What to Serve with Red Beans and Rice

What to serve with red beans and rice is a funny question at our house, because red beans and rice IS the side. Blame Popeyes. There’s no Popeyes anywhere near us, so when we run across one, we pull in. Every time. And we don’t even need the menu board. Red beans and rice and the biscuits. That’s the order. Chicken is optional.

That habit is how our Copycat Popeyes Red Beans & Rice happened, and now it’s one of the most popular recipes on this site. The first time we made it, we literally gasped. It was identical! The liquid smoke and bacon grease are the whole trick. Creamy, smoky, mashed just enough, and on the table in 20 minutes.

So here’s what goes on the plate with it. We started with the Popeyes plate (slaw, biscuits, chicken), then kept going, because the Queen of Copycat is not stopping at three sides. Cornbread, green beans, fried okra, pork chops, smoked sausage, mac and cheese and a whole lineup of cobblers. Pick a couple and call it dinner!

Build the Popeyes Plate at Home

No Popeyes nearby. Same. Make the red beans, then build the rest of the plate yourself.

• Copycat Popeyes Coleslaw – The Popeyes plate isn’t complete without it. Cold, creamy and crunchy next to a hot scoop of red beans, and that contrast is exactly why slaw shows up on every Southern plate.
• Copycat Popeyes Strawberry Biscuits – Biscuits are half the reason we stop at Popeyes. These buttermilk biscuits are loaded with fresh strawberries and finished with a sweet glaze. No butter needed, and nobody asks for it.
• Copycat Ruby Slipper Buttermilk Biscuits – Team plain biscuit, this is your pick. Ruby Slipper is a New Orleans restaurant, which makes it the perfect partner for a New Orleans classic like red beans and rice. Four ingredients, oven or air fryer, and the air fryer batch comes out even fluffier.
• Tyson Southern Style Chicken Tenderloins in the Air Fryer – Not homemade, and we’re not sorry. Frozen tenderloins go straight into the air fryer, so the chicken part of the Popeyes plate takes zero effort while you mash the beans.

Chicken, Pork & Sausage

Turning Red Beans and Rice Into Dinner

Our copycat skips the sausage, so on its own it’s a side. To make it a main dish, brown some smoked sausage and pile it on top or right next to the beans. Or pick a chicken or pork dish below and let the red beans play backup.

• Air Fryer Smoked Sausage – The fastest way to turn red beans and rice into dinner. The sausage browns in the air fryer while the beans cook on the stove, then it goes right on top. This is what we make when we want it as a meal.

• Copycat Mary Mac’s Chicken Fried Chicken – One of our go-to chicken dinners with red beans. Mary Mac’s is the Atlanta tea room famous for Southern cooking, and this crispy chicken earns its spot right next to the beans.

• Texas Roadhouse Herb Crusted Chicken – Another one we’ve served with our red beans. A steakhouse copycat with a savory herb crust, and a nice break from fried when the rest of the plate is cornbread and cobbler.

• Fried Chicken – Bone-in fried chicken with keto-friendly almond flour and Parmesan crust. Fry it in a skillet or use the air fryer, and plan ahead, because it marinates for 4 hours first.

• 3 Ingredient Crock Pot Pork Chops – Pork chops and red beans are a classic Louisiana pairing, and this is the lazy-day version. Three ingredients in the slow cooker, walk away, come back to dinner.

• Air Fryer Bone-In Pork Chops – Bone-in chops without heating up the whole kitchen. The air fryer does the work, and you’re free to stand at the stove babysitting the beans.

• Blackstone Pork Chops – Griddle people, this one’s yours. Pork chops seared on the Blackstone get that crusty edge, and a scoop of red beans on the side makes it a full Southern plate.

• Traeger Smoked Country Style Ribs – Smoky ribs next to smoky red beans just makes sense. This is how a weeknight side turns into a full weekend cookout.

• Old Bay Steamed Shrimp – Not every red beans night needs pork. Steamed shrimp with plenty of Old Bay brings a little Gulf Coast to the table, and it’s about as low-effort as seafood gets.

Cornbread & Biscuits

Something has to mop up the beans. Cornbread is the classic, but we’re not picky. If you only buy one pan for Southern cooking, make it a cast iron skillet. Cornbread with those crispy edges is worth it.

• Smoked Cornbread – Cornbread is the number one side for red beans and rice, and baking it on the Traeger gives it a little smoke to match the beans. Made for dragging through the bean gravy.

