These homemade refried beans will make your favorite Mexican meal even better, or they make a delicious dip all on their own!
I have several family favorite recipes that call for refried beans as a key ingredient – Navajo Tacos, Homemade Tostadas, 7 Layer Dip Cups, and a Build-Your-Own-Burrito Bar… just to name a few! And while these recipes are delicious no matter what beans you decide to use, they are absolutely amazing with this homemade refried beans recipe!
Easy Refried Beans Recipe
If you’ve never made your own refried beans, you are in for a delicious treat!
Not only do cans of pinto beans lack flavor, but they are also high in sodium. This simple recipe just might change the way you make your favorite Mexican dishes, and you’ll want to ditch those canned beans forever!
Are Refried Beans Good for You?
Pinto and black beans are great sources of protein, fiber, and important minerals. When prepared without a lot of salt or saturated fats, they can be a very healthy food option.
Crockpot Refried Beans
Cooking the dried beans in the crock-pot isn’t just a time-saving device – it’s seriously the best way to make them. No other method allows the perfect, creamy consistency! (The crock pot works even better for this recipe than a pressure cooker does!)
Here is how to make them –
Slow Cooker Homemade Refried Beans
INGREDIENTS –
- 1 pound dry pinto beans – you can also use dried black beans
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, cut into large segments
- salt
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
DIRECTIONS –
SORT. Lay the beans on a large baking sheet to check for stones and rocks.
BOIL. Add two quarts of water, the onion, and two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Rinse the beans in a colander and then dump them into the large pot. Bring the water to a boil.
COOK. Transfer the beans and water into your slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours.
NOTE – You can take out the onions to add even more flavor to your beans, or you leave them out of the crockpot and discard them. If you cook them in the crockpot, just be aware that they turn extremely soggy and are harder to fish out.
SALT. When the beans are tender, stir in 1½ tablespoons salt.
SMASH + SERVE OR STORE. At this point, you can refrigerate the beans after they have cooked in the crock-pot and save the smashing for day two, or you can smash them and serve them right away.
OR, if you want heaven on Earth –
FRY THEM. Heat vegetable oil or bacon drippings over medium high heat in a large pan. Add the garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant, which is about one minute.
Add the beans and enough water to cover the beans. (Sometimes I don’t have to add any water, sometimes I have to add a little.)
SMASH. Bring to a simmer and start to mash the beans with a potato masher. Continue to smash and stir for 5-10 minutes until the beans have reached your desired consistency. They’ll be similar in texture to very thin mashed potatoes.
If you don’t have a potato masher, or you want this process to go even faster, you can use a handheld mixer to whip them up, blend, and smash them. *I’ve never tried using an immersion blender, so I can’t promise it would work for this recipe.
Don’t overcook or the beans will get dried out.
SEASON. Remove from heat and season to your liking. You can add cumin, cayenne pepper, lime juice, and any other spices or your other favorite seasonings. A sprinkle of cotija cheese and chopped tomatoes and cilantro make them pretty, but I often just add salt to taste, and call it good!
SERVE. Use these refried beans in your favorite Spanish dishes, as a side dish with some Spanish rice, or serve them as a bean dip appetizer and dig right in with some tortilla chips!
So much tastier than what you get from a can of pinto beans, right???
HERE’S A PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE –
Homemade Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, cut into large segments
- salt
- 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Instructions
- Lay the beans on a large baking sheet to check for stones and rocks.
- Rinse the beans in a colander and then dump into a large pot. Add two quarts of water, the onion and two tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring the water to a boil.
- Transfer the beans and water into your slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours. When the beans are tender, stir in 1½ tablespoons salt.
- At this point you can smash them and just have smashed beans, or you can fry them up in a bit of garlic and bacon grease and have heaven here on earth. (If you need, you can refrigerate the beans after they have cooked in the crock-pot and save the frying and smashing for day two.)
- To fry them, heat vegetable oil or bacon drippings over medium heat in a large pan. Add the garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute.
- Add the beans and enough water to cover the beans.
- Bring to a simmer and start to smash the beans with a potato masher. Continue to smash and stir for 5-10 minutes until the beans are the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Don’t over cook or the beans will get dried out.
- Salt to taste, remove from the heat and enjoy.
Nutrition
Other Notes
ABOUT THE AUTHORS – Kristen and Camille are the delicious duo from Culinary Mamas. One of their goals is to help families cook up wholesome, healthy dinners that kids actually eat. The Culinary Mamas were contributors to Somewhat Simple in 2014.
