Homemade Refried Beans Recipe
If you are a fan of Mexican food, then you will love learning to make Refried Beans from the comfort of your own home! Made with simple ingredients that you’ll already have in your pantry, this vegan frijoles refritos recipe is so much better than store-bought. It even tastes better than your favorite Mexican restaurant!
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Why you’ll love making refried beans
- It’s such an easy recipe! All you have to do is fry the onions, garlic, and spices, then add the beans and cook them for a few minutes before mashing them up. It couldn’t be more simple to make your own at home!
- This simple side dish is on the table in less than 20 minutes. It’s really quick!
- Canned refried beans or fast food often have extra salt, preservatives, and even animal ingredients like bacon fat or chicken stock. Making it at home yourself is much healthier than the canned stuff.
- We love to make refried beans for nachos, burritos or tacos, as a dip for tortilla chips. The possibilities are endless!
- Who doesn’t love refried beans? Not only is this recipe absolutely delicious, it’s also one of the most satisfying and comforting Mexican recipes out there!
- We made these beans 100% vegan so that they could suit a plant-based diet too.
Ingredients you’ll need
You’ll need all the ingredients shown in the photograph below.
How to make the best refried beans with step-by-step instructions
A complete printable recipe and the measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the recipe card below.
Begin by adding olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. We prefer olive oil as it’s a healthy option, but vegetable oil would be fine in a pinch.
Add the chopped onion and salt, and cook until translucent, occasionally stirring for approximately 6-7 minutes.
Next, add in the spices: cumin, chili powder, and minced garlic. Stir constantly and cook for 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant.
Add the canned beans and water. Stir them to combine, cover and cook the beans for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, and use the back of a fork to mash up approximately ¾ of the cooked beans gently.
You can also mash the beans with a potato masher; just don’t overdo it or it will become a dip. Stir the beans and cook for a further 3 – 4 minutes, making sure they cook evenly.
Remove the pan from the heat, add lime juice, taste, and adjust the seasoning to suit your preference.
Let the beans cool for a couple of minutes, garnish with fresh cilantro, and serve.
Recipe notes and expert tips
- Onion: Traditionally, white or yellow onion is used in this recipe. However, red onion is also a great option for a slightly sweeter taste.
- Stock: For a little more flavor, switch the water out for vegetable broth.
- Too soupy: If the beans are a little too runny, you can drain some of the bean cooking liquid out of the pot before mashing to thicken it up. Another option would be to cook the beans until the bean broth reduces.
- Change the texture: If you like Mexican refried beans a little chunkier, mash just half of the beans. If you’d prefer it to be like a dip, mash them all! You can even pop everything in a food processor, use an immersion blender, and blend it until smooth. You may need a little more cooking liquid to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Make it spicier: If you fancy a kick of heat, double the chili, add cayenne pepper, or add a dash of hot sauce at the end.
- Make it smoky: Adding a little chipotle powder instead of chili gives a delicious smoky flavor, with a hint of spice as well. Smoked paprika would also do the trick but without the heat.
- Add cheese: If you like cheesy beans, sprinkle a little cotija cheese, shredded cheese, grated parmesan cheese, or your favorite vegan substitute right after removing the pan from the heat.
How to store leftover Refried Beans
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat them in a pot on the stove or the microwave until piping hot.
You can also freeze homemade refried beans for later! Store them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating.
What to serve with this refried beans recipe
We love these authentic refried beans as a side dish with vegetarian birria tacos, along with some air fryer Mexican corn.
Blend it nice and smooth to make a delicious dip. Add a little sour cream to make it creamy!
They taste absolutely fantastic in a veggie burrito, along with bell peppers, onions, mushrooms, and cilantro lime rice.
Try making the ultimate air fryer quesadilla by spreading a layer of beans on the tortilla along with the cheese (SO good!).
Can I use something other than canned pinto beans?
You can easily switch them for other canned beans like black beans or white navy beans if you have those on hand. Refried black beans are really tasty!
What about dry beans?
You can also cook dried beans rather than canned beans if you prefer to make dried beans from scratch.
To cook dry pinto beans, check out this pinto beans recipe.
Once your beans are ready, drain the bean broth and follow the rest of this recipe using the cooked pinto beans instead of canned. A friend tried instant pot refried beans; you can also try making this instant pot refried beans recipe.
More easy Mexican recipes for you to try
If you enjoy Mexican food, why not try these easy recipes?
- Vegan Birria Tacos
- Flour Tortilla Recipe
- Homemade Taco Seasoning
- Pico de Gallo
- Spicy Salsa Taquera
- Salsa Roja Recipe
Refried Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- ½ cup Onion finely sliced
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Chili powder
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 30 oz Pinto beans drained
- ½ cup Water
- ½ Lime juiced
- Cilantro to garnish
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and salt, and cook until translucent, occasionally stirring approximately 6-7 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, and garlic, stir constantly and cook for 30 seconds until it becomes fragrant.1 tbsp Olive oil, ½ cup Onion, ¼ tsp Salt, ¼ tsp Cumin, ½ tsp Chili powder, 2 cloves Garlic
- Add drained beans and water, stir to combine, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, reduce the heat to low, and use the back of a fork to gently mash up approximately ¾ of the beans (choose your preferred consistency and mash accordingly). Stir the beans and cook for a further 3 – 4 minutes.30 oz Pinto beans
- Remove the pan from the heat, add lime juice, taste, and adjust to suit your preference, garnish with cilantro, and serve.½ Lime, Cilantro
Notes
- Onion: Traditionally white or yellow onion is used in this recipe, however, red onion is also a great option for a slightly sweeter taste.
- Stock: For a little more flavor switch the water out for vegetable broth.
- Too soupy: If the beans are a little too liquidy, you can drain some of the bean cooking liquid out of the pot to thicken it up. Another option would be to cook the beans until the bean broth reduces down.
- Change the texture: If you like Mexican refried beans a little chunkier, mash just half of the beans. If you’d prefer it to be like a dip, mash them all! You can even pop everything in a food processor is use an immersion blender and blend it until smooth. You may need a little more cooking liquid to thin it out to your desired consistency.
- Make it spicier: If you fancy a kick of heat, double the chili, add cayenne pepper, or add a dash of hot sauce at the end.
- Make it smoky: Adding a little chipotle powder instead of chili gives a delicious smoky flavor, with a hint of spice as well. Smoked paprika would also do the trick, but without the heat.
- Add cheese: If you like cheesy beans, sprinkle a little cotija cheese, shredded cheese, grated parmesan cheese, or your favorite vegan substitute right after removing the pan from the heat.
Storage Instructions
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat them in a pot on the stove or the microwave until piping hot.
- You can also freeze homemade refried beans for later! Store them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Please note that nutrient values are estimates only. Variations can occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of origin, preparation, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
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The instructions say to “add the drained bean AND WATER. But there is no listing in the ingredients for water. It also suggests swapping out Stock for the water but again no amount given. Any recommendation for the amount?
Sorry Kris, it would seem that questions weren’t showing, so I missed this. It’s ½ cup of water, I’ve updated the recipe and thanks so much for letting me know.
How much water? It is not listed.
I am so sorry, for some reason your question didn’t show. You need ½ cup of water and thanks so much for letting me know that it had been missed – I appreciate it!