Instant Pot Haitian Rice And Beans – Red beans and rice is a popular dish in Haiti. Traditionally prepared with Haitian Epis (Haitian Seasoning Base), and served throughout the year. The flavors in this Haitian red beans and rice is as bold as any flavors you will find in other Haitian recipes. This delicious and nourishing dish is an instant pot version. Thanks to pressure cookers, Haitian rice can be made in a matter of minutes!
Haitian rice and beans can take hours to make. More specifically, it is because of the amount of the time it takes to cook the beans (2-4 hours).
We pressure cook the beans in the instant pot in just a fraction of the time it would take to cook it on the stove. We’re talking about 20 minutes for the red small beans
Why Does This Instant Pot Haitian Rice And Beans Work?
Number one reason – No need to presoak the red small beans as they will be pressure cooked. Everything is made in the Instant Pot.
No babysitting necessary. The automatic program does the work for you. You can also use canned
Typically, Haitian rice and beans can take up to six hours to make. Why? Well, the beans take forever to cook. With this version, the rice is cooked in about 35 minutes from start to finish! In the end, you are left with authentic Haitian flavor, and the rice and beans are cooked from scratch.
How To Make Instant Pot Haitian Rice and Beans?
To make this rice dish, you will need the following ingredients: small red beans, you can use basmati rice or jasmine rice, onions, better than bouillon or Haitian epis, water, ground cloves (I purchased mine from Aldi), garlic, olive oil, and coconut milk.
First, add the beans and pressure cook in the Instant Pot.
Cook for 20 minutes, then quick release. Drain using a strainer but reserve the water.
Wash the rice until the water is clear – should be about 3 washes. This will remove extra starch. Set aside.
On the instant Pot, click the sauté setting button and adjust the time to 5 minutes. Add the oil, garlic, and onions. Cook for 1 minute or until fragrant, then add all of the other ingredients minus the water, cook for about 2 minutes, but stir ones.
Add the water from the beans, then coconut milk. Stir.
Add the rice. Stir. Cover with lid. Turn the steam release handle to “sealing”.
Click on the “Rice” setting button; this will cook the rice for 12 minutes; however, your instant pot may readjust the timer to a more appropriate time base on the pressure.
Leave the setting as “Normal”. Fluff and serve warm with your choice of meat and vegetables. Enjoy!
MORE HAITIAN FOOD TO TRY
The rice and beans come together to form a complete protein which will keep you feeling fulfilled long after you take the last bite. No matter how you choose to alter this recipe, there are not a whole lot of ways to do it wrong.
If you loved this Instant Pot Haitian Rice and Beans recipe, try one of the following recipes listed below to pair with your rice.
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Instant Pot Haitian Rice And Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup Red Kidney Beans
- 2 ½ cups Jasmine Rice or Basmati Rice
- 1 can Coconut Milk (13.5 FL Oz.)
- ⅓ cup Chopped Onions
- ¼ cup Haitian Epis (Seasoning) or 1 tbsp. better than bouillon
- 3 Garlic Cloves chopped
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves or Allspice
- 4 cups Water
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot (IP) add 4 cups water and cook the beans for 20 minutes on high pressure; turn the steam release handle to sealing. Quick release once cooked. Using a strainer, drain the beans and reserve the water. Wash the rice and set aside (see picture above).On the Instant Pot, click on sauté, set timer for 5 minutes. Add the oil, garlic, and onions. Cook for about 1 minute.
- Add the beans and stir once. Cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the better than bouillon paste, salt, black pepper, ground cloves. Stir once. Add the rice and stir once. Cook for another minute. Add water and coconut milk, stir once.Cover, seal and press the "Rice" setting. Cook for 12 minutes (do not exceed this time as you do not want the rice to overcook). Quick release. Fluff and serve warm with your choice of meat or vegetables. Enjoy!
Adrienne says
Hello hello! Mirlene cherie, merci pou sa. I really appreciate it. Coming from a first generation Haitian American. I’ve made this recipe several times now. My family loves it. That includes my husband and picky four year old daughter.
Mirlene says
Thank you so much, Adrienne
Lisa says
I’ve made this recipe 3 times and it was delicious each time! The addition of clove is amazing! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe. I’m learning about Haitin food and culture, and your website has been so helpful. Ann manje!
Mirlene says
Lisa, thank you very much. We are happy to have you!
Christa says
Thank you for this recipe. I’m making it for the second time tonight. The only issue I have is that my instant pot takes so long to preheat, even in between sautéing and cooking the rice. Does yours do that too? I am impatient and I want it to be done in the time the recipe says. 🤣
Mirlene says
Oh no! I am so sorry. I’m not sure which model of the instant pot you have, but no my instant pot does not take long to preheat. Maybe you can preheat it while you gather the ingredients. Hope this helps.
