Slow Cooker Red Beans

This slow cooker red beans recipe is the ultimate in comfort food—hearty, flavorful, and deeply satisfying. The long, slow simmer brings out the best in dried red beans, allowing them to absorb all the savory goodness from the andouille sausage, vegetables, and Cajun seasonings.

Using the classic Louisiana “holy trinity” of onion, bell pepper, and celery, this dish is full of soul and spice. The slow cooker makes it incredibly easy, and mashing a few beans at the end gives the dish its signature creamy texture. Serve it with hot rice and a slice of cornbread, and you’ve got a warm, delicious bowl of Southern comfort.

What You’ll Like About This Recipe

• Hands-off cooking. The slow cooker handles the long simmering time, so aside from browning the sausage and sautéing the vegetables, you’re mostly free while the beans become tender and flavorful.
• Spicy flavor. Andouille sausage, Cajun seasoning, and a long, gentle cook infuse the beans and broth with layers of spice that taste like they’ve been simmering on the stove all day.
• Creamy without added cream. Mashing a portion of the beans or using an immersion blender thickens the liquid naturally, yielding a silky, spoon-coating sauce without any dairy.
• Easy to scale and stretch. A pound of beans plus sausage and rice goes a long way, making this recipe ideal for feeding a family or enjoying leftovers for several days.
• Perfect for make-ahead meals. Red beans reheat beautifully and even taste better the next day, so they’re great for meal prep, lunches, or freezing in portions.

Ingredient Notes

• Dried red beans – Small red beans are traditional and tend to hold their shape nicely while still becoming creamy inside. Rinsing and sorting them first removes dust and any stray pebbles; soaking is optional, but can slightly reduce the cooking time.
• Andouille sausage – This smoked, highly seasoned sausage brings the signature Cajun flavor. Browning the slices before they go into the slow cooker adds even more richness. If your sausage is quite spicy, you can reduce the Cajun seasoning a bit.
• Onion, bell pepper, and celery – Often called the Cajun “trinity,” this trio forms the aromatic base of the dish. Briefly sautéing them before adding to the slow cooker softens their flavor and helps them melt into the beans as they cook.
• Garlic – Adds depth and savory aroma. It’s best added toward the end of sautéing so it doesn’t burn but still has a chance to bloom in the hot oil.
• Cajun or Creole seasoning – A ready-made spice blend that typically includes paprika, garlic, onion, herbs, and cayenne. Use a low-sodium blend or adjust the salt in the finished dish to taste.
• Chicken stock – Low-sodium or unsalted stock gives the beans plenty of flavor without making them too salty as the liquid reduces. Combined with water, it creates enough cooking liquid for the beans to soften and the broth to thicken.
• Hot cooked rice – Traditional long-grain white rice is classic, but you can serve the beans over brown rice or another cooked grain if you prefer.

How to Make It

1. Rinse and sort the dried beans, discarding any damaged beans or debris, then place them in the slow cooker.
2. Brown the sliced andouille sausage in a skillet with a little oil until the edges are nicely colored, then transfer the sausage to the slow cooker.
3. In the same skillet, sauté the onion, bell pepper, and celery until they begin to soften, then add the garlic briefly until fragrant and add the vegetables to the slow cooker.
4. Stir the bay leaf, Cajun seasoning, chicken stock, and water into the slow cooker, making sure the beans are mostly submerged.
5. Cover and cook on high until the beans are very tender and the mixture is flavorful, checking occasionally toward the end of cooking.
6. Mash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker or use an immersion blender to blend a small portion directly in the pot to thicken the liquid.
7. Adjust the seasonings with salt, extra Cajun seasoning, and black pepper to taste, then continue cooking briefly so the flavors meld.
8. Serve the red beans hot over cooked rice, with your favorite sides or cornbread.

