Copycat Popeye’s Red Beans & Rice
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Popeye’s Red Beans & Rice is one of my favorite take-out side dishes and making at home is SO SIMPLE!!! This Copycat Popeye’s recipe has creamy red beans with a slightly smoky flavor topped with fluffy white rice – the perfect side!
I don’t have a Popeye’s anywhere near me and I was missing their Red Beans and Rice – it was my favorite side so I decided to just make it for myself and I was shocked with how easy – I can’t wait to share my SECRET ingredient with you!
(Don’t miss my recipe for their Popeye’s Strawberry Biscuits!)
Does Popeye’s Red Beans and Rice have meat in it?
Well that’s where the secret ingredient comes in! It doesn’t have meat – but it does have – wait for it – bacon grease! Bhahahahaha! I have a jar on my counter for the bacon grease after I make air fryer bacon – so it was just right there waiting to be used! It adds so much flavor!!!
Does Popeye’s Red Beans use Kidney Beans?
Nope!!! Red beans and Rice is made with RED BEANS! Red beans are smaller, more of an oblong shape and are pinkish red. They’re not as hard and are smoother. They’re super cheap too – this recipe uses two cans of them.
How to make Red Beans and Rice Like Popeye’s?
It’s so easy! First – start your rice! You can use any white rice – I used Uncle Ben’s Converted White Rice – it takes a while to cook – but it ends up being the same amount of time you need for the beans!
Next up – the easiest part! Dump two cans of red beans in a sauce pan and start heating them up. As they’re heating – grab your potato masher and start mashing. You don’t want to mash them all! You still need some bean pieces.
Then you’ll add the rest of your ingredients – including the bacon fat – and thicken it up. As you cook it – uncovered – it’ll reduce and thicken up.
Once it’s thick – your rice should be done and you’re ready to serve! the bacon fat and liquid smoke are definitely the keys to success here – so don’t skip either ingredient!
This recipe is one I’m going to be making all the time!!! I couldn’t believe how easy it was and delicious. I had the leftovers for lunch a couple of days! This makes four servings – and it reheats perfectly in the microwave. It’s so good!
What to serve with Red Beans & Rice?
Really – you just need some meat – right?! Here are some of my favorites:
- These Garlic Brown Sugar Pork Chops are a perfect complement to the red beans & rice.
- Check out my tips on making the PERFECT medium rare steak with Texas Roadhouse Steak Seasoning
- Since RBR is a southern dish – you could make Mary Mac’s Chicken Fried Chicken to go with it – so good and there’s gravy!
- Grilled Pork Chops are delicious with red beans & rice!
Other Copycat Side Dish Recipes
- Popeye’s Strawberry Biscuits
- Chipotle Black Beans
- Texas Roadhouse Honey Butter
- PF Chang’s Fried Rice
- Ruby Slipper Buttermilk Biscuits
- More Copycat Recipes
Copycat Popeye’s Red Beans and Rice
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 16-oz cans red beans
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp hot sauce
- 1/4 tsp liquid smoke
- 3 tbsp bacon fat
- 2 cups cooked white rice drained
Instructions
- Start the rice. I’m using Uncle Bens Converted White Rice. Boil 1.5 cups water, 1/2 cup rice, 1 Tbsp butter. Once boiling, turn heat to low for 20 minutes.
- Pour 2 cans of beans (juice and all) into a large saucepan. Add water, onion powder, garlic powder, hot sauce, salt, liquid smoke and bacon fat.
- Use a potato masher partially mash the beans and ingredients together. Don’t mash them all – you still want some chunks of bean.
- Cook slowly over medium heat until thick and water is evaporated – about 15 minutes. Stir frequently so beans don’t stick.
- When rice is done, remove from heat and let sit for five minutes to fluff up and absorb remaining water.
- Once the beans and rice are done cooking, remove them both from the heat.
- To stay authentic to Popeyes, serve the rice over the bean mixture
Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.
Not bad but, I questioned using a whole tsp of salt thinking that was a lot. It was too much for my taste. I’ll try again with 1/2 tsp salt and a little more hot sauce and liquid smoke. Maybe try smoked Tabasco and get more of both with one ingredient.
Tasty!
Hi, We don’t eat bacon to get the bacon fat so do you think vegetable stock would be a good substitute?
