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Jamaican · Caribbean

Jamaican rice and peas

Vegetarian

Rice cooked in coconut milk with red kidney beans, thyme, spring onion and a whole scotch bonnet for fragrance. The classic Sunday side in Jamaica.

Jamaican rice and peas is a Jamaican rice dish, ready in about 45 minutes and made with kidney beans (canned) and coconut milk. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Tantalizing Jamaican escovitch fish served with rice and peas, and colorful cabbage slaw on a plate.
Photo: Jay Gleaton / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
5 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
10 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
426

Ingredients

6 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Put the bean liquid, coconut milk (opens in a new tab), water, garlic (opens in a new tab), spring onion (opens in a new tab), thyme (opens in a new tab), allspice (opens in a new tab) and salt in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) and bring to a simmer.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Add the beans and rice, stir once, and lay the whole scotch bonnet on top.

    • 2 min

  3. Step 3

    Return to the boil, then cover tightly and cook on low heat until the rice is tender and the liquid absorbed.

    • 20 min
    • low heat

  4. Step 4

    Rest covered off the heat for 10 minutes, until the grains are fluffy and separate. Remove the scotch bonnet, thyme (opens in a new tab) stems and spring onion (opens in a new tab), then fluff and serve.

    • 10 min

    Food safety: Cool leftover rice quickly and refrigerate within 1 hour.

About this dish

Origin
Jamaica · Commonly attributedSimilar rice-and-pea dishes are cooked across the Caribbean, often with pigeon peas.Also popular in United KingdomMore food from Jamaica
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Rice dishes · Side dishes
Cooking method
Simmered, Steamed
Taste
creamy, aromatic / warmly spiced, mild, savoury
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pot · Budget-friendly · Everyday
Cook more with
Kidney beans (canned) · Coconut milk · Garlic · Spring onion · Thyme (fresh) · Allspice
Techniques
Simmering · Steaming

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

426 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 247 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 9%
  • Carbohydrate 60%
  • Fat 31%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy426 kcal172 kcal
Protein9.5 g3.8 g
Carbohydrate64.8 g26.2 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat14.8 g6 g
Saturated fat12.6 g5.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium495 mg200 mg
Salt equivalent1.2 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
357 mg
Calcium
68 mg
Iron
5.8 mg
Magnesium
62 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
—
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
282 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Measure the bean liquid, coconut milk and water together: you want about 1.75 times the volume of rice.

Common mistakes

  • Bursting the scotch bonnet makes the rice very hot — handle it gently.

Serve with

  • Serve with jerk chicken, curry goat or brown stew chicken.

Food safety

  • Cooked rice should be cooled quickly and reheated only once.

Storage

  • Refrigerate within 1 hour; eat within 1 day.

Reheating

  • Reheat with a splash of water, covered, until steaming hot.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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