If you don’t live in Louisiana, you might not know that we’ve got a big carnival going on right now. Parades, marching bands, crazy costumes, and (of course) beads are daily sightings for the two weeks preceding Mardi Gras. It’s all gotten me in the mood for some classic New Orleans food—Red Beans and Rice!
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that we make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
I made a classic version of Red Beans and Rice way back when this was just a baby blog, so I thought it was time to revisit this deliciously filling and inexpensive dish. While I absolutely looove pork products, I thought it would be fun to try a vegan version. To make up for the loss of andouille sausage’s smoky flavor, I added a heaping dose of smoked paprika (that stuff is magic!). Making sure there was a healthy amount of herbs and spices also helped keep the batch flavorful. A sprinkle of fresh green onions on top adds a final oomph of flavor and then I’m in red bean heaven. It’s so filling, so flavorful, and so real. The recipe is simple and requires only good, simple ingredients. That’s the way I like to eat.
Keep in mind that this is not a fast dish. The longer you cook it the better it gets. I cooked mine for 3 hours, but you don’t want to go any less than 2 hours, or else your beans won’t be soft. Also, I soaked my beans over night, so you’ll want to plan this at least a day ahead. It’s worth it. Promise.
As an afterthought, I stirred a spoonful of coconut oil into one of my bowls and it added that lovely, velvety, rich flavor that you can only get from saturated fat (usually provided by the pork). So, if you still feel like you’re missing that pork derived richness, try adding a lil’ coconut oil.
Vegan Red Beans and Rice
Servings 6 to 8 servings (about 10 cups total)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 medium yellow onion ($0.52)
- 1 medium bell pepper ($0.97)
- 4 stalks celery ($0.50)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1 lb dry red beans ($1.59)
- 6 cups vegetable broth* ($0.78)
- 1 tsp thyme ($0.10)
- 1 tsp oregano ($0.10)
- 1 whole bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.15)
- Freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill) ($0.05)
- pinch cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 6 cups cooked rice ($1.04)
- 1 bunch green onions, sliced ($0.79)
Instructions
- The night before, Place your beans in a large pot and fill with enough cool water to cover the beans by a few inches. Place the beans in the refrigerator to soak over night.
- When you’re ready to cook, finely dice the celery, bell pepper, and onion, and mince the garlic. Cook the celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in a large pot with the olive oil over medium heat until softened (5-7 minutes).
- Drain the soaked beans in a colander and rinse with fresh, cool water. Add the rinsed beans to the pot with the vegetables. Also add the vegetable broth, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, smoked paprika, some freshly cracked pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Place a lid on the pot and bring it up to a full boil over high heat. After it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and allow the pot to simmer for at least two hours. Make sure the pot is simmering the entire time, increasing the heat if needed. Stir the pot occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Keep the lid in place the entire time to keep the beans from drying out.
- After two hours (or longer if desired) the beans should be soft and tender. Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon. This will thicken the pot and make the classic, creamy texture of the dish. Remove the bay leaf and allow the pot to simmer for about 30 minutes more (after smashing) to help it thicken.
- To serve, add a scoop of red beans to a bowl and top with a scoop warm, cooked rice. Sprinkle sliced green onions over top and add a dash of hot sauce if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Vegan Red Beans and Rice – Step by Step Photos
The night before, soak one pound of red beans in the refrigerator. Add the beans to a large pot and then add enough cool water to cover the beans by about a few inches (they’ll absorb water as they soak, so make sure to enough water to keep them covered as they expand). If you didn’t presoak your beans, you can use the “quick soak” method, but that still takes at least an hour.
When you’re ready to begin, finely dice four stalks of celery, one bell pepper, one onion, and mince four cloves of garlic.
Sauté the vegetables in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until they are soft (about 5-7 minutes).
Drain the soaked beans in a colander and rinse with fresh water. Add the rinsed beans to the pot with the vegetables.
Also add 6 cups of vegetable broth, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp oregano, 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika, 1 whole bay leaf, some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a mill), and a pinch of cayenne (I like it a little more spicy, so I added 1/4 tsp). Give the pot a good stir, then place a lid on top and bring it up to a full boil over high heat. Once it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for at least two hours (with lid), stirring occasionally. Make sure it’s simmering the whole time, turning the heat up slightly if necessary.
