During my last visit to my favorite taqueria, I paid $4 for a small side of refried beans. On the drive home, I realized I could make a huge batch at home for the same price. These homemade refried beans have transformed our taco nights with their rich, authentic flavor. Unlike canned versions, these beans have a fresh, complex taste and the perfect creamy texture with just enough chunks for character. The best part? You control exactly what goes in them, avoiding preservatives while customizing the flavor profile to your preference.
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Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
The secret to perfect refried beans lies in the cooking method and the use of aromatics. Slow-cooking beans with aromatic vegetables and herbs infuse them with flavor before they’re even mashed. The natural starch from pinto beans creates a creamy texture without requiring excessive fat. Using bacon drippings adds an authentic taste, but the recipe can easily be made vegetarian with substitutions. The immersion blender gives you complete control over the final texture, allowing you to leave some bean pieces intact for the ideal consistency.
What types of beans are best suited for making refried beans?
Typically, in the US, we use dried pinto beans. Pinto beans are a bean that has a creamy texture when mashed and a lovely flavor. These are often sold in various forms.
You can buy these in bulk in many produce sections of grocery stores. They are also sold in bulk bins in many stores. They can also be purchased in bags at most grocery stores.
Black beans are also used in some regions of Mexico. The beans are smaller, a little harder, and they take a little longer to mash.
You can also use some more exotic beans. I like to purchase beans from Rancho Gordo. You can get some heirloom beans from them that are uncommon and full of flavor.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Salt – Enhances all flavors and brings the dish together
- Dried pinto beans – Create the foundation with their naturally creamy texture when cooked and mashed
- Bay leaves – Adds subtle depth and complexity to the beans during cooking
- Bacon drippings – Provides authentic flavor and help marry all the ingredients together
- Cilantro stems – Contributes bright, herbaceous notes while reducing food waste
- Onions – Creates sweet, aromatic base notes that permeate the beans
- Garlic – Adds essential pungency and depth to the flavor profile
- Cumin – Provides earthy, warm notes that complement the beans perfectly
Step-by-Step Instructions
Preparing with an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker
- Rinse 2 cups of dried beans thoroughly under cold water, removing any stones or damaged beans.
- Add beans to the pressure cooker along with 6 cups of water, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 cup of bacon drippings, chopped cilantro stems from 1 bunch, 1/2 cup of chopped onions, and 3 teaspoons of chopped garlic.
- Stir ingredients to combine everything evenly.
- Secure the pressure cooker lid and ensure the pressure valve is closed.
- Bring to high pressure and cook for 30 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker or 36 minutes in an electric pressure cooker.
- When cooking time is complete, allow pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes.
- Carefully open the lid away from your face after ensuring pressure has fully released.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Preparing on the Stovetop
- Rinse 2 cups of dried pinto beans thoroughly under cold water, removing any stones or damaged beans.
- Place the beans in a large pot and cover them with at least 3 inches of water (approximately 3 quarts).
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for approximately 2½ hours, until the bean skins just begin to burst.
- In a separate pan, sauté 2 bay leaves, chopped cilantro stems from 1 bunch, 1/2 cup chopped onions, and 3 teaspoons chopped garlic in 1/4 cup bacon drippings.
- Cook until onions become translucent and aromatic, about 5-7 minutes.
- Discard bay leaves and add the sautéed mixture to the cooked beans.
Mashing and Finishing the Beans
- Drain cooked beans in a colander over a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid.
- Return the beans to the pot and add 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Using an immersion blender, pulse gently to begin breaking down the beans. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can use a potato masher.
- Add reserved cooking liquid in small amounts, starting with 1/2 cup, until you reach your desired consistency.
- Continue blending and adding liquid until the beans reach your preferred texture.
- Taste and adjust salt as needed before serving.
Authentic Homemade Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans rinsed and sorted
- 6 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup bacon drippings
- 1 bunch cilantro stems only chopped – this is the portion below the leaves.
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 3 teaspoons chopped garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoons salt
Instructions
Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker Directions
- Put the beans, bay leaves, water, bacon drippings, cilantro stems, chopped onion, and cloves of garlic in the pressure cooker. Stir to combine.
- Lock the lid on the pressure cooker, and bring the cooker up to high pressure.
- Cook on high pressure for 30 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker or 36 minutes in an electric pressure cooker.
- Turn off the heat and let the pressure come down naturally for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and discard the bay leaves.
Stovetop Directions
- Put beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water – about 3 quarts for 2 1/2 cups of dry beans. Â
- Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2½ hours. The cooking time may vary, the beans are done when the skins just begin to burst.
- Saute the bay leaves, cilantro stems, chopped onion, and garlic cloves with the bacon drippings. Saute until the onions and garlic are softened, and the onions are translucent.
- Discard the bay leaves and add the mixture to the beans.
Mashing the Beans
- Drain the beans, and reserve the water.
