There’s something incredibly satisfying about refried beans from a restaurant. The crackly top, creamy texture, tantalizing salty flavor. Pure bliss.
Are they probably filled with not-so-healthy ingredients? Sure. But on occasion, such a worthy indulgence.
When experimenting with a version at home, I was going for that classic creamy, buttery texture, and simple seasonings — sticking mainly to salt and broth. Anything more seemed overcomplicated. After all, well-salted, creamy beans don’t need much else. The final result was pure magic.
Plus, we found a quick workaround to never mash beans by hand again, AND we include versions for canned pinto beans, cooked from scratch, and beans made in the Instant Pot. Let us show you how easy this technique really is!
Origins of Refried Beans
Frijoles refritos are believed to have originated in the early 1900s in Northern Mexico (source).
And while the name directly translates to English as “well-fried beans”, when the dish spread to the southern United States, it became “refried beans.”
But contrary to what the name implies, refried beans are not fried twice. They are however, incredibly delicious! For those interested, you can find a more traditional recipe for refried beans here!
How to Make Refried Beans
Our 1-pot, 6-ingredient version isn’t traditional (ours omits lard), but it doesn’t skimp on flavor and is incredibly easy to prepare.
The first step is to cook the pinto beans (or use canned in a pinch). If cooking from dry beans, you can either use this stovetop method or, for a quicker preparation, cook them in an Instant Pot.
Once your beans are cooked, it’s time to turn them into refried beans!
Start by sautéing onion and garlic in a bit of oil until tender. This adds another layer of flavor to the beans.
Next, add the cooked beans along with any leftover cooking liquid (or liquid from the can). Then add just enough vegetable broth to cover the beans, season with salt, and simmer to make the beans more tender and easier to mash. If the beans start to dry out or stick to the bottom of the pan, add more vegetable broth.
For mashing, there are options: 1) use an immersion blender, or 2) use a bean or potato masher.
The immersion blender is our preferred because it yields incredibly creamy beans in seconds!
All that’s left to do is garnish and serve! We like topping with cilantro, lime juice, and red onion. Hot sauce and vegan queso are also delicious.
We hope you LOVE these refried beans! They’re:
Creamy
Savory
Comforting
Quick
Easy
& Versatile
Enjoy with rice, as a dip for tortilla chips, in our Mexican 7-Layer Dip, or with your favorite Mexican-inspired dish.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl
- Crispy Baked Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
- The Best Damn Vegan Nachos
- Easy Red Salsa
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Easy 1-Pot Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked pinto beans (see instructions for canned, from scratch, and Instant Pot)
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or sub water but double the amount and add more as needed)
- 3/4 cup diced white onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4-1 cup vegetable broth (or store-bought // amount will vary depending on method of cooking beans)
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
FOR SERVING optional
- Lime juice
- Hot sauce
- Freshly chopped cilantro
- Diced red onion
- Vegan Mexican-style Queso
Instructions
- CANNED: If starting with canned beans, simply open cans and set aside. As the original recipe is written, about 2 15-oz (425-g) cans will yield 3 cups cooked beans.
- FROM SCRATCH: If cooking pinto beans from scratch, we recommend this recipe, which yields 5 cups cooked beans. We recommend reducing the serving size to six 1/2-cup servings (rather than 10 servings), which would yield 3 cups cooked beans. The spices and diced tomatoes with green chilies are optional.
- INSTANT POT: If cooking pinto beans in an Instant Pot, we recommend following this recipe but swapping the black beans for pinto beans. Be sure to save any leftover cooking liquid.
- REFRIED BEANS: To prepare refried beans, heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add oil (or water) and onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent and tender — about 4-5 minutes. Then add minced garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Turn down heat if browning too quickly.
- Next add your cooked beans and any of the cooking liquid. Depending on your cooking method, your beans may be looking somewhat dry or they may be submerged in cooking liquid. Because we’re going to simmer the beans even more, you want them to be just submerged, so add only as much vegetable broth as needed to just cover the beans.
- Bring to a low boil over medium heat. Then add your salt. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes to further cook and tenderize the beans. If they begin looking dry or stick to the bottom of the pan at any point, add more vegetable broth to moisten.
