Brazilian Rice and Beans with Sausage is a simple to make recipe that is bursting with savory flavor! A one dish meal ready in less than 30 minutes!
Brazilian Beans and Rice with Sausage
Brazilian Beans and Rice with Sausage is a meal I need to put back in regular rotation. It’s so easy to put together and yet it packs a powerful flavor punch. Everyone in my family gobbles it up. This is the perfect meal to whip up on a busy weeknight, since you throw it all in one pan, and it’s done in half an hour! I was inspired to make this dish a couple weeks ago when I wanted to make something fun for the World Cup. My husband visited Brazil several years ago and mentioned that he loved the sausage there, as well as the beans and rice, so I ran with that suggestion. It was a hit. We ate it in bowls in front of the TV but you could easily serve it alongside a simple green or fruit salad and our delicious Brazilian Cheese Bread. A perfect meal when you’re in a recipe rut.
Suggestions for Brazilian Rice and Beans with Sausage
- I used canned pinto beans for this recipe because that’s what I had on hand. But you could easily swap those for kidney beans, black beans, chickpeas or navy beans in this dish.
- True Brazilian rice and beans is a little more involved than this recipe, but I wanted something easy and quick. You can use dried beans by soaking them overnight, then cooking with some peppers, garlic and onions in a slow cooker for 5-6 hours. Then add to the recipe and continue as directed below.
- Brazilian Rice and Beans can be made easily in the Instant Pot too! Use the saute setting for the sausage, onions, garlic and peppers, then add the broth, seasonings and rice and cook on high for a few minutes. Do a quick release and you’re done!
- This recipe makes a ton of food! It can easily serve 6-8 people, or 4-5 really hungry folks.
- We used a spicy chicken sausage in this recipe and it was wonderful! You can use any type of sausage you like. Andouille pork, mild turkey, or all beef sausage would all taste delicious!
More Savory Sausage Recipes
We love cooking with sausage and have gathered a few of our very favorite recipes to share with you. Try some and find out which ones you love:
- Creamy One Pot Tortellini with Sausage
- Skillet Sausage and Rice
- Creamy Italian Sausage Chili
- Jambalaya with Chicken Sausage and Shrimp
- Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice
How to Make Brazilian Rice and Beans with Sausage

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound smoked sausage sliced
- 1/2 cup green onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup rice uncooked
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 14 ounces pinto beans drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add sausage, green onion, and garlic and saute until onions become soft.
- Stir in rice, chicken broth, beans, salt and pepper, and bay leaves and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a low simmer and cover. Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until rice is done.
- Remove from heat and fluff rice with a fork.
Julia says
What kind of rice did you use for this recipe?
Barb says
How many hungry people does this serve
Favorite Family Recipes says
Hmm how hungry? If you have big eaters it will probably feed 4-5. Hope this helps!
Crystal says
Delicious!! Thanks so much for the recipe!!
Cindy says
Can this be cooked in the Oven? And if so what degree & How long??
Thanks
Mary says
I am wondering like the others what type of rice you used. looking forward to make this. Thanks
Erica says
It is long-grain, white rice
Krystle says
Was it regular or instant rice? Looks delish!
Erica says
regular, long grain white rice
Diane says
Fixed this recipe for my husband and parents. They all loved it. Will be making it again, for sure.
Erica says
So glad you liked it! So easy, huh?! Thanks for the nice comment 🙂
Peter C DIMaria says
My husband is Brazilian, so no canned beans in our house. So I used what I had dried and soaked overnight. Still easy and still delicious. Thanks for sharing
Jaime says
Yes I would like to know what kind of rice also
Erica says
I used long-grain, white rice for this recipe
Gloria says
How many servings
Erica says
I would say about 6-ish..
Susan Maciel Martins says
I am brazilian from Rio de Janeiro and I love your recipies. And you did well on this one even from OUR point of view !!! This is almost what we call “arroz de carreteiro” – a kind of rice and beans recipe used in the Minas Gerais region, easy to transport as the beans have not been cooked to have a lot of liquid, and using sausages and sometimes a kind of pancetta or bacon, I was happy to see this here, and you really ROCK !!!!
Brandi says
First attempt didn’t work so well since I used brown rice but just tried again with white rice tonight and it’s awesome!
Todd says
This is freaking delicious. I love it.
garysgirl says
I made this with brown rice and it turned out delicious! One of my new favorite ‘easy’ meals! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
Erica says
You are very welcome! Thanks for letting us know how it worked with brown rice– I was curious how it would turn out!
Jennifer says
Have made this several time but I always substitute the bean with black beans instead and use regular onions instead of green onions. Hubby & I love it! Reminds of the meals our Brazilian students used to make for us when they stayed with us.
Echo says
Great substitution ideas! Thank you for your comment!
Lauren says
This was great ! Will definitely make again, too easy not to!
Rebekah says
Made this a few weeks ago and loved it! But my hubby is a sauce guy and requested some kind of sauce to go with this if I make it again. Any suggestions? I’m not sure what flavors would go best with this.
Erica says
Hmmm…. the best sauce that I can think of would maybe just be salsa! Does he like spicy? We love adding Sriracha sauce to dishes like this to kick it up a notch!