No – I would use oil as a substitute and maybe add a dash of liquid smoke (a very little – it’s potent)
You can use the jamon seasoning from the Goya section if you don’t eat meat. It’s smoky and bacon tasting!
How much jam on season would you think?
If you are not vegetarian/vegan, use lard if you can get it. It also makes the flakiest pie crust…
I’m thinking of tryin that smokes seasame oil I e tried this there ain’t enough liquid smoke in the world to get the same taste as pops and I make red beans all the time but I’m thinking it might be a game changer cause it’s smoky.
I’ve been a chef for years and I will tell you that for a flavoring you can use veg stock, but to mock the bacon fat, I would suggest a little Crisco, liquid smoke, and a little more salt. That’s about as close to a meat fat as you can get! Good luck 👍
Thank you so much. Lovin your name!!! Cooked these up with a side of carmelized sausage links…so yummy. Thank ya
This is pretty close! Close enough my 8 year old son, who loves Popeyes’ beans, couldn’t tell the difference.
My husband has been a Popeye’s Beans & Rice fanantic for years! I made this WFPBNO so I could eat it, too. (I just omitted the oil & butter, and used aquafaba in place of water.) He loved it & said it was spot on Popeye’s recipe! When I told him how I altered the recipe, he didn’t believe me. LOL! Thank you for sharing! It will become a weekly menu item for us…SO delicious!
Well – I had to look up WFPBNO but that’s awesome – glad you liked it!!!
Use the dry beans and quick boil ten minutes then soak or simmer low a few hours if you want them creamy like Popeye’s. The canned beans stay too hard. (this tip from a friend who kept me from going out to get beans and coming home with chicken too )
Question….your ingredients call for 2 cups of white rice, but your instructions state boil 1/2 cup of white rice?
the recipe needs 2 cups of COOKED rice – i used 1/2 cup uncooked rice to make 2 cups cooked – make sense?
Wow tried this recipe and it works, I substituted the Garlic Salt for Garlic Power and omit the salt. That liquor smoke did the trick. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You
That’s awesome – i’m glad you liked it!!!!
Hey – I just updated my recipe card – I’d love if you could come back and rate this recipe! Thanks!
Great
Delicious! Tastes very close to Popeyes. I hadn’t had Popeyes food in 25 years then I saw them while on vaca and the B/R was the only thing that was pretty good. Thank you for helping me recreate!
thank you!!!! i love it!
What kind of hot sauce do you use? I’m a stickler for following recipes to the letter haha!
usually frank’s red hot but for hot sauce – whatever you have i’m sure is fine!
I made this 2 weeks ago and it was very good. Making again tonight with hot wings! Yum
woohoo! glad you like it!
Popeyes the is my favorite. That’s all I order is a lg one. And I’m so excited to try it at home I could eat it everyday. But there’s not one around where we live I have to travel over an hour just to get my popeyes so thank u
It had a good flavor but it was very salty. We pared it with some cornbread.
I don’t have liquid smoke because I don’t care for it. Could I sub smoked paprika instead? It has a real smoky flavor. And I would add some Smoked Sausage too.
Yes- it just a couple of drops – so you could leave it out altogether – or add a dash of the paprika but i wouldn’t add too much!
I love Red Beans and rice but make mine in an Instant Pot. But with this recipe, it work great. The flavor is so full body. The rice is made the old fashion way on the stove because I find that it either does not get soft or it turns to mush.
can you share your insta pot recipe please?
super great!!!
You can also order Zatarain’s red beans and rice or the red bean seasoning mix. Tastes just like Popeye’s red beans!
but with Zatarains – the red beans and rice are together – popeyes serves separate which i like too
hi-making this now. using one can of beans and keeping the other spices as is cut bacon grease in half.
yumm-ooo!!!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve used it four or five times since I found it a few months ago and it’s spot on; you really captured the Popeye’s flavor and it’s so simple. I have to stop myself from trying to make it every time I cook red beans now. Many thanks!
I love this!
My family loved it! Thank you so much!!
This is probably the best version so far. In my case, I changed the bacon fat with Hormel’s Crumbled Bacon (Same proportions). The bacon adds a “meaty” feeling that evolves the plate.
Awesome – these were delish – even better than Popeyes as I added a few Jalapenos. Thanks so much for the recipe and the touch of bacon fat
Jin
As a care giver to an elderly person who is on a strict diet, I am having a fit translating 428kcal to American calories. Do not even want to attempt carbs minus fiber to get my net carbs for this dish. Sounded like a nice treat for a special occasion for her but not so much. Enjoy it though if you make it !
