Beans · Slow cooker

Crockpot Red Beans and Rice (Slow Cooker)

AB doesn't claim it's authentic, just that it gets you close. Two kinds of andouille, a quick parboil on the beans, then it's dump and go in the crockpot for six hours while you stay out of the kitchen and out of the summer heat.

R By Richard · Adapted from Smokin' & Grillin with AB · Published 23 June 2026
👁 418.3k source views ❤️ 17.4k source likes
⏱Prep 10 min
No image yet

Smokin' & Grillin with AB pitches this as the summertime fix for red beans and rice: parboil the beans for ten minutes to give them a head start, then dump everything into the crockpot and let it run for six hours on high. The flavour comes from two andouille sausages (one chicken, one Cajun smoked link), Creole Kick seasoning and a couple of heaping tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon chicken base. Once it's done you mash a few beans against the side of the pot to thicken the gravy, fish out the bay leaves, and serve it over rice cooked separately on the hob.

Ingredients

Main
  • 900 gdried red kidney beans, sorted, stones removed
  • 2 sausageschicken andouille sausages, sliced
  • 1 linkCajun smoked sausage, sliced
  • onion, diced
  • celery, diced
  • garlic cloves, minced or pressed
  • Creole Kick seasoning
  • 2 tbspBetter Than Bouillon chicken base, heaping
  • 1.4 Lwater
  • bay leaves
To serve
  • cooked long-grain white rice, cooked separately on the hob (add late)

Method

  1. Sort through the dried red beans. Pick out any cracked beans or small stones, then rinse.

    ~5 min

  2. Put the beans in a saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain.

    ~15 min

  3. Tip the drained beans into the slow cooker.

    ~1 min

  4. Add the diced onion, diced celery and sliced sausages (both the chicken andouille and the Cajun smoked link).

    ~2 min

  5. Press or finely mince the garlic and add it to the pot.

    ~1 min

  6. Sprinkle in the Creole Kick seasoning, then add the heaping tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon chicken base.

    ~1 min

  7. Pour in 1.4 L (6 cups) of water and stir everything together well so the bouillon base dissolves into the liquid.

    ~2 min

  8. Drop in the bay leaves and put the lid on the slow cooker.

    ~1 min

  9. Cook on High for 6 hours. Do not lift the lid during cooking; every peek adds about 30 minutes to the cook time.

    ~360 min

  10. When the time is up, remove the bay leaves. Press a ladle or spoon against a few beans on the side of the pot to mash them and thicken the gravy to your liking.

    ~3 min

  11. Spoon the red beans over a bed of separately-cooked rice and serve.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked

Do I need to soak the beans overnight?
No. The host skips the overnight soak and instead gives the beans a 10 minute boil before they go in the slow cooker. That head start, plus 6 hours on High, is enough to cook them through.
Can I cook the rice in the slow cooker with the beans?
No, the rice is cooked separately on the hob and the beans are spooned over it to serve. Rice released into a slow cooker over six hours turns to mush.
What can I use instead of Better Than Bouillon?
The host suggests chicken stock or beef stock as a swap, or chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in the 6 cups of water. The aim is a well-seasoned, savoury broth for the beans.
Why shouldn't I lift the lid to stir?
Slow cookers cook by trapped steam. Every time you take the lid off you lose heat and add roughly 30 minutes to the cook. Set it, leave it, and only stir at the end.
How do I get the gravy thicker?
Once cooked, mash a portion of the beans against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon or a ladle, or scoop some out into a measuring jug, mash, and stir back in. The starch released thickens the liquid.
Extraction notes (transparency): Native crockpot recipe so isAdapted=false. Several quantities not stated on camera: onion, celery, garlic, Creole Kick seasoning, bay leaves, and cooked rice for serving. Low setting time not given (host only specifies High 6 hours). Servings not stated. Better Than Bouillon recorded as 2 tbsp from the host's 'a couple of heaping tablespoons'. Rice is cooked separately off-camera and served alongside, not in the slow cooker.