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Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice

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Dry red beans and brown rice are cooked together with flavorful seasonings in the Instant Pot in this classic vegetarian staple! 

A gray ceramic bowl filled with rice and beans. The bowl is sitting next to a red checked napkin topped with fresh green onions. An Instant Pot is seen in the background.

As I seem to say with most recipes, this one is a long time coming. This recipe started out as vegan jambalaya and slowly (seriously, over a few months) transformed into just red beans and rice.

Because a recipe for red beans and rice is a must-have in every vegetarian kitchen! And, of course, I have to employ my handy-dandy Instant Pot for a speedier recipe.

Aerial view of cooked red beans and rice in a ceramic bowl. Topped with green onions and placed on a checkered tablecloth.

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Much history surrounds red beans and rice, most notably the connection to New Orleans and Creole cooking. While traditionally not a vegetarian recipe, this staple is easy to adapt for the modern day vegetarian kitchen.

It takes just over an hour to make red beans and brown rice in the electric pressure cooker. That’s because the dry beans and rice are cooked at the same time.

That means just one pot and a few minutes of prep for a flavorful pot of vegetarian goodness!

Ingredients used to make red beans and rice sitting in the Instant Pot.

Step by step instructions

  1. Start by sauteing the “holy trinity” of bell pepper, onions, and celery in a bit of olive oil until softened.
  2. Add the garlic and seasonings and saute for 30 seconds more. Sauting–“bloom”– spices with the aromatic ingredients (onion and garlic) is a quick way to deepen flavor.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients: red beans, brown rice, vegetable broth, hot sauce, bay leaves. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.
  4. Lock the electric pressure cooker lid in place and set the vent to sealing. Choose “high pressure” and set the timer to 30 minutes. Allow a natural pressure release. All in all this should take just about an hour.
  5. When the pressure has released naturally, remove the lid. Test a bean to make sure it’s fully cooked. If not, cook on high pressure for 5 more minutes, then release the pressure manually. Squeeze in lemon juice and top with green onions.
Aerial view of cooked rice and beans still int he Instant Pot. A bay leaf is resting on top.

What kind of red beans should I use?

Do not use kidney beans in this recipe. While they are red, and they are sometimes used in red beans and rice, they have a different cook time than small red beans.

Use a bag labeled with “small red beans” for this recipe.

Can I use soaked beans?

Readers have had success soaking beans for 4-8 hours and reducing cook time to 23 minutes. Keep the liquid amounts the same.

What kind of Cajun seasoning should I use?

Cajun seasoning contains paprika, oregano, garlic, thyme, and other super flavorful spices. You can use a storebought cajun seasoning (this is my favorite brand) or make your own. 

Can you freeze rice and beans?

This recipe freezes well. Freeze in single portion containers (this is the brand I use) for easy last-minute lunches, or freeze all at once in a large container.

Rice and beans thaw best in the fridge, but in a pinch it can be thawed in the microwave or on the stove. Just be warned that the texture may degrade if thawed this way. 

Note: Let cool before freezing. Don’t fill to the top of your freezer-safe container, as the food will expand when it freezes.

A spoonful of rice and beans resting in a blue ceramic bowl.

Serving ideas

  • Mix in cooked okra, vegetarian andouille sausage, and fresh tomatoes to make an impromptu veggie jambalaya
  • Add to corn tortillas with peppers and spinach for filling tacos
  • Enjoy as a side dish with vegan cornbread muffins or jalapeno cornbread and a kale salad

If you’re looking for a standard beans and rice recipe without additional seasonings, check out this instant pot black beans and brown rice or stove top rice and beans recipe.

Check out my vegan jambalaya for another Cajun-inspired dish.

All of my Instant Pot recipes are made in a 6 qt DUO60 Instant Pot. Check out more of my Instant Pot recipes.

A spoonful of rice and beans resting in a blue ceramic bowl.

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

This flavorful staple recipe is made with dry small red beans, brown rice, and an electric pressure cooker. 

