This Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice is a delicious weeknight dinner made healthier thanks to turkey sausage – you’ll love the smoky sauce!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – any neutral oil can be used in place of olive oil like grapeseed oil, avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Turkey sausages – turkey sausages will be the leaner option but feel free to use any other sausage type that you prefer.
- Yellow onion – red onion or shallots can replace the yellow onion.
- Celery – substitute for another vegetable of your choice.
- Green pepper – swap out for another vegetable of your choice.
- Garlic – fresh or jarred minced garlic will work well in this recipe. If you’re in a pinch, you can use garlic salt or garlic powder.
- Oregano – Italian seasoning, marjoram, basil or thyme can be used instead.
- Smoked paprika – cayenne pepper or chili pepper are great alternatives to smoked paprika.
- Chili powder – paprika, cayenne pepper or crushed chili flakes can also be used.
- Onion powder – garlic powder, jarred minced onion, onion flakes or onion salt would work as well.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Red beans – kidney beans, pinto beans, pink beans or black beans can be used in place of red beans if you’re in a pinch.
- Fire roasted tomatoes – crushed canned tomatoes with extra paprika can replace the fire roasted tomatoes if you aren’t able to find any.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is the best substitute here.
- White rice – basmati rice or jasmine rice is preferred. If you’d prefer not to have white rice, substitute it for brown rice or another grain like couscous or quinoa.
- Butter – this will make the rice nice and moist but you can leave it out if need be.
How to make red beans and rice in the Instant Pot
- Brown the sausage.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.
- Serve with rice and enjoy!
Making the rice
Unfortunately, this meal isn’t a dump and go dish, which would let you essentially dump all the ingredients into the Instant Pot to cook together, so you need to cook the rice separately. To minimize on the total cooking time, you can prepare the rice while the Instant Pot is cooking the beans and sausage.
To cook the rice, you can either use a rice cooker or cook the rice on the stovetop until the water has fully absorbed. I like to add in some butter so the rice stays nice and fluffy.
The benefit of not cooking the rice in the Instant Pot is that you will have more leniency in what type of rice you choose to include with your beans. For a healthier option, go with brown rice, couscous or quinoa.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like serving my red beans and rice with turkey sausage, but it would also go well with Andouille sausage, fried chicken, pork chops or another kind of protein. When it comes to side dishes, go for the classics like cornbread, crusty bread, coleslaw or corn on the cob.
While red beans and rice is often considered a comfort food, it’s also fairly healthy. The red beans are packed with plant-based protein, fibre and antioxidants. If you want to make this dish even healthier, swap out the white rice for brown rice or quinoa.
While red beans and kidney beans may look alike, they are not the same. Red beans are typically smaller and come in a round shape that’s similar to pinto beans, whereas kidney beans are larger and they have a more crescent shape. Shape isn’t the only way in which these beans are different. Red beans and kidney beans also taste differently from one another. Red beans have a hearty bean taste that stands alone in dishes and kidney beans absorb the flavours of the ingredients that are used in a dish.
Storing and reheating
Red beans and rice will last in the fridge for 3 to 5 days in an airtight container. When you’re ready to enjoy your dish, just pop it in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure to sprinkle some water over top of the rice first so it doesn’t dry out!
Freezing this recipe
This dish is great for meal prep – you can extend the life of your leftovers by freezing the red beans and rice for up to 3 months. Store the beans and rice either separately or together in a freezer-safe glass container or Ziploc bag.
Sprinkle some water over top of the rice to prevent it from drying out, then reheat it in the microwave from frozen for 3 to 4 minutes. If you stored the beans separately, you can let them defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat them in a pot on the stovetop.
More Instant Pot bean recipes
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Easy Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
- The Best Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
- Ultimate Instant Pot Chili
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you want to store these delicious beans or meal prep the black bean bowls.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb turkey sausages
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper
- 1 (540mL) can red beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (796mL) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 tsp butter
Instructions
- Heat Instant Pot on saute mode. Add olive oil, then sausages, browning for 3-4 minutes. Remove sausages and let cool 5 min before slicing. Turn off saute mode and add remaining ingredients except for ingredients under the rice heading, adding in the order in which they are listed. Do not stir.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and make sure valve is set to seal. Press the pressure cook button and set to high, then cook for 2 minutes. Instant Pot will take about 5-10 minutes to come to pressure then pressure cook for 2 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the ingredients under the rice heading in a rice cooker or in a pot on the stove until liquid is absorbed.
- Do a quick release of the pressure on the Instant Pot by flicking the switch at the top with a spoon. Open the lid when pressure gauge has dropped and the lid opens easily. Serve alongside rice and enjoy!
