Caribbean Rice and Beans
Caribbean Rice and Beans delivers a flavor explosion with garlic, onions, and intensely delicious spices. Infusing it with bay leaves, thyme, scotch bonnet, and coconut milk creates an incredible rice meal!
I would like to say that with what the world is experiencing right now, every day should be a gratitude day. So, I’m beyond thankful for this gift of life and my beloved family by my side.
And while I’ve been daydreaming about my next Caribbean trip, a tropical food trip in my kitchen, starting with this rice and beans recipe, will have to do. Or if you’re into Jamaican food, it’s rice and peas. 😍
What Type of Beans
When making this scrumptious meal, I don’t have any favorites, so whatever is in the pantry works. Traditionally, Caribbean beans and rice use red kidney beans. However, it’s just as delicious with black or pinto beans or pigeon peas. The look may change slightly, but that’s about it.
Recipe Ingredients
- Rice – Long-grain separates more easily. However, medium-grain, jasmine, and basmati rice work just as well.
- Seasoning – Garlic, onion, hot pepper (scotch bonnet peppers are my fave), Creole seasoning, thyme, bouillon powder, bay leaves, optional smoked paprika, and good ol’ S&P pack a flavor punch.
- Kidney Beans – Dried beans are cheaper, but for convenience’s sake, I’ve gone with canned. Choose which is best for you and your Caribbean red beans and rice.😉
- Coconut Milk – Full-fat coconut milk provides liquid to cook the rice and a tropical taste.
- Chicken Broth delivers the rest of the needed liquid and adds extra flavor.
How to Make Caribbean Rice and Beans
Follow along with my numbered instructions below to see how to make Caribbean rice and beans in your own kitchen.
- Wash rice until water runs clear. Drain water.
- Sautee Aromatics – Heat a saucepan with oil. Then add onions, garlic, thyme, and hot pepper, and sauté for about a minute. (Photos 1-2)
- Simmer – Stir the rice into the pan, then the beans, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add coconut milk, bay leaf, bouillon powder, Creole spice, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is cooked (about 20 minutes). (Photos 3-4)
Note: Stir occasionally to prevent burning, adding water as needed. - Serve – Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves. Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Variations
- Jerk Rice and Beans – For even more spice, add a teaspoon of jerk seasoning to the traditional recipe.
- Bean Swap – Pigeon peas, kidney beans, and black beans are all conventional choices. You can also use other beans, such as pinto beans, red beans, or lentils.
- Vegan Version – Replace the meat-based broth with vegetable broth; done.
Tips and Tricks
- Test the rice to avoid overcooking. It should be tender but still have a slight bite, and the beans should be tender but not mushy.
- Almost any chili pepper, such as habanero and jalapeño, will work if you don’t have a scotch bonnet.
- Don’t skip rinsing the rice because it removes excess starch and keeps the rice from getting sticky.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
Cool the rice and beans after cooking and freeze them in meal-size portions in airtight containers for 2-3 months. It will last in the fridge for 3-4 days—the same works for leftovers.
Thaw frozen rice and beans in the refrigerator overnight. Then simmer (stirring occasionally) in a pot until it bubbles. Add water or broth as needed to keep it from burning—a microwave works, too.
FAQs
Caribbean rice and beans definitely have a West African influence. Enslaved Africans brought the recipe to the Caribbean, and it quickly became a staple in many Caribbean cuisines.
It depends on who you ask and where you are in the world. In Jamaica and other Caribbean countries, it’s known as rice and peas. That’s because, in the West African Akan language, the word for pea refers to most legumes, including beans.
Rice and beans are a nutritious meal. So you can serve it as a complete meal or add meat and sides, such as ripe fried plantains.
What to Serve With The Recipe
It’s traditionally served with chicken, beef, or pork. It goes excellent with brown stew chicken, Jamaican curry goat, or jerk chicken. Fried sweet plantain and Caribbean coleslaw are wonderful sides.
