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.
This recipe sounds amazing. Is there anything that can replace the bell pepper flavor? Bell peppers of any kind have never agreed with me, any suggestions on a swap?
I’d probably just leave them out. I’m not sure there is anything that is similar in flavor.
I too have a problem with bell peppers. I have found that if I use Mini Sweet Peppers it does the trick without all the unagreeableness of the bell.
90% of the time I can eat organic peppers, a bout 5% of e ime I can eat non – organinc peppers
Easily one of my favourite recipes. So tasty and warming to the belly and soul!
I add a little corriander/cilantro with the green onions to finish, I find it really adds another dimension to it, you may find it sacrilege!
Thanks so much for this recipe.
I’m so excited to have found your blog, truly!! And I can’t say enough about this recipe. I found your blog on Friday, by Saturday I made these vegan red beans and rice – this recipe is excellent!!! I have eaten them all weekend, delicious and so filling. I didn’t see any mention of salt so be sure to add a little. I’m originally from Houma, where in southern Louisiana do you live?
If I used pinto beans instead of red beans, do you still think it would work OK if I used the slow cooker? I work full time, so by the time I get home, cooking is last thing I want to do. The slow cooker is awesome. I love how simple this recipe is. Sometimes other recipes I have seen for this dish are way overly complicated, etc
I can’t wait to try this.
Yes, you can do pinto in the slow cooker. :)
I made this for my friends today. They all ate heartily! I used adzuki beans, they are smaller than red beans but they worked the same way. It cooks quicker too. I’ll be making this more in the future! =D
It’ll never taste quite like my mom’s growing up, but then again, she used ham seasoning and I wasn’t vegetarian then. :)
This is a fine go-to recipe, though I sometimes make two additions to make things a bit more sumptuous
1. a drop or two of liquid smoke. this is doing the same work as the paprika, but the liquid smoke just replicates the andouille vibe that’s missing, and I don’t find it too much when used alongside the paprika.
2. This might be blasphemous, but your coconut rice recipe is DOPE with red beans. Just makes things a little richer and more flavorful. Not sure I’d do it to the traditional meat version, but since I’m already bucking tradition with the veganism, a little coconut milk won’t get me excommunicated, I hope. ;)
…and then of course some Tony’s, but that’s as likely to happen at the table as during the cooking.
Thanks for supplying this NOLA diaspora vegetarian with a much needed classic.
If I cooked in a slow cooker, how long on high?
It’s not advised to cook red beans in a slow cooker from dry because they need to be boiled for at least ten minutes to break down a natural compound that they have which can be toxic and cause severe gastric distress.
Followed your recipe exactly. It turned out wonderfully! Will most definitely be making it often!
this is very delicious but my family and i had to put a lot of salt, it is very bland. other than that, thank you so much for the recipe! i will save this dish to make another time. :)
Maybe the cook forgot to include the salt. But it was a stroke of luck for you. One of the major rules in cooking beans is that you NEVER add salt until the beans are done. Salting beans at the start of cooking or any time before they are absolutely done will insure that the beans will stay hard, and you will never get the soft creamy consistency described in the recipe.
This recipe rocks! Made it the other day – followed recipe to the “T”. If you use low sodium veg broth, it does need a little extra salt, maybe 1/2 tsp, but the taste is really amazing. I did mess up and mash up too many of my beans so it was a bit more “soupy” than my wife preferred.
I did also include some of the celery leaves from the center stalks. They seem to have a more subtle flavor than the celery stalk itself.
Hi There –
I am going to try this dish do you have nutrition facts?
Thanks!
When I made it, the yield was about 9 cups, which came out to 140 calories/cup. That might vary depending on how exactly you prepare it, but the whole recipe (not including the rice) only has 1260 calories, give or take.
Does the ten cup yield include the rice?
No, that’s just the beans. Sorry for the confusion!
Beth, when you freeze this recipe do you freeze the beans and rice separately? Or do you freeze/reheat it all together? Does it make a difference?
Thanks for everything you do!
You can actually freeze the rice and beans together and they reheat really well together in one dish in the microwave. :) If you need to reheat it on the stove top, I’d just freeze the beans themselves and maybe make fresh rice (I don’t know how to reheat rice without a microwave).
Wow, this honestly came out delicious! So much nicer than I expected. I added loads of cayenne which gave it a really nice kick. Chucked it in the slow cooker and the flavours enthused beautifully. Thanks so much. Very impressed
Very delicious vegan recipe. I used 5 cans of kidney beans, 2 1/2 blended with the broth, vegetables and spices. I cooked the blended beans, broth and veggies for 2-3 hours. Then added the 2 1/2 cans of drained rinsed beans for about 1 more hour of simmering. I also added 3 shakes of Frank’s Red Hot Original and a little salt.
Very, very good.