While jambalaya isn’t difficult to make on the stovetop, it’s still SUPER hot here, so I like to use my slow cooker when I can. Everything in this easy Slow Cooker Jambalaya recipe is cooked in one pot, including the rice. Cooking rice like this might sound like a mushy mess, but as long as you add it at the very end, you can control the texture a bit more and get good results! This slow cooker recipe is simple comfort food at its best and perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.
What Is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a popular rice-based dish originating from Louisiana, believed to have been inspired by the culinary influences of the French, Spanish, and African cultures there. It’s a natural “budget” recipe because it combines flavorful and inexpensive cuts of meat (smoked sausage and chicken thighs) with bulky and inexpensive ingredients, like rice, onion, celery, and bell pepper. Some recipes also add seafood, but I skipped that to keep costs down. Add a good handful of spices, and you have a super filling and very satisfying meal that freezes well and reheats effortlessly in the microwave. Total winner.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this slow cooker jambalaya recipe:
- Celery, Onion & Bell Pepper: Known as the ‘holy trinity’ of Cajun and Creole cooking, these veggies provide the base flavor for this recipe.
- Garlic: A little minced garlic adds depth and flavor.
- Smoked Sausage: The type of smoked sausage you use DOES matter. Andouille sausage is the traditional choice, but you can use any smoked pork sausage you like. More on why the type of sausage matters below.
- Chicken Thighs (Optional): Boneless and skinless chicken thighs are flavorful, inexpensive, and don’t dry out when they’re cooked in the slow cooker.
- Dried Herbs & Seasonings: Dried oregano, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and freshly cracked pepper add a ton of flavor to your crockpot jambalaya.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Adds liquid to cook the rice and thickens the broth.
- Fresh Parsley: I mix fresh parsley into my slow cooker when I add the chicken broth.
- Chicken Broth: Use homemade chicken broth or your favorite store-bought brand.
- Rice: Use long-grain white rice for this recipe, not instant rice.
- Green Onions: For garnishing.
What Type of Sausage To Use
This recipe depends greatly on the sausage you buy, which accounts for about half of the flavor in the dish. I had one of those “small changes make big differences” moments at the grocery store and bought smoked turkey sausage instead of regular smoked pork sausage, and I kind of regret it. But hey, it all depends on your priorities. Just be aware that the sausage can make or break this recipe. And while I think you could easily skip the chicken thighs to reduce the meat load of the dish, do not skip the smoked sausage.
Jambalaya vs Gumbo
Both dishes are delicious and are integral parts of Cajun and Creole cuisine, but they’re distinct in their own ways. Jambalaya is a one-pot rice dish, while gumbo is a thick stew or soup made with a dark roux (a mixture of flour and fat) as a base. Gumbo can be served with rice, but it’s not cooked with the other ingredients like in jambalaya.
There are also some differences in the ingredients used, but both dishes typically include the holy trinity of vegetables (onion, celery, and bell pepper) and a variety of protein options. It’s mainly the preparation and serving style that sets these two dishes apart!
How to Store
This slow cooker jambalaya recipe makes about 10 cups total (when made in a 5-quart slow cooker), so you’ll probably have some leftovers! Let everything cool before storing it in airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze individual portions for up to 6 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the microwave—yum!
Slow Cooker Jambalaya Recipe
Servings 8 (about 10 cups)Ingredients
- 3 ribs celery ($0.37)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.42)
- 1 green bell pepper ($0.87)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 12-16 oz. smoked sausage* ($3.49)
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (optional) ($1.13)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked pepper (15-20 cranks of a mill) ($0.05)
- 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes (or one 28oz. can) ($1.98)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped ($0.20)
- 2 cups uncooked long grain white rice ($0.96)
- 3 green onions, sliced ($0.23)
Instructions
- Finely dice the celery, onion, and bell pepper. Mince the garlic. Add the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
- Slice the smoked sausage into rounds or half moons and add them to the slow cooker, along with the chicken thighs, oregano, thyme, paprika, cayenne, and freshly cracked pepper.
- Pour the diced tomatoes and all their juices over the meat and spices in the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth and a handful of chopped fresh parsley. Stir briefly.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker, turn the heat on to high, and cook for four hours.
- After four hours, the liquid in the slow cooker should be boiling. Carefully remove the chicken thighs, making sure to replace the lid quickly. Shred the meat and stir it back into the pot along with the uncooked rice.
- Make sure all the rice is submerged under the liquid, then replace the lid as quickly as possible so that it returns to boiling quickly.
- Let it continue to cook on high for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Remove the lid, test the rice to make sure it’s tender, then stir to fluff the ingredients (don't stir too vigorously or the rice will become gummy). Sprinkle the sliced green onions over top, then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
How to Make SLow Cooker Jambalaya – Step by Step Photos
Finely dice 3 ribs celery, 1 yellow onion, and 1 green bell pepper. Mince 2 garlic cloves. Add the celery, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the bottom of a 5 quart or larger slow cooker.
Slice 12-16 oz. of smoked sausage into rounds or half moons and add them to the slow cooker, along with the 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp thyme, 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp cayenne, and freshly cracked pepper (15-20 cranks of a mill).
Pour 2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes and all their juices over the meat and spices in the slow cooker. Add 2 cups chicken broth and 1/4 bunch of chopped fresh parsley. Stir briefly.
Place the lid on the slow cooker, turn the heat on to high, and cook for four hours.
After four hours, the liquid in the slow cooker should be boiling. Carefully remove the chicken thighs, making sure to replace the lid quickly. Shred the meat and stir it back into the pot along with 2 cups uncooked long grain rice.
Make sure all the rice is submerged under the liquid, then replace the lid as quickly as possible so that it returns to boiling quickly.
