This Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice recipe takes a New Orlean’s staple and adapts it wonderfully for the instant pot! Sausage, ham, vegetables, and seasonings combined with dry, uncooked beans cook all in one pot, making this an EASY and healthy instant pot recipe!
I love adapting recipes for the instant pot! I’ve got dozens of easy instant pot recipes you can cook all in one pot, for dinner, like this Instant Pot Stroganoff, Cajun Pasta, and Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya. Let me teach you how to use your instant pot!
I have vowed to only share practical Instant Pot recipes with you. Ones that I actually make my family, are easier to make in the instant pot than the stove-top version, and taste good! This delicious recipe checks all the boxes, and I’m really excited to share it with you!
What I love about this Healthy Instant Pot Recipe:
- Packed with protein from andouille sausage, diced ham, and beans, giving this recipe about 34 grams of protein per serving!
- Fresh vegetables including onion, celery, bell peppers, and green onion.
- Packed with New Orleans flavor from cajun seasoning, thyme, oregano, bay leaves, and parsley.
How to make Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice, step-by-step:
1. Brown sausage. Using Instant Pot sauté mode, brown sausages in 1 tablespoon of oil, remove to a plate.
2. Sauté vegetables. Sauté garlic and onions, celery, bell pepper, and green onions.
3. Add beans and spices, including black pepper, Cajun seasoning, thyme, oregano, bay leaves., water and chicken broth.
4. Pressure cook. Set on MANUAL/HIGH Pressure for 55 minutes, followed by a 15-minute natural release.
5. Puree some of the beans to thicken the mixture. Add salsa, parsley, sausages and diced ham.
6. Turn to Sauté for 15 minutes, or until desired thickness.
Serve with a scoop of white long-grain rice. Top with remaining chopped green onion, and top with hot sauce, if desired.
Important Tips for success:
- Adjust the cooking time as needed: given the various brand of instant pots, different elevations of users, etc., think of the cooking times I list as a starting point. If your beans aren’t cooked all the way after the 55 minute pressure cook, simply add a few more minutes.
- Check out your Instant pot manual. This recipe was created and tested in my Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W . Cooking times and liquid requirements may vary for your particular instant pot manual so it’s important to consult your manual to see the recommended cooking method for dry beans and adapt accordingly.
Dry Beans or Cooked Beans?
Dry Beans! The best part of this recipe is you don’t have to cook the beans, soak the beans, or use canned beans. Simply purchase a pound of dry, uncooked beans at the grocery store and let the instant pot do the rest.
Other Variations:
- Substitute the meat. Chicken or bacon could be substituted for the sausage. Cook the chicken or bacon completely in step 2, remove to a plate. (Both will overcook and be dry if you leave them to cook in the instant pot).
- Substitute the beans. You can substitute other dry beans for this recipe (black beans, etc.) but do not substitute canned beans!
- Make it vegetarian. To make this a vegetarian instant pot recipe, omit the ham and sausage. You could also add more sautéed vegetables, if desired.
Make-ahead, Storing, and Freezing Instructions:
To store: Red beans and rice will stay good stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To make ahead: This recipe can be made ahead of time and kept on warm for up to 2 hours before serving or make it 1-3 days ahead and store it in the refrigerator. Serve with hot cooked rice.
To freeze: Allow the red beans and rice to cool completely and store in a freezer safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. Serve with hot cooked rice.
Don’t miss my other easy Instant Pot Recipes! And if you love this, you might also love Dirty Rice, Borracho Beans, or Instant Pot Chicken and Rice.
Recipe
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound andouille sausage , sliced 1/2-inch thick (smoked sausage can also be used)
- 1 heaping cup diced ham
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 medium yellow onion , finely diced
- 4 ribs celery , finely diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper , chopped
- 1 bunch green onions , chopped, divided
- 1 pound dried red beans (preferably New Orleans Camelia brand)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Cajun Seasoning
- 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cup salsa
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley , chopped
- Cooked white long-grain rice , for serving
- Hot sauce , for serving
Instructions
- Rinse beans and remove any small dirt or withered beans. Set aside. (You do not need to soak them).
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. Brown the sausages in 1 tablespoon of oil until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate.
- Add remaining oil to the pot, then add garlic and onions. Sauté over medium heat until onions become transparent. Add celery, bell pepper, and half of the green onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add red beans, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, thyme, oregano, bay leaves. Add water and chicken broth.
- Set on MANUAL/HIGH Pressure for 55 minutes, followed by a 15-minute natural release.
- Remove bay leaves. Spoon 1 ½ cups of the mixture into a bowl, mash until smooth (or use a food processor) and stir back into the pot. Add salsa, parsley, sausages and diced ham.
- Simmer on SAUTE for 15 minutes, or until desired thickness.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Add up to 1 cup more water or broth if beans seem too thick.
- Serve over white long-grain rice. Top with remaining chopped green onion, and season with hot sauce, if desired.
Notes
Important Tips for success:
- Adjust the cooking time as needed: given the various brand of instant pots, different elevations of users, etc., think of the cooking times I list as a starting point. If your beans aren’t cooked all the way after the 55 minute pressure cook, simply add a few more minutes.
- Check out your Instant pot manual. This recipe was created and tested in my Instant Pot IP-DUO60 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Pressure Cooker, 6Qt/1000W . Cooking times and liquid requirements may vary for your particular instant pot manual so it’s important to consult your manual to see the recommended cooking method for dry beans and adapt accordingly.
Nutrition
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I saw your recipe. I had to make it. I have a instant pot mini. so I had to adjust a little 12 oz of sausage good 3 cups of liquid maybe 1/2 cup too much. I took off a cup of liquid and pureed some of the beans, I had to add 1/2 cup of reserve liq back. I used Johnsonville andouille sausage. I cooked 45min and added another 20 min very tasty. i will make it again and again I should be southern but forced to live North
While this can be made in an Instant Pot as described, it’s just so much extra work to do so. For the amount of time and effort, this would be easier in a stock pot on the stove. When I search for meals for the Instant Pot, I want them to be more like a one-pot meal and less like a marathon cooking session. It’s just too much work as designed. Also: it needs salt.
Sorry but I did not care for this recipe at all. The celery, peppers and onion were a little mushy for my taste. Ill try again but next time Im only cooking the beans.
The beans took closer to 70 minutes in my instant pot. I thought everything tasted great up until I added the salsa. I’m a south Louisiana girl and we have red beans almost every Monday. The salsa sounded strange but I enjoy trying new things. The beans tasted tangy and it overpowered the dish. Unfortunately, no one in my family enjoyed this recipe. I gave this 3 stars because I’ll cook it again without the salsa addition.
My instapot took an hour and a half to cook it. Taste wonderful but I didn’t use bell peppers and celery. I like it a little better in a slow cooker. I used beef polish sausage and loved it.
Just made this last night. I have agree with the person who said that the beans were still hard at 55 min + 15 delayed steam release. It took a total of 2 hours for the beans to cook and I used the small red beans, not kidney. And I didn’t add the tomatoes until after cooking. Usually plain unsoaked beans will be done cooking by 40 min in my instant pot, so this was weird. Flavor was good, though.
When you say cajun seasoning, You mean like slap ya mama right????
That’s perfect!
Native New Orleanian. Absolutely no salsa or tomato of any kind in authentic red beans. Everything else looks spot on, though!