- Your beans should now be tender. Our preferred way of mashing is with an immersion blender. If using an immersion blender, tip the pot to one side so the blade can be submerged and blend until the beans are creamy and smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, a bean or potato masher will also work. It just takes more work and they won’t get quite as creamy.
- If you’re blending or mashing and your beans have become too thick, thin with more vegetable broth as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt to taste. We didn’t find the beans needed more than this. However, you could add chili powder or chipotle pepper in adobo for some heat, or some ground cumin for smokiness.
- Serve as is, or garnish with desired toppings (lime juice, hot sauce, cilantro, red onion, or this vegan Mexican-style queso would be delicious).
- Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. To reheat, warm in a pot or saucepan, adding more broth as needed.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with canned beans, the lesser amount of homemade vegetable broth, and without optional ingredients.
*Prep time does not include soaking beans if cooking from scratch.
Juliana says
That was pretty good! Made it from scratch with the other recipe! Just added some more spices (oregano, smoked paprika, cumin) as at first it was pretty bland :)
Thank you for sharing, Juliana! Glad to hear it turned out well with those additions!
Melanie Owens says
These were delicious! I’m not a pinto bean fan and I usually make black refried beans, but these were the bomb! And so easy, thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Melanie! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
Linda says
I am a diabetic and have to stop using salt. Do you have any suggestions for replacing salt to get the same effect?
Hi Linda, we haven’t experimented with any salt substitutes, but know they exist. A Google search should give you an idea of some brands. Let us know if you try it!
Becky says
I made this recipe tonight and it turned out so well! So much more flavorful than canned beans. I used your recipe for made-from-scratch beans cooked on the stove. Of note, my beans took longer to cook (close to 1.5 hours), but it’s possible that my beans, despite being purchased recently, were a bit old. Regardless, I was super happy with the end result.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Becky! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Matt F. says
Following the easy pinto beans recipe, I omitted all the vegetables and seasonings (aside from salt and pepper). I followed all the other steps in that recipe and then just used the emersion blender in the pot and these refried beans are definitely going to be a new staple in my kitchen. They are so creamy!
We’re so glad it turned out well! Thanks for sharing, Matt!
Nicol says
Made this with black beans, came out amazing!
Love that modification! Thanks for sharing!
Debbi says
Fabulous! I would have never thought to do this. I used canned beans and only needed to add about one tablespoon of broth for one can of beans. Next time I think I’ll substitute with a tablespoon of salsa for additional depth of flavor. Thanks for such a clever recipe.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Debbi! Thanks so much for sharing!
Kelsey S says
This will be my next recipe to try! We have tried so many and they’re always perfection! Thank you!!
xoxo!
Iris says
Just made them as a base for some veggie taquitos and omg, they’re so good! So simple, but so delicious. Thank you so much for sharing :)
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Iris! Thanks so much for the lovely review!
Camille says
Hey,
Thank you so much for this recipe I can’t wait to try it.
I will never share enough how grateful I am for your blog to exist I can’t stop to tell every foodie lover to try your recipes. Thank you so much.
As I come from France I want to share a very traditional recipe made of chickpea flour VERY EASY and VERY good that I’m sure you would love.
Look for Panisse de Marseille on google to find it. I would be glad to honor your website with this beautiful recipe.
Thank you so much for the idea, Camille! And for the lovely review! xo
Cena says
EXCELLENT! Made it last night. So easy to make, The family loved it.
xo! Thanks, Cena.
Rita says
In Brazil, my mother in law does something similar but with black beans and coconut milk. It’s delicious. Give it a try!
Whoa, that sounds next level! Thanks for sharing, Rita!
Lily says
Looks so good!
What do you think about putting the beans in a food processor or vitamix to purée them?
Unfortunately, I don’t have an immersion blender, but want the creamy consistency!
I think either of those would work!
Carla says
I normally make retried beans with vegemite and Vegeta and kidney beans. So yum 😋 and so delicious. Serve with a sunny side up egg and creamy spinach and minute steaks 🥩 smothered with Kalles caviar and bacon and buttered toast. Wash it down with Turkish coffee. Breakfast of champions!!! Have not done this for nearly 7 years. Might have to do it again.