Robin says
Thank you so much for this recipe! My Haitian family members are so glad that I can finally make a good epis AND diri ak kole. 🙂
Mirlene says
Robin, thank you. I am so glad to read that. You are very welcome and thank you for making our recipes. Hope you find more recipes you’ll enjoy.
Janet Fair says
I’ve made this three times also, thank you ! This is very good. My best friend was a Haitian girl and she died! She was a very good cook. I never got the recipe from her. This make me think of her.
Mirlene says
I am so sorry Janet. Our deepest condolences. Thank you so much for making this dish and we are honored that it made you think of her.
Amy says
Are small red beans kidney beans?
Mirlene says
Hi Amy, thank you for your question. No, small red beans and kidney beans are not the same. Red beans are smaller than kidney beans.
Fel says
thank you for this recipe! it is delicious!
I just have one question: in the last step, when you say to select the “rice” option on the instapot and cook the rice for 12 minutes, do you mean to set the instapot rice timer to 12 minutes and wait for it to finish, or do I select the rice option and wait 12 minutes from that time?
let me know if I’m being confusing!
thank you
Mirlene says
Hi Fel! My instant pot automatically set to 12 minutes once I select the “rice” option. Please adjust the time if necessary. Thanks again for making this recipe.
Barb says
Love this rice. I’ve made it 3 times.
Mirlene says
WOW! Thank you very much, Barb!
Sil says
thank you! came out great!
Mirlene says
Thank you very much, Sil.
Susan says
Are you kidding me?!? This is such a great recipe! I saw it this morning and made it for lunch along with pikliz and sòs. Everyone loved it! I was so glad it didn’t call for a big slab of ti malice. It was AMAZING! So easy and delicious. It will be going in the meal rotation for sure. Thank you!
Mirlene says
You’ve made my day. Thank you so much. I truly appreciate you making this recipe and enjoying it so much. Thanks, Susan!
Jill Kane says
Which kind of better than bouillon do you use? Can you substitute regular milk for coconut milk? I’m anxious to try this. We ate this every day when I was teaching in Haiti.
Mirlene says
Hi Jill,
Thank you for reading. We use the vegetable base version. No, please do not substitute regular milk for coconut milk. If you do not like the flavor of coconut milk, you can omit it.
Genevieve says
I appreciate the Instant Pot adaptation but no Haitian I know puts coconut milk in the rice cole.
Mirlene says
Thanks for the comment, Genevieve. The coconut milk is not cold as it is from the can. Hope you enjoyed the recipe! Blessings.
Sandra says
This recipe is great! I’ve made it several times and love it! Tastes just like the Haitian diri kole I grew up eating. Can you please tell me what the measurements would be for a smaller portion? Like 1 cup of rice for example.
Mirlene says
Hi Sandra,
I am SO GLAD you liked it. I am especially happy you’ve made it several times. For 1 cup of rice, use the 1:1 ration. If you decide to make it over the stovetop, use 1 1/2 cup liquid. I hope this helps.
Wideleine says
Finally, I feel comfortable using dry beans. Thank you for this recipe.
Mirlene says
You are very welcome and thank you!
Amy says
Is it possible to double this recipe?
Mirlene says
Yes, you may do so by doubling the measurements.
Courtney says
I made a modified version of this tonight for my Hatian family member. Thanks to you…and your inspiration I made such a delicious meal and received such a huge smile in return…this brought back such great memories for this family member and they said it tasted just as they remembered from “home.” …I had to admit….your recipe requires such little effort compared to what my family members spend all day laboring over the stove…I was honored to be able to make such a delicious meal. Thank you foe this recipe! ….I want to note that I didn’t use any oil and it’s so unnecessary. I put 1/2 onion skin on with the beans and removed the onion at the end. I also pierced a chili pepper with about 15 whole cloves and removed this at the end. I do not use bouillon but use 1.5 Tbs white Miso paste instead of any bouillon or salt. The 1st time making this recipe I chose black beans and it’s PERFECT! Next time I will use pinto beans! Delicious recipe! Thank you!
Mirlene says
Hi Courtney,
I am truly honored and elated that you have tried one of my recipes. I am even more ecstatic that you made it for your family and they approved. Thank you so much for commenting. Hope you find more recipes to try. All the best! 🙂
Carrie says
Hi! I don’t have an instant pot, how can I make this without? Can I use canned beans to help?
Mirlene says
Hi Carrie,
Yes, you can definitely make this without an instant pot. AND YES, you can make this with canned beans. I would recommend draining and rinsing the beans. Also, be mindful that the color will change. I hope this helps.
Emily says
Absolutely delicious! Will DEFINITELY be making again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Mirlene says
Thank you, Emily. I am glad you liked it.
