Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice

A delicious plant-based twist on the New Orleans iconic and traditional classic red beans and rice, featuring fresh vegetables, herbs, spices, and plant-based andouille sausage!

It’s time to Celebrate!!

So what exactly are we celebrating?? Mardi Gras, of course!

This Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice is such a delicious way to taste New Orleans. I promise you don’t have to visit the Crescent City and you certainly don’t have to dress up or wear a mask. You can enjoy this tasty dish right here in your very own home.

When I lived in Slidell, Louisiana many years ago, I developed a taste for New Orleans foods. Red beans and rice is a classic Creole dish usually served on Mondays using red beans, vegetables, spices, and pork bones left over from Sunday dinner. It’s traditionally served over rice.

I’ve already posted plant-based remakes of some of my New Orleans favorites, including Instant Pot Vegan Gumbo and Instant Pot Jambalaya with Plant-based Andouille Sausage. Both are fantastic foods to enjoy this time of year. Remember? We are celebrating Mardi Gras!!

So, I may not be a party girl, nor am I in to high fashion, trends. or rowdy crowds. But I do enjoy really enjoy good food. So when I had the opportunity to experience Mardi Gras all those years ago, I jumped at the chance to see it first-hand and up close.

The energy, the festive floats, the family fun, the music, the delicious food, the colorful beads! Mardi Gras is an experience like no other. And I’m sure you won’t be surprised to learn that my favorite part of the whole experience was the food. I simply adore New Orleans cuisine.

Now that I don’t live in Louisiana, I don’t eat these tasty favorites as much as I used to. But this time of year, I jump at the chance to experience them once again – just like I did those many years ago. This Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice is one of my favorites. I mean, beans and rice are delicious and nutritious. And this dish ranks pretty high in both categories. I love that when beans and rice are combined, they create a complete plant-based protein containing all of the essential amino acids. (Healthline)

When I was a kid growing up in south Florida, my family ate black beans and rice frequently. And honestly, I love it! In fact, I’ve posted about a Costa Rican version of black beans and rice called Gallo Pinto. It’s quite different from the Cuban version I grew up eating. But I enjoy both immensely.

But New Orleans-style Red Beans and Rice is entirely different than the rice and beans I ate as a kid. For starters, traditional New Orleans style Red Beans and Rice uses a small red bean. While you can opt to use red kidney beans instead, I recommend using the traditional small red beans if you can. They’re a slightly oval and pinker bean with a different taste and texture.

I depart from tradition in that I use the modern convenience of my Instant Pot to create a fantastic plant-based replica of an old favorite. This Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice doesn’t contain some of the traditional ingredients, but it does not lack in flavor. In fact, I think it’s even better than Emeril’s New Orleans Beans and Rice. And I’ll explain why by reviewing some of the key ingredients or aspects of this incredibly flavorful dish.

Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice starts by soaking small red beans overnight. While not completely necessary, I recommend soaking beans because it improves digestibility and nutrient absorption. If you do not soak your beans, you should increase the pressure cooking time to ensure the beans cook completely.

While you can use canned red beans, I do not recommend it. The process of cooking red beans creates a light gravy that is imperative in Red Beans and Rice. If you’re going to use canned beans, do not rinse the beans. Add all of the contents, reduce the water to one to two cups, and decrease the cooking time to five minutes. You don’t want the beans to be mushy or disintegrate.

The flavor comes from the Umami Vegetable Broth, sautéed vegetables, and herbs and spices used to flavor this tasty dish. I highly recommend making your own vegetable broth because it adds so much depth and flavor to soups, stews, chili, and dishes like this one. You also have complete control over how much, if any, sodium is used. And bonus, it’s practically free since you use kitchen scraps to make it. I keep a couple of mason jars filled with it in my refrigerator at all times. This stuff is liquid gold in terms of color and flavor.

The sautéed veggies are the next big flavor booster. As I’ve mentioned many many times in previous posts, I love vegetables. And for good reason. Not only are they nutritious and beneficial, they release incredible aromatics when sautéed. Hence, the reason the Cajun and Creole hybrid version of mirepoix typically consists of equal measures of onions, green bell pepper, and celery. Who am I to judge anything holy?

