An easy and flavorful recipe for stewed beans made from dried red kidney beans, onion, bell pepper and spices. Includes Instant Pot, slow cooker and stovetop instructions.
Flavorful and hearty stewed beans make a satisfying vegan dinner, or you can serve the beans with sausage or pork. Very similar to red beans and rice, these stewed beans are cooked with onion, bell pepper and seasonings. It's an easy recipe that can be cooked in a pressure cooker, slow cooker or on the stove.
Made from dried kidney beans, this dinner is also really economical. I often serve the beans with white rice and/or corn muffins on the side and there's always plenty of leftovers for another dinner.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Dried red kidney beans: For stewed beans, the texture should be very creamy and tender. Detailed instructions for cooking dried red kidney beans are in the recipe card below.
Garlic: Both whole cloves and garlic powder for extra flavor
1 onion and 1 green bell pepper OR a 16-ounce package frozen fajita mix: The frozen fajita mix adds slightly less flavor, but it sure is convenient!
Smoked paprika: Adds subtle smoky flavor to vegetarian dishes. You can substitute regular paprika.
Poultry seasoning: A finely ground blend of dried thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg. If you can't find poultry seasoning or want something spicier you can use Cajun seasoning.
White miso: An optional ingredient, but recommended if you're making a vegetarian/vegan version of stewed beans. It adds more savory flavor to the beans.
Meat is optional
This recipe is vegan, however, it's really easy to add meat. I have to admit, I love sausage with stewed beans! (plant-based sausage is good too!)
Ham hocks - Ham hocks are chunks of cured and smoked pork that include bone, collagen and a little bit of meat. Added at the beginning of the cooking process, a ham hock adds smoky, salty flavor and a little bit of meat to the beans.
Sausage - Kielbasa and andouille sausage are especially good with stewed beans; serve on the side or add cooked sausage at the end of the cooking process. If the sausage cooks the entire time with the beans, the sausage will be over-cooked and have less flavor.
Bacon: Add a slab of raw bacon or saute chopped bacon with onion before the beans and other ingredients are added.
Do red kidney beans need to soaked?
It's a good idea to briefly boil red kidney beans (10 minutes or so) to remove a protein called lectin, which is hard to digest and can make you sick if consumed raw in large quantities.
Dried kidney beans can be boiled at any time before or during a recipe. For example, on the stovetop you might just bring the beans to a boil while they're cooking with other ingredients. If using a slow cooker, however, it's safer to boil kidney beans beforehand because most slow cookers don't get hot enough to remove lectins.
For this recipe, I use a quick-soak method that includes briefly boiling the beans. The lectin is removed from the kidney beans and the beans cook faster. Win, win!
- Cover 1 pound of red kidney beans with 2 inches of water and 1 tablespoon salt
- Bring the water to a boil and boil the beans for 10 minutes
- Turn off the heat and let the beans sit for 1 hour
- Drain, rinse and continue with the recipe
Cooking Methods - Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker and Stovetop
There are three different ways to cook dried red kidney beans: pressure cooker, slow cooker and stovetop. The two easiest methods are a pressure cooker and slow cooker.
When in doubt, a good bean-to-water ratio for all methods is to add at least enough water to cover the dried beans with 2-inches of water. If the beans are not submerged completely in water, they won't cook evenly and you'll end up with hard beans.
Cooking on the stove requires the most water, since liquid evaporates as it simmers. You might have to add more water and adjust the heat as the beans cook to make sure they stay submerged in liquid. A pressure cooker requires less water, because the pot is sealed and traps moisture.
The time needed to cook dried kidney beans varies depending on the texture you want and whether or not the beans have been pre-soaked. The longer beans are pre-soaked, the shorter the cooking time.
Also, keep in mind that different brands of beans often cook differently. Use the cooking times below as a guide to get you started, then adjust as necessary.
The recipe card at the end of this blog post includes exact ingredient measurements and cooking times for stewed red beans.
Soaked and Un-soaked Dried Kidney Bean Cooking Times
(the longer beans are soaked, the shorter the cooking time)
Stovetop
Soaked: 30 to 60 minutes, or longer
No soaking: 60 to 90 minutes, or longer
Instant Pot
Soaked: 25 to 30 minutes
No soaking: 40 to 50 minutes
Slow cooker
Soaked: High, 3 to 5 hours
No soaking: High, 6 to 8 hours
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Questions About Red Kidney Beans
Red kidney beans are higher in lectins than other types of beans. Lectins are a protein that can be hard to digest and can potentially be toxic if consumed raw in large quantities. For this reason, it's often recommended to briefly boil red kidney beans (10 to 15 minutes) before starting a recipe to make sure the lectins are removed.
Yes. Just make sure that the kidney beans are fully cooked and have reached a boil for at least 10 minutes during the cooking process. This removes any toxins that can cause indigestion or illness. Many slow cookers don't get hot enough to reach a boil. For this reason, I always boil red kidney beans for 10 minutes before adding them to a slow cooker.
Sure, use 3 to 4 cans of drained and rinsed beans. When using canned beans, the cooking time will be shorter and the water can be reduced to 3 ½ cups. You might also want to reduce the amount of salt added. For the stove or pressure cooker, try a cooking time of 15 to 30 minutes. For the slow cooker, try low heat for 3 to 4 hours. When using canned beans, it's a good idea to saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper before you add them to the recipe so they cook fully.
