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.
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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.
This recipe is good flavor wise, but my rice did not cook correctly. I even had it in the pot for 45 minutes and still had some crunchy rice. That is very disappointing. I will make this again, but I will use instant rice instead.
Ive seen a few comments on here about the rice, but as far as mine went, it ended up perfectly. the broth in mine was at a boil before adding the rice. only complaint was just how much rice there was ( not too big of a gripe). If you’re like me and dont like too much rice I’d go just a cup and a half of rice, or if you’re a meat lover then just go 1 cup of rice. great recipe all and all!!!
The flavour was good, but the rice not cooking properly after following the directions exactly left me extremely frustrated. I kept adding more chicken broth since half my rice was still raw. 40 minutes later (after the initial 25) and the rice STILL wasn’t cooked properly. Had to transfer to my dutch oven on the stove which sucks since I have more dirty dishes now. PLEASE update your recipe seeing as many other people had this same issue and we obviously need more liquid.
i lost ALL my recipes in a computer crash-i am going to make this tomorrow with andouille sausage and bone-in thighs. will cook rice separately because my slow cooker sorta sucks-hoping it turns out as good as it reads!
This dish had great flavor and we really loved it. Like a few of the other comments the rice didn’t get cooked properly. I would make this again
I just made this tonight and used the brand Minute Rice after previously using the same rice on a different slow cooker rice recipe. It came out perfect so that might be the trick!
Can I do this recipe on low for 8 hours?
Hi! Can I substitute brown rice for white?
No, unfortunately brown rice takes more liquid, more cooking time, and probably more heat than the slow cooker can provide.
Super easy, great flavor. I will make this again. The only thing II am going to do different is add another chicken thigh and cut back on the amount of rice. Instead of 2 cups I will use 1 cup. I feel that it won’t be as dry and that you will be able to really taste the other ingredients. Overall great recipe!
This was good, but this is no way a “traditional jambalaya recipe” In Louisiana, our Jambalaya is brown because it is cajun. This is definitely a tomato based rice recipe, it almost tastes like a form of enchilada rice, which now this is what I will be calling it. With all of that aside, this recipe isn’t bad.
“this is no way a traditional jambalaya recipe In Louisiana”? Is completely incorrect. In fact, tthere are two primary methods of making jambalaya: Creole jambalaya (or red jambalaya); the second is Cajun j which contains no tomatoes.
This recipe was easy & surprisingly delicious for a life long Louisianan.
I’m allergic to shrimp, can I substitute crawfish instead.
That will probably work.
I would suggest adding half a cup of water with the broth just in case you leave your lid off for too long… For some reason my rice wasn’t fully cooked after 25 minutes which made me suspect that someone was snooping around… My suspicions were later confirmed though lol… But otherwise this recipe is fantastic! So simple, easy and incredibly flavorful. I used jalapeno cheddar smoked sausages and everybody thought it was a smash… Will defenitely be making this on a regular basis… Especially for work lunches! Easy meal prep.
Tastes great!! But the rice didn’t cook the way it needed to. I ended up putting it in a Dutch oven and finishing it over the stove. Not sure what went wrong.
This looks delicious! Did you use raw or precooked sausage?
This uses smoked sausage, which is considered to be a cooked sausage, not a fresh sausage. :)
Any suggestions on how to adjust this if I’m at work all day at least 8 hours and wanted to cook this in the slow cooker while I was gone.
Hmm, I don’t think you could for this one. It’s really tricky with the rice and needs to be added just at the right time. If you add it in the beginning it will completely break down.
I have the same issue. Im considering cooking it on low for 8 hours and then turning it to warm when I get home and then cook the rice completely seperate. Once the rice is cooked, add it all together. We’ll see how it works.
This looks delicious and I’ve been looking for an easy week-night jambalaya recipe!
Any ideas about converting this to work with a pressure cooker instead?
I think a pressure cooker would work great (and probably cook the rice a bit more evenly). I’d need to do some testing before giving specific instructions, though.
I usually do it in the pressure cooker (instant pot). What I do is saute veggies & chicken if uncooked, then add sausage & seasoning. Drain the tomato juice from canned tomatoes into a measure cup. Dump the drained tomatoes and rice to pot. Add enough chicken broth to tomato juice to equal 2 cups (1:1 ratio for white rice) then dump into pot. Stir, than add lid, close valve and cook on the rice setting.
Yummy! I added shrimp as well and it turned out really well. Unfortunately, I left the slow cooker on and it got super mushy lol. I’ll know for next time!! Thanks for the great recipe – it’s a keeper!!