Jamaican Rice and Peas is a staple dish that serves as a perfect side to oxtails or any other meat dish.
Rice and peas is a such a classic Jamaican dish. It’s never served by itself, but I felt it was important to devote an entire recipe to it because it is so easy to mess up. Well not any more! I’ll show you how to make delicious rice and peas every time.
OK, first the obvious question: why is this dish called rice and peas? Well, in Jamaica and many Caribbean countries, we refer to “beans” as “peas” (so it is NEVER correct to say rice and beans, at least not when you are talking about a Jamaican dish!).
Jamaican rice and peas is unique because its so flavorful. There are a few key ingredients to achieving this flavor:
Kidney beans. There is only one kind of bean (i.e. “peas”) that is ever used to make rice and peas and that’s kidney beans. If you use anything else, you aren’t making rice and peas. Traditionally, we use dried kidney beans that have been soaked over night, but canned kidney beans also work well when you are in a rush. Because quarantine is still in full effect, I used the canned beans I had in my pantry.
UPDATE:* If you use canned beans, DO NOT drain the beans. Use all of the liquid from the beans when cooking the rice. This will give the rice and peas the authentic color. My mom thinks this is a very important step (and I had to remake this recipe to please her lol) so make sure not the skip this step or Jamaican moms everywhere will be upset.
Basmati rice. The #1 reason most people don’t succeed at making Jamaican rice and peas is because they use the wrong rice. Parboiled, long grain, short grain, whatever other kind of rice you have just will not work well with this recipe. That’s because most other kinds of rice will soak up too much of the coconut cream and water, producing a wet, sloppy mess. Just trust me on this and stick to Basmati rice, as this thin, long grained rice will create a lovely flaky rice and peas. Brown or white Basmati rice is fine, I just personally like the added texture of brown rice. If you absolutely have to, good quality long grain rice will also do.
Coconut cream. Coconut cream gives the rice and peas a delicious flavor, while also keeping the rice moist. If you don’t have coconut cream, refrigerate a can of coconut milk until the milk turns solid. Boiling the coconut milk/cream uncovered before adding the rice will give a “custard” that will create a moist and shelly rice.
Thyme, scallion (green onion), and scotch bonnet peppers. These are the “cherry on top” of the perfect batch of Jamaican rice and peas. Add these to the pot and let everything cook together for a delicious flavor. For an extra kick, you can also drop in some all spice.
The recipe…
Once you have all the ingredients, making this dish is a simple process:
If you are using dried beans, soak them in water overnight. If you are using canned beans, drain, rinse and pat dry with a towel to remove excess moisture.
Rinse the rice. Add water, coconut cream, scallion, thyme, whole scotch bonnet pepper, and all spice (option) into pot and bring to a boil.
Once water has come to a boil, add rice, kidney beans, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered according to package directions for your rice. Normally, the rice will take about 40 minutes to cook, but will be shorter if you are using quick cook rice.
Once rice is completely cooked, remove from stove and stir in some coconut oil. This last step is completely optional, but is my trick to getting extra flavorful rice. Finish by fluffing rice with a fork. Serve with your favorite meat or vegetables.
Share this recipe…
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know by rating it and leaving a comment below. I would love to hear from you. And don’t forget to tag #sweetandsorrel on Instagram!
Jamaican Rice and Peas
Ingredients
- 2 cups Basmati rice, rinsed (white or brown)
- 1 cup dried red kidney beans + enough water to cover and soak (or a 15.5 can of kidney beans WITH liquid)
- 1/2 cup coconut cream
- 3 stalks scallion (green onion)
- 4 sprigs thyme (fresh or dried)
- 1 whole scotch bonnet pepper
- 2 balls all-spice (pimento) (optional)
- 4 cups water (use about 1/3 a cup less if using canned beans + liquid)
- 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
- coarse salt
Instructions
- If you are using dried beans, soak them in water overnight. When you are ready to cook the rice and peas, drain the kidney beans, then move on to step 2.If you are using canned beans, go directly to step 3.
