Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipes

When you can’t go to New Orleans, make one of these amazing Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipes in the slow cooker! This is one of my all-time favorite slow cooker meals and this post gives you 12 different options for a recipe!

PIN the Red Beans and Rice Recipes to try them later!

These Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice Recipes are just in time for Mardi Gras, and that season always makes me start craving this iconic Creole dish I first tasted when I went to New Orleans years ago. I’ve made my own version of Red Beans and Rice many times in the slow cooker, and it’s a favorite with quite a few people in my extended family.

But there are lots of other Red Beans and Rice variations here, even some recipes that are vegan! And this site also has Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice too, if the Instant Pot is the cooking method you’d prefer. But no matter how you cook the beans and rice or what combination of ingredients you prefer, I hope you make this famous New Orleans dish this week!

Why is Red Beans and Rice a classic New Orleans dish?

Red Beans and Rice is a Louisiana Creole dish that was traditionally made on Monday, both to use the leftover ham from Sunday dinner and also because Monday was wash day and a pot of beans with ham could simmer all day on the stove. Now the dish is common all over Louisiana, and it’s is one of the few New Orleans-style dishes to be regularly served in people’s homes as well as in restaurants.

What kind of red beans should you use for this recipes?

You can use any type of small red bean for this recipe with no concern about food safety. But if you decide to use the larger dried red kidney beans for one of these recipes, you need to use the correct process.  To be safe, red kidney beans should be pre-soaked, drained, and then boiled in fresh water for 10 minutes before cooking in the slow cooker. Read more here about potential toxins from red kidney beans.

How do you get the complete recipe?

Just click any  recipe link to get the complete recipe on the original site. All photos are copyrighted to the blog that originally posted the recipe;

This Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice from Kalyn’s Kitchen is a favorite I’ve been making for years and years.  The recipe can be made with ham or sausage, take your pick.

Crock-Pot Red Beans and Rice from Gimme Some Oven has Andouille sausage and Creole Seasoning.

For a slightly different take on this dish, Red Beans and Rice Soup from Kalyn’s Kitchen is a soupier version of my original recipe that uses chicken Andouille sausage, but you can use other types of sausage if you can’t find that. And this recipe has a lower-carb option.

Red Beans and Rice from The Weary Chef is adapted from Emeril’s recipe and this recipe mashes some of the beans.

CrockPot Red Beans and Rice from Family Fresh Meals starts with canned beans for an easy slow cooker version!

Mel says this Red Beans and Rice from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe was so delicious her husband could not stop talking about it!

More Red Beans and Rice Recipes for the Slow Cooker:

• Real Louisiana Red Beans and Rice (Vegan) from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen
• Red Beans and Rice from Foodie with Family
• Red Beans and Rice from In the Kitchen with Kath
• CrockPot Red Beans and Rice from Iowa Girl Eats
• Red Beans and Rice from 365 Days of Slow + Pressure Cooking
• Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice from Fit Slow Cooker Queen