Easy Homemade Refried Beans

homemade refried beans in a large white bowl

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Homemade refried beans sound like a project, but they’re actually incredibly simple — and very flexible. This recipe walks you through making refried beans from dried beans or canned beans, depending on how much time you have. Same cozy flavor, same creamy texture, just two different paths to get there.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 45

Total Time2

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Author: Brita Britnell

Ingredients

To cook the pinto beans

8 oz. dry pinto beans or black beans
3 cups of water
1-2 dried chipotle peppers optional
½ small white onion minced
3 cloves garlic

For the refried beans

1 batch of cooked pinto beans from above or 2 15-oz cans of pinto beans
¼ cup white onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced or use a garlic press
2 tablespoons canola oil
½ jalapeno minced
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt to taste
Optional if using canned beans: 1/2 cup of veggie or chicken broth.

Instructions

To Cook the Pinto Beans

If using canned beans, skip this section and jump ahead to the "To Make the Refried Beans" section.
Cut onion in half, remove dry outer skin. Rinse beans in colander, check for broken beans or other debris and remove.
Place beans in a medium pot, cover with 3 cups water, add whole garlic cloves, dried chipotles, and half an onion. Bring to a boil for 10 minutes, then reduce heat, cover with lid cracked, and simmer for 1.5 hours. Add hot water (ideally from a kettle) if more water is needed (I added ¾ cup of hot water during the simmer time).
Drain your cooked beans with a colander over a bowl to reserve cooking liquid. Throw away onion, garlic, and chipotle pepper.

To Make the Refried Beans

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the minced onion, jalapeno, chili powder, paprika, and cumin. Saute, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, be careful not to burn/blacken.
Add in your cooked beans, ¼ cup of reserved bean water (or 1/4 cup of broth if you're using canned beans), ½ teaspoon salt. Mix everything together and mash the beans to your preferred consistency. Simmer for 3 minutes, add more water/ broth to thin out, simmer longer to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in ¼ cup of reserved bean water (or broth if using canned beans). Add salt to taste.

Notes

Storage Instructions

Store leftover refried beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water or broth to loosen.

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