• Cornbread Without Eggs – Out of eggs and still want cornbread. Been there. This one skips the eggs completely and still gets a pan of cornbread on the table next to your beans.

• Hawaiian Roll Garlic Bread – Not traditional, totally delicious. Sweet Hawaiian rolls turned into garlic bread are perfect for soaking up every last drop of bean gravy.

• Air Fryer Hush Puppies – Hush puppies without a pot of hot oil. Cornmeal batter chills for 30 minutes, then the air fryer turns it into golden little bites in about 10. Basically cornbread you can pop in your mouth.

Slaw & Greens

Red beans are rich. You want something with crunch, tang or a little bitterness to cut right through it.

• Copycat KFC Coleslaw – If you’re more of a KFC slaw family, we’ve got that too. Creamy with a buttermilk tang, ready in 10 minutes, and it cuts right through the richness of the beans. It’s so nostalgic!

• Air Fryer Cabbage – Fried cabbage is a Southern staple for a reason. This is the air fryer version, so you get the fried cabbage vibe without standing over a skillet.

• Air Fryer Crispy Black Eyed Peas & Greens – Greens and black-eyed peas are about as Southern as it gets. This version is crispy and vegetarian, so the whole family gets a vegetable without a fight.

• Southern Slow Cooker Collard Greens with Bacon – The classic red beans sidekick. Bacon, onion and garlic get a head start in the skillet, then everything goes in the slow cooker with a splash of cider vinegar and a little Old Bay. Set it in the morning and forget it.

Green Beans & Corn

Two vegetables that always show up next to red beans. Green beans bring the savory, corn brings the sweet.

• Smoked Green Beans with Bacon – Green beans with bacon are a red beans regular, and smoking them takes it up a notch. Smoky, salty and way more interesting than a can of beans on the stove.

• Traeger Corn on the Cob – Sweet corn is the easy answer when the beans bring the hot sauce. The Traeger adds a little smoke, and nobody has to babysit a pot of boiling water.

• Texas Roadhouse Green Beans – A steakhouse copycat that’s a natural with red beans. Savory, Southern-style green beans that taste like somebody’s grandma was in charge of the kitchen.

• Southern Creamed Corn – Creamy, sweet and made in one skillet. Comfort food next to comfort food, and the sweetness plays nice with the spice in the beans.

Air Fryer Veggies

Weeknight move: the beans take 20 minutes on the stove, so let the air fryer handle the vegetable at the same time.

• Frozen (& Fresh) Okra in the Air Fryer – Fried okra is a Southern must, minus the pot of oil. Frozen or fresh both work, and you get crunchy bites that stand up to soft, creamy beans.

• Air Fried Green Tomatoes – Tangy, crunchy and a little bit fancy. Fried green tomatoes bring the acid red beans need, and the air fryer means nobody’s scrubbing grease off the stovetop.

• Air Fryer Corn on the Cob in Foil – Corn on the cob with no boiling and no grill. Wrap it in foil, put it in the air fryer and it’s ready while you set the table.

• Corn Ribs in the Air Fryer – Corn on the cob cut into strips that curl up as they cook. Fun to eat, and great for teenagers who think vegetables are optional.

Cheesy Comfort Sides

Carbs on carbs. We regret nothing.

• Copycat Mary Mac’s Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese – Mac and cheese next to red beans and rice is a full-on carb party, and we’re here for it. Baked, cheesy and straight out of a Southern tea room.

• Copycat Cheddar’s Broccoli Cheese Casserole – Yes, there’s rice in it too. No, we don’t care. Broccoli, Velveeta and a buttery Ritz cracker topping, and it sneaks something green onto the plate.

Southern Desserts

Peach cobbler is how a Southern dinner ends. Four cobblers and one bread pudding, because New Orleans.

• Mom’s Magic Peach Cobbler – Mom’s recipe, and the most popular cobbler on the site. The magic is the water on top with the sugar. Trust it.

• Smoked Peach Cobbler – Already fired up the Traeger for ribs. Slide a peach cobbler on after and dessert gets a little smoke too.

• Air Fryer Peach Cobbler – Cobbler on a weeknight without turning on the oven. That’s the dream, and the air fryer makes it happen.

• Strawberry Peach Cobbler – Peaches and strawberries together under one bubbly topping. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and watch it disappear.

• Peach & Donut Bread Pudding – Bread pudding is a New Orleans dessert, and this one is made with donuts. Enough said.

That’s the whole spread! Pick a main, a green, something to mop up the beans and a cobbler, and you’ve got a Southern dinner without hunting down a Popeyes.