Pro Tips

• Rinse and sort the beans carefully before cooking. Even high-quality beans can hide small stones or bits of debris, and it only takes a minute to check.
• Brown the sausage well for maximum flavor. Those browned bits in the skillet add a lot of richness; you can even deglaze the pan with a splash of stock or water and pour it into the slow cooker.
• Sauté the vegetables until they’re softened but not browned. This step mellows the raw onion flavor and gives the beans a sweeter, more complex base.
• Monitor the liquid level near the end of cooking. The beans should stay mostly submerged; if the mixture looks too thick before the beans are tender, stir in a little extra water or stock.
• Season at the end as well as the beginning. The flavors concentrate as the liquid reduces, so it’s best to adjust salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning once the beans are fully cooked.

Recipe Variations

• Extra-smoky red beans and rice. Add a ham hock or a smoked turkey leg to the slow cooker along with the beans and sausage, then remove the bone and shred any meat before serving for even more smoky depth.
• Vegetarian red beans. Skip the sausage and use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. Add a few extra spices, a splash of soy sauce, or smoked paprika to mimic some of the savory, smoky notes.
• Spicy red beans. Increase the Cajun seasoning, stir in cayenne pepper, or add minced fresh chile or hot sauce toward the end of cooking to bump up the heat.
• Red beans with different sausage. Substitute a milder smoked sausage or kielbasa if you prefer less spice, or mix half andouille and half milder sausage to keep some Cajun character without overwhelming heat.
• Creamier, stew-like beans. Mash or blend a larger portion of the beans and add a bit more stock until you reach a thick, spoonable consistency that’s closer to a hearty stew than a brothy bean dish.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve over hot cooked white rice for a classic Louisiana pairing.
• Add a slice of skillet cornbread or a piece of buttered French bread.
• Pair with a green salad or vinegar slaw to balance the richness.
• Top with chopped scallions or a few dashes of hot sauce.

How to Store

• Refrigerate – Let the beans cool to room temperature, then transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. The mixture will thicken as it chills, and the flavors continue to develop. Store cooked rice separately for best texture.
• Freeze – Portion the cooled beans into freezer-safe containers or bags, leaving a little room for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze rice separately in small portions if you like, or cook fresh rice when you reheat the beans.
• Reheat – Warm the beans gently in a saucepan over low to medium heat, adding a splash of water or stock if they seem too thick. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave, pausing to stir occasionally until heated through.
• Refresh – If the beans have thickened a lot in the fridge, stir in a bit of liquid as they reheat until the sauce loosens to your preferred consistency, then taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.

Slow Cooker Red Beans

Diana Rattray

You’ll love the rich flavors of slow cooker red beans and rice. Warm, comforting, and full of Cajun-inspired goodness.

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Servings 8 servings

Calories 435

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Course Beans

Cuisine Cajun/Creole

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 6 hours hours

Ingredients

  

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• 1 pound dried beans, red, I use small red beans
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon Creole or Cajun seasoning blend
• 3 cups chicken stock, low sodium or unsalted
• 3 cups water
• Hot cooked rice for serving

Instructions

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• Rinse the beans and pick them over, discarding any damaged beans or small pebbles. I have found pebbles in my dried beans, so it’s worth a minute or two to sort through them. Transfer the beans to a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausage and brown, stirring frequently. Transfer to the slow cooker.
• Add another 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and add the onions, peppers, and celery. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer the vegetables to the slow cooker.
• Add the bay leaf, Cajun seasoning, chicken broth, and water to the bean mixture and stir to combine.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook the beans on high for 5 to 6 hours or until quite tender.
• Remove the lid and mash some of the beans. You can use an immersion blender. This will thicken the broth. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, more Cajun seasonings, and pepper as needed.
• Cover the slow cooker and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour longer.
• Serve the beans with rice and cornbread for a delicious Cajun meal!
  

Nutrition

Calories: 435kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 26gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 608mgPotassium: 1124mgFiber: 9gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 89IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 67mgIron: 5mg

Disclaimer:

Our nutritional information is based on a third-party application that analyzes the ingredients list to determine the values. The information is meant to be helpful, but should be considered an estimate. Values may differ depending on measurements, brands, serving variations, and database availability.

Keyword cajun food, red beans, slow cooker beans

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