This traditional Costa Rican rice and beans recipe is like gallo pinto on steroids. Combining white rice and black beans with coconut milk and habanero pepper- you have to try it!

About Caribbean Rice and Beans

We all know that rice and beans are the staple foods of Costa Rica. Many people visit the country and immediately try gallo pinto– and confuse gallo pinto with what Costa Ricans call, in English, “Rice and beans.”

But rice and beans is a completely different recipe, as it combines red beans with rice cooked in coconut milk, and spiced with a bit of habanero pepper. The dish is said in English, rather than Spanish, because of the Jamaican influence both on the dish itself and the language in the Caribbean.

Beginning in the 19th century, Costa Rica started to boost its in-country transportation through the construction of a railroad from the port of Limón on the Caribbean side to the capital city of San José.

Workers on this railroad were mostly indigenous Costa Ricans (Talamancans) and Jamaican immigrants. Of course, they were served gallo pinto when they arrived (also known as “spotted rooster”)- a combination of red (kidney) beans, white rice, and Salsa Lizano.

The flavors of the gallo pinto didn’t quite fit with the cultural palates of the new workers, so they spiced the gallo pinto dish up with some coconut milk and habanero pepper (known in Costa Rica as “chile panameño.”)

Over time, boiled chicken thighs were added as a side dish, and the result is beyond delicious. Costa Rican “Rice and Beans” was born as a gastronomic mix of flavors- here’s the recipe.

Costa Rican Rice and Beans

(printable recipe below)

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the Beans:

• 1 lb red beans
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into 3 pieces
• handful cilantro, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, whole
• 1/2 white or yellow onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 tsp salt (we prefer sea salt)
• Salsa Lizano (optional, for garnish)

For the Rice and Beans:

• 3 cups black beans or kidney beans, cooked
• 1½ cups coconut milk
• 2 cups water
• 1 small roll of fresh thyme
• 1 stick margarine (substitute butter)
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Sazón Completo
• ¼ cup Salsa Lizano
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, leaves on, finely chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• ½ sweet red pepper, finely chopped
• 4 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 3 whole habanero peppers
• 2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

For the Beans:

1. Rinse the beans and place them in the crock pot.
2. Rinse and chop your veggies, then add them on top of the beans. 
3. Add salt and enough water to cover the beans, plus about another 2 inches. Since the beans do absorb quite a bit of water when cooking, you want to have some extra so the beans don’t scald and stick to the bottom of your pot.  
4. Cook the beans in the slow cooker on low for 8-10 hours, or cook on high for 4-5 hours. The cooking time varies depending on your pot and electrical current.
5. I add the salt at the beginning of the recipe, but many people prefer to add it in the last 30 minutes of cooking because they say the salt makes the beans harden. I don’t think it does, but to each his own.
6. When you are ready to serve, just remove the large vegetable chunks and serve separately, or keep them in!

For the Rice and Beans:

1. Finely chop garlic, celery, onion, and red pepper.
2. Place beans in a large stockpot and add coconut milk and water. 
3. Place the roll of thyme, not chopped, in the pot with the beans. Then add margarine, curry powder, black pepper, Sazón Completo, Salsa Lizano, and stir.
4. Add garlic, bell pepper, chopped onion, and celery to the pot and stir again.
5. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and allow to boil 1-2 minutes.
6. Add rice to the pot and stir. You know you have the right amount of liquid when a wooden or plastic stirring spoon stands straight up in the middle of the pot with the rice and does not fall over. If it does, you have a bit too much liquid, and you need to remove some.
7. Place three whole habanero peppers into the pot and cover. Allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes on medium-high heat. (This cooks the rice through.)
8. Once rice is cooked, serve!

Serving Suggestions

This gluten-free recipe is generally served with Costa Rican Caribbean chicken as a lunch dish.

You can also serve this with a green salad to make it a Costa Rican vegetarian dish or a delicious vegan recipe.

Substitutions

You can substitute homemade coconut milk for canned, but it takes longer.

You can omit the thyme altogether if you don’t have it- don’t add ground because it is removed after cooking, which is impossible with a ground spice. ?

You can substitute butter for margarine, and you can also cut that amount in half or even a quarter.

You can substitute Worcestershire sauce for the Salsa Lizano, but it isn’t the same!

Printable Costa Rican Rice and Beans Recipe