• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crunchy Creamy Sweet

Easy Recipes for Busy Parents

  • All Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Asian
  • Dinner
  • Instant Pot
  • Dessert
  • About Us
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About Me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • About Me
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    You are here: Crunchy Creamy Sweet / Instant Pot / Easy Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

    Easy Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

    Published: Aug 23, 2019 · Modified: Mar 9, 2020 by Anna 16 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Sharing is caring!

    5460 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Easy Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice  - this Southern classic is made with vegetables, sausage, beans and Cajun seasoning, all in just 4 steps, right in the pressure cooker.

    Serve this delicious one-pot dish with fluffy rice and a side of corn on the cob for a meal the whole family will love.

    Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice on white plate.

    One of the easiest dishes to make in your Instant Pot is the Red Beans and Rice. No canned beans needed! Cajun seasoning adds this Luisianna dish it's classic flavor. We serve it over rice for a pure comfort food meal. It's a Southern classic made easy in the pressure cooker, in one hour, but it tastes like it was simmering on the stove all day. This dish might not be authentic, but it's easy and perfect when you need to feed a family.

    Ingredients:

    • onion
    • garlic
    • green bell pepper
    • celery
    • red beans
    • sausage (I used smoked)
    • Cajun seasoning
    • Italian seasoning
    • Bay leaves
    • vegetable stock
    • water
    • salt and pepper
    • rice, to serve
    Ingredients on a board to make Instant Pot Beans and Rice.

    Step by step instructions:

    This dish really comes together in just 4 steps. The recipe below is broken down into more steps, to make it easy to follow. You make it once, and it will go even faster next time.

    Step 1: Saute veggies

    Add oil to the Instant Pot on saute setting and heat up. Saute chopped veggies until the onion is translucent.

    Peppers and onions sauteed in the Instant Pot.

    Step 2: seasoning and sausage

    Add seasoning to sauteed vegetables and stir well. It should be very fragrant. This helps activate the seasoning and ensure a flavorful final result. Add sausage and cook for a couple of minutes.

    Peppers and sausage in the Instant Pot.

    Step 3: Beans

    Deglaze the pot with a little bit of water, then add all liquid and beans. Stir everything together. Place Bay leaves on top.

    Beans and stock in the pressure cooker.

    Step 4: Pressure cook

    Close the lid, set valve to sealing position and set the timer to 35 minutes. Once done, let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally.

    What sausage to use in this recipe?

    I use smoked sausage in my recipe because I am feeding a family of 5 with small children, so a mild sausage is preferred. If you want the dish spicy, use the classic andouille sausage, but you have to cook it first, remove onto a plate and then follow the recipe from step 1.

    What beans to use in this recipe?

    The traditional dish calls for small red beans, but since they are quite hard to find, I used red kidney beans. Rinse them before adding to the dish. No soaking needed.

    Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice inside the pressure cooker.

    Serving:

    A classic way to serve this dish is over rice. You can follow my recipe for the Perfect Fluffy Rice cooked in the pressure cooker or stove-top. Popular sides are corn on the cob, sauteed greens with bacon, green beans and potatoes, etc.

    Variations:

    • vegetarian: skip the sausage and add 6 oz. of white or Baby Bella mushrooms.
    • spicy: use andouille sausage (if it's raw, you will need to cook it first, remove onto a plate, then saute veggies like in step 1.)

    More easy Instant Pot recipes:

    • Instant Pot Black Beans 
    • Instant Pot Baked Beans
    • Instant Pot Refried Beans (no soaking)

    For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Instant Pot Category.

    If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀 

    Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice inside the pressure cooker.

    Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

    Author: Anna
    This Southern classic is made with vegetables, sausage, beans and Cajun seasoning, all in just 4 steps, right in the pressure cooker. This recipe is easy because we are using smoked sausage (instead of andouille sausage that usually comes raw) so no need to cook it first. Also, since small red beans are hard to find, we are using red kidney beans instead.
    4.75 from 8 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 35 mins
    natural release 12 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 people
    Calories 370 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 medium onion
    • 3 garlic cloves
    • 3 celery stalks
    • 1 green bell pepper
    • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
    • 1 lb smoked sausage see note
    • 2 Bay leaves
    • 1 lb dry red beans 2 cups
    • 2 cups water
    • 2.5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
    • cooked rice for serving

    Instructions
     

    • Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot. Press "saute" setting and wait 2 minutes. Add oil.
    • Add chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped celery and chopped bell pepper. Saute for 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
    • Add seasoning and stir well. Saute for 1 minute. Add sausage and stir well. Saute for 2 minutes.
    • Press "cancel/off" button. Add 1/2 cup of water and deglaze the pot (scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to make sure all cooked on bits are off).
    • Add remaining water and vegetable stock. Add beans and stir everything together.
    • Close the lid and set the valve to sealing position (newer models do it on their own).
    • Press "manual" or "pressure cook" button and set the timer to 35 minutes. Make sure the Instant Pot is set to cook at HIGH pressure.
    • The IP will beep and it will start coming to pressure. When the timer is up, press "cancel/off" button and let the pressure release naturally.
    • When the sealing pin has dropped, carefully open the lid away from your face. Stir the bean mixture.
    • Serve over rice with a garnish of chopped green onions.