Let it continue to cook on high for 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
Remove the lid, test the rice to make sure it’s tender, then stir to fluff the ingredients (don’t stir too vigorously or the rice will become gummy). Sprinkle 3 sliced green onions over top, then serve.
I totes forgot my green onions! Which is a shame because green onions are such a quintessential flavor in slow cooker jambalaya. No worries, though. I still have leftovers that can get the green onion treatment! Leftovers for days cuz that’s how I roll.
First of all, thank you for having your recipes set up for easy portion count change. I had a Mardi Gras party with 20 friends last night & your recipe was so easy to resize in your site. Thank you for that!
And thank you for the amazing recipe. I got so many raves and it was SO GOOD. I cooked everything but the rice in my crockpot. When it was done, I drained the fluid and cooked my brown rice on the stove. Then I mixed the two together. So delicious!! Excited to make it again. Thank you :)
Awesome. I made this every once in awhile for myself and my husband, and there are always plenty of leftovers–at least two days worth. I normally use brown rice, and I soak it the night before in a bowl of water to soften it up, and I toss it in first, and allow it to cook with the chicken, sausage and veggies, and add the shrimp last. The rice is never crunchy when I do this.
Thanks for the recipe! (:
I was very skeptical when I read to add rice and cook for 20-25. I was right to be concerned. It is now two hrs after adding and still have some crunchy rice. We are starving so we will eat it. I added more salt and seasoned salt, creole seasoning, onion powder. I thought maybe next time to add instant rice for 20 mins. Has anyone tried this?
This is a family FAVORITE! I usually add an additional chicken thigh or two but no need to change a thing. This is a perfect dinner when it’s cold outside and you want left-overs the next day (which are delicious)! I have seriously made this maybe 4 times and it’s always a hit!
Do you happen to have instructions on how to adapt this recipe for the pressure cooker?
No, unfortunately I don’t. I haven’t tried that yet. :)
Made this tonight for a family of 6 (some of whom are very picky) and it was a huge hit. I followed The recipe as directed with one exception. After reading the reviews i cooked the rice (I used Brown) first and added it for the last half hour. Served it with jalapeño cheddar cornbread and it was the perfect for this snowy evening. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
So good! I had no issues with the rice cooking in about 25 minutes. I subbed red pepper and pre-cooked, shredded chicken breast because that was what i had on hand. I added the (thawed) chicken in withthe rice. Both my boys (9 months old, 4 years old) ate it and my husband had thirds!
One of my go-to recipes with a few modifications – I sub the white rice for brown and/or red rice and put it in towards the beginning since it takes longer to cook than white. I’ll also throw some shrimp in the pot when there’s only about 10-15 minutes left cook. And finally I double the cayenne for some extra kick. Very tasty.
Next time I’ll cook rice separate
Wish I had read the comments before I tossed the rice into the pot.
Overall though, I liked the flavor of the dish.
I used the Instant Pot’s slow cooker function, and the rice did not turn out. I added about 2 cups more liquid, finished half on the stove, and let the other half cook for another hour. Other than that, this recipe is great! It’s a bit too spicy for my mom- next time I’ll reduce the cayenne to 1/8 or 1/4 t.
I forgot to mention- I used the sauté function to cook the onions, celery, pepper, and garlic before adding the sausage. I also used fresh sausage instead of precooked.
The rice was a huge disappointment and ruined the whole thing. If I didn’t extend the cooking time and add more liquids it was crunchy/under cooked. When I did extend it to accommodate the rice cooking the other ingredients were mush like toddler food. Waste of time, effort, food and money! Will next time cook rice separate – brown or white as it happened with both.
Has anyone cooked this on low for 6-8 hours instead? If so, how did it turn out?
We did today! It was fabulous. This is my new favorite meal. We also set out sour cream for those folks that can’t handle the heat and it was great.
Did you add the rice for the entire cooking time when it was on low?
Great taste, poor directions on the rice.
I made this with a few changes. I sweated down the onions, peppers, and celery in a pan until they were translucent. I think that it helps with texture and flavor. I chopped up some leftover rotisserie chicken and tossed that in instead of the chicken breast. I didn’t do nearly as much cayenne pepper as she suggested and I was thankful because it was almost too spicy!
I wish that I had cooked the rice separately. I put the rice in at 3:30 pm and at 4:15 pm it was still crunchy even though I stirred it every fifteen minutes. I had to run, so I added an extra two cups of chicken stock. At 5 pm, I checked it again and the rice was still crunchy so I added two cups of water. Finally, at 5:30 pm, the rice had absorbed all of the liquid and was soft. So two hours! Not 20 minutes. On high, with extra liquid. It was a little stressful because I was feeding a group of people. If I had cooked the rice separately, it would have been perfect.
can anyone give the nutrition information on this recipe?
For 1/8 of the dish (I used chicken breast, Turkey sausage)
263 calories
7.1g fat
74 mg cholesterol
639 mg sodium
134 million mg potassium
23 grams carbs
2.3 grams dietary fiber
Everything was great till I threw the rice in. Let the rice cook the suggested time and it came out crunchy and the pot was totally dry. Tried to compensate by adding more liquid and ended up with mushy slop. I’d also suggest scaling the cayenne pepper back if you don’t like spicy foods.
I think I’ll try it again in the future as the recipe yields a good amount of food. However, I’ll probably cook the rice separate and drain out the liquid in the crockpot after mixing it in.
Made this today and it is delicious! I read comments from other reviewers, so made sure to stir my rice several times as it was cooking and it was perfect! My husband is Haitian and loves spicy food. He tasted it and loved the spice level in this jamabalya! It definitely has a kick, but is so delicious! Thank you for such a great crock pot recipe for two busy parents!!!