And yet, I somehow managed to do just that. It’s not traditional, but I do add in carrots to the mix. I think they add color and flavor. I also like adding in fresh garlic and thyme, as well as bay leaves, smoked paprika, oregano, and cayenne pepper. This combination does the trick and transports me right back to that time I lived on the canal off of Lake Pontchartrain. It’s absolutely delicious.

One note about the spiciness of this dish. You get to choose precisely how much or little spice you use in this Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice. If you like milder foods, I recommend you start with one-quarter teaspoon. If you like medium-spiced foods, I recommend starting with one-half teaspoon. If you prefer your foods spicier side, feel free to use an entire teaspoon. You can always add more cayenne pepper if you want; but you cannot remove it.

Once all of these ingredients spend some time mingling in the pressure cooker, I like stirring in some sliced Plant-based Andouille Sausage, fresh lemon juice, and chopped fresh parsley. If you’ve never made your own sausage, it’s okay. Please know that it’s actually a very simple process, but you will need some vital wheat gluten to make it, which means the sausage is not gluten-free. What I really like is that you can control the spice level and sodium used when you make your own sausage. Plus, the sausage freezes extremely well for a couple of months.

You can also buy the sausage in the grocery store or your local market. Or you can omit the sausage altogether, though I do make the plant-based andouille sausage specifically for my gumbo, jambalaya or Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice. They’re all so tasty with slices of this sausage and reminiscent of my time spent in Louisiana. I really do think it lends to the authenticity of these iconic dishes.

These three ingredients put the final bam! into this dish. I like to let all of the ingredients mingle for a few minutes before serving. The ending result is simple perfection. So, between the Umami Vegetable Broth, the Holy Trinity of Vegetables/Mirepoix, herbs and spices, and Plant-based Andouille Sausage, this Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice is full of depth and flavor. Scoop it alongside a spoonful of steamed brown or white rice and you’re in for a real New Orleans treat. It’s also super great served with some fresh cornbread muffins.

I hope you enjoy this Instant Pot Vegan Red Beans and Rice as much as I do.  

I’m just starting out and would love to see your results. Please leave a comment and rate it down below, tag a picture @pebblesandtoast and #pebblesandtoast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook!   Enjoy!!   

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Ingredients

• 1 pound dried red beans, soaked at least 8 hours or overnight
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 8-9 cloves garlic, minced (3 Tbsp)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp oregano
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (1 tsp dried)
• ¼ – ½ tsp cayenne pepper*
• 4 cups Umami Vegetable broth, divided
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 cups Plant-based Andouille Sausage, cut into ¼” thick slices**
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste (optional)***
• 2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
• Cooked rice

Bean Instructions

1. Rinse dry beans well.  
2. Place into a bowl and cover with water, and soak overnight.
3. Drain and rinse the cooked beans well with fresh water.

Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice Instructions

1. Using the sauté function on the Instant Pot, sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper for 4-5 minutes.
2. Add in the minced garlic and seasonings, and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes.  A coating may form on the bottom and that’s okay as long as it doesn’t burn.  Stir occasionally.  

1. Stir in one cup of vegetable broth and deglaze (or clean) the bottom of the Instant Pot insert to ensure any sticking bits are removed.  Pour in the remaining broth, soy sauce, bay leaves, and beans. Stir to submerge the beans.
2. Press cancel.  Lock the lid in place and ensure the sealing knob to sealing.
3. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, and allow the pressure to release naturally.

1. Remove the lid and stir in the sliced sausage. Press the Sauté button and cook the beans for 1-3 minutes, until the gravy has thickened a little more. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley and lemon juice.  Adjust seasonings to taste.
2. Serve over rice.

Notes

* Use ¼ tsp cayenne pepper for mild, ½ tsp for medium, and 1 tsp for spicy.

** My plant-based andouille sausage recipe is perfect in this gumbo. It’s super easy to make and adds so much flavor and texture. However, if you are gluten-free or avoid wheat, please omit the sausage altogether. Feel free to purchase a gluten-free sausage or omit it.

*** I don’t add salt; but if you prefer, add ½ -1 teaspoon to enhance the flavor profile.

This recipe was heavily adapted from one of my favorite tv chef personalities, Emeril Lagasse. His New Orleans Red Beans and Rice recipe can be found here.