Yes, you can freeze plain cooked kidney beans and stewed kidney beans that have been cooked with ingredients. You can freeze individual portions or larger portions in freezer-safe containers or bags. To defrost, leave in the refrigerator overnight.
More Dried Bean Recipes
Stewed Beans (soaked and un-soaked)
An easy and flavorful recipe for stewed beans made from dried red kidney beans, onion, bell pepper and spices. Includes Instant Pot, slow cooker and stovetop instructions.
Plan to make a pot of rice to serve with the beans. My family also likes cornbread on the side.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Soup and stew
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped*
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped*
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced (optional, I skip it sometimes)
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- 2 ½ cups (1 pound) dried red kidney beans
- 4 ½ cups water for Instant Pot, 6 cups water for slow cooker or stovetop
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning or Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 sprigs parsley or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons white miso (optional)
- Chopped green onion (garnish)
- Chopped parsley or cilantro (garnish)
- Hot sauce or cayenne pepper (optional garnish for spicy stewed beans)
*Time-saving Tip: Use one 16-ounce package frozen fajita mix (bell pepper and onion) instead of chopping an onion and pepper by hand to save time.
Instructions
It's a good idea to briefly boil dried red kidney beans (10 minutes or so) to remove a protein called lectin, which is hard to digest and can make you sick if consumed raw in large quantities. For this recipe, I use a quick-soak method that includes briefly boiling the beans. The lectin is removed from the kidney beans and the beans cook faster. Win, win!
If you don't want to soak the beans for 1 hour after boiling, that's fine. Just use the un-soaked cooking times in the instructions as a guide.
Instructions for boiling and quick-soaking red kidney beans
- Cover 1 pound of dried red kidney beans with 2 inches of water and 1 tablespoon salt
- Bring the water to a boil and boil the beans for 10 minutes
- Turn off the heat. If the water has reduced, add more so that the beans are covered.
- Let the beans sit for 1 hour. Drain and continue with the recipe.
- You can also soak the beans overnight, which will reduce the cooking time even more.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Optional: Saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned. This will add a little more flavor to the stewed beans, but if you're in a hurry, skip this step.
- Add the next 8 ingredients: Dried red kidney beans, 4 ½ cups water, smoked paprika, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt, bay leaf, and sprigs of parsley or cilantro.
- For un-soaked beans, cook on high pressure for 50 minutes if you want tender beans with a creamy interior. For soaked beans, cook on high pressure for 25 to 30 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes.
- If the beans aren't tender enough, secure the lid and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes.
- If adding miso, scoop out a cup of broth after the beans are cooked and whisk in the miso until smooth. Pour the miso broth back into the stewed beans.
- Taste and add more salt if needed (it will probably be needed). The beans and broth will thicken up the longer they sit, especially overnight.
- Serve with chopped green onion and fresh herbs. Hot sauce is optional.
Notes
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Optional: Saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned. This will add more flavor to the beans, but if you're in a hurry, skip this step.
- Add the next 8 ingredients: Dried red kidney beans, 6 cups water, smoked paprika, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt, bay leaf, and sprigs of parsley or cilantro.
- For soaked beans, cook on high for 4 to 6 hours, or until beans are soft. For un-soaked beans, cook on high for 6 to 8 hours.
- If adding miso, scoop out a cup of broth after the beans are cooked and whisk in the miso until smooth. Pour the miso broth back into the stewed beans.
- Taste and add more salt if needed (it will probably be needed). The beans and broth will thicken up the longer they sit, especially if refrigerated overnight.
- Serve with chopped green onion and fresh herbs. Hot sauce is optional.
Stovetop Instructions
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, warm the olive oil.
- Saute the onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the next 8 ingredients: Dried red kidney beans, 6 cups water, smoked paprika, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt, bay leaf, and sprigs of parsley or cilantro. Mix well.
- Bring the water to a boil, then reduce slightly to a rapid simmer and put a lid on the pot.
- Simmer, covered, until beans are tender. For soaked beans, this will take at least 1 hour, but probably longer. For un-soaked beans it will take 90 minutes or more. Check occasionally and stir.
- To thicken, simmer for 30 additional minutes without a lid. Stewed beans will also thicken after cooking, especially if refrigerated overnight.
- Taste and add more salt if needed (it will probably be needed).
- Serve with chopped green onion and fresh herbs. Hot sauce is optional.
Bean Texture: Stewed beans should have a creamy texture. Make sure to cook the beans long enough, and you can also smash some of the cooked beans with a wooden spoon to make the broth creamier.
Adding Meat: The blog post above has meat suggestions. The easiest way to add meat is slicing cooked sausage and adding it to the beans before serving.
Keywords: stewed beans, stewed red kidney beans, stewed red beans, dried red kidney beans
Toni
This is so comforting!! Thanks for the recipe! A huge hit at my house!
★★★★★
Keri Bevan
What a simple and delicious recipe this is! We loved it. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kathryn
I love this simple and delicious stewed beans recipe! It was so easy to make and had tons of flavor!
★★★★★
Amanda Dixon
I made these beans in the Instant Pot and they came out perfectly! The seasoning was so flavorful, and they had the most wonderful texture. Such a great way to cook beans!
★★★★★
Nic
Perfect and flavorful stewed beans. Thanks for the recipe, we are always trying to incorporate more beans in to cut out more meat.
★★★★★
Elaine
I love stewed beans, especially when there is enough rice on the side. So delicious!
★★★★★