- Dried beans: Add soaked beans, 4 cups of fresh water, coconut cream, scallion, thyme, whole scotch bonnet pepper, and all spice (pimento) (optional) and bring to a boil. Cook for about an hour, or until beans are tender. Next, add rinsed rice and salt to the pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook until all the water evaporates and rice is tender, about 40 minutes (or according to directions for your rice).
- Canned beans: Add 3 1/2 cups of water, kidney beans and liquid, coconut cream, scallion, thyme, whole scotch bonnet pepper, and all spice (pimento) (optional), rinsed rice and salt. Bring pot to a boil uncovered to allow the coconut milk to thicken and create a "custard." Reduce to a simmer and cook until all the water evaporates and rice is tender. NOTE: It took about 40 minutes for my rice to cook completely, but the time will vary based on the kind of rice you are using. Make sure to check the cooking time for your rice and adjust accordingly.
- Remove rice from stove and stir in coconut oil for additional moisture and flavor. Fluff with fork before serving. Serve with meat or vegetables.
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21 Comments
This is brilliant, healthy and super simple!!
<3 <3!
Made this recipe last week and it turned out amazing! Super easy and actually cooked very quickly. (Great for me since I often struggle getting rice right.) I would advise folks that the spice gets pretty hot with the scotch bonnet pepper. (I like spicy!)
Thanks Dani—Loved this and will definitely make it again!
Awesome, glad to hear it! Depending on your rice, this recipe can be finished in under the instructed 40 minutes.
I don’t understand how basmati rice takes 40 minutes to cook?
Hello Gregory,
Cooking times will vary based on the brand of rice you use. There are lots of quick cook Basmati rices available. However the type I used required 40 minutes. Be sure to follow the cooking directions for your rice!
When simnering do we put lid on
Hello Aaaron,
Yes, put the lid on when simmering. Thanks for checking!
Listrn mi was taught by my mother using regular coconut and cutup in a blrnder and water and puree it thrn it done tske out and put in a cloth snd squeeze out the juice the scotch bonnet it too spicy for mi and regular long grain white rice and sprig of fresh thyme and salt and pepper formula rice not brown enough
Made this today and it was delicious, I omitted the scotch bonnet only because the brown stew chicken that I made to go with it was already full of heat with a scotch bonnet. Thank you
So glad you enjoyed this recipe Karen!
I was out of coconut milk so I looked up a recipe using an alternative. I really wanted this to work but the coconut cream made the rice too sweet and the portion size was too big for a family of 3.
Hi Carla, thanks for your comments. It is very common to use coconut cream to make rice and peas because it gives a great texture and flavor. Next time I recommend using less cream. And yes, this is a very big portion! You can always refrigerate leftovers for later. Thanks for trying this recipe!
This recipe is so easy yet so tasty. I just finished cooking a potful. Thanks!
Awesome! So glad to hear it Grace.
Hello from a real jamaican, update your update about the kind of rice used because we actually do use other types of rice(if you can’t, just say that) and it works quite fine. we also go for real coconuts and peas(not the canned stuff)
Hi Jade, thanks for visiting! We certainly do use lots of different types of rice, I just shared the one that is most common. And yes, we definitely use real grated coconut for the authentic taste but premade coconut cream is also very common.
Sorry to say (and certainly not trying to be mean) but, this recipe was not a hit. Made it Thanksgiving eve to save time and it was so bland and overly sweet at the same time. Not enough spices/seasoning and too much coconut cream. The taste testers in my household were not happy. Thank Goodness I had extra ingredients and was able to remake rice & peas the proper Yardie way the next morning. Whew…..
Hi Mei, I’m so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t turn out well for you. It can be difficult to translate the recipe to exact measurements, so next time try adjusting the seasonings and cream to fit your taste! I do hope you try the recipe again with more success.