Red Beans and Rice
Red Beans and Rice is a simple recipe that combines tender red beans, the perfect blend of seasonings, and hearty rice to create a truly comforting and flavorful southern meal.
A CLASSIC, COMFORTING AFFORDABLE MEAL
Red Beans and Rice has been around for ages and for good reason! It’s one of my all time favorite comfort meals. It’s so good, filling, and super affordable. It can be a side dish, but it really is a whole meal on its own for lunch or dinner. We generally serve with some cornbread or cornbread muffins, and of course, sweet tea! I love the simplicity of the dish and I also love how easy it is to make!
My mama made the absolute best beans and rice but never taught us & we have no recipe from her. Made this tonight and I swear it tastes just like hers. We all about cried after tasting it. Thank you so, so much for this. I’m glad I gave this recipe a try!
– Geena
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Yes, if you would like to use dried beans you can. However, you will need to soak them overnight before using them in this recipe. Over the years I have found that I actually prefer to make this with canned beans. They are the perfect texture and it cooks up quick. However, dried beans can be a cheaper option for sure. Most other recipes I’ve seen suggest using a pound of dried beans. Keep in mind, you may have to add a bit more liquid to this since you won’t have the additional liquid from the canned beans.
Certainly. You can add some andouille, chorizo, other smoked sausage like kielbasa, crumbled bacon, or diced ham.
This version is not spicy. You can adjust the heat or spice level of this dish by adjusting the spices you use. Add some cayenne pepper, chipotle powder, or your favorite hot sauce to kick them up.
This is one of the few times I will say no. No slow cooker is needed simply because the simmer time is only 15-20 minutes and it’s just not enough to warrant a slow cooker. Also, the beans may not thicken up as well in a slow cooker as they do on the stovetop.
Now, after you make them and you want to keep them warm for serving, you could put them into a slow cooker on the keep warm setting. But I think preparing them in the slow cooker is just doing much more work than necessary when it’s easily and quickly done on the stovetop.
Once the beans have cooled, they can be transferred to a container and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. Keep them longer by freezing for up to 3 months.
Reheat in a saucepan with a splash of water or stock, the longer they sit the thicker they will become. Make sure to watch them and stir a lot so they don’t burn while reheating. I always cook up rice fresh to serve with the beans.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- bacon grease– while this brings a ton of flavor, you can swap it out for all butter if needed (but really go for the bacon grease if you can.)
- salted butter – use real butter, not margarine. You could technically use margarine but you really would just be adding flavored oil and butter is always better.
- garlic powder, onion powder, creole seasoning, salt and pepper – normally I just season to taste which is what I encourage everyone to do. However, when posting recipes, you have to be able to give people amounts so I did my best to measure how much I usually use. It is always important though to taste and make it to your liking.
- canned red beans– make sure not to drain and rinse the beans, you need that liquid in the cans to help them thicken up properly. See my FAQ’s above about using dried beans.
- water – for an even bigger pop of flavor, try using vegetable or chicken broth instead of water.
- cooked long grain white rice – for me, it has to be white rice but please use what you prefer eating whether that be brown rice or cauliflower rice.
HOW TO MAKE RED BEANS AND RICE
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the bacon grease and butter. Add the garlic powder, onion powder, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook for about a minute.
Add the beans and water to the pan, stir to combine. Take a potato masher and mash the beans to break them up, make sure there are some larger and smaller chunks of beans.
Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally while scraping the bottom of the pan, so nothing burns, until thickened and reduced slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Serve immediately with the cooked rice.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Louisiana Jambalaya
- Soup Beans
- Dirty Rice
- Black Eyed Peas
- Shrimp Gumbo
- Buttery Creole Shrimp
- Southern Fried Shrimp
- Shrimp Po Boys
- Chicken Étouffée
- Shrimp Étouffée
- Shrimp and Grits
- Crock Pot Refried Beans
- Garlic Butter Rice
Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons bacon grease (butter can be used)
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon creole seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 (15.5 ounce) cans red beans undrained
- ¼ cup water
- 4 cups cooked long grain white rice, to serve
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 Tablespoons bacon grease and 1 Tablespoon salted butter.
- Add 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon creole seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to pan. Stir and cook for about a minute.
- Add 3 (15.5 ounce) cans red beans and 1/4 cup water to the pan, stir to combine.
- Take a potato masher and mash the beans to break them up, make sure there are some larger and smaller chunks of beans.
- Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally while scraping the bottom of the pan, so nothing burns, until thickened and reduced slightly. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
- Serve up immediately with the 4 cups cooked long grain white rice,.
