Red Beans and Rice Pressure Cooker Recipe

red beans and rice pressure cooker instant pot

Red beans and rice is a staple dish in Lousiana cuisine. Typically served on Monday’s, this dish would slowly cook away on the stove. Ham was traditionally served on Sunday and the ham bone was used to provide a wonderful flavor in the dish. Monday was laundry day and a pot of red beans and rice was perfect, as it was left unattended while the the clothes were washed and hung to dry. This laundry day tradition is part of the culture in Louisiana and today many homes still prepare this classic dish, although people make it any day of the week. It is also available at many restaurants in New Orleans, throughout the state of Louisiana and beyond.

Red beans and rice is slow cooked so that the flavor of the meat penetrates the kidney beans. Also, the bean get nice and soft through this prolonged cooking time. Some of the beans are broken and mashed to help thicken the broth into a nice creamy gravy. There are different options for meat in the dish, although it is typically pork, ranging from ham or tasso, to smoked sausage like andouille. Served on rice, this dish is economical but tastes incredible!

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I received a pressure cooker a month ago and I was interested to see how this dish would fare in a machine that speeds up the cooking time. Since red beans and rice takes so long to cook, many people do not have the time to make it. If the pressure cooker can make this dish well, in a fraction of the time, it can become a far more manageable dish to prepare.

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The pressure cooker that I use can brown food, so I fried up the onion, pepper and celery (aka the trinity in Louisiana). Then I added some cubed ham and garlic.

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Add the rest of the ingredients (dry red kidney beans, water, and spices) to the pressure cooker. Close the lid and make sure the vent is also closed. Set the pressure cooker to high pressure and select 60 minutes. Then, walk away and let the pressure cooker take care of the rest. The 60 minutes should be enough to cook the beans until they are tender, but it is possible they may need a bit more time. Try using a wooden spoon spoon to press a kidney bean against the side of the pot. It should mush up easily and if it seems a little hard, then set the pressure cooker to cook for another 30 minutes. That should be plenty of time to soften those beans up.

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Mash up about 1/3  of the beans and stir to thicken the sauce. My pressure cooker has a simmer function, so I let the red beans and rice simmer for a bit until the rice was cooked and we were ready to eat.

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Even though these red beans and rice were cooked in under 2 hours total time, they had a full and rich flavor. If you did not know, you would assume that a pot had been simmering on the stove all afternoon! Serve with white rice and a side of collard greens for the full Louisiana experience!

Get the recipe for collard greens here! – Collard Greens with Ham Hock

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Red Beans and Rice Pressure Cooker Recipe

4.91 out of 5
21 reviews
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Make this classic Lousiana dish in a fraction of the time by using a pressure cooker like an Instant Pot. Kidney beans, ham, sausage, onions, pepper and celery make this great dish served on rice.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 onion , diced
  • 1 pepper , diced
  • 2-3 celery stalks , chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds ham , smoked sausage, tasso, cut into cubes
  • 1 pound dry red kidney beans
  • 5 1/2 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you want it spicier)
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 bay leaves

Instructions

  • Heat oil on medium high and add onion, pepper and celery. Cook until they start to get tender, about 5 minutes.
  • Add garlic and chopped meat and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring often.
  • Rinse the kidney beans and drain.
  • Add all the ingredients (except the rice) to the pressure cooker. Close the lid and the vent.
  • Set the pressure cooker to high and select 60 minutes cooking time.
  • After the 50 minutes, let the pressure cooker release the pressure naturally. It should take 10-15 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and use a wooden spoon or potato masher to mash about 1/3-1/2 of the beans.
  • Stir thoroughly and the mashed beans should thicken the broth into a nice creamy gravy.
  • Serve with rice.

Notes

If after the 60 minutes the kidney beans are still not soft, you may need to cook them a bit longer. If needed, set the pressure cooker to high and select 30 minutes cooking time. After this, the bean should definitely be tender.

red beans and rice pressure cooker instant pot

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red beans and rice pressure cooker instant pot

Did you try this recipe?

Leave a comment and let me know how it turned out. Or, take a picture to share on Instagram and tag me @theblackpeppercorn.

4.91 from 21 votes (1 rating without comment)

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Recipe Rating




48 comments

  • 5 stars
    Delicious and easy. Family loved it. The beans turn out so flavorful on their own. Mine were a little dry. I’d add more liquid next time and cut out some of the meat If there are other meat dishes.

    • Reply
    • If I used an instapot the liquid would be fine but I used a regular pressure cooker.

      • Reply
  • Oh- I also had to cook mine for a full 90 minutes. Worth the wait!

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Excellent recipe – thank you so much! I resonated with the reviewer who said she couldn’t stop eating it before her guests arrived! I substituted adzuki beans for kidney beans, and used one cup of pork broth, 4 1/2 cups water. Changed Creole seasoning for cayenne, and used a combination of shredded pork and beef for the meat.I will definitely make this again 🙂

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I used the recipe above instead of using a box mix. My out come using the recipe was great. So much better than buying the box mix.
    I would definitely recommend this red beans and rice recipe to anyone.

    • Reply
  • I am trying not to eat too much of these before everybody gets here to eat !
    This recipe is right on. My beans were cooked and ready to eat in the 60 minutes suggested cook time.
    I can’t wait until everyone gets here because I want ANOTHER bowl with rice.

    • Reply
    • I used my new Ninja-Foodi pressure cooker/ food crisper to make this. It made better pressure than my insta-pot

      • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Made yesterday, it came out absolutely superb! Used my leftover Christmas Ham Bone, full of meat…

    Had to do another 30 on top of the 60, will keep that in mind for next time I make this!!! yummmmmmm

    • Reply
  • 5 stars
    Making this in a couple of for company. I am using my own recipe but it is extremely similar to yours. We like Andouille sausage in our red beans. Can I add this at the beginning or would it be better to do a quick release, put it in and put back under pressure for 5 min?

    • Reply
    • I think adding andouille at the beginning should work just fine. Please come back and leave a comment sharing how it turned out! Would love to hear!

      • Reply
      • 5 stars
        Made this the other night & they were fabulous! I did have to go the extra 30 min. but after that they were perfect. Company kept raving about them & how tender the sausage was. The pressure cooking really does a nice job on the sausage. Hubs is one who does not like next day leftovers but he refused seconds because he wanted them the next night. Will be using this method from now on.

        • Reply
      • 5 stars
        Made this the other night & they were fabulous! I did have to go the extra 30 min. but after that they were perfect. Company kept raving about them & how tender the sausage was. The pressure cooking really does a nice job on the sausage. Hubs is one who does not like next day leftovers but he refused seconds because he wanted them the next night. Will be using this method from now on.

        • Reply
  • 5 stars
    I actually LOVED this recipe. Probably would have been better if I started dinner earlier than an hour before the family wanted to eat.. But so what! I waited and it was totally worth it! Did I make any changes, slight–I used vegetable broth instead of water and 1/2 teaspoon of Creole seasoning instead of cayenne. It took about 90 minutes for the beans to get soft. LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS RECIPE! No more Popeyes!! Thank you

    • Reply
    • 4 stars
      You sold me this is the recipe I’m using !!!! Can’t wait for dinner ??????

      • Reply
    • 60 minutes wasn’t enough for my beans either.

      • Reply
  • Do you add the rice to the bean and meat mixture or cook seperate

    • Reply
    • I cook the rice separately and serve it with the red bean mixture that is cooked in the pressure cooker

      • Reply

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