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Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice with Sausage is super flavorful, and very good for feeding a small group. This pressure cooker red beans and rice recipe is such a nice meal! Serve it for a casual gathering, or for a delicious family dinner.
Originally published 9/20/17
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
A little history: Back in the day, before washing machines, laundry day was Monday in New Orleans. The women would put on a pot of beans with Sunday’s leftover ham and bone in it to cook all day while they did the laundry.
Red Beans and Rice on Monday remains a tradition to this day.
While in New Orleans, I had the pleasure of eating the real deal. It was spicy, and the beans were creamy and flavored perfectly. I knew I had to have this meal again when I got home. So I set out to make my own version.
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice with Sausage is my version of this classic NOLA meal. I wanted to make it easy to prepare, with ingredients you can find in the grocery store (or easily online).
You can order the Camellia brand red beans online, but the “small red beans” at the local grocery store give very good results. They are usually next to the red kidney beans, so make sure to get those ones!
Beans in the Pressure Cooker
One of the downsides of cooking beans, whether in a pressure cooker or a pot on the stove, is that you could get old beans and not even know it.
Why are old beans a problem?
Old beans usually need a much longer cook time. It’s hard to know if you have old beans, and even buying
“new” beans in the grocery store doesn’t ensure that they don’t already have some age on them.
If you suspect that your beans might be old, you can either cook them longer, or try soaking them in a bowl of water for 3-5 hours before cooking.
For the sausage, you will have a spicy flavor explosion if you use Andouille, which is traditional. But I have used a good, smoky kielbasa and it tastes great, too. Just add more of the Cajun/Creole seasoning if you like it spicier. Or even some red pepper flakes.
Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
Instant Pot Creamy Cajun Pasta with Sausage
Instant Pot Ham Hock and Bean Soup
Instant Pot Split Pea Soup
Don’t for get the Hot Sauce! I like to add a few squirts of my Instant Pot Hot Sauce for an added kick. You can make homemade hot sauce so easily in your Instant Pot!
Recipe updated on 7/28/21
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice With Sausage
Equipment
- 6 qt or 8 qt Electric Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- ¼ lb Bacon (or 2 Tbsp bacon fat)
- 1 large Yellow Onion (2 cups diced)
- 3-4 ribs Celery, (2 cups diced)
- 7 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped
- ½ tsp Sage, dried
- ½ tsp Basil, dried
- 1 Tbsp Cajun / Creole Seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's, or my Cajun Spice Blend) or more to taste
- 5 cups Chicken Broth, low sodium
- 1 lb **Small Red Beans (such as Camellia) sorted & rinsed
- 1 ½ lbs Andouille Sausage (or a good smoky Kielbasa) sliced in 3/4" rounds
GARNISH
- ¼ cup Parsley, chopped
- Green Onions, for garnish (optional)
- Hot Sauce, as much as you like!
SERVE OVER
- 2 cups Cooked White Rice (or more for leftovers)
Instructions
- Turn the pressure cooker on to the Sauté setting. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it renders the fat. Remove the bacon and set aside (You won't be adding it in, you just want the fat). If using bacon fat, let it heat up and then proceed.
- If you are using Andouille sausage, add it and brown on both sides (don't cook through). Then remove. If using kielbasa, don't brown it as long as it is softer than Andouille.
- Add the onions and celery. Cook for a couple of minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot to get the brown bits up (deglaze). You may need to add just a splash of the broth to help loosen it.
- Add the garlic, bay leaves, green and red bell peppers, sage, and basil. Cook, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent.Â
- Add the Cajun/Creole seasoning, and stir.
- Add the broth, beans, and sausage. Stir and put the lid on the pot and lock it in place. Set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
- Cancel the Sauté function and press the Pressure Cook or Manual button, then press the + or - button or dial to choose 50 minutes (High Pressure).
- When the cooking cycle has finished, let the pot sit undisturbed for 20 minutes (20 minute natural release). Then manually release the remaining pressure by turning the steam release knob to Venting.
- When the pin in the lid drops down, you can open the lid. Carefully stir the beans with a long handled spoon (be aware of any possible steam pockets as they "burp" and can cause burns).
- Taste a few of the beans to make sure they are tender. If not, close the lid and cook for 5 more minutes (with a 10 minute natural release).
- Remove and discard the bay leaves. Then mash some of the beans (a potato masher is good for this) and stir to make a more creamy consistency. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. Stir in the chopped parsley.
- Serve over cooked white rice and garnish with green onions and hot sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Resources To Make Instant Pot Red Beans Recipe and More
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What if I already soaked the beans ( before reading the recipe?)
i would cut back on the water by about 1 cup and cook them about half the time. This is an educated guess, but when you check them after the cook time, you can always add a little liquid and time, if needed. If there is too much liquid, you can just drain it off or make it into a gravy or sauce. Adjust seasonings as needed.