Homemade Refried Beans - Quick and Easy Recipe
This homemade refried bean recipe is quick and easy to make, and much healthier and cheaper than refried beans you purchase from the grocery store. Refried beans are so called, because they are cooked or fried a second time with special seasonings, which really increases their flavor and makes them perfect for use in burritos, enchiladas and other mexican dishes.
Equipment
- 1 instapot
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 1 potato masher
- 1 Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 6 cups cooked or canned beans 2 cups dry beans will cook up to about 6 cups
- 6 Tbl. butter or coconut oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 6-8 cloves garlic or 3 tsp. garlic powder or garlic salt
- 3 tsp. cumin
- 3 tsp. paprika
- 3 ½ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- Milk or bean broth
Instructions
- 1. Place butter in a large cast iron skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute until tender.
- 2. Drain beans, and add cooked beans (see above for ways to cook dry beans) to skillet.
- 3. Turn heat to medium low and add the all of the spices.
- 4. Stir and mash with a potato masher as the beans simmer.
- 5. Add some of the leftover bean water from cooking the beans, or milk to make creamy beans until they are the consistency you like. Keep in mind that they will thicken as they cool.
- 6. If you want creamy refried beans, you can use an immersion blender to blend them really smooth in the pan, or put them into a food processor.
- 7. Serve in burritos, tacos, enchiladas, dips or as a delicious side dish for any Mexican meal.
- 8. Freeze any extra refried beans in ziploc bags or an airtight container for 3- 6 months.
Video
Notes
Tips
To make your beans easier to digest, you can soak them in water with a couple Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for a few hours before cooking. You can cook them after soaking, or drain off the water and allow them to just barely begin to sprout. This can take a day or two depending on the temperature in your house. You’ll want to rinse the beans twice a day until they start to sprout. You can freeze them once they sprout to cook later on, or you can proceed with cooking them. If you soak your beans you won’t have to put as much water on them when cooking, and they will cook faster.