Creamy, smoky red beans simmered in bacon drippings and partly mashed, spooned over buttered white rice. Two cans of kidney beans and about 50 minutes, most of it hands-off.
Estimate · prices checked Oct 2026 · vary by location · excl. tax & delivery.
Estimate. Restaurant prices checked Oct 2026. Prices vary by location; tax and delivery fees are not included. Pantry staples (salt, oil…) are not included.
Ingredients
regular sides
For the beans
Pantry
Pantry
For the rice
Pantry
Pantry staples are not included in the cost estimate.
Ingredient cost
Homemade
~$6.08
for 6
(~$1.01 each)
At Popeyes
~$17.94
for 6
Homemade
~£2.44
for 6
(~£0.41 each)
Method quantities are for the original 6 regular sides.
Kitchen gear
Heavy saucepan
Small saucepan with a lid
Potato masher or stick blender
Method
Put the chopped bacon in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the fat has melted out and the bits are crisp. Lift out the bacon bits and keep them for another dish, or chop them very fine and leave them in.
10 min
Add the onion to the drippings and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute.
5 min
Tip in both cans of beans with their liquid, then the paprika, parsley, cayenne and water. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring now and then so nothing catches.
25 min
Meanwhile, bring the rice, 2 cups (475 ml) of water, the butter and a pinch of salt to a boil. Cover, turn the heat to low and cook for 18 minutes, then rest off the heat for 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
18 min
Mash about two thirds of the beans in the pan with a potato masher, or give them a few short pulses with a stick blender, until thick and creamy with some whole beans left.
Simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes, adding a splash of water if it is stiffer than a thick gravy. Season with salt and spoon over the rice to serve.
Tips for a closer clone
Keep the bean liquid: its starch is what turns the mash silky instead of pasty.
Render the bacon slowly; high heat browns it before the fat has melted out.
The beans thicken as they sit, so loosen leftovers with a little water when you reheat them.
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About this dupe
Does it contain pork?
Yes, according to the chain itself. Copycat recipes and forum posts disagree: some say the restaurant beans are meat-free, others blame lard or bacon grease. Popeyes’ own US ingredient information (last updated April 2025) lists cured, smoke-flavored pork fat among the red bean ingredients (Popeyes US ingredient information, PDF), so the restaurant side is not vegetarian. There are no visible pieces of meat in it, which may be why some people assume it is. That is why this recipe cooks the beans in rendered smoked bacon. For a meat-free pot, use 3 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika in place of the bacon.
UK and US
Red kidney beans in water, in 400 g tins, work perfectly; keep the liquid, it helps the beans turn creamy. Smoked streaky bacon is the best UK match for American bacon. Easy-cook or ordinary long-grain rice are both fine.
vs the original
On the menu in the US (menu status reviewed Oct 14, 2026); our menu data lists it for the US only. One regular side here is roughly 1/2 cup of beans over 1/2 cup of rice.
What it costs: ingredient costs are estimates for the amount used, from supermarket listing prices checked on Oct 15, 2026 (Target.com in the US, Trolley.co.uk for UK supermarkets). Prices vary by store and week.
Where this recipe comes from
Untested: a starting point written with AI help and checked against our recipe rules. Nobody has cooked it yet. Make it, rate how close it gets, and tell us what you changed. How we label recipes
