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Spanish Rice And Beans | Easy Recipe

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4.94 from 29 votes

Rich and flavorful Spanish rice and beans, the perfect weeknight dinner for vegetarians & vegans alike. Also, a tasty side dish for meat-eaters or pescetarians! Easy to make in one pot, with all the aspects of a supreme comfort food. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and a great source of complete proteins.

spanish rice and red beans in a bowl

Vegan Spanish rice is super easy to whip up in about 30 minutes. It’s a meal I eat about three times a week, sometimes even more often. This dish is a staple food in Central America (Mexican rice and beans), many Latin American & South American countries, and also in the Caribbean, where I currently live. Dominican rice and beans are quite popular, well seasoned, and tasty!

Why are rice and beans so popular in so many countries? Because the dish is cheap, easy to cook, delicious, healthy (rich in fiber), and furthermore it contains all essential amino acids. So if you are a vegan and get asked “but where do you get your protein from?!”, simply reply “from rice and beans (and other plants)”. 😀

stirring rice and beans in a pan

Simple Ingredients

Below are the main ingredients and their substitutes. All ingredients, measurements, and also the calories in Spanish rice are listed in the printable recipe card below.

  • Beans – I prefer using red beans (e.g. kidney beans), however, you can also use pinto beans or black beans. Either cook the beans from dry (for example in a pressure cooker/Instant Pot) or use canned beans. Cooking the beans from dry takes much longer, of course.
  • Rice – My favorite rice is Basmati rice or Jasmine rice, even though it’s not typical for Spanish rice but I love that it cooks so fast. Sometimes I use brown rice, because it’s healthier, containing more vitamins and minerals.
  • Bell pepper – I prefer red or orange peppers, but feel free to use yellow or green ones.
  • Salsa – Use your favorite salsa or tomato sauce from a jar! My favorite brand contains basil, oregano, garlic, and onion (so yummy!)
  • Fresh onion and garlic – Do not skip! Fresh onion and garlic add so much flavor to the Spanish rice and beans. Furthermore, the health benefits are unbeatable!
  • Vegetable broth – I recommend using a store-bought veggie broth or stock to save time. Or simply dissolve a veggie bouillon cube in water.
  • Spices – Paprika, smoked paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper are a must. You can also add veggie sazon seasoning, red pepper flakes (cayenne pepper), hot sauce, and dried oregano.
  • Olives – I also love adding green olives but you can leave them out if you don’t like olives.

pinto beans and rice in a pan

How To Make Spanish Rice And Beans?

STEP 1: Start by adding the uncooked rice to a bowl with water and let it soak for about 10 minutes, then discard the water. Meanwhile, chop the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and prep the other ingredients.

STEP 2: Heat oil in a large skillet or pot (use veggie broth if avoiding oil), add onion and bell pepper. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, and all spices and sauté for a further one minute.

onion and red pepper with spices in a pan

STEP 3: Next, add the rice, salsa & veggie broth and bring the mixture to a boil.

rice and tomato salsa in a pan

STEP 4: Cover the skillet or pot and let simmer on the lowest heat setting for about 15-20 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Do not uncover the lid, and do not stir while cooking! The cooking time depends on the rice variety (check the package instructions of your rice brand). Jasmine rice or Basmati rice cook much faster than e.g. brown rice.

pan with rice and salsa in pan with closed lid

STEP 5: Turn off the heat, remove the lid and taste the rice. Adjust seasonings if needed, adding more salt, black pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, etc. to taste. Stir in beans & olives (optional) and garnish with fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley) to taste. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

cooked rice with red beans and olives in a pan

Helpful Tips And Variations

  • Coconut rice and beans: Coconut is very often used in Dominican cooking (also in many other Caribbean countries). I love adding a splash of canned coconut milk to enhance the flavors!
  • Rice and bean casserole: Interested in a variation? Check my Rice And Bean Casserole recipe for inspiration.
  • Spanish rice stuffed peppers: I love making vegan stuffed peppers and this rice and beans recipe makes a great filling for bell peppers. Check out my Vegan Stuffed Bell Peppers recipe for the instructions.
  • Instant Pot method: Press the sauté function of your Instant Pot, add oil, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and all spices. Sauté for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Then add rice, salsa, vegetable broth and seal the IP. Set to high pressure for 8 minutes. Quick release, open the Instant Pot, stir in beans & olives (optional) and fresh herbs.

spanish rice and beans in a pan

Perfect For Meal Prep

This red beans and rice recipe is perfect for meal prep. Store in individual lunch boxes in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add in other ingredients of choice, for example, cherry tomatoes, avocado or corn for a variation.

close-up of Spanish rice and beans with olives in a pan

This Recipe Is:

  • Vegan (dairy-free)
  • Gluten-free
  • Low-fat
  • Protein-rich
  • Easy to make
  • A great weeknight dinner or side dish
  • Also, great for kids
  • A healthy 1-Pot recipe
  • Perfect for meal prep
  • Read in about 30 minutes
  • Flavorful
  • Comforting

spanish rice and beans in a bowl

Should you give this healthy Spanish rice and beans recipe a try, please leave a comment and rating below and tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with #elavegan and use @elavegan.

