Red Beans and Rice Recipe (2024)

Folks, you need to trust me here on this. We are native New Orleanians and my wife makes the best red beans you will ever eat! She learned at the heels of her family who owned a neighborhood restaurant. Soak the beans for 10 minutes, bring to a boil for 20 min, take off the heat and let them sit til ready to cook. When it's time, bring back to a simmer and then add onions, celery, etc. Mash those beans towards the end for creaminess and if you are brave, add a little butter. YUM!

I agree with Tim. Been making variations of red beans all my adult life. (Nor from Louisiana, but close, Beaumont Texas.) It's almost impossible to go wrong in my view, if you actually enjoy traditional rb&r. Being from Texas, I add chopped fresh jalapeño and Fresno chiles and twice the garlic. Also serve with Louisiana hot sauce on the side. And Alexander is dead on as to how to cook the beans.....

I don't mean to sound negative but as a LA native do we really need another RB&R recipe? There's really not much variation from recipe to recipe. However no self-respecting LA native would dare make it without throwing in a smoked ham hock. And as far as sausage goes, andouille really isn't the best sausage to use. Spicy pork sausage (my favorite is Conecuh brand) adds the best overall flavor. Save the andouille for your gumbo and shrimp & grits.

INSTANT POT (ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER) ADAPTATION:Rinse beans, set aside (no soak required). Follow directions above using the SAUTE mode to process the sausage and vegetables. Add beans, seasonings and 7 cups of water. Set MANUAL pressure to HIGH, for 55 minutes, followed by a 10-15 minute natural release. Remove lid, add parsley and green onions, mashing some beans against side of pot. Simmer on SAUTE for 15 minutes, or until desired thickness.

White beans (navy beans) and others such as field peas, limas, and butter beans, are all part of the Cajun/Creole food traditions. No horror in a good pot of white beans and these are frequently served in neighborhood restaurants around New Orleans. Red beans just get the limelight because they're featured in most tourist venues. Try your white beans with fresh fried fish on the side and pickled bell pepper. Thousands of Cajuns can't be wrong.

Two suggestions:1. Add a couple of splashes of vinegar. The acid is needed.2. If you go vegetarian, add a teaspoon or more of smoked paprika ... smokiness is a ket part of the taste of RBR.

Any red bean recipe that doesn't include some form of on-the-bone pork AT BARE MINIMUM should be disregarded. The absence of smoked pork hocks in this one is glaring to say the least...

Made this as directed, and it was delicious. The only change I will make next time is that I will remove the sausage after frying it and add it to the bean mixture about 30-45 minutes before the end of the whole cooking process. My sausage, which was a very good sausage made by local butchers, donated a little too much of its flavor to the beans, so the sausage pieces weren't that flavorful in the final product.

I'd guess most people do use kidney beans, and I'm sure they'd be fine, but no, there is a different kind of bean, sometimes called "small red beans," that are significantly smaller than kidney beans and a darker red. In my area they're easiest to find in hispanic grocery stores, both dry and canned (Goya, for example).

Yo Y'all,I am from NOLA, now living in Colorado.. this was one of The Best RBnR creations I have EVER made. One of the main ingredients that accentuated the end result was I bought a LOCAL smoked ham hock at the farmers market. OMG.I added a Serrano pepper for spice and left off the Sage, Cayenne, Parsley, and green onions. Cut way back on salt. The final color and texture were just what I was imagining. Always mash my beans.Laissez les bonnes temps roulez y'all!Marty

I'm sorry and a bit surprised to hear that. It's pretty much the standard recipe (though you'll also find dried thyme in many). I cook it once a week just a to have a pot on hand. I've gone from expensive sausages to very cheap "red hot" ones, and it's been great every time. I don't bother pre-soaking the beans, just cook them until done, and then mash a portion at a time until I get the texture I want.

This isn't supposed to be a fancy dish, but I used pricey Rancho Gordo Domingo rojo beans - small, red, and very tasty.

Took Alexander's advice re: soaking/cooking the beans because I didn't want to cook this tomorrow and (horrors) had to use white beans because the specialty grocer I went to had everything BUT small red beans. But, I'm happy to report that this is one of the most delicious recipes I've ever tried, and I will definitely make it again! I'll have to freeze some, because it's a huge quantity and there were only two of us eating. Still...a great success!

The Louisiana restaurants in Louisiana would NEVER serve red beans with cheese.....

There are many ways to successfully cook dried beans. I always cover them with cold water and bring them to a boil for three minutes. Then I take the beans off of the burner and let them soak for an hour. After an hour I just simmer the beans until done.

I made this with a few tiny tweaks based on what we had - smoked lamb sausage because it was there at the butcher's, less oil because the sausage released plenty of fat to cook with, a mix of dry oregano and chives instead of basil, and I halved the recipe because I don't have a pot that can cook that much at once or a family that can eat that much in a week. It's excellent - such a good basic recipe and so easy to dress up/use random stuff from the fridge in. And it made the house smell great.

Followed the recipe without making changes and it was delicious!!

I'm surprised nobody mentioned how much better this is when started with a roux base, much like gumbo. Otherwise, this recipe is as good as most others for this dish, which really...let us be honest...does not require a recipe!

Simply use the recipe on the back of the Camelia red beans package. Perfect!

My wife and I like Creole. This was excellent. Pretty much followed the recipe. We have cooked many different recipes of Red Beans and Rice... this is a favorite. Thanks

This is good. Parsley and green onions we skipped, very much not necessary.

This is the BEST bean recipe! Soaked the beans for 15 mins, boiled for 15 mins and let them sit in the pot with the lid on. Canned beans also work well if in a time crunch. My family prefers spicy kielbasa or spicy andouille sausage. Whenever I make this, I always save 2 servings on the side for the freezer. Now that the weather is getting cold, either extra water or chicken broth turns this into a delicious bean soup.

Used 2 California bay leaves

This was a hit with everyone, but especially my 8-year-old daughter, who ate 3 bowls. We aren’t southern so idk how it’s supposed to taste, just that it was a delicious use for really good quality dried beans.

Followed recipe for my first attempt at RBR and am very pleased with result. So is my husband who requested it. Very easy and good flavor. I did, per other suggestions, increase garlic and added smoked paprika. Thanks to all for comments and suggestions- appreciated.

Very good, cut down black pepper a little next time

This wasn’t an especially great red beans and rice recipe, only average. Not sure what it needed, perhaps a splash of acid.

Salt should be cut cut cut cut in half

Nancy is right, the sausage has no flavor at the end of the cooking. Sautée, th3n reserve to add to the beans when they’ve cooked.

Spicy, creamy, vegetarian red beans with rice? Search for Rajma Chawal recipe. And if you don't want to fuss about getting all those different spice powders, ask your Indian grocer for a pack of Rajma masala powder. Most importantly the raw red beans have to be soaked for at least 6 hours and cooked till creamy soft (not a bit of brittleness) while still holding its shape. Not so secret, secret ingredient - a sprinkle of dried fenugreek leaves at the end of cooking.