Seasoned with garlic, ginger, and thyme, Jamaican Rice and Peas is a uniquely irresistible rice dish made with coconut milk, allspice berries, and kidney beans. Popular in the Caribbean islands, particularly Jamaica, this Rice and Peas Recipes is often served with chicken or fresh fish.
Rice and Peas
Officially my favorite rice dish ever, Rice and Peas is actually made with rice and BEANS! Simmered in coconut milk and a handful of delicate aromatics, this Jamaican favorite turns boring, bland rice into the star of the entire meal.
This version, made with canned kidney beans, is ready in just 30 minutes and tastes awesome with chicken, steak, shrimp, and all your favorite Caribbean classics.
Why is it called Rice and Peas?
Before I dive into why it is called Rice and Peas (rather than Rice and Beans), let’s first chat really quick about the history of this dish.
A traditional dish originating in Ghana and along the Ivory Coast in West Africa, Rice and Peas was adopted from the Akan tribe. Known as Waakye, this traditional form of “Rice and Peas” is still popular in Ghana today (though the cooking method and ingredients differ greatly).
Rice, a staple food group in West African culture, was brought to Jamaica with the slave trade where they continued to cook familiar foods as a way to cope and adjust.
Rice and Peas, still to this day, is traditionally served on Sundays. This Sunday tradition, dating back to the time of slavery in the 18th century, is not a coincidence as Sundays were the only days slaves were allowed to rest. As such, they prepared their favorite dishes – Rice and Peas high on the list.
So why then is it called “Rice and Peas?”
Visit Jamaica or several other Caribbean islands and you will find that they refer to beans as ‘peas’. As such, it makes sense that they refer to this as “Rice and Peas” rather than “Rice and Beans”.
Traditional Jamaican Rice and Peas
If you’re familiar with rice and peas, then you’ll probably notice that this version of Jamaican Rice and Peas is not 100 percent authentic. The differences aren’t anything out of this world, but out of respect to its roots here’s where I changed things up a bit.
- I used canned beans rather than dry kidney or pigeon peas. This is purely a time thing (and lack of forethought).
- I didn’t add any scallions. Traditionally, Rice and Peas will be flavored with scallions. I love scallions, but I used all the had to make a homemade Jerk Chicken Marinade, so instead, I added a whole diced yellow onion.
- I chopped my Scotch bonnet pepper rather than leave it whole. Leaving it whole adds a somewhat fruity flavor, whereas chopping makes things spicy. I love a little spice, and one pepper was the perfect balance to the creamy rice.
- Similar to the peppers, I added fresh chopped thyme rather than an entire sprig.
- Finally, since I did add canned kidney beans, I added them at the end of cooking to prevent them from turning mushy or soggy.
Ingredients in Jamaican Rice and Peas
- Onion – Used primarily for flavor, traditional recipes call for scallions, or green onions. You’ll notice that I added a yellow instead as I did not have any scallions available. Feel free to use what you have on hand.
- Garlic + Ginger – Rice and beans on their own can be pretty boring. Aromatics such as ginger and garlic add loads of flavor and are traditional to this Sunday favorite.
- Thyme – You will find fresh thyme in just about every recipe for rice and peas. I chose to chop mine, but you may also toss 1-2 whole sprigs in there if preferred.
- Ground allspice – This recipe may not call for a ton of this simple spice, but the flavor it gives to the overall dish is huge. Don’t skip it.
- Scotch Bonnet Pepper (or habanero peppers) – These hot little chile peppers are HOT. Many recipes will simply add the whole pepper to the rice as is cooks rather than chopping. Doing so will add flavor rather than heat. I chose to chop mine because I prefer a little heat, but feel free to skip the chopping, if preferred.
- Coconut milk – Coconut milk is essential to making Rice and Peas. Of course, you may substitute the canned full-fat coconut milk with water, chicken broth, or regular milk, but it will not taste the same.
- Long grain white rice – Traditional Rice and Peas is made using long grain white rice. That said, feel free to prepare with whatever you have on hand. Keep in mind that brown rice will take longer to cook and will require additional cooking liquid.
- Red kidney beans – Yes, the beans (aka peas). I save time and use canned beans. If you’re up for cooking your own beans, however, do it! You may also use other beans such as black-eyed peas or pigeon peas if desired.
