20 Minute Creamy Red Beans + Rice [Vegan + Gluten Free]

A quick + easy meatless meal option made in just 20 minutes. Vegan, gluten-free, hearty, and satisfying, with no complicated techniques or long wait time for thick, creamy red beans and rice!

Let’s uncomplicated dinner, shall we?

Today we’re making an easy, hearty, fiber + protein-packed meal with just two main ingredients: kidney beans and rice.

While you could add roasted vegetables, a cooked protein of choice, and any number of toppings like sour cream, avocado, salsa, shredded cheese, etc, I think this meal is perfect all on it’s own.

Here’s how you make it:

Rice gets cooked in a pot on the stove. If you’re in a hurry, opt for a quick-cooking brown rice or your favorite white rice.

While the rice cooks, onions and garlic get sautéed in a pot, then canned kidney beans and spices join the party with an unusual surprise ingredient that makes it extra rich and creamy.

(spoiler alert: it’s almond butter).

Cook until hot and bubbly, wilt in some baby spinach or kale if you want some extra greens in your life, and dish it up in a big bowl with a scoop of rice.

It’s not fancy, but it sure is tasty…and, really, that’s what it’s all about, right?

This super simple Creamy Red Beans + Rice is so quick and easy to make, you could serve it up for dinner any night of the week, so I always make sure to keep my pantry stocked with rice and beans for those crazy busy days where it’s already past dinner time and you still don’t know what you want to make.

Pro tip: leftovers taste SOGOOD rolled up into a burrito, perhaps with some of the aforementioned avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc.

If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your 20 Minute Red Beans + Rice and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!

20 Minute Creamy Red Beans and Rice [Vegan + Gluten Free]

Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 cup white or quick-cooking brown rice, plus water to cook
1/2 medium red onion
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 14-oz cans red kidney beans, drained
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 heaping Tablespoon creamy almond butter
1 large handful baby spinach or baby kale
optional, for serving: avocado, cilantro, salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, etc

Instructions:
1. Cook rice in a small pot according to package directions.
2. While rice cooks, peel and finely dice the onion and garlic. Place the onions and garlic into a medium pot over medium-low heat with the olive oil. Sauté for 5 minutes, until soft, but not brown.
3. Add kidney beans, water, spices, and almond butter, and stir well to combine. Increase the heat to medium high and cook until bubbling. Then, remove from the heat and add in spinach or kale (if using) and serve with the finished rice. If desired, top rice and beans with salsa, avocado slices, cilantro, etc.
4. Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, and reheat well either in the microwave or on the stove.

NOTES: we find this to be a filling meal on it’s own, but feel free to serve with your protein of choice, steamed or roasted veggies, etc, to make it more of a filling + satisfying meal for your tastebuds!

MAKE IT NUT-FREE: almond butter adds an extra creamy element to these beans, but if you’re allergic to nuts you can simply omit it and still have a tasty (albeit less creamy) pot of beans. In that case, I might use a fork or potato masher and slightly mash some of the beans to help get a creamier consistency!

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