refried black beans

Beans, along with rice and corn, are one of the trilogies of Mexican cuisine, another one is tomatoes, peppers, and onion. But today it is about the beans, the perfect refried beans, that’s it. To serve, place them on a plate. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with tortilla chips.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Frijoles Refritos Recipe

beans

white onion

Tablespoons of lard (vegetable oil, bacon or chorizo drippings)

To garnish: Mexican Crumbling Cheese and Tortilla chips.

Salt

Heat the oil or lard in a frying pan over a medium-low heat.

Start frying the onions until they are transparent and start to brown.&nbsp;

Add the beans and mash down using a potato masher until they become a paste. Blend to a smooth puree and then add them to the frying pan where the onions are being browned.&nbsp;"They will become a thick puree, keep scrapping from the edges and bottom of the pan. If you prefer to add a little more oil, this is the time".

Tilt the frying pan sideways and form a roll with the bean paste. I like to flip them like pancakes a little bit. Taste to check if it needs salt.

Easy at-home refried black beans that are flavorful and perfectly versatile. Made with canned beans in about 15 minutes, the perfect side dish for any Mexican or TexMex recipe!

Refried Black Beans

avocado oil oil

garlic

salt

black beans (drained. Canned is fine.)

bean liquid

Heat oil or shortening in medium frying pan over medium heat until shimmering, about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are soft and just beginning to brown, about 3-4 minutes.

Add half of the beans (1 1/2 cups) and mash completely with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups beans and mash, leaving about half of the beans intact, or whatever strikes your personal texture fancy.

Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the bean starches begin to coat the bottom of the pan and turn golden brown, about 3 minutes.&nbsp;

Add bean-cooking liquid or water, bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate the water and heat the beans through, about 2 minutes. .The beans may initially look soupy, but they’ll thicken as they cool, so be sure to add all of the water or bean-cooking liquid.

Super Easy Refried Beans. Homemade refried beans are a lot easier to make than you think. All you need is 4 ingredients. Ready in under 15 minutes!

Re-fried Black Beans

black beans, drained and rinsed

tbsp extra virgin olive oil

onions, diced

garlic,

tsp cumin

oregano

tsp salt

tsp pepper

tsp chili powder

chicken broth

Add olive oil to a medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Add in onions and saute until tender and golden brown 3-4 minutes. Add in garlic and saute for an additional minute.

Stir in the spices: cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and chili powder. Allow them to cook for one minute. Keep an eye on them and continuously stir so they do not burn.

Add in beans and chicken broth and turn the heat down to low. Simmer until the mixture has thickened a bit, 5-10 minutes. (The mixture will still look a bit watery but will thicken when we mash the beans)

Mash the beans with the back of your spatula or with a potato masher. Make sure to leave some of the beans whole to keep a chunky texture. Serve the beans as is or top with cilantro, raw onions, sour cream, or queso fresco.

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Super Easy Refried Black Beans. Homemade refried beans are a lot easier to make than you think and taste so much better than the canned version! Ready in less than 25 minutes!

This Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe will teach you how to cook dry black beans and turn them into flavor-packed, creamy refried goodness using the Pressure Cooking and Saute functions. Serve as a dip or a side with your favorite toppings and corn tortilla chips.

Instant Pot Refried Beans - Full Recipe

black beans (dry)

water

stock cube (veggie one)

bay leaves (if available)

garlic (clove, for added flavor)

onion

olive oil

onion (white, very finely diced)

garlic powder

½ tsp chili powder

black beans (cooked)

cooking liquid (from the beans)

lime (juice)

Add ingredients. Add beans, water, stock cube, salt, bay leaf, garlic clove, and ½ onion (uncut is fine as it’s easier to remove).

Cook: Pressure cook on high for 35 minutes (it will take about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking begins). Allow the pressure to release naturally for 15-20 minutes.

Strain: Remove the lid. Remove onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Strain the beans into a bowl as we will need to use ⅔ cups of the cooking liquid in the next steps.

Saute:  Clean the pot. Press the saute setting. Add the olive oil and onion and cook for 2 minutes to soften. Then add the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and salt and stir for a few seconds.

