Jamaican Rice and Peas Recipe | That Girl Cooks Healthy (2024)

An authentic Jamaican rice and peas (kidney beans) dish made with brown rice, creamy coconut milk, scallion, garlic, thyme and pimento berries . Learn all the tips and tricks behind making the best infamous side dish for a classic Caribbean Sunday dinner!

Jamaican rice and peas is one of the best rice dishes.

Interestingly enough, the dish itself derives from a Ghanaian cuisine called Waakye, where beans and rice are boiled together, omitting the condiments.

This recipe is an absolute staple within most households. In fact, not just Jamaicans, but the entire English Caribbean region indulges in this staple side dish..

What is Jamaican rice and peas?

Rice and peas is essentially a rice based dish made with legumes, you can use kidney beans or pigeon peas (known as gungo peas).

Typically dried legumes are used due to being so cost effective.

They are rinsed several times before being soaked in a saucepan overnight sometimes people add their scallion, onion, garlic and ginger (this is optional) during the soaking process while other do not.

Soaking the peas is a very important part of the process as the makes the peas cook quicker and this also attributes to that deep hue.

The next day, the water is boiled (some people rinse off the water and add a fresh batch) until tender.

Other ingredients such as butter (optional), scotch bonnet, freshly squeezed homemade coconut milk are added along with the rice and salt.

Once everything is added, the pot is left to simmer until cooked.

Other variations

There are other variations of this dish in Cuba it is called Moros y Cristianos where black beans are used instead along with pork, cumin and oregano for seasoning.

In Barbados it prepared very similar to Jamaica, albeit it is known as "Peas and rice" and in Guyana it is made with and referred to as "cook up rice".

In Costa Rico it is called "Gallo Pinto" and Puerto Rica and Dominican Republic know it as "Arroz Con Gandules".

As you can see, each Caribbean island has their own variation that is unique to their own.

Generally these rice dishes are served on a Sunday and form the main side dish for goat, beef, chicken and many lamb dishes.

Why is rice and peas so complicated to make?

Rice and peas isn't actually very difficult to make, however explaining it under strict guidelines is the hard part.

Like many Jamaicans, I grew making this without actually measuring anything. We would eyeball the quantity and assess and make changes along the way.

Unfortunately this is the reason why many people struggle to make recipes which are available online.

Rice and peas is very much a changeable recipe especially when made with dried peas.

A lot can change along the way, depending on how much water the peas soaked up, the time it takes to tenderise the peas, when the rice is added, how quick the rice is cooked, whether more liquid is needed or if excess water needs evaporating etc..

I have tried my absolute best to make this recipe as easy as possible and cannot empathise how important it is to double check your liquid levels.

Especially if you're not used to make rice and peas as that is the only way that you are likely to get it right the first time.

What do Jamaicans call it rice and peas?

The name rice and peas refers to the legumes and rice that is used in the recipe.

Long grain Basmati rice in particular is the most common and preferred type of rice to use for traditional rice and peas recipe.

Although times have changed and various types of rice are now used.

Jamaicans refer to most legumes are peas, so it makes sense as to why red kidney beans are known as peas.

Why are beans called peas?

I honestly don't know why we call them peas. All I know is that many legumes are referred to as peas.

Most people don't really question this, since this is normal terminology for Jamaicans and other Caribbean islands.

I find people who aren't from the islands, often challenge this the most, some with genuine curiosity while others many be culturally disrespectful and try to chastise.

Ingredients you need

• Dried kidney beans - Known as "peas" you can use these or gungo peas (pigeon peas). Most traditional recipes will call for dried peas and not canned ones.
• Brown rice - More specifically long grain Basmati, most Jamaican use white Basmati rice but I used brown rice for more nutritional value.
• Full fat coconut milk - Traditional rice and peas is made with freshly squeezed coconut milk which makes the rice taste a million times better. However, you can use coconut cream or coconut milk powder instead.
• Scallion/onion/garlic/ginger - The are quintessential foundation ingredients that simmer with the peas.
• Vegan butter - not crucial but I feel it gives the rice more flavour.
• Pimento berries/thyme/scotch bonnet - both provide more flavour although the scotch bonnet is used whole so the rice isn't spicy.
• Coconut cream - I like to add this to heighten the taste of coconut.
• Pink salt - the flavour!

