Made with dried beans, andouille sauces, and plenty of spice, this easy recipe for Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice allows you to enjoy a classic Cajun recipe without needing to first soak your beans.
½teaspoondried thyme leavesdo not use ground thyme
3dried bay leaves
1teaspoonkosher saltor to taste
cooked white ricefor serving
Instructions
Place the 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 saute setting on medium heat. (If needed hit the adjust button to change the heat level from low, normal, or high). Add in 1 tablespoon of oil and let heat briefly. Once the oil is heated, add the sliced sausage and let brown on each side. Once browned, remove the sausage to a plate.
If the inner pot is dry, add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil. If there are drippings, omit the additional olive oil. Add the butter to the inner pot and let melt. Once the butter has melted add the onions, celery, and bell pepper and saute for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds just to lightly toast. Turn off the saute function by hitting cancel on the inner pot.
Add the water and deglaze the inner pot by scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the inner pot.
Add the chicken stock, cajun seasoning, dried thyme, 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.
For Rice: While the red beans are cooking inside the Instant Pot prepare 3 cups of dried rice on the stovetop according to the package instructions or using a separate pressure cooker, using my recipe for Instant Pot White Rice.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 20 minutes.
Optional Thickening Step: After pressure has been released, open the instant pot. Hit cancel to turn off the keep warm function, then saute, to thicken. While the beans are heating, remove the bay leave and stir in ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Remove about 1 cup of the mixture into a large bowl and using a potato masher, gently mash some of the beans potato masher until smooth, and then stir back into the pot.
Allow the mixture to simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. At this time, stir in the sausage if you opted to not cook the sauteed sausage with the beans.
Serve with white rice and top with parsley and hot sauce if desired.
Video
Notes
When to Add Sausage: You can wait to add your seared sausage back to the inner pot until after pressure cooking and thickening the stew, as that will make it easier to mash your beans. However, I find that the dish is more flavorful if the andouille is cooked with the beans. Ham: Feel free to add in a ham hock along with the liquid when cooking the beans. Remove the hock after pressure cooking and only add in salt to taste. Beans: Do not substitute canned beans!Dairy-Free Red Beans and Rice: Use additional olive oil in place of the butter. Vegetarian Red Beans & Rice: To make this a vegetarian instant pot recipe, omit the sausage and use vegetable broth. Storage Instructions: Allow to cool slightly, then transfer to an airtight container. Store the cooked rice in a separate container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Alternatively, allow the red beans and rice to cool completely and store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat slowly in the microwave or on the stovetop. Serve over cooked rice.Nutritional values are based on using the full amount of oil, pork andouille sausage, and no rice.