Refry beans: Add the cooked beans and 2/3 cups of the cooking liquid (if not enough available, add extra water). Bring to a simmer and use a potato masher to mash the beans to a chunk but creamy consistency. Keep cooking until some of the liquid evaporates and you reach that thick almost dip-like consistency. You can add a little more cooking liquid as you go.

Finish with a little lime juice and stir through. Taste for salt. Serve with a little chopped onion, cilantro, and extra lime wedges on top (maybe with corn chips on the side).

This refried black beans recipe is so fresh and satisfying! It's the perfect hearty side dish for Mexican meals. Recipe yields about 2 1/2 cups, or five servings. 

red pepper (jarred is fine)

salt,

garlic, pressed

cumin

each) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked black beans

black pepper,

cilantro

lime juice red wine vinegar,

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 4 to 7 minutes.

Add the garlic and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained beans and water. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to low and remove the lid. Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash up about at least half of the beans, until you reach your desired consistency. Continue to cook the beans, uncovered, stirring often, for about 5 more minutes, until the beans are nicely tender and thickened.

Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in black pepper, to taste, and the cilantro and lime juice. Taste, and adjust if necessary—add another pinch of salt for overall flavor or another squeeze of lime juice for zing. If the beans seem dry, add a very small splash of water and stir to combine. Cover until you’re ready to serve. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.

My dear Kate,
Every time I receive one of your website's Emails, I see your ravishing smile, which - in turn - makes me smile. You really cheer me up! And I love your recipes. Some of them are a bit tricky to cook in Germany, but when I'm in the US, I try to follow your instructions as much as possible.
Please continue to be so positive and have a very happy 2025
;-)

Kate!!! Girl! We're on the same page with these refried beans. Black beans make such a tasty refry, they're the only ones I use. I prefer to make mine myself in my crockpot n portion out to freeze for future meals. We eat Mexican weekly. Thanks for sharing!

Wow this is really delicious! The only thing I did different is add a few shakes of Trader Joe’s Chili Lime seasoning because I had it, but it’s great without it. So nice to have a tasty refried beans dish that’s cholesterol friendly. I will definitely have this one on repeat.

Delicious! I made this for batch cooking of breakfast burritos to freeze. Followed recipe minus the peppers, just because I didn’t have any. I stopped using the canned stuff a long time ago and used only canned black or pinto beans so was glad to find a way better/much tastier option.

I am busy making ratatouille your way very similar to mine:   Next I will try making retried black beans if I can find tin s of them in this small
town in South Africa!  thank you

These beans are insanely good!  I have to admit that I'm not completely on board with canned beans, but they turn out fine and are incredibly convenient.  We visit a multitude of cooking sites, but yours is our most used!

Quick, creamy refried black beans made from canned black beans in about 20 minutes. Serve as a dip, side dish, or filling for tacos, burritos, nachos, and more.

Refried Black Beans Recipe

vegetable oil

yellow onion (, minced)

jalapeño (, seeded and minced, optional)

garlic (, minced)

chili powder

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

black beans (, drained, ½–¾ cup liquid reserved)

coarse kosher salt

black pepper

lime juice

cilantro (, optional)

queso fresco (, for serving, optional)

In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon fat over medium heat. Add the chopped ½ cup yellow onion and 1 jalapeño (if using) and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, 4–5 minutes.

Stir in the minced 3 cloves fresh garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and ½ teaspoon smoked paprika. Cook another 1 minute, stirring constantly, to toast the spices.

Stir in the drained 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans and about ½ cup of the reserved bean liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Using a potato masher or the back of a large spoon, mash the beans in the skillet until thick and creamy, leaving some beans whole if you like a chunkier texture. Add more reserved liquid, a splash at a time, until the beans are the consistency you want.

Stir in the 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1-2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and chopped 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, if desired. Do a quick taste test and adjust the seasoning, add more salt, lime, or spices as needed. If the beans are too thick, stir in a bit more liquid; if too thin, keep cooking over medium-low heat, stirring often, until thickened.

Before serving, top with crumbled queso fresco and any additional toppings you like, and serve warm as a dip, side dish, or filling for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, or bowls.

If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.

These are great! I especially love them as a quesadilla filling with salsa and cheese!

These refried beans are such a perfect side dish for taco night! They're so filling!

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