Instant Pot red beans and rice with canned beans recipe is a great dinner idea that’s hearty and packed with lots of flavor. Made with uncooked white rice, kidney beans and kielbasa sausage can be added too.
We’re back with another favorite pressure cooker meal. It came out great with pantry ingredients and can be made meatless if you choose. Was such a hit it made it to our list of fabulous Instant Pot recipes since it is can easily be made any time of year.
Can you cook red beans and rice together?
In this case you can! With the high pressure of this “magic pot” you are now able to allow all the ingredients to get tender all at the same time. Here we have done all the hard work for you sharing the proper timing, tips and tricks necessary so you don’t have to make all the components separately and then combine.
I typically buy whatever brand or type of bean that is on sale. You will see red here but you could definitely use Great Northern or pinto if you preferred those. As you can see, there are lots of substitutions you can make and still turn out wonderful.
Ingredient Notes
Onions diced are a nice touch for texture and flavor. I typically will use white or yellow varieties but could be left out if your kids are super picky and “won’t eat it” if they see any of them inside their meals. 😉
Can of red kidney beans is what I used, often called red beans. I don’t feel there is enough of a difference for me to choose one over the other. Once again I pick whatever I have on hand or is least expensive at the grocery store.
Chicken broth or beef works too for the liquid. I use half broth and half water so there isn’t a lot of sodium in the mix. If you don’t add meat then you could use more of this to balance the flavors out.
White rice is what you need for the cook time to be accurate, don’t use brown because that takes too long and everything else will become mushy. What you want is the “regular” bag of long grain uncooked grains.
Bacon and Sausage diced are optional but a nice add way more flavor and make it more like a full meal. Andouille is is what we use for our Instant Pot sausage and rice too. If you like a bit of a kick of heat but not overwhelmingly I’d choose this.
Variations
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. If you want more of a gumbo style I would add an additional 1/2 cup of liquid and with that you could include 1 cup of frozen okra too. That would transition it into that rhelm.
Made with Dry Beans
If you want to use dry beans refer to our post on cooking beans in a pressure cooker. You would need to start with this, wait until done and tender to your liking but still just a tad al dente. Drain, rinse, and proceed with the steps below.
Equipment Needed
You obviously need some sort of electric pressure cooker, we have an Instant Pot but there are many other brands. I like using a wooden spoon especially sauteeing in my pot so it doesn’t scratch. And you would want a sharp knife to dice your onion, bacon and sausage into bite size pieces.
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 small onion, diced
- 6 strips bacon , diced, (optional)
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz sausage, kielbasa, andouille, precooked, diced (optional)
- 1 can red beans, drained
- 2 cup rice, uncooked, white long grain rice
- 2 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 cup water
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
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. (skip if making meatless)
- Turn off IP by pressing cancel. Add your can of red beans that have been drained and rinsed off with a bit of water.
- 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 or else the burn notice will appear on the screen.
- Put lid on 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 and stir contents together (season more if desired) and serve!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQ
Start by sautéing onions, garlic, and bell peppers in the Instant Pot using the Sauté function. Once softened, add canned red beans (drained and rinsed), cooked sausage or ham, Cajun seasoning, thyme, bay leaves, broth or water with uncooked rice on top. Lock the lid, set the Instant Pot to high pressure, and cook for less than 15 minutes and done!!
While the classic recipe calls for red kidney beans, you can certainly use other types of canned beans as well. Red beans, pinto beans, or a combination of beans can work nicely in this dish. Choose the beans that you prefer or have available in your pantry.
Yes, you can freeze the leftover Red Beans and Rice. Allow the dish to cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or freezer bags. Label and date them, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Ninja Foodi Option
You can make it as one of our Ninja Foodi recipes, in a Crockpot Express or other brand you have at home. They all basically work the same as long as you have the saute and high pressure function to them.
For this machine you will use the lid that is not attached for the pressure cook function. 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.
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??!!
How Long Does it Take to Cook Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
If you cook from scratch you have to make the beans tender first which takes 40 minutes or so. Then you add the rice and broth as stated below for an additional 12. With canned you cut it down to just 14 total. You start with putting the Instant Pot on saute, high. Add olive oil. Add onions, garlic and bacon and cook down until bacon cooks a bit and onions soften.
Other easy pressure cooker recipes with beans you’ll love
Instant Pot chili has only 5 ingredients and we make this every few weeks on top of 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
Can I make this in a Ninja Foodi using the same times?
yes, use pressure cook button and lid that is not attached
Great, easy recipe. I make this at least once every 2 weeks. My family loves it and is great for meal prep too. Have also made without the sausage as a side dish for a gathering and it was a hit. I usually saute veggies separately and mix in after everything is cooked to make it a balanced meal. Really tasty recipe !
awesome
This was great. I made it vegan. Used a tofurkey kielbasa and veggie stock; skipped the bacon. Super yummy!! A new go to for us.
Oh awesome