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Rinse the dry beans and sort out any debris. Rinse the brown rice. Set aside.
  2. Set your electric pressure cooker to "saute" on normal heat. Heat the olive oil in the pot, then add the onions, celery, and bell pepper. Saute for 5-6 minutes or until softened.
  3. Stir in the garlic and seasonings: cajun seasoning, thyme, parsley, salt. Saute for 30 more seconds, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients: hot sauce, vegetable broth, water, red beans, brown rice, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Lock the lid in place and set the pressure valve to sealing. Set to "high pressure" and put the timer to 30 minutes. 
  5. Once the cook time is done, allow the pressure to release naturally. Remove the lid and taste for seasonings. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice. Remove the bay leaves and enjoy!

Notes

  • Like it extra spicy? Use 1 tablespoon of hot sauce and add a diced jalapeno in with the garlic.
  • Older beans may take longer to cook. If you find that your beans aren't cooked all the way through, lock the lid back in place and set to high pressure for another 5 minutes. Release pressure manually.
  • This meal can be portioned into large or individual containers and frozen for up to 3 months. These are the containers I use. It will need to thaw in the fridge for up to 24 hours before enjoying.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 6 servings
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 380Sodium: 850mgCarbohydrates: 71gFiber: 9gSugar: 3gProtein: 14g
© Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Cuisine: Southern

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nic

    Any idea if this could be made in a “regular” slow cooker/crock pot? I don’t have a instant pot, but I REALLY want to try your recipe!

    Reply

    • Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD

      Hi Nic! I wish I could say how to cook this in a slow cooker but I’m not sure since I haven’t tried it myself. It sounds like something I’ll have to try out — I’ll update the post when I do!

      Reply

    • Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD

      I haven’t tested the recipe with canned beans so I can’t confirm that it will work, but you might be able to reduce the liquid to 2 cups of vegetable broth and add in the canned beans after the rice is done cooking.

      Reply

  3. Dallas

    This is the first instant pot recipe I’ve tried. My beans weren’t done so I did 5 more minutes as noted. But it won’t cook now. It keep saying “food burn” almost immediately. I’ve tried adding wAter, washing the pan and adding it back in with even more water, spraying the bottom and adding back in with more water…. nothing is working. I think it’s time to throw in the towel. ?

    Reply

    • Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD

      I’m sorry to hear you’re getting the burn error! It’s possible that the onions etc. stuck to the bottom of the pot? Try pouring in a little bit of veg broth and stirring to deglaze the pot before adding all of the veg broth, hot sauce, rice, beans and bay leaf. Make sure to stir everything together. If this doesn’t work, others have had success with pre-soaking the beans for 4-8 hours and decreasing cook time to 23 minutes. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  5. Julie

    Oh my goodness! I made this last night and it was delicious! I did soak my beans for about 6 hours then cooked in the pressure cooker for 28 minutes with manual release right after time was up! Froze the leftovers, so hoping it is as delicious second time around. Thank you for this awesome recipe!

    Reply

  8. Jeff

    I love this recipe. The second time I cooked it I put the rice in a steel indian cooking bowl on a trivet above the beans. After cooking, I mixed in the rice. I prefer the rice texture that produces. Thanks for this recipe! I think it will become a staple in our house.

    Reply

  9. Stephen M Pratt

    Great recipe…thanks! I would say that if you’re not a big fan of spicy, you might start by cutting the Cajun seasoning in half…in my case, let’s just say that my sinuses are clear for the rest of the winter based on the 1.5 tbs! I topped with some greek yogurt to cut the burn.

    Reply

  10. Tasha

    Hi! I am so excited to try this tomorrow! I will need to double it for my large family…when doubling, how much liquid would you use?? Thanks for your reply!!

    Reply

    • Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD

      I think adzuki beans are a little different than red beans (slightly different flavor and texture), but they should work in this recipe. Small red beans are usually just labeled as “red beans” or “small red beans”. Hope that helps.

      Reply

      • Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD

        I add them without soaking, but I have a similar recipe for black beans and brown rice and several people have left comments about this. One commenter soaked the beans for several hours before soaking and reduced the pressure cook time to 23 minutes with great results. I imagine this would work for this recipe, if you are wanting to soak the beans!

        Reply

    • Cassidy

      I haven’t tried but that sounds like it would taste great together. I would add the cooked meatless sausage after because I’m not sure how it reacts to being pressure cooked!

      Reply

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