Creamy, savory and loaded with deep, rich flavor and spices, classic Louisiana Red Beans & Rice is one pot comfort food that easily feeds a crowd and warms the soul. It’s sure to become a favorite to take to potlucks, tailgates and share around the family table!
If you love classic Louisiana dishes, then you’ll love my family’s Louisiana Dirty Rice and other regional recipes.
Red Beans & Rice might be a New Orleans Monday tradition, but you can enjoy a taste of the Crescent City whenever you want with this simple authentic Louisiana recipe. It takes a little time for all those flavors to come together, but that’s ok. Let it simmer low and slow on the weekend and have dinner for your family all week!
What Makes This Recipe Work?
- Bacon and ham cubes are easy-to-get substitutes for the cured pork (salt pork/salt meat) and ham bone or ham hock found in older, traditional recipes while still supplying the deep layers of flavor you’d expect from a Louisiana dish.
Red Beans & Rice Ingredients
I’ll walk through an overview of ingredients & steps in this section along with helpful tips!
Look for specifics at the end of the post in the recipe card.
- dried small red beans
- andouille sausage or beef smoked sausage (add ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper if using smoked sausage)
- bacon
- cubed ham
- green bell pepper
- yellow onion
- celery
- minced garlic
- all purpose creole seasoning (or cajun seasoning)
- bay leaves
- chicken stock or broth
- long grain white rice
- parsley or chopped chives (optional)
Kitchen Tools for This Recipe
Are Kidney Beans and Red Beans The Same?
No, red kidney beans and red beans are not the same kind of bean. However, while small red beans are the traditional choice for a New Orleans recipe, there’s no problem with using kidney beans if that’s what’s available where you live.
Should I Soak Dried Beans Before Cooking?
The case for soaking dried beans before cooking is shorter cooking time and fewer broken beans while cooking. But you don’t have to soak them if you don’t want to.
I prefer to either quick soak or boil my beans before adding them to the recipe. The flavor is better and the cook time is about the same as it would be with an overnight soak.
Check out all the options in this list below, and don’t miss the video about cooking with dried beans in the recipe card!
- You can quick soak your beans in a large bowl, measuring cup or pot of warm water- soak for 1-3 hours, drain, rinse, then cook
- You can boil for them for 10 minutes, drain, rinse, then cook
- Or you can soak them overnight in the refrigerator, drain, rinse, then cook
How To Make The Best Red Beans & Rice
Make the base. Sautee the holy trinity of vegetables in bacon drippings with minced garlic in a Dutch oven or large pot.
Build the flavor. Add cubed ham, sausage and creole seaoning.
Add the final touches. Add broth, water, beans, bacon and bay leaves and let simmer for 2 hours.
Thicken. Remove 1 cup of beans from the pot, mash and return to the pot to thicken the beans. Let cook for another 30 minutes to an hour.
Serve. Serve with fluffy white rice, a few chopped chives and a hit or two of Louisiana hot sauce!
Making It Ahead of Time
Red Beans & Rice is an ideal one pot recipe to make ahead of time. A night in the fridge will make those rich savory flavors even deeper! To reheat, place beans on the stove over a low heat. Stir in ½ to 1 cup water. Then stir occasionally while heating to keep the beans from sticking.
Storing & Freezing
Louisiana Red Beans & Rice leftovers keep nicely in the refrigerator for 4-5 days if covered in an airtight container. They are also freezer friendly. Just cool completely and store in a freezer proof container for up to 3 months.
What To Serve with Red Beans & Rice
- Roasted Cabbage Steaks
- Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins
- Simple Green Salad with Creamy Mayo Vinaigrette
- Creamy Southern Coleslaw
Other Classic Louisiana Recipes You’ll Love
Louisiana Red Beans & Rice
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or 6 qt. Stock Pot
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick bacon
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic (or 3 cloves garlic)
- 8 ounces cubed ham
- 12-16 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into medallions (or beef smoked sausage)
- 2 tablespoons all purpose creole seasoning
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 4 cups water
- 3 bay leaves
- 16 ounces small dried red beans
- 4 cups instant long grain white rice
Instructions
- Cook chopped bacon in dutch oven. Remove when done and drain on a paper towel. Add diced bell pepper, onion and celery to hot bacon drippings and sauté over medium heat. When vegetables are tender, add minced garlic. Cook until vegetables are almost translucent.
- Add cubed ham, sliced sausage and creole seasoning to the vegetables. Sautee for another 3-5 mins.
- Stir in chicken broth, using the broth and steam to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in red beans, water, chopped bacon and bay leaves and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat immediately and simmer for 2 hrs. Stir occasionally to make sure beans aren't sticking. Add more boiling water if needed.
- After 2 hours, remove about 1 cup of beans from pot. Mash and stir back into pot to make a thick and creamy sauce. Let simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally as beans continue to thicken.
- Serve over white rice with chopped chives or parsely for garnish
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Just made this, OMG, the best Red Beans and Rice I’ve had since before my granny passed and with corn bread. Just sayin, it’s dang good.
Hi, Wendy! I am so tickled you love this red beans & rice recipe! I hope it brings back some good memories of your granny, and it’s something you will make again and again. Much love!
