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This Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice is a flavor-packed, budget-friendly dinner made with dried red beans, smoky andouille sausage, and bold Cajun spices. And thanks to the Instant Pot, you can skip the soak and enjoy tender Cajun-spiced red beans in a fraction of the time.
Looking for more Creole-inspired recipes? Check out Cajun Chicken Pasta, Blackened Mahi Mahi, and Instant Pot Jambalaya.
Key Tips for Making Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
For the best results, pay attention to the following tips before you start pressure cooking.
- Hold the salt until the end. A bit of salt in the broth and Cajun seasoning is fine, but wait to add additional salt until after pressure cooking, as excess salt can interfere with the beans' ability to soften.
- Check the expiration date on your dried beans before you start. Older beans take much longer to soften or sometimes never fully tenderize. Save yourself the frustration and begin with a fresh bag.
- Natural release matters. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes. This helps the beans finish softening and keeps the texture intact.
- Cook the rice separately. Despite the name, the beans cook separate from the rice as the cooking times are vastly different. If you have two Instant Pots, use one to cook the beans and one to cook white rice or brown rice. Otherwise, cook the rice on the stove top or earlier in the week.
Choose the Right Ingredients
This recipe is made with the classic players; onions, celery, green bell peppers, sausage, beans, and seasonings. Pay special attention to the type of sausage and dried beans for the most authentic flavor.
- Smoked Sausage: Andouille is the traditional pick, bringing a smoky kick that holds its own in this bold dish. Kielbasa is a milder option that works well, and even smoked chicken andouille sausage works here.
- Camilla kidney beans are the classic choice, but any dried red kidney beans will work. And remember, there is no need to soak the dried beans before pressure cooking. Yay, for less prep!
How to Make Red Beans and Rice in the Instant Pot
Whether you are just learning how to use the Instant Pot or a seasoned pro, this section will guide you through the process of making Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice with big, slow-simmered flavor in record time.
Step One: Sauté Sausage
Using the sauté function, cook the sliced andouille sausage in a bit of olive oil until it is browned on each side and fully cooked. Remove the sausage from the inner pot and set aside to add back to the dish later in the cooking process.
Step Two: Sauté Holy Trinity
If not dairy-free, add a bit of butter to the pot and let melt for added richness. Otherwise, a bit more olive oil here will do the trick. Then add in the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until the onion has softened. Add in garlic and toast briefly. Then hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
Step Three: Deglaze the Inner Pot
Add in the water and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. This helps to prevent a burn notice from occurring and adds additional flavor to the dish.
Step Four: Layer Ingredients
Once the inner pot has been deglazed, add chicken stock, bay leaves, dried thyme, Cajun seasoning. Give the beans a rinse, then add to the inner pot.
You can add the sausage back now for deeper flavor, or wait until after cooking if you want firmer sausage and easier thickening later. Both work, but I personally prefer cooking the dried beans with the sausage.
Step Five: Pressure Cook
Seal and cook on High Pressure for 50 minutes. Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 20 minutes.
Step Six: Thicken
After pressure cooking, you can opt to serve the red beans immediately over rice or you can thicken for a more classic texture. To thicken, remove about 1 cup of the beans, and mash them with a fork or potato masher. Stir back into the inner pot with a bit of salt (and sausage if needed). Turn the Instant Pot back to sauté and cook, stirring often, until thickened to your liking.
Step Seven: Serve
Once thickened, hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Give the mixture a taste to see if additional salt is needed. Then serve over steamed rice or Instant Pot white rice.
Recipe Modifications
- Use a Ham Bone: Add a ham hock with the liquid for even deeper, classic flavor. Remove before serving and only add salt as needed.
- Make It Dairy-Free: Skip the butter and use all olive oil.
- Vegetarian Version: Omit sausage and use vegetable broth. Consider adding smoked paprika for depth.
- Using a 3-Quart Instant Pot: Cut the ingredients in half, but keep the cooking time the same.
Recipe FAQs
Only if using an 8-quart or larger model. Simply double the ingredients, but keep the cooking time the same.
Yes! As written, it makes 12 generous servings. And while it freezes and reheats beautifully, you may want to cut in half for smaller families. Simply cut the ingredients in half, leaving the cook time the same.
Most often it's either because the beans are old or too much salt was added before cooking. Try resealing and cooking for an additional 5-10 minutes.
For this particular recipe, I don't recommend it. Dried beans give the dish its authentic texture and the cook time and liquid ratio are designed for dried beans.
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
Looking for more recipes that let you skip soaking dried beans altogether? Try the following fan-favorites:
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried red kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, + more if needed
- 1 pound andouille or smoked sausage, sliced ½-inch thick
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, or additional olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 ribs celery, finely diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, do not use ground thyme
- 3 dried bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, + to taste
- cooked white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Place the dried beans in a fine mesh strainer and rinse well. Sort to remove withered beans or rocks, and set them aside.
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté, add in 1 tablespoon olive oil and let heat briefly. Once heated, add in the sliced sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove the sausage to a plate.
- If the inner pot is dry, add an additional ½ tablespoon of oil. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter to the inner pot and let melt. Once the butter has melted, add in the minced onion, celery, and bell pepper, and sauté for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds just to lightly toast. Hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Add 3 cups water to the inner pot and use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot.
- Add the 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning, ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, and 3 dried bay leaves, and seared sausage* (see note about sausage), to the inner pot and stir to incorporate. Add the rinsed and sorted red beans to the inner pot.
- Place the lid on the inner pot and secure the lid, being sure the venting knob is sealed. Set the cooking time to 50 minutes on HIGH pressure by hitting the manual or pressure cook button and use the +/- buttons to adjust the cooking time.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 20 minutes.
- After the pressure has fully released, open the Instant Pot. Press Cancel to turn off the Keep Warm, then select Sauté to help the beans thicken. Remove 1 cup of the beans, discarding the bay leaves as you come across them. Mash the beans with a fork or potato masher, and stir back into the inner pot, along with ½ teaspoon kosher salt(and the sausage if not already added). Let everything simmer for 10 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.
- Taste and add more salt if needed. Then serve over white rice with hot sauce if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was fabulous! I cooked it longer than stated though. I checked it after an hour and beans weren’t done so I cooked an additional 15 mins and let it sit for another 15 mins after it was done. I also smashed a cup of beans to give it a thicker consistency and added 3 T butter bc the richness of butter makes everything better! This was a win!
Tasty, easy and something different. Didn’t have bay leaves and didn’t have Cajun seasoning (but made your diy version). Made basmati rice separately. This will be good for my work lunch this week.
I am thrilled to hear you enjoyed! Sounds like you will have a wonderful lunch!