would add a little extra liquid (water or broth) since there are other ingredients to soak up the water and your beans are still cooking. You could even add a can of diced tomatoes at this point if you like tomato-y red beans & rice. ***Using too much water or too much cooking time will result in gummy rice!
Jon says
Made this and it came out perfect. Will definitely make it again. The only problem was I didn’t want to stop eating it. Great recipe.
The Typical Mom says
Yeah!! So glad.
Diana says
Thanks for the recipe. It was very tasty! I’m afraid that something is wrong with my new instant pot, though. It took 10 min just to pressurize (on rice) before the 12 minute count down even started. It ended up being about 22 minutes before it beeped and the rice was a little bit mushy. Is this amount of time normal? I followed your 2 cups water and only 2 cups broth recommendation.
The Typical Mom says
It does take some time to pressurize, I haven’t timed how long it takes. If you prefer your rice more al dente just use less liquid when cooking. Everyone has different preferences, glad you liked it.
j Gomez says
I m going to make your recipe one question how do you turn off an instant pot
The Typical Mom says
The bottom right button turns it off.
Debora Pait says
Would the time or the amount of chicken broth change for brown rice? I can’t wait to try this!
The Typical Mom says
Haven’t tried with brown rice, maybe increase a few minutes and check. Let me know!
Stephanie Mitchell says
Do you use regular or minute rice for this recipe? Do you precook the bacon?
The Typical Mom says
Regular rice, and I cook the bacon in the IP on saute first.
Laura says
This looks great! Do you precook the bacon and then dice it, or cut it up and then cook in the instant pot?