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!
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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.
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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.
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I actually ate this 3 nights in a row without getting tired of it – that’s how satisfying it was and I’m not a vegetarian. These are really quite tasty! I did make some minor changes – I used homemade chicken stock which added great flavor, and I used a little less liquid because I didn’t want it too brothy. I’m personally not a fan of smashing beans to thicken something – I just don’t care for that texture. But if you cook it long enough you don’t need to; the broth with thicken on its own, just monitor the amount of liquid in the pot.
So happy to find a great tasting bean dish that both my dad and I enjoy to put into his vegetarian rotation!
What other beans could you use instead?!
This really is a recipe specifically for red beans, but that being said you can cook any type of bean using this same method, it just wouldn’t be the same recipe anymore. :)
Hi Ellie! Try black beans or pinto beans.
Delicious. Tastes just like beans my grandma from Louisiana made, minus the smoked ham or salt pork, and the meat wasn’t even missed. Thank you!!
This looks like a good candidate for a slow cooker. I’m thinking I could put the soaked beans in the slow cooker with the sautéed veggies, broth, etc. Have you tried it?
You have to be really careful with beans in slow cookers. If you’re using kidney beans, they have a natural toxin that needs to be heavily boiled for ten minutes to break down. Slow cookers don’t usually get quite hot enough to do the job.
Thank you! I won’t do it.
Thank you for this recipe!!!!! I can’t express how much I love these beans!
This recipe makes a delicious pot of beans. I soaked the beans last night and cooked them this morning in the slow cooker. The beans had that perfect creamy texture and the broth thickened just right. I sauteed the veggies in my cast iron skillet while the beans were cooking – I used coconut oil like you suggested – and added them to the pot. So good! Served this with brown rice and tossed green salad.
Very good but needed a bit of salt – a tsp is enough.
Would this be suitable for freezing?
Go for it! XOXO -Monti
Hi! This recipe looks wonderful and I can’t wait to try it! Would you mind telling me which Better Than Bouillon you use…seasoned Veggie base or No Chicken base? Thank you!
Hi Bethany! Beth uses the regular BTB veggie base. XOXO -Monti
Loved this recipe. Made it mostly according to directions, but did a few swaps to preventing food waste and increasing flavor. I have started regularly swapping out celery for fennel. I can never use celery before it goes bad, but I found that many soups that call for it actually taste better when swapping out fennel. And eliminates having rotting celery in my fridge weeks later. I also added some red pepper powder with the rest of the spices and 10 drops of liquid smoke at the end of simmering. garnished with the green onion and a teaspoon of sour cream.
Such a great idea- thank you! I love fennel and hate wasting celery, brilliant!
How would you adjust this recipe when using canned kidney beans?
You’ll need 58 ounces of drained and rinsed canned beans (3 to 4 cans depending on the size you buy). You will also need to lower the amount of liquid in the recipe (just add liquid to cover), and you will only need to cook for about 30 minutes. XOXO -Monti
I’m native New Orleanian, but have lived the past 25 years in sunny Florida. This red beans vegan recipe when followed exactly makes the best-tasting ‘pot o’ red beans’ every single time. Everyone I’ve served them up to, loves them! It’s easy to put grilled andouille alongside for the ‘carni’ folks! Growing up, red beans and rice was served every Monday for lunch at public schools. Much nostalgia and as anyone from NOLA knows, within 10 minutes or less of meeting anyone, we’re talking good food, and ‘how’s ya mom and dem?’ Beth you nailed this recipe, and ‘put your foot in it’! Kudos and big thanks to you!
Meat eater here. I cannot believe this recipe is vegan! All the flavor without added calories of sausage. The recipe really does make a ton of servings as written but it ALL was eaten. Only suggestion is adding salt, which I did with Lawry’s seasoning salt.
This recipe was fantastic! I cooked my beans for about four-five hours in the end, and followed the instructions to the letter. Will definitely make again!