Vegan Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated Feb. 27, 2023

Vegan Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice — Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 7½ hours
Rating: 4(658)
Comments: Read comments

This vegan version of New Orleans-style red beans and rice omits the sausage and ham hock, and instead adds smoked paprika, miso and soy sauce for a savory, rounded flavor. If you have a favorite Cajun or Creole spice mixture on hand, use 1 heaping tablespoon of it in place of the sage, cayenne, garlic, onion powders and sweet paprika, and taste before adding any salt, as seasoning blends contain a varying amount of sodium. These vegan beans are not as creamy as the ones made with pork, so smash a few against the side of the pot before serving to thicken the liquid. Serve with hot sauce, preferably a vinegary, cayenne-based Louisiana-style sauce like Crystal, Louisiana brand or Tabasco.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

¼cup vegetable oil
1large yellow onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
3celery stalks, finely chopped
1green bell pepper, finely chopped
10garlic cloves, finely chopped
1heaping tablespoon white or yellow miso paste
2teaspoons smoked paprika
1teaspoon sweet paprika
1teaspoon onion powder
1teaspoon garlic powder
½ to 1teaspoon ground cayenne, plus more to taste
½teaspoon ground sage (optional)
1pound dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight (see Tip)
3dried bay leaves
3fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1teaspoon soy sauce
Cooked rice, for serving
Sliced scallions, for serving
Louisiana-style hot sauce, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is limp and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the celery and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, miso paste, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and sage, if using. Grind in a generous amount of black pepper and add ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine until the miso has dissolved, then remove from the heat and scrape the mixture into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker. Add the beans, bay leaves, thyme and 6 cups water. Cook on high until the beans are very tender and creamy, about 7 hours. (See Tip.)
Step 2
Before serving, add the soy sauce, and season to taste with salt and cayenne. Using a fork or the back of a spoon, mash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker to make the mixture slightly creamy. (It will continue to thicken as it sits.) Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Top the beans with hot cooked rice and scallions; serve with hot sauce.

Tip

Red beans should simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes until tender to be safe to eat. If your slow cooker does not have a high setting, simmer soaked beans in fresh water for 30 minutes before Step 1.

Ratings

4 out of 5

658 user ratings

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Comments

Lisa5 years ago

Red kidney beans contain a toxin (and some other dried beans), called Phytohaemagglutinin. To ensure they are safe to eat the raw beans should be soaked overnight, then cooked at a hard boil in fresh water for at least 15 minutes before being added to the other ingredients in the slow cooker. It is critical to ensure the beans are cooked at temps over 180F/82C and have been thoroughly cooked before consuming; 4-5 undercooked red kidney beans can make you sick.

bunny5 years ago

Great recipe, didn’t have miso, dark soy sauce,creole/cajun spice mix at home nor do I own a slow cooker so I made a few tweaks and the stew came out brilliant! I subbed the miso and soy for a good quality tomato paste and fried with the veggies and spices in the beginning. Instead of creole/cajun spice I used a spice mix for chicken that contained paprika, black pepper, cayenne, turmeric, mustard, coriander,fenugreek,garlic,onion,rosemary and parsley. Finally I added 2 cans of kidney beans!

Sara Bonisteel5 years ago

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SoCalRetRN5 months ago

Helpful hint for creamy beans: Add a small amount of baking soda (around 1/4 teaspoon per cup of beans) to the soaking or cooking water. This will aid in softening the beans (especially important if your beans are old). NOTE: rinse well after soaking to remove all the baking soda.

Laurie7 months ago

Made a couple of changes based on what I had on hand. Skipped the onion because I didn’t have one. Didn’t need the soy sauce at the end, the miso made it salty enough for my taste. Added a cup of carrots. I only used 4 cups of water to cook the beans in the slow cooker and that was more than enough. Absolutely wonderful recipe that I will make again. Also, I used fresh sage and substituted red pepper for the green.

D9 months ago

Solid recipe and very forgiving. If you don't feel like counting, 10 cloves of garlic is about the same as a whole head of garlic. I didn't have dried beans so I subbed two cans of kidneys. Half a cup of cooked rice is plenty if you're adding it to the slow cooker an hour or two ahead of time (this also means you won't have to smush any beans). I added a full cup and it was more like we had rice with red beans instead of red beans and rice if you catch my drift.

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