Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Name: Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 420 min
Total time: 430 min
Ingredients: 1 lb Dried red beans; 7 cups Reduced sodium chicken stock (or water); 1 Green bell pepper, chopped; 1 medium Onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups); 3 ribs Celery, chopped; 2 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 to 1 1/2 pounds Andouille sausage, cut into bite-size pieces; 2 Bay leaves; 1/2 tsp Kosher salt (or to taste); 1/2 tsp Black pepper (or to taste); 3 tablespoons Creole Seasoning

ByLeigh Harris Published: February 10, 2024April 2, 2024 Updated onApril 2, 2024

Slow cooker red beans and rice are full of Cajun flavor and easy to prepare! We make this recipe at least once a month. The whole family loves this stuff.

Slow cooker red beans and rice in a dark bowl on a dark surface.

Why You’ll Love This

It’s a time saver! No worrying about having to prepare dinner once you arrive home.
Simple pantry and kitchen ingredients make it easy to throw together.
It makes a large batch to serve 8 people. This means leftovers for a family of four.

Eight ingredients, chopped, dumped, and cooked for hours. This is perfect to start in the morning before work or on a busy day and forget it until dinner.

How easy is that? Who doesn’t need an easy slow cooker recipe now and then?

Some of our other favorite slow cooker dishes to make are Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken, Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup, Pulled Corned Beef Slow Cooker, Creamy Beef Stew Slow Cooker, One Pot Chicken Stew, and Mexican Chicken Adobo Slow Cooker.

Slow cooker red beans and rice recipe ingredients on a dark surface. — Cooked rice is not pictured.

note

Some studies have shown red kidney beans contain a toxin called Phytohaemagglutinin. You can read about it here in the FDA Bug Book. This is why we cook on high in the slow cooker. If you are concerned rinse the beans, drain them, then add to a pot with boiling water, and boil for 10 minutes. Drain them then proceed with the recipe instructions.

How to Make Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Rinse beans thoroughly and put them into a crockpot.

Red beans in a strainer on a dark surface.

Red beans in the crock of a slow cooker.

Chop the sausage, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Place the red beans, all the vegetables, sausage, bay leaves, creole seasoning, and 7 cups of water or chicken broth in the slow cooker, and stir to combine.

Sliced andouille, onions, green bell pepper, celery, minced garlic and bay leave on a wooden cutting board.

Chicken stock added to the red beans and rice ingredients in the crock of a slow cooker.

Cover and cook for 6-7 hours on high or until the beans are tender. If it’s not thick enough remove the lid for an hour.

Cooked red beans in the crock of a slow cooker.

What to Serve with this Dish

Serve over cooked white rice garnished with chopped parsley or green onions. Or for a healthier version try serving over brown rice or cauliflower rice.

Red beans and rice are very satisfying served alone, but we like to serve them with cornbread.

Tips

We used Andouille sausage in this recipe but smoked sausage works too. Andouille tends to be spicier so if you don’t like spicy foods use the smoked sausage. You might also want to use a little less creole seasoning.
Add some leftover ham, ham hocks, or ham bone.
You can use small or large red kidney beans. The cooking time might vary between the two sizes so check the tenderness of the beans at about 5-6 hours of cooking time.
Make sure you cook on HIGH heat in the crock pot to ensure the beans are cooked through.
There is no need to soak the beans overnight.
Be sure to use reduced sodium chicken stock. The creole seasoning tends to be salty. If you only have regular chicken stock replace about 3 cups of chicken stock with water.
For a thicker consistency use a potato masher to mash some of the beans, not all of them.
Want it even spicier? Add some hot sauce or cayenne pepper.

FAQs

Can you cook kidney beans in a slow cooker?

Yes, but red kidney beans need to be boiled for 10 minutes before slow cooking to ensure that the PHA, a kidney bean lectin, is destroyed. The slow cooker does not get hot enough to destroy the lectin has the potential to cause sickness.
With that stated I’ve cooked this slow cooker red beans and rice recipe for years without boiling first and have never had an issue.

Storing

Cool them to room temperature, place them in an airtight container, and refrigerate for up to four days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.

More Cajun Recipes

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Spicy Shrimp with Creamy Cajun Polenta

Cajun jambalaya in a white serving bowl with a loaf of bread in the background.

Cajun Jambalaya Recipe

Shrimp Po’Boy

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