Popeyes Red Beans and Rice

4.96 from 116 votes

Copycat Popeye's red beans and rice recipe is a simple, flavorful meal. Red beans are cooked with bacon and spices and served with fluffy white rice.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: red beans and rice

Servings:

In a large saucepan or pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Add rice and butter and lower to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked.
Add chopped bacon a large deep skillet or saucepan. Cook over medium heat and stir until bacon starts to crisp. ( If you don't want bacon in the beans, carefully remove the bacon bits but leave the bacon grease. )
Pour in whole cans of red beans. Using a potato masher, mash some of the beans but leave some of them whole.
Pour in water, garlic salt, onion powder, creole seasoning, and liquid smoke. Stir to combine.
Let simmer for 15 minutes or until beans start to soften. Make sure to stir so that the beans don't stick.
Serve beans in a bowl with a scoop of rice on top.

The rice takes about the same time to cook as the beans so start the rice before cooking the beans.
Mashing some of the red beans helps to thicken the mixture and make it creamy. You can mash them right in the pan but try leaving a few of the whole.
Popeye's version does not have meat so feel free to remove the chopped bacon. Just make sure to leave the grease in the pan.
If you want to add a little extra heat, stir in a few splashes of hot sauce or 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Some recipes uses ham hocks to add smoky flavor.
Feel free to use your favorite rice. You can even use brown rice or cauliflower rice. Just cook according to package instructions.