Name: Instant Pot Jamaican Rice and Peas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 16 min
Ingredients: 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans (drained); 1 cup long grain white rice (rinsed); 1 stalks of scallions (diced); 3 cloves of garlic (minced); 1/4 teaspoon allspice; 2 sprigs of thyme; 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (whole); 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (grated); 1 (13.5 ounce) can full fat coconut milk; 1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning

This Jamaican Rice and Peas has all the delicious flavors of the traditional Caribbean side dish, but is quickly cooked in the pressure cooker! Have this easy coconut rice ready to eat with your favorite protein and Jamaican sides in less than 30 minutes.

A close up view of rice and peas with scallions.

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By using canned peas (kidney beans), we're able to pressure cook this twist on Jamaican peas and rice in just 6 minutes. Perfect to make for Sunday dinner or any night of the week when you need something filling and flavorful.

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Ingredients
Substitutions & Variations
Instructions
Sarah's Top Tips
Serving
More Instant Pot Recipes You May Like
Recipe
Comments

Ingredients

Coconut milk. Use full-fat coconut milk from a can or homemade coconut milk. Please do not substitute lite coconut milk or coconut milk from a carton. These varieties of coconut milk are too watery and won't bring enough richness to the dish.
Kidney beans. If this is your first time making rice and peas, you may have expected this recipe to include green peas. Beans are called peas in Jamaican cooking and this traditional coconut rice dish is almost always prepared with kidney beans.
Thyme, garlic, and scallion. In Caribbean cooking, thyme, garlic, and scallions are referred to as the trinity of spices. It is important to use fresh ingredients for the best flavor.
Scotch bonnet. Scotch bonnet peppers on their own are incredibly spicy. You'll get additional savory flavor without the heat by pressure cooking a whole, uncut pepper in the rice.

See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.

Jamaican rice and peas on a white plate.

Substitutions & Variations

Ginger substitute: Use ½ teaspoon ground ginger in place of the fresh ginger.
Substituting the Scotch bonnet pepper: Use serrano pepper, habanero pepper or even a chili pepper in place of the Scotch bonnet pepper if needed. The flavor won't be an exact match, but it is better than leaving the heat out altogether.
Using dry kidney beans: If you are cooking your beans from scratch, be sure to do so before starting the recipe and pressure cooking with the rice. Ideally, cook and cool the peas before starting so the peas do not overcook in the Instant Pot.

Instructions

Drain the kidney beans and rinse them and the rice thoroughly with cool water. This will help remove the excess starches to help make the rice not stick together. Shelly rice is a popular term in Jamaica to describe this type of "flaky" rice.

Ingredients for rice and beans in and instant pot.

Step 1: Add all ingredients to the Instant Pot. Make sure that all of the rice is submerged in the liquid to help it cook through evenly. Secure the lid, set the valve to seal and pressure cook at manual high pressure for 6 minutes.

Rice and peas in an instant pot after cooking.

Step 2: Remove the pepper and fluff the rice with a fork. Make sure all the spices are evenly distributed before serving.

Sarah's Top Tips

Before cooking, give the rice and peas a good stir and mix in the spices. This will make for the most balanced flavor. Be careful not to burst the scotch bonnet or your peas and rice will be very spicy.
Remove the lid when the rice is fully cooked. If you leave the lid on, the rice will keep cooking and be soggy.
Easily freeze cooled leftovers in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.