Jamaican Rice And Peas Recipe

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The most authentic Jamaican rice and peas recipe. Rice, red kidney beans (peas), homemade coconut milk, and seasoned to perfection. Quick and easy rice and peas use canned coconut milk and kidney peas!

The heart of Jamaican Sunday dinner

On Sundays, there is a 99.99% chance that most Jamaicans cook rice and pea for dinner. I am still determining how it came about, but rice and peas for Sunday is just a Jamaican thing. But rice and peas isn’t eaten only on Sundays. It is also the most common side of a Jamaican lunch meal. Rice and peas is so popular many will think it’s Jamaica’s national dish, but it isn’t.

In the days of old (and still to this day for some), a typical Sunday in Jamaica involved hand-grating coconut, cooking dry kidney beans that were soaked overnight and going down to the local farmer to purchase the chicken that would become the main dish.

As precooked canned kidney beans and ready-made coconut milk become available, the cooking time for rice and peas has lessened for a quick and easy recipe-but I can’t say it stayed true to the authentic rice and peas taste.

Below you’ll find the quick and easy way and the traditional method of cooking rice and peas.

Why do Jamaicans call beans peas

It can be confusing to none Jamaicans when they learn that rice and peas is rice with red kidney beans, not peas. I have gotten a mob of internet scholars who insist on correcting all of Jamaica via me.

Jamaicans don’t call all beans peas, only red kidney beans. The reason for this and its origin is unknown, but Jamaicans continue to call red kidney beans peas and will for many generations to come.

The plus side is you can differentiate between an authentic Jamaican rice and peas recipe and one that isn’t. If you ever see the phrase “Jamaican rice and beans”, know that there is nothing Jamaican about that dish.

What kind of rice is used for rice and peas

Traditionally, Jamaicans use long-grain rice for their rice and peas recipe. Even though other types of rice are readily available, long-grain rice continues to be the most popular rice for rice and peas. If you know how to cook rice, you can use other types than long-grain rice. Every rice type takes a different amount of water and time to cook, so you must adjust the coconut milk and water accordingly. The recipe below shows you how to cook Jamaican rice and peas with long-grain and basmati rice.

Rice and peas ingredients

• Red kidney beans (peas): I used dry kidney beans to give you a deeper understanding of traditional Jamaica. However, you can use canned beans, and in the recipe card below, I have made adjustments for cooking with canned beans.
• Coconut milk: The Jamaican country girl in me won’t allow me to use anything but homemade coconut milk when cooking rice and peas. The taste of homemade coconut milk and canned ones is incomparable, so I only use homemade coconut milk. But see the recipe card below for cooking with canned coconut milk.
• Rice: As mentioned above, Jamaicans mainly use long-grain rice for their rice and peas. The recipe below shows you how to use either long-grain or basmati rice.
• Scotch Bonnet Pepper: Add a whole scotch bonnet pepper to the pot without cutting or bursting it.
• Essentials: Rice and peas isn’t rice and peas without scallion, pimento (allspice), garlic, ginger and thyme.
• Salt: To taste.

Homemade coconut milk and dry kidney beans will take longer to cook, but they will give you that authentic Jamaican rice and peas flavour. See recipe card below for measurements.

How to cook Jamaican rice and peas

1. Prep the beans: If you are using canned beans, go to step three. Wash the dry beans to remove dirt and leave to soak in clear water for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
2. Pressure cook : I suggest pressure cooking the dry beans because it reduces the time it takes to cook the beans. Add the pimento berries, ginger, garlic, salt and beans to the pressure cooker and pressure for 15 to 20 minutes to soften the beans. If you don’t have a pressure cooker but still wish to use dry beans, it will take 45 to 50 minutes before the beans cook.

3. Add flavour: Add the scallion, onion, thyme, scotch bonnet pepper, and coconut milk to the pot with the cooked beans. If you are using canned beans, remember to also as the pimento berries (allspice), ginger, garlic and salt..
4. The Rice: Wash the rice to get rid of the starch. Add it to the pot, cover and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let it steam until all the water evaporates.

