Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated Sept. 8, 2023

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
7½ hours
Rating
4(1,215)
Comments
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This slow cooker version of New Orleans-style red beans requires about 20 minutes to toss together in the morning and can be ready to eat when you walk in the door after work. Creamy and comforting, it is traditionally flavored with a leftover pork bone, so if you happen to have one, feel free to throw that in instead of a ham hock. And if you have a favorite Cajun or Creole spice mixture on hand, use 1 heaping tablespoon of it in place of the sage, cayenne, garlic, onion and paprika powders, and taste before adding any salt, as seasoning blends contain a varying amount of sodium. Adding hot sauce at the end is key: The best kind to use is a vinegary, cayenne-based, Louisiana-style sauce, like Crystal, Louisiana brand or Tabasco. (Here is a vegan version of this recipe.)

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • 2tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1large yellow onion, finely chopped
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 3celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 1green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 10garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1teaspoon onion powder
  • 1teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ to 1teaspoon ground cayenne, plus more to taste
  • ½teaspoon ground sage (optional)
  • 1pound dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight (see Tip)
  • 3dried bay leaves
  • 3sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 12ounces smoked pork sausage, preferably andouille, sliced into 1-inch-thick coins
  • 1smoked ham hock (about 10 ounces)
  • Cooked rice, for serving
  • Sliced scallions, for serving
  • Louisiana-style hot sauce, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

613 calories; 23 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 68 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 997 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is limp and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne and sage (if using); grind in a generous amount of black pepper and add ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, then remove from the heat and scrape the mixture into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker.

  2. Step 2

    Add the beans, bay leaves, thyme, sausage, ham hock and 6 cups water. Cook on high until the beans are very tender and creamy, about 7 hours. (See Tip.)

  3. Step 3

    Before serving, add salt or cayenne to taste. Using a fork or the back of a spoon, mash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker to make the mixture slightly creamy. (It will continue to thicken as it sits.) Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs; you can pick the meat off the ham hock if you like. Top the beans with hot cooked rice and scallions; serve with hot sauce.

Tip
  • Red beans should simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes until tender to be safe to eat. If your slow cooker does not have a high setting, simmer soaked beans in fresh water for 30 minutes before Step 1.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,215 user ratings
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Comments

NolaMom

As a New Orleans native and resident, I have been cooking red beans in the slow cooker for at least a dozen years. Definitely easier than the stovetop. In my experience....1) it takes 10 hours on High to achieve the creamy texture. Any shorter than that and you’ll be mashing a lot of the beans to make them creamy. 2) the bay leaf becomes extremely bitter if cooked that long. I no longer use it and we haven’t noticed a difference. 3) No need to sauté the vegetables beforehand.

Lucy Anderson

I get annoyed when I read up front about a 20 minute prep time. Then the recipe calls for 4 different chopped veg and a 5-8 minute sauté. I’m pretty fast but that line will take more than the 20 the recipe calls for.

Margaux Laskey, Senior Staff Editor, NYT Cooking

I hear you. It has a bit more concentrated flavor when you sauté first, but skip it, and toss the raw vegetables into the slow cooker. I do it all the time.

Gordon Shumway

I love this recipe and use it all the time. I have noticed that 6 cups of water (we use broth) is way too much liquid. I used 4 cups last time and it seemed like too much at first, but after it sat overnight, the consistency and liquid level of the beans was perfect. I don't ever get a lot of meat off the ham hock, it's great flavor but that's about it. Maybe I'm using the wrong kind of ham hock! This is a keeper!

Justine Aurelia S.

Making this for tonight’s cool autumn dinner. I used dried Anasazi beans that I had cooked in the slow cooker overnight and added everything in raw except the andouille sausage which is browned first in a pan. Then to deglaze the pan, I used some of the bean liquid, and behold! double duty flavor enhancing and easier clean up. It came out great!

Bert

I love this recipe and have made it many times. I do all the prep the night before, including soaking the beans. I mince the garlic in a food processor because, well, 10 garlic cloves. In the morning I just throw it all in the slow cooker with the water; I skip sautéing the veggies.

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