Hey all! I have a question for you: What makes red beans and rice even better? Answer: Making it in an instant pot! It’s so much faster and less maintenance. This instant pot red beans and rice recipe is very similar to my stove top version (find the recipe here). The difference is that it takes about 1/3 of the time to make and less stirring required.
This is a vegan recipe, and I love filling my recipes full of vegetables. It’s so much better for me to hide my vegetables in a recipe, where it adds flavor, than trying to eat plain vegetables on the side.
I’ll talk about what vegetables I use, and alternatives/what is normally added. As usual, my recipe does not call for vegetable broth, but you can use it! It just uses water and spices. I do this because of a corn intolerance among other food sensitivities, so I have to make my own vegetable broth.
So let’s head to the ingredients for this instant pot red beans and rice recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pounds of red kidney beans
- 1 to 2 cups of water (or vegetable broth) (up to 5 cups if you’re not presoaking) (or vegetable broth)
- Rice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Vegetables
- Spices/Herbs
That’s a pretty basic list of the ingredients, now I’ll get into what I mean by vegetables and spices.
Vegetables:

Cauliflower: I use half a cauliflower in my instant pot red beans and rice. It bulks up the recipe and ends up hidden among the rice. Adding no major flavors, but a lot of nutrients.
Peppers: Bell pepper adds a nice flavor and color to the dish. Feel free to also add in a spicy pepper if you’d like more heat to the dish.
Zucchini: I like zucchini for the flavor addition, especially since I’m not using vegetable stock.
Carrot: Similar to above, I add it in because of the additional flavors added and the color addition.
Mushrooms: I forgot to buy mushrooms for my latest making of these red beans and rice, and I could tell. Mushrooms add a nice umami flavor, as well as sort of a meaty texture.
Optional that I don’t use: Celery adds a great addition to flavor, I just am not a fan of the texture so I don’t add it in. Onion and garlic are typical additions as well. They do add a flavor to the dish, my body just doesn’t really like digesting them, so I skip them.
Spices/Herbs
These are the spices I add to my red beans and rice; minimize the quantity on all of them if you’re using a vegetable broth, especially salt
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Spices you can add if you have them:
- Bay leaf (to remove before serving)
- Paprika
- Celery seed
Make The Instant Pot Red Beans And Rice
My method for making this includes soaking the beans overnight. This is not necessary, but it will change the amount of water and time required for the process. Just keep that in mind when making these for yourself!
1. Soak the beans overnight.
If you’re not soaking the beans overnight, try and soak them for at least 2 hours before cooking – with water and 1 tsp baking soda.
2. About an hour before dinner – cook the rice. While the rice is cooking, start working on the red beans.
3. Cut up the vegetables – try to have them all about the size of the beans or smaller (exception – if you’re using garlic and onion, chop those a lot smaller). Try to maintain the same size for every vegetable.
4. Set the instant pot to saute, add the olive oil, and allow it to heat. If you’re using onion, start by sauteing the onion for a few minutes. Gradually add in the other vegetables, continuing next by adding garlic if using, the pepper, and carrot. Saute for a few minutes. Finally, add in the other vegetables.
5. Drain the beans. (My boyfriend swears by rinsing them after draining; I don’t, so that’s up to you).
6. Add in the spices, beans, and water. *I always add in too much water for this recipe, so about 1 cup should be enough. If you haven’t soaked overnight, you will need to add in more water. Stir to combine.
If you haven’t soaked overnight, for 2 pounds of beans, you’ll need at least 5 cups of water (possibly 6) and pressure cook for 35-40 minutes
7. Put the lid on, set the pressure cooker to manual, high pressure, and for 20 minutes.
8. After the 20 minutes are up, allow to sit for 2 minutes before manually releasing the steam.
9. Taste to see if further seasonings are required, serve over rice, and enjoy!

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice

Notes
Using beans that haven’t been soaking overnight will require more water – 5-6 cups for 2 pounds of beans, depending on if you’ve let them soak for any amount of time.
Author: Ashley @ LivingCornIntolerant
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 pounds red kidney beans
- 1 to 2 cups water (or vegetable broth) [5-6 cups for 2 pounds of beans if you’re not soaking overnight]
- Rice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cauliflower
- Bell pepper
- Zucchini
- Carrot
- 6 mushrooms
- Optional: onion, garlic, celery
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Optional: bay leaf, paprika, celery seed
Instructions
- Soak the beans overnight
- Cook the rice as directed
- Cut up the vegetables – have them all about bean size (except for the onion and garlic – those smaller)
- Set the instant pot to saute, add in olive oil, and add in the vegetables. Start with onion if using, then add in the garlic, carrot, mushrooms, and bell pepper. Saute for a few minutes. Finally, add in the zucchini and carrots.
- Drain the beans. Rinse optional. Add into pot, along with spice and water. Stir everything together.
- Close the lid, set to high pressure and for 20 minutes. (If you’re not presoaking, set the time to 35-40 minutes)
- After the 20 minutes are finished, allow to set for 2 minutes, then release pressure manually.
- Enjoy over prepared rice.
Nutrition Facts
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Serves: 6-10
Amount Per Serving: 1 bowl
|
||
---|---|---|
Calories | 341 | |
% Daily Value* | ||
Total Fat 3.6g | 4.6% | |
Saturated Fat 0.5g | 0% | |
Trans Fat 0 | ||
Cholesterol 0mg | 0 | |
Sodium 1201mg | 50% | |
Total Carbohydrate 60.5g | 20% | |
Dietary Fiber 14.2g | 56% | |
Sugars 5.2g | ||
Protein 20g |
Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
Calcium 90mg | Iron 7mg |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
A Food Mood
Let me know what you thought of the recipe in the comments below!