Using canned coconut milk and beans

Using canned coconut milk and canned beans to make rice and peas will reduce the cooking time. You won’t need to soak and precook the beans or make your own coconut milk, which can be tedious for many.

All you need to do when using canned beans and coconut milk is add the ingredients to the pot all at once and leave it to cook on low heat. But be mindful of the amount of canned coconut milk you add to the rice, especially if creamy can. Adding too much coconut cream to the rice will make it soggy.

When you use canned coconut milk and kidney beans to make rice and peas, the rice won’t have the vibrant red colour you get with using dry beans. The flavour is different too. Homemade coconut milk makes everything taste better, including rice and peas.

If you wish to use canned beans and coconut milk, I have shared the recipe for making the perfect rice and peas with canned coconut milk and beans below in the recipe card.

Jamaican rice and peas recipe without coconut milk

Yes, you can cook Jamaican rice and peas without coconut milk. Back when coconut cream and canned coconut milk weren’t common, Jamaicans would use butter instead of coconut milk to cook rice and peas if coconuts weren’t available.

What to serve with rice and peas

Nearly all popular Jamaican main dishes go with rice and peas. Most people like eating brown stew chicken, curry goat or oxtail stew with rice and peas. You can also serve rice and peas with brown stew fish, pepper steak or escovitch fish.

Lesa

Jamaican rice and peas recipe

4.26 from 141 votes Make your next Sunday dinner a treat with this Jamaican rice and peas recipe. Print Recipe Pin Recipe Prep Time 5 minutes minsCook Time 45 minutes mins Servings: 3 ServingsCourse: Side DishCuisine: JamaicanCalories: 264 Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients MetricUS Customary 1x2x3x?

• 100 g Dry red kidney beans (peas)
• 231 ml Homemade coconut milk
• 263 g Long grain rice 317g (1½) Basmati rice
• ½ Red onion Chopped
• 2 Garlic cloves Crushed
• 1 Stalk scallions Chopped
• 4 Sprig of thyme
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper
• Ginger very small piece
• 5 Pimento barries (allspice)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1.12 l Water

Using Canned Beans & Coconut Milk

• 1 Canned kidney beans
• ½ Canned coconut milk
• 319 ml Water

Method

1. Wash the dry kidney beans. In freshwater, leave to soak for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
2. In a pressure cooker, add the soaked beans, garlic, pimento berries (allspice), ginger and salt with about 4 ½ to 5 cups of water to pressure cook for 20 minutes. If you don't have a pressure cooker and still wish to use dry kidney beans, cook for 45-50 minutes.
3. Once the beans are cooked, add the coconut milk, thyme, scallion, onion, and a whole scotch bonnet pepper. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil. At this point, taste to see if it seasoned to your liken.
4. Wash and add the rice. Return the lid to the pot and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let the rice steam until all the water evaporates. Turn the feat off and let the rice sit for another 3 minutes.
5. Remove the thyme stems, scotch bonnet pepper and ginger. Serve!

Cooking With Canned Beans & Coconut Milk

1. Wash and drain the kidney beans.
2. Pour the beans into a pot with 1 cup of water, half-canned coconut milk, garlic, pimento berries (allspice), ginger, thyme, scallion, onion, scotch bonnet pepper and salt. At medium heat, cover and bring to a boil.
3. Wash and add the rice. Return the lid to the pot and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let the rice steam until all the water evaporates. Turn the feat off and let the rice sit for another 3 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 350gCalories: 264kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 1183mgPotassium: 129mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 74IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 39mgIron: 1mg

Notes

• If you use the water from the canned kidney beans, the finished rice will have the rice vibrate colour. I have never used water from the canned beans, so I can’t say if it is a good idea or not.
• I use pink himalayan salt.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Rice Recipes:

• Pumpkin Rice

• Coconut Rice

Kidney Peas Recipes:

• Stew Peas Without Meat

• Vegan Red Pea Soup

More Recipes Using Coconut Milk

• Curry Chick peas

• Cornmeal porridge with coconut milk

• Jamaican run down (rundung)

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