How to make Rice and Peas
As previously mentioned, this method varies slightly from traditional methods since we are using pre-cooked canned beans.
- Saute your aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until soft and translucent, stirring often to prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic, ginger, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, ground allspice, and Scotch bonnet chile (or habanero). Mix well to combine. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes.
- The aromatics include your chopped onion, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper, ground allspice, and chopped pepper (if using). In terms of flavor, these are the ingredients that set the stage for the dish.
- Add the water and coconut milk. Add the water (or chicken broth) and coconut milk to the pot. Mix to combine and bring just to a boil.
- For this recipe, I use 3.5 cups of liquid to cook 2 cups of rice. This is intentional as I have learned over the years that an exact 1:2 rice to liquid ratio almost always results in mushy rice.
- Add the rice. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook the rice until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, checking every 5 minutes and gently fluffing with a fork as it cooks.
- Some cooking methods for rice will tell you to simply cover and walk away until all the liquid has been absorbed, but I find that this often results in uneven cooking. For this particular Rice and Peas recipe, gently fluff the rice around the outside of the pot. No need to aggressively stir or mix.
- Remove from heat and add the beans. Remove pot from heat and gently stir in the drained and rinsed kidney beans. Cover and allow the rice to rest for an additional 5 minutes before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- A word of caution if you decide to chop your Scotch Bonnet or habanero – the oils from the chile will get on your hands and burn like crazy if you touch your eyes or lips (or any other sensitive skin). To help prevent this, please wear gloves.
- If you prefer not to use canned coconut milk, substitute with additional water, chicken broth, or regular dairy milk if preferred. To infuse some of that coconut flavor into the dish, add 1-2 tablespoons of coconut oil.
- Keep leftovers stored in a sealed container stored in the refrigerator. Best when enjoyed within 3-4 days.
- Serve this rice dish with all your Jamaican favorites, including Jerk Chicken (coming soon!)
Love Rice and Peas? Check out,
- One-Pot Mushroom Rice Pilaf Recipe
- Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf with Sweet Potatoes
- Easy Korean Beef Bibimbap Recipe (Mixed Rice)
- One Pot Olive Chicken and Lemon Rice
- Fast and Easy Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
- Cajun Chicken and Rice Bake
If you try making this Jamaican Rice and Peas Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Jamaican Rice and Peas
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion - diced
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger - grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme - chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 Scotch Bonnet chile - (or Habanero), diced *
- 1.75 cups water - or low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 (13.5 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups long-grain white rice
- 2 (15 ounce) cans red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
- Fresh lime juice - for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Saute the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes, or until soft and translucent, stirring often to prevent burning. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic, ginger, fresh thyme, salt, pepper, ground allspice, and Scotch bonnet chile (or habanero). Mix well to combine. Stir continuously for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the water and coconut milk. Add the water (or chicken broth) and coconut milk to the pot. Mix to combine and bring just to a boil.
- Add the rice. Stir in the rice, reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook the rice until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, checking every 5 minutes and gently fluffing with a fork as it cooks.
- Remove from heat and add the beans. Remove pot from heat and gently stir in the drained and rinsed kidney beans. Cover and allow rice to rest for an additional 5 minutes before serving.
Jessica's Notes
- For this recipe, I use 3.5 cups of liquid to cook 2 cups of rice. This is intentional as I have learned over the years that an exact 1:2 rice to liquid ratio almost always results in mushy rice.
- The Scotch bonnet chile (or Habanero) is entirely optional. If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you're probably better off leaving it out.
- Ground allspice plays a key roll in the overall flavor of this rice dish. You don't need to add much, as a little goes a long way, but it adds amazing flavor.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
My Jamaican husband approves! If you can find pigeon peas in your supermarket, even better! Since Scotch bonnet peppers are only sold in packages where we live, I substitute 1 tsp of Scotch bonnet sauce. Works great!
Thanks, Sarah 🙂
Made it today on a whim. Used mostly powdered spices (but less amounts specified in recipe), and it turned out fantastic!!
It was weird to check on the rice every few mins, but all was fine.
Great recipe. Very easy. Thank you for posting!
I cooked this for a “covid” family of vegan kids, no complaints! I will try it for myself before the milk goes.
I’m doing this for the first time tonight with a Lamb curry. I’ll let you know how it goes 😊