Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

About a year ago, my husband requested – totally out of the blue – that he would like red beans and rice for dinner one night. “Heavy on the sausage,” he said.

Being raised by Northerners, this was NOT something I ever ate growing up. And I hate to admit I often turned my nose up at this dish simply based on its looks alone. It is basically a big reddish-brown pile of beans, after all.

However, my first attempt using my slow cooker was met with such rave reviews (even the kids went back for seconds), I figured maybe I needed to give red beans and rice its proper place at our dinner table. It’s a cheap hearty meal and now that I have figured out how to make it in my Instant Pot, it’s pretty quick. This recipe now makes an appearance in our home at least once a month.

The origin of red beans and rice

Red beans and rice got its origins from my neighbor to the east, Louisiana. Traditionally, it was served on Monday as a way to use up leftover food from Sunday dinner. Mondays were also wash day, which left little time at the end of the day to prepare a family meal. The ladies at home would slowly simmer a pot of beans as they went about their cleaning. It’s slow cooking before slow cookers were invented.

Ingredients and tools you will need

• 1 pound uncooked dry red beans or dark red kidney beans – Red beans are smaller, rounder and a deeper red color than red kidney beans. However, they both have a similar texture and flavor, so they can be used interchangeably.
• 5 cups chicken stock – store-bought or check out my post for making your own homemade chicken stock.
• 1 pound andouille or smoked sausage sliced into ¼ inch medallions – Traditional recipes use leftover ham or a ham bone. You may also see some recipes that call for andouille sausage. Andouille is a spicy Creole smoked sausage made using pork, garlic, pepper, onions, wine, and seasonings. If you live in an area where andouille is not easy to come by, substitute with regular smoked sausage instead.
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1 medium white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• Uncooked long grain white rice
• Water
• Electric pressure cooker – I own an Instant Pot LUX60V3 V3 6 Qt pressure cooker.
• 2.5 -3-inch metal trivet
• Oven safe bowl – This can be pretty much any glass, metal or ceramic bowl that fits inside your Instant Pot, but allows enough room for steam to circulate around the sides. I find this 4-cup round Pyrex dish works perfectly.

Using the Instant Pot to presoak dried beans

Dried beans are cheap and economical. However, they don’t offer the same level of convenience as canned beans. Dried beans need to be soaked in water before cooking. It significantly shortens cooking time by enabling the beans to absorb water, breaking down complex starches and fibers. This results in a softer, evenly cooked bean with an improved texture. Dried beans should be soaked for at least 4 -24 hours. Who has time for that?!? Not to worry, I’ve discovered a pressure cooking trick that accomplishes the same goal as presoaking the beans in water for hours. 

1. Pour the dry beans into the Instant Pot. Add five cups of chicken broth.
2. Add one teaspoon of salt. Replace the lid and seal. Set the Instant Pot to manual, then set the time to 0 minutes. Yes, ZERO.
3. Once the pot has come to pressure and turned off, use the natural pressure release. This should take about 15 minutes. You do not need to drain the beans.
   

Cooking rice using the PIP method

Red beans is traditionally served over white rice. Guess what … we’re gonna cook the rice in the Instant Pot with the red beans and sausage, using something called the pot-in-pot, or PIP method. We’re placing another bowl inside the Instant Pot to allow the rice to cook simultaneously, but separately.

This is where the 3-inch trivet comes in. It’s high enough to keep the second bowl out of the food cooking below. But first, we’ll need to create something that will allow us to easily and safely lift the trivet out of the pot once it’s done cooking. I do this by folding a two-foot-long length of aluminum foil into a 4.5-inch strip. Fold the aluminum foil strip under the trivet, leaving the sides sticking up. Place the trivet into the pot, over the red beans mixture. Set the oven-safe bowl on top of the trivet.

Add your rice to the oven-safe bowl. Instant Pot recommends a water/rice ratio of 1:1. However, I find that when cooking Instant Pot rice using PIP, you actually need a little less. I use ¾ cup of water per one cup of rice. Season the rice with additional salt to your taste. 

Another benefit of PIP method is that the food cooking on top can withstand a longer cooking time because it’s not in direct contact with the heat. Don’t worry … even though we’re cooking the rice longer than the recommended time, it will still come out as nice fluffy white rice.

How to make Instant Pot red beans and rice

1. Once you’ve presoaked your beans, add the spicy andouille sausage or smoked sausage, minced garlic, and the holy trinity of diced celery, diced onion, and diced green pepper. In addition, add the Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, and bay leaves. Stir everything until combined.
2. Place the 3-inch trivet into the pot, over the red beans mixture. Set the oven-safe bowl on top of the trivet.

3. Add the rice to the oven-safe bowl. Add ¾ cup of water or chicken stock per one cup of rice. Season the rice with salt to taste.

4. Replace the lid and seal the pot. Select the manual button, then set the timer for 30 minutes. Afterwards, use natural release, about 15-20 minutes. Once the pressure has released and you’ve removed the lid, carefully lift the oven-safe bowl and the trivet out of the pot using the foil sling and set aside. Remove the bowl of rice from the trivet and fluff the rice with a fork.

5. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

6. Serve the red beans over the hot cooked rice. Garnish with chopped green onions or diced parsley if desired. Sprinkle with hot sauce for additional heat.

Storage, freezing, and reheating instructions

Storage. For best results, I recommend storing the rice and beans separately. Transfer both to an airtight container within two hours. Store in the refrigerator and consume within four days.

Freezing. Pressure cooker red beans will freeze surprisingly well; however, I don’t recommend freezing the rice. Transfer the red beans mixture to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag. If using a bag, squeeze out as much air as possible. Consume within three months. Thaw completely before reheating.

Reheating. Transfer the beans to a medium saucepan. The beans will have absorbed a lot of the original cooking liquid, so add a little additional chicken broth or water. Cover the saucepan and reheat the beans over medium-low heat until heated through.

Frequently asked questions

You might also like:

• Chicken Jambalaya
• Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
• Shrimp and Crawfish Étouffée

More Instant Pot recipes

• Instant Pot Collard Greens
• Instant Pot Hoppin’ John
• Instant Pot Black Bean Soup with Andouille Sausage