Refried beans, or “frijoles refritos,” are cooked and mashed beans popular in Mexico, Latin America, and Tex-Mex cooking. My homemade refried beans are super flavorful and creamy. It’s definitely better than canned refried beans! I love it with a side of our family’s favorite Mexican rice. For the creamiest, most flavorful refried beans, start with dried beans. It’s easy, I promise. If you are short on time, start with canned beans. I’ve shared tips for both dried and canned beans below.
Key Ingredients
Beans: Use pinto beans or black beans in this recipe. I love cooking my beans from scratch for this recipe since it allows me to add extra flavor. If you are short on time, use canned beans. Fat: You’ll need fat to “refry” or double cook the beans. Authentic refried beans call for lard, which makes them absolutely delicious. Bacon fat, butter, and oil are also good options. Onion and garlic: I can’t help but add some extra onion and garlic to the skillet when cooking the beans. They add a little texture and flavor. Spices: I use cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt to keep the seasoning simple. Toppings: My favorite Mexican restaurants serve refried beans topped with melted cheese. You can add more toppings like sliced or diced jalapeño, crumbled Mexican queso fresco, white onion, tomato, and fresh cilantro.
How to Make Refried Beans
If you plan on cooking your beans from scratch for these refried beans, you’ll need to place dried beans into a pot with water, onion, garlic, and spices and cook until soft and creamy in the middle. Stovetop beans take 1 ½ to 2 hours. You can cut the cooking time slightly if you have an Instant Pot. I have shared how to cook the beans using a pressure cooker in the recipe below. As a side note, you do not need to soak pinto or black beans before cooking them in this recipe. This is true for my homemade black beans recipe, too. When your beans are cooked, you will drain them, but save the cooking liquid. We will use the cooking liquid when mashing the beans. Grab a wide skillet and onion, garlic, and spices in a bit of fat (remember that this can be oil, butter, bacon fat, or more authentic lard). Now add your cooked beans and some of the cooking liquid. This is where you would substitute canned beans in our recipe. Instead of bean cooking liquid, you can use liquid from the can or broth. Mash the beans until your desired consistency, adding more liquid as necessary. They soak up the liquid, so I usually end up adding more than I think I’ll need. Finally, serve with your favorite toppings!
What to Serve with Refried Beans
I love having a container of homemade refried beans in the fridge. My most made meal is refried bean and cheese quesadillas for my son (he loves them). I also love them with tostadas, tacos, inside burritos, and homemade fajitas. I’ve also been known to dip homemade tortilla chips it to them! Serve refried beans with other Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes like green chicken enchiladas or red enchiladas, my favorite crispy carnitas, guacamole, and pico de gallo. If you are short on time, you can also make refried beans using canned beans, which takes less than 20 minutes. We’ve shared all of these cooking variations in the recipe below. 1/2 medium onion, peeled and left whole 2 medium cloves garlic 4 sprigs fresh cilantro 1 bay leaf Salt, to taste 3 tablespoons olive oil, butter, lard or bacon drippings 1/2 cup chopped onion (1/2 medium onion) 1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 medium clove) 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, optional 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional 2 to 3 lime wedges Optional toppings: sliced or diced jalapeño, crumbled Mexican queso fresco or shredded cheese, diced white onion, diced tomato, or fresh cilantro 2Add the onion half, garlic cloves, bay leaf, and cilantro sprigs. Cover with at least 3 inches of water. 3Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the beans are extremely tender (almost silky inside), 1 ½ to 2 hours. If the beans look dry during cooking, add more water. 4Remove the onion, garlic cloves, bay leaf, and cilantro sprigs and discard them. Season the beans and liquid with salt. Start with 1/4 teaspoon and increase to your taste. 5Drain the beans, but do not discard the cooking liquid. We will use some of the liquid to make the refried beans. You will need about 3 cups of the beans to make refried beans. If you have over 3 cups, reserve the rest for another recipe. 2Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until it smells sweet and begins to brown around the edges, 4 to 5 minutes. 3Stir in the minced garlic, cumin, and cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 4Add the 3 cups of cooked beans, moving them around the pan for a minute or two so that they are heated through. Add 1 cup of the bean cooking liquid, and then use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to mash the beans into your desired consistency. 5If the beans seem a little dry as you are mashing them, add a splash more liquid. The beans dry out over time, so keeping the cooking liquid nearby is an excellent way to maintain the best consistency, especially if you make them in advance. 6Taste the beans and adjust with additional salt, pepper, or spices. Serve with a squeeze of lime and your favorite toppings scattered on top. 2Open the cans, drain, and then rinse the beans. Follow the recipe instructions in the section labeled “Make Refried Beans” above, but replace the 3 cups of home-cooked beans for canned beans. 3Instead of using the bean cooking liquid for thinning the refried beans, you will need to substitute for another liquid. We recommend using a flavorful stock (vegetable stock or chicken stock), you will need 1 to 1 ½ cups.
