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 for Caribbean Rice and 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
- 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 Caribbean Rice and Beans
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.
Connie says
My rice staying kind of hard what’s happening?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Connie, I have not encountered this problem before , so I can’t say for sure without actually being there . The only think that comes to mind is the water . Make sure it’s accurately measured.
Y says
I made this and my rice was a little mushy. I did the broth and coconut milk. It still tastes good but I would’ve liked it less mushy. I also used that tropical sazon I had no paprika and it was an excellent substituting spice/ season. I pairs it with oxtails. I’m definitely gonna try again maybe with less 1 cup of broth.
Thanks for the great recipes.
Mr. Bennett says
I have made this 10 or more times and it always comes out right every time.
Good work I love your recipes.
Sarah says
I’m cooking this right now, can this be refrigerated and heated up next day?
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, it can.
Danielle says
Amazing with the Oxtail stew recipe!
Nita says
By adding the coconut milk, will that make the rice have a sweet taste?
ImmaculateBites says
Not at all.
Cassandra says
I made this rice and beans with Jamaican OxTails and it was deliciousthis will be the way I make my rice from now on.Thank you for sharing
John says
My wife and I made this last night, and served it on the side of grilled yellowtail amberjack. It was excellent!
Michelle says
Most of your foods have a nutrition fact but the serving size would be great too please…I track my food intake so I would greatly appreciate that
Shantell Mitchell says
Completely agree!
Tiffany Pullins says
The servings are listed at the top
Nelle says
@Tiffany, she means the serving size as in how much of the actual food is suggested for 1 serving.
I did a little math (which I’m not claiming to be good at). 2 cups of uncooked rice yields about 6 cups of cooked rice. And in a can of beans there is about 1 1/4 cups. So that’s about 7 and 3/4 cups of food (just estimating, not including all the spices and herbs). Divide that by 6 and it comes to about 1 full cup and just over a little of 1/4 cup of food per person. If you’re eating this with other dishes I think a half cup or 3/4 cup should suffice. 1 1/4 seems kind of a lot.
Angela says
2 cups of uncooked rice yields 4 cups cooked rice according to package.
Andrea says
I made this for the very first time and it came out DELICIOUS!!
My family tore it up…Lol. Thank you for posting a delicious meal with easy to follow instructions.
imma africanbites says
That cracked me up. Lol. I’m so happy it turned out great for you, Andrea. Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
Cheryle Clarke says
I made this yesterday. It was excellent and also it also worked with Japanese short grained rice. I rinsed the rice well, used canned, drained field peas, and Sason, since I didn’t have the Caribbean salt seasoning. It came out perfect, without having to look at it constantly. By the time o remembered it, the rice was done and delicious. Your hint for the whole habanero caused it to have a perfect flavor. Thank you
imma africanbites says
Thank you for sharing those tips, Cheryle! Glad you love the flavor overall.
Viktoria says
Thank you we love it.
I cooked for my best friend and my love.
He’s love it.
Vanessa says
Hi Imma, really want to try this recipe but I’m scared. I don’t use chicken bouillon by the spoons. I use it by the cubes like Maggie. You said you used chicken broth in addition to the Creole seasoning. I’m thinking adding the bouillon might make it too salty. Did you add it to yours?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Vanessa, Yes I did. You don’t have to be scared hon. You can omit it , if desired. Or cut your cube in half before adding to the pot . It works out just fine with or without it. Happy Cooking!!!!
Thom Peters says
We love this recipe with a few modifications!! I omit the coconut milk but add a 15 oz can of tomato sauce and another can of diced tomatoes. Oh and I DOUBLE the Carribian spice!! Great with Andouille sausages or w/o sausage!!
A great dinner for the two of us!!
imma africanbites says
Thank you for sharing those tips, Thom! Have a great day!
Cassie says
Delicious!!!! My family and I more than enjoyed it!
ImmaculateBites says
Great! Thanks for letting us know.
Misty says
I have already made this rice dish few time. I always make Jerk chicken with it, which is spicy, therefore, I avoid adding any hot spicy to the rice, it turns out great. It’s a big hit with my family and friends.
imma africanbites says
Hurray! Thank you for letting me know, Misty! 🙂
Lelia says
Great recipe! I was hesitant about using kidney beans but went with it. Taste great and I went with the 2.5c of water, 1 can of coconut milk and my version of the creole spice. Thanks for sharing!
imma africanbites says
You’re most welcome! And thank you for dropping by, Leila!
Jagoda says
Delicious !!! Thank You!