Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice is a quick, easy twist on the traditional Creole recipe. Unsoaked, dried red beans cook with sausage, onion, bell pepper and garlic in the electric pressure cooker until the beans are soft and creamy. Serve over fluffy white rice for the perfect weeknight dinner. Makes 4-6 servings.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 2 30

Total Time 3

Servings servings

Calories 591kcal

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter can sub oil
1 lb. spicy pork sausage
6 garlic cloves minced
2 yellow onions diced (about 2 cups when diced)
1 green bell pepper small, diced (about 1 cup when chopped)
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 lb. dried red beans about 2 heaping cups
1 bay leaf
32 oz. chicken stock unsalted* if possible
4 cups white rice cooked, for serving

Instructions

Turn on the Instant Pot to the Saute setting. Set for 30 minutes.
Add the butter, and stir until melted.
Add the sausage to the pan, and sear on all sides until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes, and then remove. (Please note that it doesn’t have to be cooked through for you to remove it. We just want to get some good color on it.)
When the sausage is out of the pan and cooling on a cutting board, add in the garlic, onion and bell pepper. Season with red pepper flakes and salt. Cook until soft, about 10-15 minutes.
Slice the sausage as the veggies cook until soft.
When the veggies are soft, pour in the stock. Add the beans, bay leaf and sliced sausage.
Place the lid onto the Instant Pot, and seal. Cook on high pressure for 2 hours 30 minutes.
Let the Instant Pot’s pressure release naturally, and then remove the top carefully.
If desired, smash some of the red beans with a potato masher or the back of your spoon. This will give the sauce a thicker, creamier texture.
Serve over warm white rice with a garnish of parsley.

Notes

*If chicken stock is salted or isn’t marked as unsalted, don’t season with salt. Instead, taste the final dish and add extra if needed.

To half the recipe, use half of the ingredients. Cook on high pressure for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Substitutions:

I used fresh hot Italian sausage in this recipe because that’s what I could find, but you could easily use smoked sausage, too. The smoked sausage will hold up better in the cooking, though both will taste delicious. You can also use Andouille sausage if you can find it—fresh or smoked. If you don’t like spicy sausage, use a mild Italian sausage.
Not a fan of the heat? Leave out the red pepper flakes or use half of them.
Dairy free? Use any tasteless oil that has a higher smoke point, like avocado oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil, etc.
Vegetable stock works for chicken stock in this recipe. If you don’t have either on hand, water would work in a pinch, too.
Other tips and tricks:

Give yourself enough time to get it going. While this red beans and rice recipe is pretty hands-off, you still have a portion of time where you’re chopping, searing and sautéing vegetables before the pressure cooker lid goes on. Don’t forget about it and then panic.

The sear and saute make a difference. Don’t skip this step to cut corners because it adds a ton of flavor to the final dish!

Don’t forget to cook the rice! We serve this with our favorite white rice, but you can serve it over brown rice if that’s your jam. Time it out so your rice is done around the same time that the beans are.

Make it small batch. You can half this recipe and cook it for 1 hour and 30 minutes if you’re just feeding yourself and/or one other person.

How to store: Store the red beans and rice in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Nutrition