After a minimum of two hours, the beans should be soft enough to smash with the back of a large spoon. Smash a good portion of the beans until they begin to take on a thick, creamy consistency. You could use an immersion blender instead, but just make sure not to purée the entire pot. You want some whole beans in there. Let the pot simmer for another 30 minutes or so after smashing the beans to let it thicken a little more.
Serve the beans with a scoop of warm, cooked rice over top and a sprinkle of fresh, sliced green onion. A splash of hot sauce is also a nice touch – the vinegar in the hot sauce helps bright everything up and gives a kick of flavor.
Loved the step by step photos and explanation of this recipe. It made cooking this amazing dish so easy! By chance, my store brand beans labeled the bag ‘red beans’ even though they are pinto beans. I didn’t realise this until I spotted the difference in the pictures here and confirmed the images of red versus pinto online. I went ahead and prepared the recipe using pinto beans, and it turned out super tasty. Thanks, Beth!
I have made this recipe so many times previously and it is worth the effort every single time. I recently moved from Mississippi to Ireland and tonight I decided to make this for the first time since moving. Even though it was difficult to locate the right kind of beans, and I didn’t have my Better Than Bouillon, it still turned out amazing. I just want to thank you for bringing me so much comfort while I am missing home. My only problem is Ireland’s lack of Crystal Hot Sauce to pair with it (Tesco sells Tabasco, though)!
I’ve made several Budget Bytes recipes and enjoyed them all, but this could become my favorite. I love the simplicity of the ingredients making something so savory and comforting, yet good for you! I love Better Than Bouillon and it’s my go-to for veggie broth. Thanks for another delicious dish!
I became a vegetarian over a year ago and I’ve been really upset that I haven’t been able to enjoy my Mimi’s red beans. This recipe felt like home! I absolutely loved it. I used red kidney beans since the store didn’t sell red beans and it worked out perfectly. I added salt and some Tony’s to my taste, but my one suggestion to those making this is to add about a fourth of a cup of vegetable or canola oil halfway through the simmering process. It really makes the beans creamy. Thank you so much for this recipe, it really brought me joy during this quarantine :)
Killer! Made this today. Excellent!Thanks you!
I’ve got a pot of these simmering away right now and they smell AMAZING! Thank you for the wonderful vegetarian and vegan recipes!
I made both the vegan and traditional one (with sausage https://www.budgetbytes.com/louisiana-red-beans-rice/ ) at the same time. The only change was I did not use celery, which I hate.
Both were excellent.
This is AMAZING! I added salt but shouldn’t have since the broth already had salt in it. Am eating the leftovers now for my lunch so must run to have another spoonful! THANK YOU!!!!!!
Why don’t you use salt in this recipe? I’m cooking it now and it just occurred to me that it doesn’t call for it!
Thanks!
You can certainly salt to your taste if you’d like.
I made this great dish with vegan Beyond spicy Italian Sauage. And I also roasted garlic instead of garlic powder. It was awesome.
Are red Chili beans the same as the red beans you used here?
Yes those will work!
I was lucky enough to get some real red beans (the small kind) from a friend and used your recipe to cook them as I am vegetarian. They turned out so well, my husband and I were really happy. I am making my second batch today. Thanks for a great recipe.
The first time I made this with dried beans ( leaving out the bell pepper and oregano) and it was delicious! The next time I used 4 cans of small red beans, half an onion, 2 celery stalks, the same amount of spices, and just enough vegetable broth to cover the beans. Since they were already cooked I brought them to a boil and then let them simmer for about 20 minutes. It was pretty good. Not as good as the version with dried beans, the shorter cooking time means less time for the spices to infuse the beans, and it was a bit salty (even though I rinsed the beans and didn’t add salt). I saw someone in the comments ask about using canned beans so I thought I’d share my experience.
Thank you for adding your experience, Crystal! I was just wondering if I should take a shortcut, and now I won’t ;)
My family loved this meal! Thanks for a great recipe!
Sooo good, I wasn’t ready!