If you love easy rice recipes, make sure to check out my other vegan recipes, that also happen to be gluten-free:

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spanish rice and beans - vegan dinner recipes

Spanish Rice And Beans

Author: Michaela Vais
Rich and flavorful Spanish rice and beans, the perfect weeknight dinner for vegetarians & vegans alike. Also, a tasty side dish for meat-eaters or pescetarians! Easy to make in one pot, with all the aspects of a supreme comfort food. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and a great source of complete proteins.
4.94 from 29 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine Caribbean, Latin American, Spanish
Servings 4
Calories 363 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 1 tbsp oil use veggie broth if you avoid oil
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 medium red bell pepper chopped
  • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • Salt & black pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups (300 g) white rice uncooked (*see notes)
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) vegetable broth or more, depending on rice variety
  • 1 1/4 cups (300 g) salsa
  • One 15 oz can (270 g) kidney beans drained and rinsed (*see notes)
  • 1/2 cup (65 g) green olives halved (optional)
  • Fresh herbs to garnish, e.g. cilantro or parsley

Instructions
 

  • Check the video in the blog post for visual instructions.
    Add the rice to a bowl with cold or lukewarm water and let it soak for at least 10 minutes (I recommend 30 minutes if you have the time), then discard the water. Meanwhile, chop the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and prep the other ingredients.
  • Heat the oil in a large skillet or pot, add onion and the bell pepper. Sauté for about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and all spices and sauté for a further one minute.
  • Add the rice, salsa & veggie broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Please note that you'll need more vegetable broth and salsa if using rice that requires a longer cooking time.
  • Cover the skillet or pot and let simmer on the lowest heat setting for about 15-20 minutes. Do not uncover the lid, and do not stir while cooking! The cooking time depends on the rice variety (check the package instructions). Jasmine rice or Basmati rice cook much faster than e.g. brown rice.
  • Turn off the heat, remove the lid and taste it. Adjust seasonings if needed, adding more salt, black pepper, cumin, red pepper flakes, etc. to taste. Stir in beans & olives (optional) and garnish with fresh herbs (cilantro or parsley) to taste. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • Rice: My favorite rice is Basmati rice or Jasmine rice, even though it's not typical for Spanish rice but I love that it cooks so fast. You can use any other white rice or brown rice, simply adjust the cooking time and add more vegetable broth and salsa.
  • Beans: You can also use cooked pinto beans or black beans.
  • Tips: Read the blog post for more helpful tips and variations and for instructions on how to make the recipe in an Instant Pot.
  • Recipe serves 4. Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Nutrition Facts
Spanish Rice And Beans
Amount per Serving
Calories
363
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
7
g
11
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
68
g
23
%
Fiber
 
4
g
16
%
Sugar
 
7
g
8
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically

Simple and Delicious Vegan Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!

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pinterest collage of spanish rice and beans

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Nbell

    Made it this evening, my hubby loved it, so flavorful! There was a lot of leftovers, will this dish freeze well?

    Reply

  2. Susan

    I want to make this the before and bring to a luncheon. Will it be dried out to warm in a microwave? Should I add more liquid after the microwave?

    Reply

  3. Isabel

    We enjoyed this very much. I just added a little turmeric powder. Will definitely make it again. Thanks.

    Reply

  4. Ramae

    Perfect! My 17 yo son and I had this tonight, and we both loved it! Will definitely be making again. Thank you!

    Reply

  6. Linda

    Tried this today and it was delicious. Will definitely be making this often. This will be perfect when I need to bring a covered dish. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  7. Amanda

    I’m not sure where I went wrong. Followed this recipe down to the fine details…even soaking my rice for 30 minutes. I cooked my rice for 18 minutes according to package and on the lowest heat setting without stirring and my rice is still hard as a rock. The flavor is there, but now 30 more minutes and more broth later, and I still have hard rice.

    HELP!

    Reply

    • Ela

      Hi Amanda, I really don’t know what happened, but I never experienced that rice will still be hard after cooking it for 48 minutes. What type of rice was that?

      Reply

  9. Madina Sabri

    Hmmm… my basmati rice burned with these instructions! I did everything by the recipe in the instant pot for 5 minutes. Thank god it let’s you know that its burning. I got it out and transferred to a pan and added more water. And so happy that the burnt part didn’t transfer the burnt taste into the rest of the rice.

    My basmati rice requires 2 cups of water per 1 cup rice. so 1.5 cups would be 3 cups water. 1.25 cups water and 1.25 cups salsa was just not enough liquid. So keep an eye!

    Otherwise, the rice was delicious. I liked the Smokey flavor.

    Reply

  11. Allison

    For the instant pot method does the uncooked rice cook in 8 minutes? Or do you put already cooked rice for the 8 minutes in high pressure?

    Reply

    • Ela

      Hi, Allison! It’s uncooked, but it depends on which type of rice you use, as mentioned in the recipe notes. Yes, 8 minutes high pressure. 🙂

      Reply

  16. Sarah

    Easy, delicious and budget friendly! Will definitely be making it again. I love peppers but hate olives so I added an extra half a green bell pepper and used a dash of sriracha instead of chilli flakes, smells and tastes amazing.

    Reply

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