Easy Refried Beans
These refried beans are delicious and so easy to make. This refried bean recipe is quick, too—use canned beans and they're ready in 25 minutes! Healthy, vegan and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
Where have pinto beans been all my life? I dismissed them after a couple of lackluster Mexican restaurant meals, but I’ve recently realized pinto beans in their full glory. They’re creamy and rich, and mix in beautifully with scrambled eggs, soup, rice and more.
Pinto beans make the best refried beans, since they’re so buttery. I recently crossed my refried black beans recipe with my pinto beer beans (both available in my cookbook) and ended up with these outrageously delicious refried beans.
Fresh cilantro livens up these refried beans, and a squeeze of lime juice makes them taste more complex. Flavor aside, these refried beans are also a healthy source of plant-based protein and fiber (12 grams of each per serving). You can read up on pinto bean nutrition here.
Bonus? This recipe is so easy to make! I used high quality canned beans to make this recipe quickly. I tried home-cooked beans and couldn’t tell enough difference to bother doing it again. If you prefer to cook your own beans, though, you certainly can.
Cook up some onion in olive oil, add spices and beans, and your refried beans are ready in under 25 minutes. This recipe is far superior to store-bought refried beans, and it’s become a staple in my kitchen. I hope it becomes a staple in yours, too.
Uses for Refried Beans
Refried beans are a healthy side dish to serve along with any Mexican meal. They’re so good that I like to eat them with tortilla chips as a bean dip.
You can also use these protein-rich, vegan refried beans inside tacos, enchiladas and burritos. Spread them on the inside of a quesadilla or on top of a tostada. You can’t go wrong!
Watch How to Make Refried Beans
Refried Bean Tips
Chop the onions very small, and be sure to cook them until tender. This is key to achieving a creamy texture. If the onions are too large or undercooked, they will be distracting and crunchy. No thanks!
Mash the beans as much as you’d like. I usually stop when the beans are half to three-quarters mashed, but you can mash them completely if you’d like perfectly creamy refried beans. (You’ll get even smoother results if you blend these beans in a food processor. I don’t recommend trying the blender since they are so thick.)
Use black beans if you prefer. Black beans aren’t as easily blended as pinto beans, so they’ll probably be a little more chunky. If you love black beans, you’ll love this version!
Add peppers for even more flavor. You can add a finely chopped bell pepper (any color) or jalapeño pepper(s) with the onion, for beans with extra flavor and texture. Jalapeños will make the beans more spicy—I recommend removing the seeds and membranes first so you have more control over the spice level.
Please let me know how these refried beans turn out for you in the comments! Your feedback keeps me going, and your star ratings encourage other readers to make the recipe. Find more Mexican recipes here.
Easy Refried Beans
These refried beans are delicious and so easy to make. This refried bean recipe is quick, too—use canned beans and they’re ready in 25 minutes! Plus, these beans are healthy, vegan and gluten free. Recipe yields 2 ½ cups refried beans (21 ounces), enough for 5 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion (about ½ small onion)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked pinto beans
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ medium lime), to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, chili powder 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 3 more minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste, and add more salt and lime juice if necessary. If the beans seem dry, add a very small splash of water and stir to combine. Cover until you’re ready to serve.
Notes
Change it up: Substitute black beans for the pinto beans.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Oh, yes! This is the recipe to use! I cooked dried pinto beans from scratch and followed the recipe exactly and they came out great.
I cannot wait to try this. I always bought store bought refried beans and doctored them up. Your recipe is much simpler and healthier. Thank you for sharing.
Gearing up for Taco Tuesday and going to see JAWS IMAX 3D…
Cannot wait…
Hi See, I hope you like them! They are very easy and once you try them I think you’ll prefer them to canned beans! Sounds like a fun night, have the best time!
Thank you for getting back to me!!!Oh, my gosh…you guys are awesome and I am so looking forward to trying many more recipes…
Namaste
Easy to make and super tasty. I used black beans which is all I had.
This is a great recipe. You’re right refried beans can be added to anything. I’ve been adding refried beans to my grits for a couple of years now. I’ll blend 5oz (weight) refried beans with 1/2 cup of grits, 2 cups of water, 2 heaping teaspoons grated Italian cheese and a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper. Then put it on the stove to cook. The refried beans really helps to keep the grits from lumping so you can do multiple things while they cook.
Why the hell would anyone put onion in food. Any food that comes in contact with an onion is immediately destroyed. It doesnt matter how much flavor you try to add, the only thing you will taste is the armpit of a trucker that hasn’t showered in decades.
While I do find your comment quite funny it does make one wonder exactly how many armpits you’ve nibbled on to know that the two are comparable lol. I will admit that I do love pretty much anything with onion cooked in it but they have to be diced up very finely and have to pretty much “melt” into whatever dish it is bc I can’t stand the texture of cooked onions. I do enjoy a nice big slice of raw onion on a cheeseburger though. I’m not sure if the texture thing is due to me being on the spectrum or if I’m just a weirdo lol. Thank you for the laugh though and here’s to hoping you live the rest of your life onion free or should I say trucker armpit stench free? Lol.
I just discovered a few mins ago that I have no refried beans so I’ll be making this recipe tonight for our tacos bc my husband refuses to eat tacos without them. Judging by the comments I think it’ll be a hit (gonna give it 5 stars just bc pretty much everyone else has and it doesn’t seem fair to give it one star when I’ve yet to make them but if by chance they’re not any count I’ll edit my response or make a new comment lol) but thank you for the recipe and hopefully saving me from having to hear from dear hubby how I have the memory of a goldfish lol.
Just simple and delicious. Thanks you so much for sharing with us!