    Notes

    I use smoked sausage in my recipe because I am feeding a family of 5 with small children, so a mild sausage is preferred. If you want the dish spicy, use the classic andouille sausage, but you have to cook it first, remove onto a plate and then follow the recipe from step 1.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1251mg | Potassium: 594mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Vitamin C: 19.3mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 3.5mg
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment with rating below!

    More Instant Pot Recipes

    • Instant Pot Applesauce
    • Best Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
    • Instant Pot Corned Beef
    • Instant Pot Turkey Stock

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. D. Thibodeaux says

      January 14, 2023 at 2:00 pm

      5 stars
      I been using this recipe for a year! This is my go to for some good red beans. The seasoning is on point! I’m from Louisiana and I give this 5 stars!

      Reply
    2. Cindy Warren says

      September 15, 2022 at 7:10 pm

      Can you use canned beans?

      Reply
    3. Lindsay says

      August 13, 2022 at 3:11 pm

      5 stars
      I loved this recipe so much, I'd like to spice it up next time...have you ever used kielbasa in this recipe?

      Reply
    4. Lara says

      September 23, 2020 at 9:38 pm

      Really good recipie, but my beans were hard afterwords :(. They were not like rock hard or anything, just still had a bite to them so they were not tenner and didn't puff up

      Reply
      • Anna says

        September 25, 2020 at 12:31 pm

        Hi Lara! That can happen sometimes with older beans. Maybe add a few more minutes of cooking time next time?

        Reply
    5. Heather G. says

      July 19, 2020 at 4:40 pm

      Hi! For the dried beans is it one pound + two cups? Thanks!!

      Reply
      • Anna says

        July 19, 2020 at 5:10 pm

        Hi Heather! 1 lb dried beans is the same as 2 cups of dried beans. Sorry if it's not clear. I hope this helps!

        Reply
        • Heather G. says

          July 19, 2020 at 8:16 pm

          Wow, I am a dork. Duh! Thank you so much, LOL

          Reply
    6. Amy says

      February 12, 2020 at 11:06 pm

      4 stars
      This was great. I used regular red beans and I had to cook for an additional 20 minutes because the beans were too hard. Other than that, great recipe.

      Reply
      • Anna says

        February 12, 2020 at 11:56 pm

        Thank you so much, Amy!

        Reply
    7. Molly says

      September 05, 2019 at 1:37 pm

      4 stars
      This recipe was really easy and tasted great. I had to cook it twice as long as the recipe called for though to get my beans soft enough. What did I do wrong? Should I have soaked them over night?

      Reply
      • Anna says

        September 05, 2019 at 8:52 pm

        Hi Molly! My beans were quite well done after the cooking time. If your beans are older, they may need a longer cooking time. If you are unsure how old are your beans, it's safe to soak them overnight. I hope this helps!

        Reply
    8. Courtney O'Dell says

      August 23, 2019 at 10:17 pm

      5 stars
      Red beans and rice is one of my favorite dishes but I always mess it up. This recipe was foolproof!

      Reply
    9. Suzy says

      August 23, 2019 at 8:54 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a classic! Love that it cooks faster in the instant pot!

      Reply
    10. Melissa says

      August 23, 2019 at 7:39 pm

      5 stars
      This was so good! My family just loved it!

      Reply
    11. Eden says

      August 23, 2019 at 5:51 pm

      5 stars
      One of our favorite weekday meals! We love this recipe and using our instant pot!

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Crunchy Creamy Sweet Anna

    Hi, I'm Anna! Thank you for stopping by! Here you will find easy and delicious recipes for busy people. My recipes are made with everyday ingredients and all of them are family approved!

    More about me →

    Easy Dinners

    • Quick Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls Recipe
    • Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe
    • Creamy Garlic Chicken
    • Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe
    • Creamy Mushroom Garlic Chicken
    • Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole

    Popular Recipes

    • Air Fryer Shrimp
    • Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Recipe
    • Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe
    • Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
    • BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
    • KFC Coleslaw Copycat Recipe

    Featured in

    Logos of publications like yahoo, Parade magazine, MSN.

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Crunchy Creamy Sweet All rights reserved.

    © Copyright 2023 - Crunchy Creamy Sweet - Privacy Policy