Easy Red Beans and Rice recipe
This easy Red Beans and Rice recipe starts with a package and adds veggies for flavor and andouille sausage to make an amazing New Orleans classic in a fraction of the time!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: Just add a few ingredients to this boxed shortcut meal, and you’ll have red beans and rice with a rich, homemade flavor!
Whether it’s for Mardi Gras or just because you’re craving some New Orleans comfort food, this Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice recipe has you covered!
We take an inexpensive, prepackaged mix and add some fresh veggies and sausage to build a richer flavor.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED to make Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Adding a few fresh ingredients gives this recipe a much bigger flavor.
- Butter: We prefer butter for the flavor, but you can substitute olive oil if you prefer.
- Andouille sausage: This flavorful pork sausage can be found in the same refrigerator section as other smoked sausage links in your grocery store, kind of near the hot dogs. This sausage is right at the limit of my family’s spicy-tolerance. (We’re not from the South, what can I say?)
- Holy trinity: Onion, bell pepper, and celery combine to make the vegetable flavor base of many of your Louisiana favorites. We also added garlic, for flavor.
- Broth or water: We used vegetable broth for this recipe.
- Packaged Red Beans & Rice: Maybe in the South they’ll have more options. In our grocery stores in Utah, we only have Zatarain’s Red Beans and Rice. If you’re using a different brand, you may need to adjust your cook time. Our package calls for a 25-minute stovetop cook time.
- Optional garnishes: We liked the look of this with fresh parsley; however, if you’re making it quickly, you can use dried parsley or skip the garnish all together. For maximum Louisiana flavor, you can finish it with a dash or Crystal hot sauce. (It’s less spicy than regular tabasco sauce.)
How to Make this Easy Red Beans and Rice recipe in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
If you’re in a huge hurry, you can save time by skipping the saute steps and just adding the ingredients to the pot and pressing start. However, we really love the extra flavor you get by browning the sausage and veggies. If you have time, you’ll get a much tastier result.
First, brown the sausage in the cooking pot for about 3 minutes, then remove to a plate and cover.
NOTE: In our testing, we found that the texture of the sausage was much better when it was warmed and then set aside. Since the sausage is smoked before being packaged, it’s already fully cooked; we’re just sauteing it to add flavor to the finished dish.
Add the veggies to the cooking pot and saute for about 2 minutes. Then add the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to ensure any browned bits are incorporated into the liquid. Add the packaged red beans and rice.
Select High Pressure and set the cook time for 13 minutes. Use a 10 minute natural release, then use a quick release for any remaining pressure.
Fluff the red beans and rice, then return the sausage to the cooking pot and stir until well distributed. Allow the rice to sit for 5 minutes before serving. This rest period allows the rice to absorb the extra liquid and reach the proper consistency. (It makes a really big difference; we don’t recommend skipping this step.)
You can serve this as a main dish, with a side of steamed veggies and bread (French or cornbread). Or you can serve it as a side dish with other Louisiana favorites.
Frequently Asked Questions about Red Beans & Rice
Absolutely! If you want to cook up a really cheap meal, red beans and rice is a great option. You can skip the sausage and veggies with no change to the cook time.
If you have leftovers, store then in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. The rice will continue to absorb liquid as it cools, so you’ll need to add additional broth or water before reheating it.
Our Instant Pot recipe is an easy shortcut to dress up a packaged dish; however, homemade red beans and rice is absolutely delicious. We have a from-scratch Red Beans and Rice recipe in our cookbook (229).
If you’re not looking for an Instant Pot recipe, Lauren from Scratch is our trusted source for Cajun food, and we recommend her Red Beans and Rice recipe. You can use our Instant Pot White Rice recipe and our Instant Pot Red Kidney Beans recipe to help prep ingredients.
MORE Southern Inspired Recipes
We don’t have a ton of Southern-inspired Instant Pot recipes on our site. Here are some you may enjoy:
- Cajun 15 Bean Soup: Similar to Red Beans and Rice, this easy meal starts with a bean mix and is served over rice.
- Black-Eyed Pea Soup: This easy soup starts with dried black-eyed peas, carrots, and okra, with a rich and smoky flavor that comes from a ham hock.
- Three-Ingredient Cornbread: Start with a box of cornbread mix, add a little milk and egg, and “bake” it up in your pressure cooker for an easy, oven-free favorite.
In our cookbook, The Electric Pressure Cooker Cookbook, we also have recipes for Homemade Red Beans and Rice (229) and Dirty Rice (254).
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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 6 ounces andouille sausage halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into ¼-thick slices
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
- ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper
- 1 celery rib chopped fine
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 package 8 oz red beans and rice
- Fresh parsley for garnish
- Louisiana Hot Sauce optional (we used Crystal brand)
Instructions
- Select Sauté and melt the butter in the pressure cooking pot. Add the sausage. Sauté for about 3 minutes, until the sausage starts to brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove to a plate and cover with foil.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery to the cooking pot. Sauté for about 2 minutes until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add the broth and the red beans and rice.
- Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 13 minutes cook time.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Fluff the red beans and rice with a fork, then return the sausage to the pot and stir until combined. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, uncovered, before serving.
- Serve, garnished with fresh parsley and a dash of hot sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
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