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    Haitian Food » Instant Pot Haitian Rice And Beans

    Instant Pot Haitian Rice And Beans

    Posted On November 14, 2021 By Mirlene Last updated December 8, 2021 56 Comments

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    Haitian Rice and Beans Pinterest Pin

    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 to cook. 

    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 beans to make this rice and beans; however, the red tone color from the beans allow the rice to have a reddish-brown hue when cooked. 

    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.

    Haitian Lambi Stew

    Haitian Akra (Accra)

    Mayi Moulen

    Instant Pot Millet (Pitimi)

    Haitian Marinade

    Air Fryer Fried Plantains

    Plantain Balls

    Haitian Griot

    Haitian Lalo

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    Also, we would appreciate if could give it a star rating below!

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    two bowls of Haitian rice and beans instant pot

    Instant Pot Haitian Rice And Beans

    Savory Thoughts
    Traditional Haitian Rice And Beans made easy in the Instant Pot. A popular dish in Haiti. Enjoy the authentic Haitian flavor in this dish. The flavors in this Haitian red beans and rice is as bold as any flavors you will find in other Haitian recipes. Thanks to pressure cookers, Haitian rice can be made in a matter of minutes!
    5 from 23 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 32 mins
    Total Time 37 mins
    Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Main Dish, Side Dish, Sides
    Cuisine American, Caribbean, Haitian
    Servings 6 People
    Calories 693 kcal

    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. 
      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 food 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! 
    • 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!  
      cooked Haitian rice and beans in instant pot

    Video

    Notes

    Instant Pot Haitian Rice And Beans Notes: 
    Which beans can you use to make Haitian rice and beans? You can use red kidney beans and black beans to make this dish. Haitian rice and beans can also be made with sweet peas too. I personally love it with black beans and served with fish. 
    If you cooked the beans in the IP for the time suggested, and the beans still turn out hard, cook it again on high pressure for additional 5-10 minutes depending on how soft/hard the beans are. Sometimes when making I make beans over the stove, to expedite the cooking, I would add ½ teaspoon of baking soda. This helps the beans to cook faster – something I learned growing up.
    Can you use vegetable broth to make the rice and beans? Absolutely. However, you may not get that “traditional” color Haitian rice usually have. Adding vegetable or chicken broth will only enhance the flavor further. It does not hurt to try it. Be mindful, to keep it as authentic as possible, water is best as we do not usually use vegetable or chicken stock/broth when making our meals. Such broths or stocks are used when it is directly from cooking meat or vegetables. 
    Not all beans are created equally. I used small red beans because it is my personal preference. However, if using kidney beans, pinto, or black beans, the cooking time may vary. 
    *** Calories are estimated per serving. 
     
    *** When printing the recipe, please unselect the camera icon so that the pictures are NOT printed with the recipe (if preferred).

    Nutrition

    Serving: 6PeopleCalories: 693kcalCarbohydrates: 124gProtein: 20gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 473mgPotassium: 783mgFiber: 9gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 50IUVitamin C: 68.5mgCalcium: 300mgIron: 4.9mg
    Making this recipe?Mention @MSavoryThoughts or tag #SavoryThoughts!
    Tried this recipe?Mention @SavoryThoughts or tag #SavoryThoughts!
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Janet Fair

      August 27, 2022 at 2:32 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        August 27, 2022 at 5:45 pm

        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.

        Reply
    2. Amy

      October 24, 2021 at 5:40 pm

      Are small red beans kidney beans?

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        October 28, 2021 at 3:56 am

        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.

        Reply
    3. Barb

      October 11, 2021 at 6:52 pm

      Love this rice. I’ve made it 3 times.

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        October 12, 2021 at 2:42 pm

        WOW! Thank you very much, Barb!

        Reply
    4. Sil

      September 09, 2021 at 8:33 pm

      5 stars
      thank you! came out great!

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        September 10, 2021 at 2:03 am

        Thank you very much, Sil.

        Reply
    5. Susan

      November 22, 2020 at 1:18 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        November 22, 2020 at 6:39 pm

        You’ve made my day. Thank you so much. I truly appreciate you making this recipe and enjoying it so much. Thanks, Susan!

        Reply
      • Jill Kane

        April 02, 2021 at 4:54 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • Mirlene

          April 08, 2021 at 11:47 pm

          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.

          Reply
    6. Sandra

      October 27, 2020 at 8:53 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Mirlene

        November 07, 2020 at 2:04 pm

        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.

        Reply
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