Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice is a recipe I’ve loved for years, and it’s been popular with a lot of people in my extended family as well! And this recipe uses Creole Seasoning for a true Louisiana-style red beans and rice recipe!

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Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice shown in serving bowl on plate with spoon

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice is a recipe that’s been popular for years on my blog, and if you’ve enjoyed this type of beans and rice dish in New Orleans you might like making it at home! I first went to New Orleans when I was attending the National Education Association annual meeting, representing my local teacher’s association. Of course, I was captivated by the food, and I tried many things that I’d never eaten before.

I went to New Orleans several more times, and one dish I always sampled was Red Beans and Rice, which I came to realize was one of those recipes that every Louisiana cook makes a little differently. After one of my visits to New Orleans, I started experimenting until I came up with my own version. And my Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice have been a recipe a lot of my friends and family will enjoy. And this recipe will freeze very well, and I’d love to have some of this in my freezer to enjoy when I needed a treat!

I serve my version red beans and rice the way I enjoyed it in New Orleans, with a scoop of rice over the creamy beans. Of course this is a splurge on carbs for me, but I use low-glycemic Ben’s Original Rice (affiliate link), and I bet this would also be pretty good with cauliflower rice if you wanted to try reducing the carbs.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

Why do I use Tony Chachere’s Seasoning in my Red Beans and Rice?

For many years I taught school with a woman from Louisiana who loved the food there. She told me about Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (affiliate link) and I’ve used it ever since for any recipe where I want that spicy Louisiana flavor.

What Slow Cooker did I use for Red Beans and Rice?

I used a 3.5 Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) to make this, but a slightly smaller 3 quart size would work. This freezes well, so you might want to double the recipe and use a larger crockpot.

Want More Red Beans and Rice Recipes?

I also love Red Beans and Rice Soup, if you’d like a slightly different take on this New Orleans classic. I’ve also collected Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipes from around the web on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.

Want Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice?

I haven’t made red beans and rice in the Instant Pot (yet!) but there is a good collection of recipe for Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site as well.

Slow Cooker Louisiana-Style Red Beans and Rice found on KalynsKitchen.com

How to Make Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I used dried red beans cooked in the Instant Pot to make this, but you can also cook beans on top of the stove, or use canned red beans.
  2. If you’re cooking beans in the Instant Pot or in a pot on the stove, let them get fairly soft, then drain well.
  3. If you use canned beans, I’d rinse them and drain well too.
  4. I usually make this with lean ham, but I couldn’t resist using these Louisiana Hot Sausages I found in the freezer!
  5. You need about 3 cups of diced sausage or ham. Cut it into pieces which aren’t much bigger than the cooked beans.
  6. Cook chopped onion in olive oil about 5 minutes, until the onion is starting to brown, then add minced garlic and cook about 1 minute more.
  7. Then add Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (affiliate link) or other Creole seasoning of your choice, dried thyme, and dried oregano and cook the spices and herbs for 1-2 minutes more. Add onion mixture to the crockpot.
  8. Then add cooked beans, diced sausage or ham, canned chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, Green Tabasco Sauce, bay leaves, and a touch of red wine vinegar.
  9. Let this cook on high for 4-8 hours, until the beans are dissolved as much as you prefer. I suppose it’s a personal preference, but I like to cook this until the beans are at least 3/4 broken apart and dissolved into the liquid.
  10. Serve hot, with a scoop of cooked Ben’s Original Rice (affiliate link) on top of the beans.

Square image for Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice in serving bowl, on plate with spoon.

More Recipes with Beans and Rice:

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe for Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice is perfect for the category called Weekend Food Prep  where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
Yield: 6 servings

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 15 minutes

This Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice is a recipe I’ve loved for years.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, diced small
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 T minced garlic
  • 1 T Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (or other Creole seasoning of your choice)
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • salt and black pepper to taste (see notes)
  • 4 cups cooked small red beans (see notes for canned beans)
  • 3 cups diced lean ham or Louisiana Hot Sausages (see notes)
  • 3 cups homemade chicken stock (see notes)
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce (see notes)
  • 1 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (or use a smaller amount of red Tobasco)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
  • 3 cups cooked white rice for serving (see notes)

Instructions

  1. If using dried beans, soak overnight and cook on stove until they are fairly soft, or cook in pressure cooker about 25 minutes. Drain beans. If using canned beans, rinse with cold water until no more foam appears, then drain.
  2. Cut ham or sausage into small pieces, about the size of cooked beans.
  3. Heat olive oil in a heavy frying pan, then saute diced onion about 5 minutes, or until onion starts to brown.
  4. Add garlic and saute 1 minute, then add Creole Seasoning (affiliate link), dried thyme, and dried oregano and saute 1-2 minutes more.
  5. Put onion mixture into small crockpot. Add cooked beans and diced ham or sausage. Add chicken stock, Worcestershire sauce, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), bay leaves, and red wine vinegar, and stir to combine.
  6. Cook on high for 4-8 hours, until the beans are dissolved as much as you prefer.
  7. I like this best when the beans are at least 3/4 broken apart and dissolved into the liquid. Canned beans are usually softer and will break apart more quickly.
  8. Serve hot, topped with white rice. In New Orleans this is usually served in a bowl filled about 2/3 full of the soupy bean mixture, then topped with a scoop of rice.

Notes

I used a 3.5 Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link) to make this, but a slightly smaller 3 quart size would work. This freezes well, so you might want to double the recipe and use a larger crockpot.

I didn’t use salt because the Tony Chachere’s seasoning has salt, and I only used a little bit of pepper.

For canned beans, use 3 cans red beans, rinsed and drained and add 1/2 cup more chicken stock.

If you don't have sausage you can use ham; dice into pieces about the size of the cooked beans.)

Just use canned chicken broth if you don't have homemade stock.

Use Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link) if needed.

I would always use Ben's Original Rice (affiliate link) for this recipe.

This recipe was created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 673Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1802mgCarbohydrates: 58gFiber: 8gSugar: 4gProtein: 29g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice thumbnail image with spoon

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe is probably is too high in carbs for  traditional low-carb diet plans, although you can make it a bit lower in carbs by using cauliflower rice. With a small serving of beans and using Ben’s Original Rice, this Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice would be a good side dish for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet. Uncle Ben’s Converted Rice is par-boiled, which makes it the most low-glycemic type of white rice. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one.Use the Diet Type Index photo index pages to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagramon TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This red beans and rice recipe to make in the slow cooker was first posted in 2010, and it’s been hugely popular on Kalyn’s Kitchen! The recipe was last updated with more information in 2024.

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