The island tradition

Traditionally, you'll find most people from Caribbean backgrounds eating rice and peas on a Sunday, for dinner usually when church was officially over.

Sunday is the cultural norm, but you can eat this any day of the week!

Living in the diaspora has seen a change in eating habits with people from Caribbean lineage (mainly 2nd - 3rd generations) eating more western foods and shunning their traditional food.

Growing up for us, there was no arguing or debate for that matter, you'd eat what was prepared and be grateful.

We ALWAYS used dried kidney beans instead of canned beans because it was cost-effective and we weren't in a rush to cook.

We would also use fresh coconut milk by using a fresh coconut and grating it and combining with water to make milk. That's the proper way to make it!

In all, it took almost 2 days to cook the dish since we'd soak the peas overnight - stage 1 and follow up with boiling and simmering the pot the next day.

The steps

• Rinse off the kidney beans
• Soak them in the 4 ½ cups of water overnight along with the scallion, garlic, ginger, thyme, onion and pimento berries in a medium sized saucepan
• The next day, double check the water levels again. you should have 4 cups in total, if not add accordingly because the peas swell they absorb about ½ cup of the water.
• Bring the pot with the peas to a boil.
• Half cover the pot, reduce the heat and simmer on low for up to an hour (check the readiness of the peas, use your fingers, they should be easy to crush/soft) if not simmer for a further 15 minutes.
• Once cooked discard the piece of ginger and thyme stems
• Check your water levels, there should be 1 ½ cups of water left in the saucepan, you should be able to see the peas. Even if you need to drain off the water to make sure you have the amount of water stated. Do it! **this is very important*

• Add the scotch bonnet, dairy free butter, coconut milk, pink salt and rice to the pot.
• I also add a clump of creamed coconut too.
• Bring the pot to a boil then fold the rice in so everything is combined.

• Then cover the pot with saran wrap/foil (leaving a gap for air to escape then cover with the lid.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for roughly 45 minutes (check and fold the rice half way through and nearer to the finish time (cover the rice back over the same way with the cling film. It should be soft and fluffy, if it still grainy add some of water/coconut that you have on standby and leave to simmer for another 5-10 minutes).
• Discard the scotch bonnet, and pimento berries (if possible) prior to serving

Can you use canned beans instead of dried kidney beans?

Yes, you can use canned beans! With that being said, the water levels will change, as I used quite a bit of water to compensate for the absorption levels of the peas and Brown rice.

Can you make pigeon peas and rice?

Jamaican pigeon peas and rice is also a very popular dish which is known as “Gungo Peas and Rice.” Just like this recipe, it is made with coconut milk.

If you want to try this recipe with pigeon peas instead of red kidney beans, you can simply replace them.

Can you make the rice and peas spicy?

Yes, you would need to burst or prick holes into the scotch bonnet for a more spicier taste.

Rice and peas with brown rice method

The brown rice gives a mild, nutty taste.

Its ability to expand and act as an internal sweeper is remarkable! This allows it to clean up waste and expel it from the body.

For some, however, the slow breaking down mechanism can cause digestive problems/sensitivities.

Therefore, I highly recommend sprouted grains, which are a good digestive friendly choice to use instead.

Is it possible to make Jamaican rice and peas without coconut milk?

Yes, you can omit the use of coconut milk if you want BUT...this wouldn't be in line with the traditional way of making it.

Coconut milk is an essential ingredient for authenticity. Some people use a block of coconut cream instead, but if coconut, in general, is a problem, then you may make it with vegetable broth or chicken stock.

There's is no substitute for coconut milk that will yield the same results.

Why does the overall dish look so pale?

I see so many recipes that misrepresent Caribbean/Jamaican rice and peas with a pale or washed out look.

The reason for this is because SO many people throw away the water that is used to soak the "peas".

I personally am against that because I don't believe you get that true deep hue plus growing up my mother and grandmother didn't do this .

To me the water that is used to soaked the peas is like liquid gold and an important aspect of the cooking process.

Why did the rice turn out soft and/or mushy?

Two reasons why this might have occurred:

• You over stirred the rice during cooking
• You used too much water or added too much water to the pot

Simply remedy soft rice by leaving the pot to cook away on the stove uncovered so the excess moisture evaporates or transfer the rice into an ovenproof dish and bake off the additional water.

If you do find yourself having to add more water, ALWAYS add a little at a time.

Serving suggestions