Jamaican Rice and Peas (with Canned Beans)

Recently one of the visitors to the blog asked how to make Jamaican rice and peas using canned beans. This reminded me that I’d mentioned in my original  Jamaican rice and peas post that I’d post a separate recipe for rice and peas with canned beans. So, here it is!

You might be wondering why you would choose dried beans over canned beans to make Jamaican rice and peas. Well, the traditional way to make rice and peas is with dried beans. So, you would use dried beans if you want to be more authentic. Dried beans also tend to be cheaper than canned beans as a package of dried beans usually has more servings than a can of beans. Since they are cooked with the spices for much longer than canned beans, dried beans also give the rice and peas more depth of flavour. On the other hand, canned beans make cooking rice and peas faster and easier. So, choose which method works best for you on any given day; I usually use canned beans when I’m making rice and peas on busy weekdays and dried beans on the weekends when I have more time.

How to Make Jamaican Rice and Peas with Canned Beans

Here are the ingredients that you’ll need to make Jamaican rice and peas (with canned beans): 1 tablespoon of canola oil, 1 medium onion (diced), 2 cloves of garlic (minced), ¾ cup of liquid from the canned red kidney beans (top up with water to this level if you get less than this amount from the canned beans), 2¼ cups of water, 1 teaspoon of ginger (minced), 1 teaspoon of ground allspice, 2 stalks of scallions (chopped), 4 stalks of thyme (de-stemmed), 1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional; leave whole), 1½ teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 2 cups of brown rice, 540 ml can of red kidney beans, and ½ cup + 2 tablespoons of coconut milk.

To make the rice and peas, start by rinsing the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under the tap until the water runs clear; this will remove the surface starch from the rice and keep the rice from sticking to each other. Sauté the onions and garlic with the oil in a medium non-stick pot, with the stove set at medium heat; do this until the onions are translucent (about 1 minute). Add the liquid from the canned beans, water, ginger, allspice, scallions, thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and let the liquid come to a boil.

Remove the scotch bonnet pepper from the pot; you can discard it or use it for something else. Pour the rice, beans, and coconut milk into the pot. Add the salt and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything together, then cover the pot with the lid. For best results, I like to cover the pot first with tin foil, then the lid; this helps to trap in steam to cook the rice more evenly. Let the liquid come to a boil then lower the heat to simmer.

Let the rice simmer for 35-40 minutes or until tender; use a spoon to gently turn the rice at about the half-way mark to prevent burning. Remove the tin foil from the pot at about 6 minutes before the rice is done cooking and let the rice cook for the remainder of the time with only the lid covering the pot. Rice and peas can be served with stews like Jamaican Curry Chicken and Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken. Enjoy!

Related Recipes

• Jamaican Rice and Peas (with dried beans)

• Jamaican Brown Stew Chicken

• Slow Cooker Jamaican Oxtail Stew

• Jamaican Curry Chicken

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4.67 from 33 votes

Jamaican Rice and Peas (with Canned Beans)

Rice and peas is a staple food in Jamaica and much of the Caribbean. This version of rice and peas uses canned beans, which makes it quicker and easier to make than with dried beans.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Main

Cuisine: Caribbean

Keyword: peas, rice, rice and peas

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 372kcal

Author: Mavis K.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1 medium onion (diced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ¾ cup liquid from the canned red kidney beans
• 2¼ cups water
• 1 tsp ginger (minced)
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 stalks scallions (chopped)
• 4 stalks thyme (de-stemmed)
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper (leave whole)
• 1½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 cups brown rice
• 540 ml can red kidney beans
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp coconut milk

Instructions

• Rinse the rice in a fine-mesh strainer under the tap until the water runs clear.
• Heat the oil in a medium non-stick pot with the stove set at medium heat. Pour the onions and garlic in the pot. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent (about 1 minute).
• Add the liquid from the canned beans, water, ginger, allspice, scallions, thyme, and scotch bonnet pepper.
• Cover the pot with a lid and let the liquid come to a boil.
• Remove the scotch bonnet pepper from the pot; you can discard it or use it for something else.
• Pour the rice, beans, and coconut milk into the pot. Add the salt and black pepper. Use a wooden spoon to mix everything together, then cover the pot with the lid. For best results, cover the pot first with tin foil then the lid; this helps to trap in steam to cook the rice more evenly.
• Let the liquid come to a boil. Lower the heat to simmer and let the rice cook for 35-40 minutes or until tender; use a spoon to gently turn the rice at about the half-way mark to prevent burning.
• Remove the tin foil from the pot at about 6 minutes before the rice is done cooking and let the rice cook for the remainder of the time with only the lid covering the pot.

Notes

If you prefer to make Jamaican rice and peas with dried beans, click here for the recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 372kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 279mg | Potassium: 510mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 92IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg

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