Joy Gilraine says
I made this tonight along with the Pikliz, and the Poulet En Sauce. It was the perfect introduction for my friends who have never been fortunate enough to eat in Haiti. Thank you! I look forward to trying your other recipes. Haitian and otherwise.
Mirlene says
Thank you very much, Joy! I am so very glad to hear that you and your friends enjoyed the recipes. 🙂 Best regards!:)
pauline says
Thanks for the recipe, made this today in my instant pot it was delicious. My family enjoyed it.
Mirlene says
Thank you, Pauline. I am so glad to hear it. Glad your family enjoyed it as well.
Malick Ghachem says
Hi Marlene — thanks for this recipe, it came out very good in the end — a question: when you set to “Rice” for the final cooking step, should that be high or low pressure? — my instant pot automatically set to “low” for the “Rice” setting and after 12 minutes the rice was not nearly ready and the water still had not absorbed — I had to run it again for another 12 minutes and even then not quite ready — am I missing something? — Malick
Malick Ghachem says
Hi Marlene — ignore my comment, I used brown basmati rice which takes twice or 3 times as long as white rice, this explains the issue I had — thanks again for the great recipe — Malick
Mirlene says
I am so happy to hear you found the reason why. Thank you, Malick!
Marie-Alice Rigaud says
Hi, can I also make diri djon djon the same way?
Mirlene says
Hi Marie,
Yes, you can make the diri djon djon ALMOST the same way. There are a few factors to consider: If you are using the real mushrooms, you’ll either let the mushroom sit in water overnight to extract the dark color and flavor. Or, you may boil the mushroom, drain, and use the water to make the rice. If you are using the magi djon djon, you can saute the mushrooms with onions (optional) and choice of seasoning and follow the steps to make the rice. I am more than happy to show you how to make diri djon djon in the instant pot in an upcoming post.
Marie-Alice Rigaud says
Thank you! I did try your recipe for the djon djon rice by using the Maggi djon djon and it was delicious!
Mirlene says
Hi Marie,
That’s really good. I am so glad you liked it and it turned out well for you. Happy New Year!
Kath says
I would love to see your recipe of diri djon djon in the instant pot in an upcoming post.thanks 🙂
Mirlene says
Please stay tuned. I will post it soon. Thanks!
Audrey Jean-Jacques says
Hi, which flavor of Better than Bouillon do you use? I see chicken, beef, etc. in my grocery store. Thanks for the recipe also!
Mirlene says
Hi, I often use the vegetable base. Thank you for reading 🙂
Kae says
This looks so good! When adding the water and coconut milk to the rice how much water do you use? Is it all of the water that was reserved from the beans or how much of it?
Mirlene says
Hello Kae,
Please add the entire can of coconut milk when you add the reserved water. The water will reduce to about 2 cups.
Maman de sara says
I love recipes that doesn’t take much time to prepare and I love rice and beans!
April says
Such a delicious recipe that is full of traditions! And the amount of flavors must be going through the roof – I can’t wait to make it myself now – just need to find a bigger plate so I can serve more! 🙂
Mirlene says
Thank you, April 🙂
Heather says
I love making rice in my instant pot, but always make it plain, without flavorings, but i’m starting to get quite bored of it. This recipe came at the perfect time! So many spices and flavors! I cant wait to make it as my weekly batch of rice 🙂
Amanda says
I love that you make this in the Instant Pot — now I don’t have to wait hours for such a delicious recipe! The flavors in here are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing.
Eileen Kelly says
I love ribe and beans! Your recipe for making them in the Instant Pot is a great way to make delicious beans! The flavors in these beans are delicious! I am looking forward to making them.
Jacqueline Debono says
I still don’t have an IP but I’d love to try this Haitian rice and beans. Love the idea of serving it with fish! Going to save this recipe for when my IP arrives!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I love the addition of coconut milk in this recipe. It sounds like a filling and delicious side dish. I know my kiddos would love it!
Kelly Anthony says
If you don’t have an instant pot than this recipe should be a great reason to get one. Who doesn’t want a bowl of delicious rice and beans in under 35 minutes. What a great recipe!
Danielle Wolter says
isn’t the instant pot the best? i love that we can create such delicious dishes that are delicious and easy. this recipe sounds like perfection – i love a good beans and rice recipe!
Mirlene says
I feel like I’m cheating on my Power Cooker lol. It is the best! I can’t put my Instant Pot away.
Gloria says
I do not have an Instant Pot, but I do have a pressure cooker. I will adapt to make this work. However, I will pass this along to my daughter. I know her family would love this.
Mirlene says
Thank you, Gloria!
Stine Mari says
I love rice and beans! I didn’t know it would take so many hours to cook it the traditional way. That makes this easy instant pot version even better!
Mirlene says
It can take forever. Yes, no more waiting for ages to eat.