Cara says
I made this for the second time tonight. I love how a few simple ingredients can taste so good together.
Erica says
So happy you liked it! Sometimes the best dinners are the simplest!
Melissa says
Can I make this with kidney beans? I have pinto beans, but not canned and don’t have the time to invest in cooking them.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Absolutely! You can just make the substitute straight across without any problems. Hope this helps!
Cecily says
This recipe came out delicious. My son liked it so I’ll repeat again!! Look forward to trying some others.
Erica says
Thanks for the comment! Glad you (and your son) liked it!
katie says
This was so easy and soooo good! My girls (5 and 2 yrs old) even ate it up. I made this with chicken sausage. Thanks!!!
yolanda says
This was excellent!! So easy to make and I had all the ingredients except for green onions so I went and grabbed them. Highly recommend!!
Erica says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment!
Savannah says
SO good! I just made this and it was one of the best bean-rice-sausage recipes I’ve made! Will definitely make again. 🙂
Echo says
Thank you, Savannah! I’m so glad you like it!
Janice says
I’m making this right now…My house smells divine..If it tastes as good as it smells, we’ve got a winner 🙂
Andrea says
This looks so good and I’m going to try it soon! I’m just wondering if you have any suggestions for a side, or other items that would go good along with this as a main dish? Thanks!
Erica says
If you wanted to stick with the Brazilian theme you could try our Brazilian cheese bread here: /brazilian-cheese-bread.html
Chenoa says
Hi i have made this recipe many time. My family LOVES IT. I too use black bean, yellow onion, loads of garlic and add a bit of smoked paprika and some creole seasoning. I was wondering how i could do this in a Crockpot? Any suggestions? I have company coming and need to tripple the recipe. Ive doubled it in the stove and it gets a bit messy and doesnt cook quite right. Thanks!!
Erica says
Hmm we haven’t tried making this in a crock pot yet. I am not sure how it would convert, especially with tripling. Do you have a rice cooker?
Chenoa says
Nope i just cook it on the stove
Juliana says
Hi, I am brazilian and this looks like a recipe my mom make a lot, usually with leftover rice and beans 🙂 I would just add some scrambled eggs to it.
Emily says
Yum, I will have to try that.
Lisa says
Made this last night and found it very unattractive and a boring flavor. I eventually added a can of drained diced tomatoes or you could use halved cherry tomatoes but still needs flavor and color. I also feel that the rice should have been cooked with the broth separately, ensuring it is properly cooked. Sorry…I am interested in suggestions if anyone has any.
Monika says
I substituted andouille sausage for the smoked sausage and that definitely kicked it up a notch. It was delicious. Will be making this quite a bit.
Mary Lou says
Making this now and the house is delish right now. All my boys are ready!
Favorite Family Recipes says
😀 How did they like it?
Mrs. Chance says
I don’t have canned beans but I have a bag of the dry pinto beans. Any suggestions on how to prepare those for this dish?
Favorite Family Recipes says
There should be instructions on the package on how to cook and soften. For me, I like to soak them overnight and then throw them in the crock pot for 5-6 hours with some peppers, garlic and onions and then cook until soft. Then you add them into the recipe just as you would the canned beans. I hope this helps!
Nicole Erickson says
My son and I absolutely love this dish! I’ve made it several times now. The beans I’ve switched out to what I had on hand, and smoked sausages to andouille. I’ve perfected this in my electric pressure cooker now too! Use the sauté setting for those steps, then dd the broth, rice, and seasonings. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, quick release of pressure, and you are ready to eat! It’s cooking now, I can’t wait! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Oh thank you for sharing how you made this in a pressure cooker! I will have to try that next time! Thank you so much for sharing!
shanell says
If I’m Not Usin Veggies To This Do I Need To Boil The Rice With Water Still Or Just Boil The Rice Sausage With The Chicken Broth?
Favorite Family Recipes says
The rice doesn’t need to be cooked before adding it to the sausage. Add uncooked rice along with the chicken broth, beans, and seasonings. The rice will cook as it simmers. Thanks for asking!
Joanne Coombs says
Awesome!! I did add diced red pepper cause i needed to use it lol. And i finished the dish w fresh lime and cilantro! Yum yum yum!!! Thanks for this easy recipe!
I wish there was a place tho post a picture
Erica Walker says
Please post a picture on Instagram and tag us! @favoritefamilyrecipes We would love to see your picture! Love your add in ideas too!
Allison says
Family approved & I have 5 kids with all different opinions! This is going in our regular easy meal list! LOVE!!!
Erica Walker says
So glad that you liked it! Thank you so much for the 5-stars!
Michael says
My wife used your recipe(x4 in volume for an event) with 1 small addition(finely chopped bell pepper) when attending an international cuisine event during which the dishes were rated by guests. I’m happy to report that it was rated 1st place above some dishes that I thought would likely best it. I thought of our dish as “just rice & beans” as we make a creole version & a Mexican flavor version for informal family meals.
Erica Walker says
Wow! 1st place!!! That is so cool! I’m so glad to hear it was such a hit!