More Popular Jamaican Dishes to Try
Conclusion
This Caribbean rice and beans recipe takes rice to a whole new level. Would you like more African-based recipes? Then follow me on Facebook for more! ❤️
Watch How to Make It
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This blog post was originally published in February 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Caribbean Rice and Beans
Ingredients
- ¼ cup vegetable oil (or canola)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- 2 cups uncooked long grain rice
- 1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk (about 1¾ cups)
- 1 15.5-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 small bay leaves
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2¼ cups chicken broth or water (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (optional)
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
Instructions
- Wash rice until water runs clear. Drain water.
- Heat a saucepan with oil. Then add onions, garlic, thyme, and hot pepper, and sauté for about a minute.
- Stir in rice to the pan, followed by beans, and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add coconut milk, bay leaf, bouillon powder, and Creole spice with 2¼ cups of broth or water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer until rice is cooked, about 20 minutes (more or less). Stir occasionally from the sides to prevent burning add more water as needed.
- Adjust for salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves You have to stir occasionally to be preventing any burns.
- Serve warm.
Tips & Notes:
- Use 3 cups of water or broth for really moist rice and beans. If you want your rice to look just like in the picture, use 2 cups of water or broth.
- I used paprika and Creole salt to enhance the rice’s flavor. It’s not traditional, so if you want traditional rice, omit the paprika and use regular salt instead of Creole salt.
- Feel free to switch the coconut milk with 2 cups of water.
- If you want to make it vegan, vegetable broth is fine.
- If using dry pigeon peas, boil them until tender, then replace beans with pigeon peas in the recipe instructions. You may also use pinto or black beans instead.
- I use uncooked long-grain rice. No need to parboil; just rinse it until the water runs clear. One of our readers here has used Japanese short-grained rice, and it works. Brown long-grain rice works, too.
- Too much liquid and stirring would make your rice mushy.
- You may cook it ahead and refrigerate it. It heats up very well the next day.
- If you don’t have chicken bouillon, you may leave it out or use half of a Maggie cube and add it to the pot.
- For those who want to cook it using an Instant Pot, one of the readers shared this: saute everything like you usually would and cook for 3 minutes at high pressure with a natural pressure release.
- No Creole spice? You can use my jerk spice.
- You can add your favorite cooked protein to the mix, like shredded smoked turkey, diced chicken, ground meat, sausages, and so on.
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.
This was the best most authentic tasting rice and beans I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
Thank you, Renell! Glad you enjoyed this 🙂
I just made this. Followed the recipe exactly and used Habanero peppers. It’s is sooooooo good!
I forgot to add Bay leaf but it still camebout AMAZING!
Thank you for the recipe ❤
Wow!! Thank you for trying this and sharing, Rebka 🙂 Hapy you enjoyed it!
I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for your version of Rice & Peas. I have tried several times and it was either too dry, too moist. This recipe was just perfect!!! I even made a jar of the Creole Cajun Seasoning. Thank you so much.
Yay! Finally, I’m happy it now turned out perfect for you 🙂 Thank you for sharing, CK!
Hey Imma i was wondering what type of coconut milk you use for this is it regular or unsweetened coconut milk
Hi Zoya! You can use either 🙂
which do you prefer
I absolutely love this recipe!! My partner and I make it at least one a month! To make it vegetarian I use vegetable bro instead if chicken and I add an extra can of beans to pack in more protein. This is a must try comfort food!
Woot! Thank you for sharing, Olivia! 🙂
Honestly, that does not look appetizing. I am from the Caribbean and absolutely NO island in the Caribbean uses Creole seasoning. You are creating your own version and calling things Caribbean ‘something’. It is clear you are also NOT Caribbean. At least follow an authentic recipe out of respect for the Caribbean people and their cuisine. It’s just wrong and disrespectful. If I do Jollof rice from Ghana or Nigeria or Senegal I will strive to be authentic out of respect for each country’s national cuisine. It’s also out of respect for your audience, they deserve to taste each dish as it is authentically made, not based off of your ‘spin’ on it. Shame.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, Jane. I do not mean any disrespect by adding creole seasoning to this recipe, as I am sure my readers, commenters, and those who have tried the recipe know well. This ingredient may be removed, I just put it in here as a personal preference 🙂
Do you have a humble pie recipe and is it authentic?
Hi Mike! I don’t have a humble pie recipe yet but I’ll make sure to post once I’ve made it 🙂 Thank you!
