This delicious Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice recipe is a traditional Creole red beans and rice favorite made easy in the slow cooker! Freezes well for meal prepping too!
Red Beans and Rice is definitely a favorite meal at my house. It’s so comforting and delicious. The ingredients for this satisfying meal are inexpensive, readily available in the grocery store, and usually found in most stocked pantries. Beans are definitely a scrumptious and nutritious food we enjoy. Just like these beans, we love black beans and pinto beans as well in so many dishes. They are great to keep on hand in the pantry for a meatless meal or a perfect side dish.
But the best part of this recipe is how scrumptious it is – and how easy it is to make!
Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipe
I remember when I was growing up that Mama would make Red Beans and Rice when she knew that she would be home all day so that she could tend to it on the stove. Now, I just take about 5 minutes to toss the ingredients into the slow cooker, set the timer and smell the deliciousness as it cooks. No need to babysit the pot or hover around the kitchen, which makes this remake of a family favorite super simple to make and a winner in my book!
How to Make Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipe
To make this dish, you’ll need:
Ingredients
- red kidney beans – You will need three 15-ounce cans of red kidney beans. You’ll drain two cans and leave one undrained.
- smoked sausage – Use your preference of a mild smoked sausage or a spicy andouille sausage for more spice.
- celery ribs – chopped
- green bell pepper – chopped
- onion – chopped
- garlic cloves – I also love to use Stone House Seasoning in place of the salt and garlic in this recipe. If using instead of the garlic cloves and salt, use 1 1/2 teaspoons.
- Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos – I love to use coconut aminos since I am sensitive to soy.
- salt – see the note for garlic cloves
- chili powder
- uncooked long grain rice
- Optional Garnish: green onions and/ or fresh parsley
Step by Step Instructions
- Prep. Add red beans (2 cans drained, 1 can undrained), smoked sausage, celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic (or Stone House Seasoning), Worcestershire sauce (or coconut aminos), salt, and chili powder to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook. Stir all of the ingredients together so that they are well combined, place the lid onto your slow cooker and set the timer for 4 hours on High. Once the beans and other vegetables are tender, give your red beans another stir to combine all of the flavors. I have to say, the aroma coming from slow cooker is out of this world!
- Cook rice. As the red beans are finishing, cook your favorite rice according to the package directions.
- Serve. Once both beans and rice are done, add rice to each serving bowl. Top each bowl of rice with a serving of the red beans. To garnish, top your red beans and rice with chopped green onions and chopped fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!
How to Store Red Beans and Rice
This recipe is perfect to make ahead and it freezes well.
Refrigerator
Once cooled, place cooked and cooled red beans in air tight container(s) and do the same for the cooled rice. It will last 5-6 days in the refrigerator.
Freezer
To freeze, allow the red beans and the rice to cool completely. Portion each into freezer safe container(s). Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat and serve.
More Slow Cooker Favorites
Here’s my Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipe. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 (15-ounce cans) red kidney beans,, drained
- 1 (15-ounce can) red kidney beans,, undrained
- 1/2 pound smoked sausage, thinly sliced (andouille or smoked)
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 4 cups uncooked long grain rice
Optional Garnish
- green onions, chopped, for garnish
- fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Add red kidney beans, smoked sausage, celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and chili powder to a 6-quart slow cooker. Set on high setting and cook for 4 hours.
- Cook rice according to package directions.
- Serve red beans over top of the cooked rice. Top with fresh green onions and parsley.
Notes
Substitutions:
Andouille Sausage
This is a mild recipe with smoked sausage. For a spicier version, use a spicy andouille sausage.ÂStone House Seasoning
Use 1 1/2 teaspoons Stone House Seasoning in place of the garlic and salt called for in the recipe.ÂHow to Store Red Beans and Rice
This recipe is perfect to make ahead and it freezes well.Refrigerator
Once cooled, place cooked and cooled red beans in air tight container(s) and do the same for the cooled rice. It will last 5-6 days in the refrigerator.Freezer
To freeze, allow the red beans and the rice to cool completely. Portion each into freezer safe container(s). Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat and serve.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Originally published September 2017. Updated 2021.
Red beans and rice are one of my favorite meals! I will be trying this soon!
I wanted to try a different recipe for red beans and rice to the one my husband makes so thought I would give this one a go. The only change I would make is to add a creole seasoning to it in place of the chili powder. We found the flavor to be very bland. Otherwise this recipe cooked up very nicely. I followed the cooking instructions and the beans were definitely done. I could have even reduced the time to5 hrs on high. I have the Ninja all in one cooker with the Teflon pot so I typically need to cook things slightly less time than a recipe calls for. Good easy meal with flavor adjustment options. I’ll make this again.
Serving size? Thanks!
Carrie, one serving is 1 cup beans over about 1/2 cup rice.
I made this yesterday. I did soak my light kidney beans overnight. They were perfectly cooked all day in my 5 qt crockpot on high the next day. At the end, for us, we needed more salt/seasoning so I added 1 tsp Toni Chaseries creole (with salt) seasoning. I also added the other half of the pound of smoked sausage (Hillshire). I cooked it 10 minutes longer stirring ocassionally. My family said it was the best red beans and rice I’d ever made.
Thanks, Mickey. I’m so glad your family liked this recipe.
Hi! What is the serving size on this? 1 cup of the beans maybe?
Kelly, one serving is 1 cup beans over about 1/2 cup rice.
why cant i just dump rice in and let it cook with the rest of it?? Has anyone tried this??
Patty, I haven’t tried cooking them together but I would think the rice would be mush if cooked in the slow cooker for 6 hours.
Can I use a red or yellow pepper?
You can use red, yellow, or green pepper, Lynn; whichever you prefer. Hope you enjoy!
It was delicious my 9 yr old daughter liked it a lot and she is a picky eater
I’m glad your daughter liked this recipe, Delores.
A good way to thicken it is to take a little bit of the beans and veggies out, mash them a little and add them back in. I actually used my magic bullet to break them up, worked great.
Love this recipe and making it again for the 3rd time for a party. Thanks for the comments on how to get the sauce thicker- that’s the only thing I will do different this time. Otherwise delish and excited to make this for my friends!
I’m so glad you like this recipe and hope your friends do as well. Thanks so much, Amber.