You can make delicious rice and beans in a rice cooker, which is perfect for an easy hands-off dinner. Add all the ingredients to your rice cooker and hit start! Dinner is ready in no time.

black beans and rice in a bowl
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You may have wondered, “Can you cook rice and beans together in a rice cooker?” and the answer is yes! I love this method because everything cooks at once and all I have to do is press start! I don’t have a fancy rice cooker but it turns out perfectly every time. You can also play around with the seasonings for different flavors. These rice cooker rice and beans are also a great base for burritos, tacos, or burrito bowls. I like adding lots of vegetables and toppings for a filling meal!

How to Make Rice and Beans in the Rice Cooker

All you need to do is add 1 cup of white rice, 2 cups of water, 1 15oz can of drained black beans, and seasonings. Give everything a stir and then turn the rice cooker on. Mine cooked for about 25 minutes but you can just use the white rice setting, as the cooking time will depend on your rice cooker.

Add all the ingredients to a rice cooker and stir.
rice cooker rice and beans
Cook on a white rice setting. Rice will be fluffy.

The Best Seasonings for Rice and Beans

I liked using cumin and a bay leaf. This is great for a simple flavor that will pair well with salsa, guacamole, hot sauce, and any other toppings I feel like adding. For more flavor, you can use vegetable broth instead of water. I also love adding finely chopped cilantro, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and salt. But you really can season these to taste.

beans and rice ingredients

Can I use dried beans?

For this recipe, you need to use canned beans or cooked beans. The rice cooker won’t cook long enough to cook dried beans. But if you don’t want to use canned beans, you can cook the beans first and keep them in the fridge. Then when you’re ready to make your rice cooker rice and beans you can just add them in.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I use brown rice? Yes, you’ll just need to adjust the cooking time for brown rice. For more brown rice ideas, try my Mexican Brown Rice recipe.
  • How do I lower the sodium? Be sure to rinse the black beans well before adding them to the pot. This helps remove any sodium from the beans. You can also add additional seasoning to add flavor rather than using additional salt.
  • How do I store leftovers? Store leftover rice and beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, microwave at 50% power for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through,
  • What kind of rice cooker do you have? I have an older rice cooker that is pretty basic. (It’s similar to this one.) It only has two settings: cook and keep warm. The sensor in the bottom determines how much moisture is left in the rice cooker, so it can tell how long to cook the rice.
  • What should I serve this with? Try adding a tasty sauce to turn this into a simple meal! Add a little avocado, some canned corn, and drizzle on this burrito sauce!

More Rice Cooker Recipes

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rice cooker rice and beans

Rice Cooker Rice and Beans

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 17 reviews
  • Author: Liz Thomson
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Rice Cooker
  • Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

You can make delicious rice and beans in a rice cooker, which is perfect for an easy hands-off dinner. Just add all the ingredients to your rice cooker and hit start! Dinner is ready in no time.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 cup white rice
  • 2 cups water or vegetable broth
  • 1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  1. In a rice cooker, add the uncooked rice, water, black beans, and seasonings. Stir and cover.
  2. Cook on the white rice setting. (It should take about 25 minutes depending on your rice cooker.)
  3. Once the rice is cooked, discard the bay leaf, fluff with a fork and add additional seasonings to taste.

Notes

If you plan to eat this as a meal, I recommend using vegetable broth for added flavor. If you wanted to use this as a filling in burritos or tacos, you may want to use water so that you can control the saltiness of the final dish.