The Haitians definitely know how to make rice and beans absolutely SPECTACULAR! This Easy Haitian Rice and Beans recipe is a beloved staple of Haitian Creole cuisine. Budget friendly, nutritious, and packed with protein and fiber, this gorgeous Caribbean rice dish is ready in just 45 minutes using simple pantry staples. Completely customizable from mildly spicy to fiery hot, pair it with Haitian Chicken and fried plantains for the ultimate Caribbean feast!
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The Haitians definitely know how to make a simple and humble dish of rice and beans SPECTACULAR!
Haitian cuisine is a Creole cuisine and has a signature BOLD and SPICY flavor! You will experience these flavors in this yummy rice dish!
Why Make This Rice and Beans Recipe?
You will want to make this fantastic Haitian Rice and Beans recipe because:
- Quite simply it is DELICIOUS!
- This staple of Haitian cuisine is super easy to make!
- This recipe uses canned beans which means no soaking and cooking time needed for dry beans. You can have this on your table in about 45 minutes (including resting time)!
- It's nutritious! Rice and beans are a staple food around the world and the beans provide protein and fiber, and can be a meal in itself.
- This dish is very inexpensive to make and totally budget friendly!
- You can enjoy one of the great dishes of Haiti!
- It is the perfect accompaniment to meats such as chicken, especially Haitian Chicken!
So, let me tell you what ingredients you will need for this dish!
Ingredients Needed For Haitian Rice and Beans
Here's what you will need to make this superb rice dish:
- White Rice (long grained works perfectly!)
- Black beans (canned) - you could also use canned pinto beans or red kidney beans
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh thyme
- Scotch bonnet peppers (can sub habanero peppers)
- Chicken bouillon cubes (please use Maggi just as the Haitians do!)
- Whole cloves and whole allspice
- Coconut milk and water
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Please note: You may sub 1 cup of chicken broth for the water and chicken bouillon cube if preferred.
You may have most of these items on hand already! 😃
Now allow me to show you how EASY this traditional Haitian dish is to make!
SUPER EASY INSTRUCTIONS
Honestly this couldn't be easier to make!
Start by placing a large saucepan or large pot on a medium heat to medium high heat and heat up some olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add minced onion and garlic and sauté for around 2 minutes.
Then add the remaining ingredients; rice, coconut milk, water, chicken bouillon cube, whole can of beans (do not drain), Scotch bonnets, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, and cloves. Bring this to the boil, and then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for around 25 minutes. You will want to simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed.
Please note: You can leave the Scotch bonnet(s) whole while cooking and remove at the end (for less heat) OR you can slice them up and cook them sliced for more heat! Vary the numbers of Scotch bonnets and/or method you use to deliver just the amount of heat that you like.
Remove from the heat and allow to rest (covered) for 10 minutes. Then taste and adjust for seasonings (salt and pepper) as necessary. Remove the thyme sprigs if desired. That's it!
What To Serve With Haitian Rice and Beans
The PERFECT accompaniment to this dish is Poul Nan Sos (Chicken in Sauce), otherwise known as Haitian Chicken!
This pairing is a total match made in Heaven!
Make a complete meal by including some fried green plantains.
I do hope you will enjoy these rice and beans accompanied by some Poul Nan Sos and fried plantains soon!
If you make this dish, please comment below with a star rating to let others know how great this recipe is!
FAQ
To make this dish vegan/vegetarian, you can omit the chicken bouillon cube.
You can absolutely use dry beans for this dish! Try dry kidney beans, pinto beans, or black beans. Prepare them according to the package directions and hold onto the bean water which you can substitute for plain water!
Some Other Haitian Recipes You May Enjoy!
Here are some other recipes you may enjoy:
- Delicious And Easy Haitian Spaghetti Recipe
- How To Make Delish Haitian Epis!
- How To Make INCREDIBLY Delicious Haitian Chicken!
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Jwi manje ou! (Enjoy your food in Haitian Creole)
Grace
Easy Haitian Rice and Beans Recipe
Equipment
- 1 large pot or saucepan with a cover
Ingredients
- 1 cup white rice long grain works just great for this
- 15 oz black beans canned (don't drain)
- ½ onion minced or diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 Scotch bonnet peppers can vary the amount according to the level of heat that you like; sub habaneros if you like
- 1 chicken bouillon cube Haitians like to use Maggi as do I! (can sub 1 cup of chicken broth for the bouillon cube and water if you prefer)
- 2 each whole cloves
- 2 each whole allspice
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ ts salt plus additional added to taste
- ¼ ts pepper plus additional added to taste
Instructions
- Place your pot on a medium heat to medium high heat and heat the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the minced onion and garlic and sauté for around 2 minutes.
- Then add rice, coconut milk, water, chicken bouillon cube, whole can of beans (do not drain), Scotch bonnets, salt, pepper, thyme, allspice, and cloves. Bring this to the boil, and then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for around 25 minutes. You will want to simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from the heat and allow to rest (covered) for 10 minutes. Then taste and adjust for seasonings (salt and pepper) as necessary. Remove the thyme sprigs if desired.
Trenda
I discovered this recipe about a month ago and I've made it every week since! Is perfectly laid out down to the timing---which is a huge deal for me, especially when rice is involved.
These flavors are wonderful! I'm vegan/vegetarian so I omit the chicken bouillon. Also, to avoid bloating (may not be an issue for some lol) I use onion powder instead of fresh onions since I eat them in so many other dishes throughout the day and week.
I also had to improvise with a habanero since my grocer has been out of the scotch bonnet peppers.
This dish will be a cornerstone for the vegan/vegetarian (omitting chicken bouillon, of course) and goes well with everything I've paired it with, but mainly, I eat it with fresh tomatoes and fruit. My family eats meat and they loved it as a side to their roasted chicken. I had none leftover for the week for myself! I'm glad I actually took a picture before they dug in!
Grace
Hi Trenda! Thank you so very very much for your comments both on Pinterest and here! I'm so grateful and overjoyed that you and your family love the rice and I love that you've made this vegan/vegetarian friendly! I'll put your recommendations into my post for others to see...you have inspired me thank you again! I wish you and your family a lovely week ahead! Grace