Easy Instant Pot red beans and rice with canned beans recipe! Great pressure cooker Ninja Foodi dinner idea that’s hearty and packed with lots of flavor with uncooked rice, canned kidney beans and kielbasa sausage. Like our Instant Pot black beans and rice but quicker.
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. (affiliate links present)
Table of Contents
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice with Sausage
Instead of dry beans we used canned beans so it would cook faster. You can make it as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe, 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. Easy one pot meal that is hearty and healthy.
You can add the kielbasa sausage or make it vegetarian, anything goes with this. I typically buy whatever type is on sale. You could even use Northern or pinto beans instead if you preferred those.
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
Ninja Foodi Red Beans and Rice with Canned
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.
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. 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.
Ingredients
- Onions diced are a nice touch for texture and flavor
- Bacon diced is optional but a nice add
- Sausage – Andouille sausage is best if you like a bit of a kick
- Can of red kidney beans is what I used
- Chicken broth or beef works too
- White rice – long grain uncooked
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Seasonings of your choice
- Green onion and hot sauce can be served on top
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.
How to Make Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice with Canned Beans
- 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 can of red beans that have been drained and rinsed.
- 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.
Can you make this into a gumbo?
If you wanted it looser, more like a soup you could just add a bit more chicken broth or water before you put your lid on and it will come out just as you had envisioned it. I ate a lot of this in Louisiana when I lived down South, plus crawfish (oh so good), gumbo and more. You’ll need the following equipment to make this;
- 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
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.
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.
Why we love Red Beans and Rice Recipe
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:
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 take to cook red beans in pressure cooker?
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. With canned you’re closer to 10 min.
If you want to use dry beans refer to our post on cooking beans in a pressure cooker. 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!
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
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.
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 1/4 onion, diced
- 6 strips bacon , diced
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz sausage, kielbasa, andouille, precooked, diced
- 1 can red beans, drained
- 2 c rice, uncooked
- 2 1/2 c chicken broth
- 2 c 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.
- 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!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So so good! Even all four of my kids liked it. That never happens! We will make again. The bacon didnโt want to crisp up but was excellent otherwise.
So glad!
made this and it was really easy. Followed the recipe and turned out great. Thanks!
Awesome!
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 wasnโt done, so did another 12 min on rice setting and it was perfect!
So glad!!
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.
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!
Made this and it came out perfect. Will definitely make it again. The only problem was I didnโt want to stop eating it. Great recipe.
Yeah!! So glad.
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.
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.
I m going to make your recipe one question how do you turn off an instant pot
The bottom right button turns it off.
Would the time or the amount of chicken broth change for brown rice? I can’t wait to try this!
Haven’t tried with brown rice, maybe increase a few minutes and check. Let me know!
Do you use regular or minute rice for this recipe? Do you precook the bacon?
Regular rice, and I cook the bacon in the IP on saute first.
This looks great! Do you precook the bacon and then dice it, or cut it up and then cook in the instant pot?