Rice Cooker Rice and Beans
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.
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.
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.
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
- 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
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
- 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
- In a rice cooker, add the uncooked rice, water, black beans, and seasonings. Stir and cover.
- Cook on the white rice setting. (It should take about 25 minutes depending on your rice cooker.)
- 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.
These rice and beans were so easy to make and perfect to do along with just about any meal. Made a burrito bowl and it was delicious!
So simple and an easy go to side dish for any meal, great mixture for a vegetarian burrito too.
I love this combination and the rice cooker made it so easy. I went out and bought one through your link and now I have to make all your other recipes 😜 Thanks for sharing.
On my rice cooker, I cook one cup white rice with one cup water. Should I still use two cups water if I’m adding the beans, i.e. are you adding the same water you would normally add if you were doing rice alone or are you increasing it?
im wondering the same thing. sounds like everybody else followed the recipe, but im worried that itll be too liquidy in my rice cookier…
On your black beans and rice in a rice cooker , you said you like to add cilantro , be nice to know if it’s while cooking or after ?
I add it after as a garnish!
I love using this combination of rice and beans for a base for our dinner. Delish.
This is life-changing! So easy to cook the rice and beans together at the same time! Genius!
This is such an amazing meal! My family enjoyed it!!
Wow, I didn’t know you could make rice and beans in a rice cooker, what a fab idea and so quick and easy!
The perfect rice and beans recipe. I make this at least once a week!