This traditional Creole red beans and rice recipe is made extra easy in the slow cooker!
Oh, rice and beans.
These two simple ingredients are such a staple around the world. And I love how it seems like every different country — heck, often every different culture within a country — has their own totally unique way of making them.
When I lived in Costa Rica, for example, they called rice and beans “gallo pinto”, which was white rice stirred together with black beans and a few veggies and salsa lizano, and was served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I was in Jamaica, I loved how they simmered their white rice in sweet coconut milk and served it with pigeon peas or kidney beans. When I was in Mexico, I couldn’t get enough of their classic refried beans, and some well-seasoned Mexican rice can’t be beat. And the list goes on and on…
But. I’m pretty sure that my favorite take on rice will forever-and-always be the classic, zesty, Creole dish that I can’t get enough of — Red Beans and Rice.
Even better? Red Beans and Rice made extra-easy in the Crock-Pot®.
Red Beans and Rice Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Mmmm hmmmm.
No boring rice and beans here. Just take a look at all of those vibrant ingredients!
The main ingredients here, of course, are the “trinity” — onions, bell peppers, and celery — which is kind of the Creole version of mirepoix, or sofrito, etc. So delicious. Then I added in some flavorful Andouille sausage (or you can use smoked sausage, if this is unavailable at your grocery store), tons of garlic, Creole seasoning, and bay leaves. And yes, an entire pound of dried red beans.
The brilliant thing about slow cooking this recipe is that you don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove for hours while those red beans cook completely to perfection. Just toss everything in the Crock-Pot® slow cooker (here’s the one I use) and give the mixture a good stir. Then about 6-8 hours later, this big pot of goodness will be yours to enjoy.
Seriously, it’s so simple! I served mine over traditional white rice, but brown rice (or even quinoa or farro) would work well here. Or you can also serve up a little bit of it for breakfast in a mug, which I also did the next day for leftovers. Delicious at all hours of the day!
So if you happen to love red beans and rice as much as I do, give this one a try! And bonus — if you happen to be in the market for a new slow cooker, Crock-Pot® is giving a sweet discount to Gimme Some Oven readers today who click over to their site. This Crock-Pot® 6-Quart Slow Cooker with a Stovetop-Safe Cooking Pot is the one I own and use most, and totally recommend.
Enjoy!
Crock Pot Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked (dry) red kidney beans
- 3/4 pound (12 ounces) Andouille sausage, sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
- 1 bell pepper, cored and diced
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more/less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 7 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- for serving: cooked white or brown rice, thinly-sliced green onions
Instructions
- Rinse the kidney beans thoroughly under water.
- Add the kidney beans, sausage, garlic, celery, onion, bell pepper, Creole seasoning, hot sauce, dried thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock to the bowl of a large slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cook on high for 6-8 hours, or until the kidney beans are soft and cooked through*. Taste, and season with however much salt and pepper you’d like. (I used about 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper.**) If you’d like a spicier dish, feel free to also add in more hot sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
- Serve immediately over rice, garnished with green onions.
Notes
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!This post is sponsored by Crock-Pot®, maker of my beloved slow cooker. Thanks for continuing to support the brands who help make this site possible!
I own a food truck in Door County, Wisconsin. Papa B’s Food Truck. Even though I am from up north I love Cajun food. I have a Cajun pork roast recipe that I make at home, and have been trying to decide how to make a Cajun wrap to add to my menu. I decided to do red beans and rice with the pork roast. So I made this recipe but instead of sausage or smoked ham hocks I made it with a pork butt roast right in with the beans. I added some liquid smoke to add the smoky flavor. It turned out delicious. The only issue is that it is a little juicy for my wrap, so I am going to make it again and cut back on the liquid a bit. And thicken it more at the end if necessary. I made the wrap with the red beans, rice, and shredded pork. I topped it with a siracha pineapple cole slaw(one of our signature dishes), a touch of shredded cheddar and diced onion. It is a keeper.
The traditional way to thicken the red beans is not with corn starch, but to mash some of the beans. Therefore it does not effect the flavor.
Do the beans need to be soaked overnight beforehand
YES, for dried beans.
I never soak them and they turn out great.
Great recipe and turned out great. I swapped in veggie broth and Beyond Meat sausage to the receipe and it was excellent!
Did you cook the beyond meat sausage first before adding to crock pot? I need to do this using the same ingredients that you did so thank you in advance.
Help, please. I have two cans of red beans but no dry. Can I use these instead?
This was delicious! Louisiana approved!
Is there a way to cook the rice in the crock pot with the beans? Thinking of adding rice and more water to the last 30-60 mins of cooking time. Has anyone tried?
Cook the rice separately. And mix after they are cooked. If you put the rice in to cook with the beans, you’ll have a big mess. A couple of things will happen, either your rice will be overcooked and turn to mush or the rice will absorb to much water and the beans will not cook correctly.
Recipes are guidelines for me. I needed a good Red beans and Rice recipe and this was it. My spin on it was instead of the andouille I used a spicy chicken sausage and a smoked ham hock. Then I substituted a can of beer for some of the broth.
I use a lot of your recipes and have been happy with the ones I have made. I have a question on this one. The recipe lists creole seasoning in the ingredients but I only found a Cajun seasoning recipe on your site. What is the difference in the 2? Will the Cajun seasoning work on this recipe too? With COVID I am not making an extra grocery run if I can make this at home. Thanks!
Hi there, I use a Cajun spice blend every time I make this recipe, as Creole spice blend is hard to find where I am. It always turns out well. :)
Amazing page. Have not tried any yet (just found it) but I live alone and am a Crock Pot junkie.. Few of these rec. sound delicious. Easy, basically ingredients that are usually available w/substitutes if necessary. Thank you soo much. Due to CV I have taken in couple who had no place to go, no $$, so your page is an extra blessing. Many thanks. God Bless America !