You don’t need to convert them – i put the nutrition info in – it’s american calories – and yeah – rice & beans is going to be carb heavy – it’s all carbs!
My family and I loved this. Even 6 year old approved. She asked for more!!
Your ingredients list says garlic powder, but the instructions say garlic salt. Should it be powder or salt ? I’m really looking forward to making this recipe so I want to make sure Inuse the correct ingredients. Thanks.
it should be garlic powder – i’ll fix that now
anyone ever use this in Insta Pot? How’d it come out? I really want to try the recipe!
I really don’t think you need an instant pot for this – I just made it on the stove top – boil the rice – make the beans and you’re done! I don’t own an IP – so I can’t help you there. 🙂
Tried this tonight… was really good. I cooked it longer than it suggested.
That’s awesome! Glad you liked it!
I Replace the salt with Louisiana brand Cajun Seasoning, much better
Can I use red kidney beans?
You can but the taste will be different. Unlike red beans, which are soft and creamy, kidney beans have a firm, meaty texture and harder skin.
Not only was this recipe super easy but it literally taste just like the Popeye’s version. I did 2 things different. I put smoked sausage in mine. I cooked the smoked sausage in the bacon grease then added it all to the beans and I didn’t have garlic powder so I used chopped garlic. I didn’t add any salt or pepper as it didn’t need any. I will definitely make this again! My family loved it!
Just like you, Popeye’s Red Bean & Rice is a must to always order.
And I thought that nothing could come close. Your recipe is very, very close to it and I will keep on making it and playing with it to figure out that one little ingredient that might be missing.
I have an idea that time might be what’s missing. At Popeye’s remember the beans are sitting in a steamtable in a steel insert for sometimes hours at a time and the flavor blend and the sauce thickens. I also added a bit of ground cumin for a bit more earthy flavor.
We use red beans in the bag here in Louisiana.
You can let them soak overnight, which will cut down on your flatulence 🤣.
Also, we use a smoked ham hock.
Once the beans have cooked at least 2-3 hours, I take a potato masher & smash some of the beans in order to make a gravy.
This will help thicken up the juice.
As far as the rice, I use Jasmine Rice in a rice cooker.
Best invention EVER!
I can’t find red beans, there is only red kidney beans here, in Honolulu. Any suggestions?
Yes – you can swap with kidney beans they’re larger and a little firmer but will be very similar.
Sounds good going to try
Can you use pinto beans ?
You can but it will taste quite different. Kidney beans are probably the closest to red beans.
I had all the ingredients and made this last week just for me. Delicious. Will definitely make again.
I love Popeye’s red beans & rice, so I tried this. Followed the instructions exactly, but the mixture took MUCH longer to reduce and we thought it was fairly bland. We’ll try a little more hot sauce with the leftovers.
This recipe is fantastic and I’ve made it multiple times. I will say-I’ll be writing out the recipe or printing it so I don’t ever have to come to the page again as the ads are obnoxious 😕
Glad you like the recipe – you can go to the print version of the recipe in the future.
Can you you pinto beans if you don’t have red beans on hand?
yes – pinto or black beans are most similar to red beans
Made this at the request of my husband and he said it blew his mind and tasted just like Popeyes. Thanks for the great recipe!!
aw love this!!!! woohoo!
red beans tonight! thank you! jclark
Popeyes red beans and rice has smoke flavoring added, It comes in a powdered form. Popeyes gets it from diversified food distributors in New Orleans la.
This recipe is pretty good. I used just a drop of liquid smoke so it wouldn’t be as strong as Popeye’s. I also added sauteed onions in butter and bacon fat. Delicious. I’ll make this again!
oh i’m so glad you liked it!!!
Great tasting recipe, added slices of smoked andouille sausage also
Absolutely fabulous…. But just like Popeyes could use more beans… but that’s me..
Will make again and again !
that’s awesome! Thanks!
can you make Popeyes copycat Red beans and rice in a crockpot I can’t find one please help me
i would follow same method but put beans on high for an hour maybe so they heat up and get “mashable” then add the rest and cook on low for 2-3 hours – you have to cook rice separately. but when stovetop takes same time as rice – not sure its worth it to do in crockpot unless you’re doing a double batch?
Love how simple and delicious this copycat red beans recipe looks.