Red Beans and Rice Recipe

By Becky Hardin

Updated Aug 18, 2026

ShareJump to Recipe

Hands down, this is the best Red Beans and Rice Recipe! It’s rich, hearty, and so flavorful. This recipe takes a little time to prepare, but I promise the results are worth every minute. After soaking the beans for 4 hours, I simmer them with veggies, spices, a ham hock, and sausage, and let it cook for another 4 hours. I’ll serve it over white rice for a comforting meal that never fails.

Smoky, Hearty, and Comforting Red Beans and Rice

The smoky flavors and satisfying textures of this recipe always have me going for a second bowl. This is perfectly hearty Louisiana style comfort food at its best, and I love serving it when I entertain, as it makes enough for a small crowd.

After a 4-hour soak, the red beans and smoked sausage are cooked low and slow for another 4 hours with flavorful spices, the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking, which includes onion, bell pepper, and celery, and then I serve it with freshly cooked rice. This is a recipe I like to prepare over the weekend, as it does require a fair amount of time. Thankfully, most of it is hands-off so I can tackle the rest of my to-do list.

Tips for Beginners

• Soak the beans. Often, I’ll soak the beans overnight so I can start the cooking process first thing in the morning. Soaking is an important step for dried beans. They need to soak so they can cook properly.
• Avoid canned red beans. They are not authentic, and because canned beans are already cooked and soft, they can end up mushy. Dried beans are best.
• Adjust the spice level to taste. Some sausage is spicy (like Cajun), so replace it with a milder sausage and cut back on the hot sauce if you prefer less spice.
• Allow time to simmer. Make sure to allocate enough time for this process, as it takes a few hours. If the beans don’t simmer long enough, they’ll be hard and chewy.
• Let the sausage brown. With just about any dish, browning adds flavor. Toss the sausage intermittently while it’s in the pot so it has time to brown. Browning happens when the sausage sits undisturbed against the hot surface of the pan.
• To make in a crockpot. Cook all the ingredients and 2 cups water in a slow cooker on high heat for 6–8 hours. If time allows, brown the sausage first for best flavor. No need to soak the beans first. Follow this crockpot red beans and rice recipe for instructions.

Recipe Card

Red Beans and Rice Recipe

Difficulty: Easy

4.80 from 40 votes

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 4 hours hrs 12 minutes mins

Soaking time: 4 hours hrs

Total: 8 hours hrs 22 minutes mins

Servings: 8 people

Author: Becky Hardin

Print Rate Pin

This Red Beans and Rice recipe is hands down the best. Rich, hearty, and flavorful, the beans turn out perfectly tender.

Save this recipe!

Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you, plus new recipes weekly!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

Email *

Go

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

For the Beans

• ▢ 4 slices bacon cut into ¼” slices
• ▢ 2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 cup yellow onion diced, about ½ medium onion
• ▢ ½ cup green pepper diced
• ▢ 1 celery stalk diced
• ▢ 7 oz. smoked sausage skinless, cut into 1-inch slices
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 1½ tsp sweet paprika
• ▢ 1½ tbsp hot sauce like Tabasco
• ▢ 1 cup dried red beans soaked, Rancho Gordo or Camellia, if possible
• ▢ 1 smoked ham hock about 6 oz.
• ▢ 1 qt. chicken stock
• ▢ 3 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 tbsp granulated sugar

Garnishes

• ▢ sliced scallions green and white parts
• ▢ fresh chopped cilantro

For the Rice

• ▢ ⅓ cup canola oil
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion diced
• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
• ▢ 1 bay leaf
• ▢ 2 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• ▢ 3 cups chicken broth

Instructions 

For the Red Beans

• Set a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, large pot over medium heat. Add the sliced bacon and olive oil and cook about 5 minutes or until the fat is rendered.
  4 slices bacon, 2 tbsp olive oil
• Add onion, green pepper, and celery. Cook 4 minutes, stirring often.
  1 cup yellow onion, ½ cup green pepper, 1 celery stalk
• Add smoked sausage and cook, stirring often, 2-3 minutes, until sausage has begun to brown, onion is translucent and the green pepper and celery have softened.
  7 oz. smoked sausage
• Add bay leaf, paprika and hot sauce. Stir and remove from the heat.
  1 bay leaf, 1½ tsp sweet paprika, 1½ tbsp hot sauce
• Drain and rinse the soaked beans, and remove any pebbles or impurities. Add the beans and ham hock to the pot.
  1 cup dried red beans, 1 smoked ham hock
• Add chicken stock, being sure the beans are covered with enough stock.
  1 qt. chicken stock
• Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam that might boil to the top of the mixture.
• Reduce heat to LOW, cover and simmer 3-4 hours or until beans are tender and liquid has reduced and thickened.
• Remove the ham hock, pulling the meat from the bone, and adding it to the beans, if desired. If not, refrigerate for up to 5 days for a different use.
• Stir the pot often, being sure beans aren’t sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Discard the bay leaf.
• Season the beans with salt and pepper and add the sugar. Stir well and simmer another 10 minutes.
  3 tsp kosher salt, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• Taste the beans and season with additional salt, pepper and hot sauce, if needed.

For the Rice

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add onion, butter, bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Cook while stirring often, 6 minutes or until onions are cooked through and translucent.
  ⅓ cup canola oil, 1 large yellow onion, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp ground black pepper
• Add rice and stir well.
  2 cups uncooked jasmine rice
• Add broth and bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes.
  3 cups chicken broth
• Remove from the heat, leave covered and let stand 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork. The rice can be made ahead, cooled uncovered, and reheated when ready to serve.
• Serve the beans with rice and garnish with scallions and chopped cilantro. Enjoy!
  sliced scallions, fresh chopped cilantro

Becky’s Tips

• Soak the beans for at least 4 hours before preparing this recipe. 
• Do not use canned red beans; they won’t work with this method.
• Use your preferred level of spice for the sausage and the hot sauce.
• To fully cook the beans, they need to simmer, so allocate enough time. 
• Don’t forgo the browning of the sausage; it adds loads of flavor.  
• To make in a crockpot. Cook all the ingredients, + 2 cups water, on high heat for 6–8 hours. If time allows, brown the sausage first. For this method, you don’t need to soak the beans. Follow this crockpot red beans and rice recipe for more specific instructions.
• Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Serving: 1servingCalories: 463kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 21gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 56mgSodium: 1800mgPotassium: 740mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 448IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment!

How to Store

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze

Freeze the red bean mixture and rice separately for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight (or even 2 days for a full batch) in the refrigerator.

Reheat

Reheat over the stove.

Serving Suggestions

I find this recipe really is a meal in a bowl: delicious, rich, and hearty, but sometimes I’ll serve it up with buttermilk biscuits to soak up all the gravy, or to add some color to our plates, I’ll prepare Mexican corn on the cob or a spicy cheese broccoli. This recipe is great for serving a crowd, as I can easily get 8 servings.

More Bean Recipes To Try

• This classic Ham and Bean Soup makes for a hearty comforting meal.
• For this Homemade Refried Beans recipe, I slow-simmer pinto beans with spices and seasonings until they are perfectly tender.
• In this recipe for Baked Beans, I add a few ingredients to canned pork and beans for an easy and simple meal.

more southern style recipes

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Shrimp Creole

How to Make Southern Homemade Sweet Tea

Blackened Shrimp Alfredo