Instant Pot Red Beans & Rice

This instant pot red beans and rice is one of those meals that tastes like it’s been simmering on the stove all day, but it comes together in a fraction of the time.

It’s a classic Louisiana comfort dish with smoky andouille sausage, tender red kidney beans, and plenty of seasoning. Served over white rice, it’s filling, flavorful, and honestly just really good.

The Instant Pot does most of the work here. You sauté a few things, toss everything in, and let pressure cooking handle the rest.

One of my favorite parts is mashing some of the beans at the end. It makes the whole dish thick and creamy without adding anything extra.

If you’ve been looking for a hearty dinner that’s easy to pull off on a weeknight, this one is worth trying.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Creamy Without Any Cream – Mashing a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot creates a thick, creamy sauce naturally, so you get that rich, velvety texture without adding butter, cream, or any extra fat.

Andouille Sausage Makes It Incredible – Browning the andouille first builds a smoky, savory flavor base in the pot, and adding it back at the end keeps the sausage from getting mushy so every bite has that satisfying snap.

Fraction of the Traditional Cook Time – Classic red beans and rice simmers on the stove for 2 to 3 hours, but the Instant Pot gets dried beans perfectly tender in just 25 minutes of pressure cooking, saving you a whole afternoon.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Dried Red Kidney Beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 12 oz Andouille Sausage, sliced into half-moons
• 3 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 large Yellow Onion, diced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, diced
• 3 stalks Celery, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
• Hot Sauce, to taste
• Cooked White Rice, for serving

Directions

Step 1

Set the Instant Pot to saute mode and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the sliced andouille sausage and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides. Remove the sausage and set aside.

Step 2

Add the diced onion, green bell pepper, and celery to the pot. Cook for 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Step 3

Add the soaked and drained kidney beans, chicken broth, bay leaves, dried thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine and press cancel.

Step 4

Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes. When the cook time is done, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to venting.

Step 5

Remove the bay leaves. Using the back of a wooden spoon, mash about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot to thicken the mixture and create a creamy consistency.

Step 6

Return the browned andouille sausage to the pot and stir to combine. Set to saute mode and let it simmer for about 3 minutes until heated through and the sauce reaches your desired thickness.

Step 7

Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve ladled over cooked white rice, topped with fresh parsley and a dash of hot sauce.

Pro Tips

Don’t Skip the Overnight Soak

Kidney beans really need that full overnight soak to cook evenly in 25 minutes at high pressure. If you skip it or only do a quick soak, you’ll likely end up with beans that are still hard in the center.

A good rule is at least 8 hours submerged in plenty of water. The beans will double in size, so use a big bowl and cover them by a few inches of water.

Once they’re done soaking, drain and rinse them well before adding them to the pot. This gets rid of some of the starches and stuff that can cause the foaming you sometimes see in pressure cookers.

Brown the Sausage First, Then Set It Aside

When you brown the andouille, don’t crowd the pieces or move them around too much. Let them sit in a single layer for about a minute or two per side so they get a nice golden-brown sear.

The reason you take the sausage out and add it back at the end is because 25 minutes of high pressure will turn it mushy. Browning it first locks in flavor, and stirring it back in at the end keeps the texture firm with a slight snap when you bite into it.

Mash Some Beans for the Right Texture

This step is what separates a good red beans and rice from a great one. After you remove the bay leaves, press the back of a wooden spoon against a bunch of beans on the side of the pot and smash them up.

You want roughly a quarter of the beans mashed. This releases their starch and creates that thick, creamy gravy that clings to the rice. If the mixture still looks too soupy after mashing, the simmer step in the next part will help thicken it up even more.

If it’s too thick, just stir in a splash of chicken broth until you get the consistency you like.

Related Recipes

• Instant Pot Chili
• Instant Pot White Chicken Chili
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I skip the overnight soak and just use dry beans?

You can, but you’ll need to increase the pressure cook time to around 40-45 minutes to make sure the beans get fully tender. Unsoaked beans take significantly longer to break down, even in the Instant Pot.

That said, soaking overnight gives you the best texture and more evenly cooked beans. If you’re short on time, you can also do a quick soak by boiling the beans for one minute, then letting them sit covered for an hour before draining.