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
- I was generous with the serving size if this was going to be served as a full meal. You could certainly get away with 6 servings on this one with smaller portion sizes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
absolutely delicious!We did add an onion but GURLLL the 4 cups rice to the ratio of beans is OFF !Wayyyyy to much rice hahaha
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for commenting! The four cups of rice isn’t for one person though, it’s spread out amongst all the servings this makes 🙂
This was so good!!! And so easy!! I wonder if I could swap out Lima beans for the red beans and it be just as good without changing anything else?
I’m so happy you like it! I don’t like lima beans so I am definitely not the person to ask about that because I would definitely say no lol
In the vernacular of the South, “these red beans and rice were proper.” One has savored red beans and rice from Breaux Bridge to Buras and this recipe is good as it gets. For lagniappe, the recipe is both economical and quick. Well done!
Super simple and easy. I diced up 2.5 links of andouille sausage and sauteed it in the bacon grease and seasonings (and added a wee bit more of the creole seasoning). So good!
First time to use this recipe
Sautéed and diced onion, 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2- yellow bell pepper, in 1 tablespoon of bacon fat ♀️
Delicious!!
I made homemade cornbread with ours and it was a delicious meal!
I made this for the first time and my family loved so much I had to make them again
Tastes great! I didn’t change a thing – perfect the way it is!
Brandie, this is definitely delicious and easy to make! I just made it and we are eating it now. Forgot to buy beans, but no worries I cooked my own from scratch and it worked perfectly! I also added a heaping tbs of dehydrated onion flakes that I rehydrated & I sautéed those with the spices and I sliced up a Hillshire Farm Polish type sausage and put it in with the spices. I removed it once it was lightly cooked then added the beans, mashed them & added the sausage back and finished cooking! It was amazing!
Thanks so very much Donna – that means a lot. I always appreciate when folks take the time to come back and comment!
I made this Red bean and rice recipe, it was delicious. I added 1 more tablespoon of bacon grease. Muahhhhh fabulous
You’re a woman after my own heart with the extra bacon grease – ha! Thank so very much for taking the time to come back and comment!
My mama made the absolute best beans and rice but never taught us & we have no recipe from her. Made this tonight and I swear it tastes just like hers. We all about cried after tasting it. Thank you so, so much for this. I’m glad I gave this recipe a try!
I’ve never been able to make red beans & rice as good as my Mama. I did today! This recipe tasted just like hers!! It was so good and everyone raved. Thank you!
I make this at least once a week, it’s so good. I swear it tastes like it’s been simmering for hours. I use vegan butter instead of bacon fat and add a splash of apple cider vinegar for a little tang.
how do i do this with red beans that i soaked?
I have details above in the frequently asked questions section 🙂
I have been looking for a recipe like this for years! So good, and cost effective! I cut it down to 1/3 of the recipe and it was still amazing! Definitely a keeper!
This makes me so happy to hear Anne – thank you so very much for taking the time to come back and comment!
I’m a cajun food freak and red beans and rice are a favorite!! This was quick and easy and a great meal. I can punch up the heat and flavor and everyone loved it!
This is an amazing recipe! My son in law is from New Orleans and cooks for us many nights. He loved this!!
Very easy to do
Looks easy and tasty. Planning this for supper
Quick and easy! My family said it doesn’t taste like canned beans. This is definitely going into the rotation.
Love hearing this PJ! Thanks SO much for taking the time to come back and comment!
PJ, cook your own, I did. 1 cup of dry beans will yield about 1 can of beans once they are cooked. I cook mine in one of those little 2 quart crockpot you buy @ Walmart $9.99
1 C dry beans
2 1/2 c water
2 Tbs Canola Oil + 1 Rounded Tsp Bacon Drippings
3/4 Tsp Salt
1 Teaspoons Sugar (Secret Ingredient to make your beans really delicious!)
Stir well and cover, cook 5-5 1/2 hours on high. Don’t bother till done unless you need to add a little water, occasionally they need a tiny bit more, but this amount is usually perfect.
Don’t tell my Mee Maw but this was some of the best red beans I have ever had. I am making it again today because it was eaten up so fast LOL
My husband and I moved from Michigan to South Carolina two years ago. Our daughter in law was born and raised in South Carolina. I decided to make red beans and rice for dinner a couple of nights ago to surprise her. Oh my goodness! While they were cooking, the house smelled amazing! Never having red beans and rice, I wasn’t sure what they were supposed to taste like. Let me put it this way, my daughter in law declared that I make an “awesome Southern momma”. What a great compliment!