She specifically said that the addition of creole spices was a personal take; and all good cooking is the chefs take. No shame involved. Haven’t you even heard of “fusion ” cooking? Just because it is not your grandmother’s version…. Get a grip.
It’s all good, Fusion cook! Thank you for your comment, I appreciate this 🙂
Looks great! Do you by any chance have a peas and rice (or gandules and rice) recipe? I grew up in the Virgin Islands, and that is the dish from
Childhood I crave!:)
Hi Beth! I have a couple of recipes with peas and rice that are posted here 🙂
So delicious! This is in regular rotation at our place. I make it with your baked plantains and jerk marinade (on tofu). My partner loves it so much he talks about it at work! Good thing it’s a big portion because he eats it next day at work for lunch. Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
Thank you, Pamela! 🙂
This recipe is so easy and delicious, and makes so much that we get multiple meals out of it! I like to serve it with chicken (seasoned with jerk seasoning from a jar and then grilled or roasted). It is so good, we make this over and over again! 🙂
Thank you, Michele! Glad you enjoyed this! 🙂
I just made this Caribbean Rice and Beans recipe and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!! To make it vegan, I left out the chicken broth and chicken bouillon. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for sharing!!!!!!
I made this recipe today, with brown rice and red kidney beans..
love, love the result!
the coconut milk really clinches it.
also your kitchen will smell heavenly.
I have been cooking rice and peas (beans) since a small child
We don’t use chicken stock
We cook the beans from scratch
Season with scotch bonnet, garlic, scallions, thyme (fresh), coconut milk /coconut cream /freshly grated coconut
If you cook from scratch you get a much better tasting rice and peas my favourite
I use basmatic rice which gives long grains of rice
You recipes are lovely I try many southern recipes and your African recipes which are brilliant
Keep up the fabulous job you are doing
After spending a year at the Navy Base in Guantanamo Bay, I got accustomed to really good oxtail from Jamaicans who work at the base. This recipe is it! I really stuck to it but I did add ginger with the garlic, as that is a flavor that is something I remember tasting.
Thanks for sharing this with us . Glad to hear it worked out well for you.
This is my new go to! I’ve made it three times now – twice with original recipe served with a Caribbean chicken curry on top, and once made vegan for my stepdaughter with a spicy black eyed peas sauce – this has been a HIT every time with the whole family. I am useless in the kitchen and this recipe has let me hold my own with my cooking friends. It is so simple and makes a huge portion that lasts all week (I’ve also frozen some and reheated it in a frying pan – just as good).
Thank you for this recipe, it is so amazingly delicious – both on its own and with something else on top.
Thank you for sharing this, Cally! 🙂
Is it possible to omit the scotch pepper and still get all the flavours? I love spice as does my 6 year old. My 10 year old is not good with spicy food at all and so I was hoping to modify it for her so that it’s not superbly spicy. My 6 year old was 10 months old when she discovered hot sauce (and I don’t mean Tabasco or Franks Red…I mean like habanero hot). She has never looked back!
Yes it is. If left whole you will get the flavor without the heat. Remove immediately after cooking .
Tasted really good, and was simple to cook. Thank you!
Thanks for the feedback!
Sooooo good! Thank you.
Great recipe, perfect comfort food for a cold winter day! I added paprika and cajun seasoning but my rice didn’t come out as orange-ish as in the photos, but who cares … it tastes great! Thanks.
“Thank you, I am happy to hear you feel that way. Maybe add more paprika next time .
I’m a Certified Chef from Puerto Rico
I LOVE all the recipes from The African Bites immaculate bites, every recipes from you guys from our Afro-Caribbean recipes are outstanding THANKS Again ❤
Am honored ! Thanks So much.
I’m going to cook this tonight but I need specific instructions for the beans, should they soak in water? Do they go in dry?
It is Fully cooked beans. If using dry beans , boil until tender before using .
The amount of coconut milk states 27oz can or 13/4 cup which is not the same amount, can you confirm which is correct for 12 servings?
It’s 27 ounce coconut milk (2 cans of milk or 3 1/2 cups milk)
If I’m using bell peppers, how much should I put in? Can’t wait to try this!
1 medium Bell pepper would do just fine.