Hi Wendy, I was unable to find dried red beans so had to substitute with canned kidney beans. Any recommendations on adjustments to the recipe since I’m cooking with canned beans? Thank you!
This was delicious! Mine was a little too salty, but the andouille sausages and the ham (and bacon to a lesser degree) were salty, so maybe that was the cause. I did use your recipe to make the creole seasoning, but I only used about one teaspoon of salt in that mix and of course you don’t use it all. Just a question out of curiosity….I’ve noticed that Creole/Cajun seasoning I’ve purchased all seem w-a-y too salty..is that a southern thing? Anyway, when I make more of your seasoning mix in the future I’ll just leave out the salt. Love this recipe….so good over the rice!!!
Hi, Vicki! I am thrilled you made my Red Beans & Rice recipe (and the seasoning mix)! It has so many layers of good, rich flavor! You are so right though; salt level is very a personal preference. In the past, commercial cajun seasonings have had a reputation for containing high sodium levels which is one of the reasons I make my own (and shared my recipe with y’all). With that being said, you will find that one of the characterstics of Louisiana food (and soul food too) is that it is highly seasoned and boasts lots of bold flavors. Thanks so much for loving this dish! I hope you’ll continue to make red beans and rice and find even more yummy stuff to make!
Amazingly yummy. Don’t delete any veggies. This is the best RB&R I have ever made. I am 68 and sad it took so long to find this recipe. To cut down on salt I use Tony’s seasoning without salt and parboil my ham and sausage for a few minutes. Save the water and use it to flavor when needed. I don’t add any extra salt. Yummy, yummy
Hi, Cynthia! Your comment truly made my day! Thank you so much for loving this recipe. I am so glad you found it!
Such a great recipe!!! My family loved it even though I used too much chicken broth,lol Just wish the recipe stated the size of the Minute Rice box used 😊
Hi, Cheryl! Thank you so much! I am just tickled you loved this recipe! My family loves it too. The recipe calls for 4 cups of instant rice. Based on the info provided on the Minute Rice box, any box that has 8+ servings will make 4 cups of rice. Hope that helps!
Thanks for perfecting this recipe. It is a big hit with my uncle. He’s eaten it 3 days in a row and told me I could make it weekly! I served it with brown rice which maintained the depth of flavor.
Hi, Patricia! I am so delighted that your uncle loved this recipe! Thank you so much for making it and sharing it with him. You’re the best!
Thank you for the recipe. Followed it exactly and it came out perfect! just what I’ve been craving since having it at a restaurant.
Hi, Shannon! Yay! You are so welcome! Thank you so much making this recipe! Makes my day!
SO GOOD! Will definitely be making it again! The only issue I had was it wasn’t as thick as I would like. There was still a good amount of liquid. I followed the recipe exactly. Any suggestions that could help?
Hey, Ariel! I am sooo tickled you loved this recipe; it’s a favorite!! If you’d like to make it thicker, take out 1 1/2 cup of beans to mash next time instead of just one cup. Then simmer up to 30 minutes longer to get the thicker consistency you like. Hope this helps!!
This recipe is oh-so-good, and the best we have ever had! We live in the Northeast now, but my husband is originally from the New Orleans area. He grew up eating Red Beans and Rice regularly, and I was always looking for that “perfect” recipe that would mirror what he grew up eating. I know I’ve found it now! Thank you Stacey!
Outstanding!! Delicious!! I did not find it too salty but I did use less sodium chicken stock. The “boil” method did not work for my kidney beans which I had on hand and could be because they were old so I had to stop for the night, put the cooled pot in the frig and keep simmering again when I got home from work the next day.
Hi, Kay! I am so tickled you loved the flavor of this Red Beans & Rice recipe!
This is the best recipe ever ‼️
Hi, Debra! Eeek! Love!! Thank you so much! This makes my day.
Amazing recipe! Best one I have found hands down!
Hi, Hope! This absolutely made my day! Thank you!
Great meal
Thanks, Linda! Love hearing this!
I live in-central lower Michigan where you can find Mexican and Italian but lower places of Southern cooking. We love this recipe and make it for family and friends to open their tastebuds. We started our journey using Zatarains jambalaya. As time went on, we added a whole lot more of the veggies and meat. Red Beans and Rice is our favorite! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Lori! You are so welcome! I am tickled you are sharing these flavors with others. That’s awesome! Good cooking was meant to be shared!
Hi, I might have missed this in your instructions, but I was wondering if you think this recipe would work well in a slow cooker? I’ve never made anything like this before and I’m not sure. Thank you!
Hi, Nicole! I think this recipe is so worth making on the stovetop because it allows you to build a layers of flavor, like being able to sautee the bell pepper, onion and celery in the bacon drippings, then cooking the ham and sausage with those veggies and deglazing the pan to get all that browned goodness into the dish before adding the beans and the water. Slow cookers are awesome and I use mine, but cooking in it doesn’t allow the building of flavor like that.
You don’t soak your beans first?
Hi, Courtney! Please see the section in the blog post titled “Should I Soak Dried Beans Before Cooking?” and the video that’s been provided. Enjoy!