Portuguese Beans and Rice is more than your usual rice side dish. A favorite among locals, arroz de feijão is creamy and nutty in every spoonful. Taste and judge for yourself!

A serving of Portuguese rice and beans, with a generous drizzle of olive oil.

Like the rest of traditional Portuguese rice dishes, arroz de feijão combines rice with an ingredient you probably already have in your kitchen.

In this case, it’s beans — black or red; it’s up to you.

Similar to Portuguese tomato rice, the result is a side dish that you might end up eating on its own.

Creamy, earthy, and nutty — deliciously filling in every serving.

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Ingredients

Beans – I typically use dried red beans when making arroz de feijão, so I start with the preparation the night before.

Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil, if possible, especially for drizzling when serving your rice and beans.

Garlic – minced, grated, or finely chopped.

Onion – finely chopped as well.

Bay leaf – dried bay leaf is excellent for cooking the beans.

Salt and ground black pepper – just use your favorite brand for seasoning.

Rice – to keep it traditional, I generally use carolino rice for preparing arroz de feijão. You can always use your favorite type of rice or see the ‘recipe variation section‘ for my suggestions.

A plate of authentic beans and rice from Portugal with a bottle of extra virgin olive oil next to it.

Preparation

Start making Portuguese beans and rice by soaking the dried beans in cold water.

Let it sit for eight to twelve hours.

Rinse the beans and combine them with about four cups of water in a saucepan.

Add a pinch of salt and a piece of bay leaf.

Cooking the beans after soaking them overnight, and then combining them with the creamy rice to make arroz de feijão.

Bring to a boil, then simmer until the beans are cooked — scoop and remove any scum floating.

Drain the water from the beans, but do not throw the water away.

Set the beans aside and keep the cooking liquid hot.

Use a medium to large pan and heat three tablespoons of oil.

Once the oil is ready, saute garlic and chopped onion.

Sauteing the onions and garlic to start making authentic beans and rice from Portugal.

Cook until the onion softens.

Add rice.

Rice added into the softened onion and garlic, before pouring the liquid from the beans.

Mix and cook for two to three minutes — keep an eye on the heat and adjust accordingly to ensure you don’t burn the onion or rice.

Pour about three and a half cups of the hot liquid from cooking the beans earlier.

The liquid for cooking the beans is added to simmer the rice whne making arroz de feijão.

Simmer for twelve to fifteen minutes, and season with salt and pepper.

Add the drained beans and mix gently.

Adding the cooked beans as the last step in making arroz d feijão.

Continue simmering until the rice is fully cooked — tasting and adjusting the seasoning in the process.

Transfer your beans and rice into plates.

Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if desired.

A pan of Portuguese beans and rice, ready for serving, with fresh parsley next to it.

Helpful tips

Remember to chop the onion finely. The aim is for the onion bits to disappear — like when making a traditional risotto.

Do not hesitate to add more liquid if you think your arroz de feijão is getting too dry.

Remember that it is a ‘saucy rice,’ so it should move (i.e., flow) when you transfer it from the pan to the serving plates.

Recipe variation

Like other traditional Portuguese rice dishes that are ‘soupy,’ locals use a short-grain, creamy variety called ‘carolino rice.’

A handful of carolino rice to show the shape of the grain.

If you want it to be almost as creamy, arborio rice is an excellent substitute.

But if you want it to absorb less water and keep its form longer, then basmati rice is perfect.

Note that these are just my suggestions; feel free to experiment with your favorite type of rice. 🙂

Canned beans. When you’re out of time, canned beans will also work. Remember to throw away the liquid in the can and rinse the beans before adding them to the pan.