The BEST Red Beans and Rice Recipe! (2024)

April 23, 2023 by Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) · Updated January 6, 2024

This BEST Red Beans and Rice Recipe is the Ultimate Cajun Favorite done all the way right! Insanely flavorful kidney beans with a hint of spice and meaty essence are served over white rice for the perfect Southern Creole recipe. Popeye’s ain’t got nothing on this y’all!!

This Red beans and Rice recipe is a soulful dish. I love to watch the beans simmer away in a pot of spices and intense flavors gradually thickening and melding together in the most magical way. It’s true love whenever someone makes this dish for you.

Once ready, this kidney beans recipe is smothered with rice, and your first taste is the reward for your patience.

I grew up eating all types of beans. My mother is the queen of crock pot bean meals. From lima beans and pinto beans to red beans, we had them all and on the regular too.

Red beans have a personality all their own, and the South really knows how to bring that personality out. I never really appreciated my mother’s consistent bean meals until later in life when I began making them myself.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• A recipe that comes together without much effort on my part beyond the initial prep.
• Bean recipes are perfect for making healthy meals with a lil’ soul.
• Full of rich, savory flavors.
• A budget-friendly meal to feed a crowd.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients that really make this recipe stand out above the rest:

• Chicken Stock: Using stock instead of water adds additional flavor to the base of this dish making this dish taste even better!
• Hot sauce: Adds that nice extra kick of spice y’all know I love!
• Creole Seasoning: Definitely a must ingredient for giving you that true Louisiana flavor. Brands like Slap Yo Mama are fantastic to use.
• Andouille Sausage: It is truly one of the most important ingredients in this red beans recipe. I use Sausages by Amylo’s chicken andouille flavor to cut down on the fat in the dish.
• Holy Trinity: You must begin with the holy trinity, onions, bell pepper, and celery in cajun cooking. You will find this base in most New Orleans-style recipes and it adds a ton of flavor.

Can I make this vegetarian?

Yes, most definitely! You can easily make vegan or vegetarian red beans and rice using this recipe. Here are the easy steps to take:

• Replace the chicken stock with vegetable stock. Super easy fix!
• Remove the sausage from the recipe.
• For an additional kick of flavor, add a little soy sauce! Taste until you like how much you add. Don’t add too much since it adds salt!

How to Make Red Beans and Rice with Kidney Beans

And lastly, this red beans recipe just tastes so damn good y’all. A big bowl is about as comforting as a meal can get. Let’s look a what goes into making it!

1. Cook the onions, celery, and bell peppers in oil until they begin to caramelize and tenderize.
2. Add the sausage and brown for about 4-5 minutes.

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3. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir it frequently and make sure it doesn’t burn.
4. Add the chicken stock, water, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, creole seasoning, salt, and pepper to the pot.

5. The red beans go in next. After it boils, turn down the heat to low, cover with a lid, and cook for 2 – 2½ hours until they are tender and liquid as thickened.
6. When they’re ready, check the flavor and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let them cool and thicken a bit before serving.

How to Store

This recipe is great to make ahead but also this recipe makes a big batch so you might have leftovers.

Leftovers: Store the leftover beans and rice separately in the fridge for up to four days. You can also freeze the cooked red beans for up to three months.

Reheat: If frozen, thaw them out overnight in the fridge. Return them to a pot and heat on the stove until heated through. If they seem a bit dry you can add more stock to the pot. Cook fresh rice for serving or reheat leftover rice in the microwave.

How to Serve

With a trinity of celery, onions, and bell peppers, a dose of creole spices and andouille sausage, and a heaping scoop ofrice, this is a meal that’s not only good for the body but oh sogood for the soul.

• Rice: It wouldn’t be spicy red beans and rice without the rice! You can serve it up with white or brown rice. I often make this with brown rice to make it healthier. Other rice dishes that make a tasty side this dish are dirty rice and jambalaya.
• Cornbread: There are lots of options when it comes to cornbread! Southern cornbread is always a favorite but you can also serve hot water cornbread, hush puppies, or some freshly baked corn muffins!
• Other Cajun favorites: If you’re looking to combine your spicy red beans and rice with other dishes, I love this seafood gumbo, shrimp creole and blackened fish. They are Cajun classics that everyone will love with the ultimate traditional flavors!
• Dessert: Don’t forget those beignets boos!

Expert Tips

• Really let the flavors of the trinity develop. This is crucial for adding more bomb flavor to the base of this dish.
• Check on the beans as they cook. They will take a while to cook but it’s a good idea to give them a stir every now and then.
• Use broth or stock over water! This makes it taste better.
• Let the the pot sit after cooking. They will cool down slightly during this time and the liquid with thicken up slightly making them even better.
• Craving more cajun recipes? Trymy Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, homemade Cajun Seasoning,or these Stuffed Cabbage Rolls.

FAQs

More Bean Recipes

• Black Eyed Peas
• Hoppin John
• Butter Beans
• Jamaican Rice and Peas
• Pinto Beans

*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!

This post was originally published March 2015. It has been updated with new content and images.