Easy Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

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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

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.

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice Ingredients (your shopping list):

• 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

How to make Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice?

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.

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.

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.

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.

What to serve with Red Beans and Rice?

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.

How to thicken Red Beans and Rice?

If you want the mixture thicker, you can mash some of the beans with a potato mashed or remove a cup of them with a little bit of liquid and blend with a stick blender or small blender.

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice 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! 😀 

4.8 from 5 votes

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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

natural release

12 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

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.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Instant Pot red beans and rice

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 370 kcal

Author: Anna

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

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Make sure the stainless steel insert is in your Instant Pot. Press "saute" setting and wait 2 minutes. Add oil.
2. Add chopped onion, minced garlic, chopped celery and chopped bell pepper. Saute for 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
3. Add seasoning and stir well. Saute for 1 minute. Add sausage and stir well. Saute for 2 minutes.
4. 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).
5. Add remaining water and vegetable stock. Add beans and stir everything together.
6. Close the lid and set the valve to sealing position (newer models do it on their own).

7. 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.

8. 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.
9. When the sealing pin has dropped, carefully open the lid away from your face. Stir the bean mixture.
10. Serve over rice with a garnish of chopped green onions.

Recipe 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 Facts

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 370 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 54mg18%

Sodium 1251mg54%

Potassium 594mg17%

Carbohydrates 25g8%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 16g32%

Vitamin A 945IU19%

Vitamin C 19.3mg23%

Calcium 54mg5%

Iron 3.5mg19%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.