Vegetarian Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice is one of my go-to crockpot meals, and it happens to be completely vegan. Lots of spices make it flavorful without needing ham or sausage.

Slow cooker meals are my favorite - toss everything together before breakfast, walk away, and come home to a meal that's done. It takes about 10 minutes in the morning, and then the rest is hands-off. Almost all the ingredients come from the pantry or freezer (the only fresh ingredient is celery), which makes it perfect for busy days or weeks when the fridge looks sparse - and it's a big batch, so we can have leftovers for lunch the rest of the week.

If you want other bean-forward slow cooker recipes, you should check out Southwestern Bean and Barley Soup.

Key Ingredients

I adapted this from the Crock-Pot Red Beans and Rice recipe from Gimme Some Oven, but I cut out the andouille sausage and bumped up the spices to make this vegetarian.

Red beans: Use dried dark or light red kidney beans. No need to soak if your beans aren't old. Food safety guidelines state that kidney beans should be boiled first for 10 minutes since many slow cookers don't reach a full boil. I skip that step since I've seen my slow cooker simmer and boil over the 6-8 hours. White beans and pinto beans also work and are a safer option if you don't want to boil your beans.

Onions and peppers: I use extra to provide lots of flavor without using meat. Since they cook for so long, I skip fresh and use frozen instead, which saves a lot of cutting time.

Celery: The only fresh ingredient needed. I've never found prepackaged frozen celery, but I often cut up and freeze leftover raw celery. Celery is essential in Cajun cuisine, so don't skip it.

Smoked paprika: Your secret weapon. The smokiness replaces flavor you'd get from sausage or ham. Be sure yours is fresh; smoked paprika loses flavor over time.

Oregano, thyme, and celery seed: Common in Cajun and Creole cuisine. Celery seed is more bitter than fresh celery, but you can substitute extra celery if needed.

Bay leaves: These cook for a while as the beans simmer to add flavor, but remove them after cooking since they stay tough.

Vegetable bouillon: Adds depth that vegetables and spices alone don't provide. The Better Than brand is the only one I've tested. You can use chicken bouillon or broth if you don't want to keep this dish vegan.

How to Make Red Beans in a Slow Cooker

One: Dump all of the ingredients except rice into a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker, and give it a stir.

Two: Cook on high for 6-8 hours. Make the rice toward the end of the cooking time so it's ready for dinner. Use whatever rice you have; follow the package instructions.

Three: Stir in the hot sauce if using. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Serving and Storage

Serve beans with the cooked rice. Store leftover beans and rice separately in the fridge for 3-4 days. The leftovers make great lunches; I assemble my bowl and microwave it, stirring it halfway through.

The beans also freeze well. I freeze them just like I do my leftover Black Bean Soup: transfer cooled leftovers to a freezer-safe container (yogurt containers work!) and leave ½ to 1 inch of space at the top since liquid expands as it freezes. Freeze the beans without the rice. Freeze without the lid, and cover after everything is solid.

Thaw frozen beans in the refrigerator for several hours, or run under water until the edges loosen enough that you can transfer the beans to a pot or microwave-safe container.

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice FAQs

More Low-Fuss Vegetarian Meals

I hope this becomes a recipe you'll return to. If you try it, a star rating below helps others find it - and I'd love to hear how yours turns out in the comments! 💕 Questions or trouble? Drop a note, and I'll do my best to help.