Jamaican rice and peas

Name: Jamaican rice and peas
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Jamaica
Ingredients: 300 g long-grain rice; 400 g cooked kidney beans (1 large can, with the liquid); 400 ml coconut milk; 300 ml water; 3 spring onions, sliced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 sprigs fresh thyme; 1 tsp ground allspice; 1 whole scotch bonnet chilli; 1 tsp salt; Black pepper

Local name: Rice and peas

Coconut rice scented with thyme and allspice, cooked with kidney beans and a whole scotch bonnet for fragrance without fire.

Published on 4 January 2026·Updated on 10 September 2026

VeganGluten-free#rice#kidney beans#coconut#thyme#jamaica

AI-generated image, not a photograph of the dish

Prep: 10 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 45 min
Serves: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Method

Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs clear, then drain.
In a heavy-based saucepan, combine the beans and their liquid, coconut milk, water, spring onions, garlic, thyme, allspice, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil.
Add the rice and sit the whole scotch bonnet on top without piercing it. Stir just once.
Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
Turn off the heat and rest for 10 minutes. Remove the chilli and thyme stalks, then fluff the rice with a fork.
Serve alongside stewed vegetables, fried plantain or a vegetable curry.

The “peas” are in fact kidney beans, sometimes swapped for gungo peas at Christmas. The whole scotch bonnet gives fragrance without heat, as long as it stays intact during cooking.

The techniques this recipe uses

Drain and rinse
Canning liquid clouds a sauce and salts it blind: rinse until the water runs clear.

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Nutrition per serving

Calories: 611 kcal
Protein: 16.7 g
Fat: 22.2 g
Carbohydrate: 89.6 g
Fibre: 9.8 g

An estimate computed from the recipe quantities and the USDA food composition database. Real values vary with the products used.

Frequently asked questions

Does the whole scotch bonnet make the rice hot?

Not as long as it stays intact: it perfumes the rice with its fruity notes without releasing its heat. Set it on top without piercing it and lift it out before serving. If it bursts during cooking, the dish becomes considerably hotter.

Why add the liquid from the beans?

That liquid carries the starch and colour of the beans: it is what gives the rice its characteristic pinkish tint and part of its flavour. Discarding it and topping up with water gives paler, flatter rice.

Why stir only once?

Stirring long-grain rice as it cooks releases starch and turns it sticky. Once everything is in, stir a single time, cover, and do not lift the lid again until the ten-minute rest, which finishes the absorption.

Chilli peppers, from mild to Scotch Bonnet
How Caribbean and African cuisines harness the perfume and heat of Scotch Bonnet, and how others pair chilli with palm sugar, tamarind or pomegranate.
Coconut milk, from Kerala to the Caribbean
What coconut milk does in each tropical kitchen, the difference between first and second pressing, and how to stop it splitting.
Rice and beans, the dish everyone invented
Why the same rice and pulse pairing turns up on every continent, and what each kitchen added to it on its own.

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