- Use an immersion blender to mash the beans. Pulse gently, add some of the water that was reserved back to the beans. The amount of water that you will add will depend on how thick you want the beans. I recommend starting with 1/2 cup of water, and adding additional water until you get the consistence you desire.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Delicious Variations
Black Bean Refried Beans
- Substitute black beans for pinto beans
- Add 1/2 teaspoon oregano and a squeeze of lime juice
- Cook slightly longer as black beans take more time to soften
Chorizo Refried Beans
- Brown 4 ounces of chorizo before adding it to the beans
- Reduce bacon drippings to 2 tablespoons to account for chorizo fat
- Add a pinch of smoked paprika for enhanced flavor
Tex-Mex Cheese Beans
- Fold in 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack after mashing
- Top with additional cheese before serving
- Add a dollop of sour cream and chopped green onions
Storage and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days
- Freezer: Portion into freezer-safe containers or bags for up to 3 months
- Thawing: Move from freezer to refrigerator 24 hours before needed
- Reheating: Warm in a saucepan over medium-low heat, adding water as needed to restore consistency
- Microwave: Cover and heat for 1-2 minutes, stirring halfway through
Love Mexican food? Take a look at these recipes!
- Chili’s Steak Fajitas
- Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice
- Chipotle Guacamole
- Homemade Cheese Enchiladas
- Mexican Carne Guisada
- Pork Chile Verde
- Tex Mex Queso
- White Cheese Dip
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Check out more of my easy side dish recipes and the best Mexican food recipes here on CopyKat!
love it! simple to understand tips and steps to make refried beans the way i like. 😊 thank you.
Realize this is a late comment, however…just wanted to say when you grew up in the South, you pretty much learned how to cook dried beans at your mama’s knee (our school cafeterias also served them!) Anyway…I learned to wash them, pick out dirt and stones,rinse well, cover with water and soak overnight. We were also taught to toss soaking water (to reduce gas) & add fresh B4 cooking. Also, i read a few years ago to add small amount of epakote (& it can be found dried) to cooking beans to help reduce the gas. I also add salt after cooking, as some have said. Have cooked pintos and other dried beans and black-eyed peas all my life and I’m old! I use leftovers if any, in a small pot of chili. We were taught not to throw away food, i.e. “use all of the pig but the squeal”, etc. and I have saved bacon grease for seasoning as long as I can remember. And my stepmother called Beans, Potatoes and Cornbread (no meat) Poor Man’s Supper. She was brought up in the Depression.
Made these a few days ago. LOVED them. Great flavor and just the best refried beans I’ve ever had. I froze the leftovers. My only issues was that I soaked a bag of pinto beans overnight. So I was a bit confused as to how much of the beans I should use and if I should use the water they soaked in. So I ended up cooking the entire batch for 2 1/2 hours, then using a little over 2 cups with the cooking water. Is this right?? I’ll follow the recipe more closely next time. But it did end up being delish!
It doesn’t matter how much water you add to soak the beans in. You are going to toss that water anyway. Most people soak beans for several hours.
Would you also have a restaurant copy cat recipe for the instant rice and the shredded salad with salsa the beans and rice plates typically include?
I’m not a fan of rice typically but I love Mexican “American” style rice. I love the refried beans, thin, and mix them the rice, Yum!! A the shredded simple salsa/salad too!
So I live in Texas, we don’t typically serve a salad with beans like this. Is there a chain restaurant that serves it this way so I could look it up.
Hello everyone!
I’m making my first batch of Homemade frijoles, don’t really know what I’m doing but It seems to be going good so far. My question is, do any of you use corn oil, for the fat whe frying the beans?
You can use corn oil, lard would be traditional. You may even want to try bacon fat. I hope this helps.
“Frijoles refritos” are fried, by definition. Otherwise they’re just mashed beans. And don’t be afraid of lard. Zero trans-fats, and low cholesterol. Crisco is the real killer. In fact, any vegetable-based fat that is solid at room temperature will kill you. All things in moderation EXCEPT hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils. Eat butter, not margarine. Etc.
We just made them tonight. Delish! Thanks for sharing.
this is an awful recipe. if you don’t add salt as the beans are cooking then they will be band the bean soak up the salt….. authentic? I think not. your recipe is trash.
Thank you for letting me know my recipe is trash. I appreciate that you read the recipe. I hope you find the recipe you prefer.
I appreciate the time you took to post this recipe! Some people weren’t raised right and our very rude, like sashi ???????? I’ll be trying this soon!
Salt toughens beans and prolongs the cooking process. You salt after the beans are cooked. Any cook knows this. And this recipe is definatly not trash. I’Ve lived in Phoenix my whole life eating Sonoran Mexican food on both sides of the border and hands down, this recipe is authentic.
Lol everyone knows you add salt after the beans are cooked. Otherwise they take longer to cook
This sounds relish! Can the final recipe be frozen?
(That was a typo…I meant: This sounds DELISH 🙂 )
I tried these in my new electric pressure cooker last night. I followed the 36 minutes cook and 10 minute rest and It did not work, not even close…way too much liquid with 6 cups of water from just rinsed raw beans.
I ended up tossing in the chopped bacon I had left from the drippings and turning it into a soup which was delicious in it’s own right. Next time I might try with 4 cups or cooking with 6 cups and then draining a bunch off and adding back as required.
It could be that my new electric pressure cooker is jus that much faster than older ones, it’s an “Instant Pot” brand.
Hey John, you gotta blend them. Then…perfection.
I do 42 minutes 15 minutes npr but I live higher altitude if they’re not done just cook longer…
I just made this in my Instant Pot on high for 36 minutes as you said. Then let the pressure come down naturally, about 10 minutes. Very watery still just set it for another 15 minutes on high lets see what happens
You want liquid left on them. When you mash them, you need that to get them to the proper consistency. Also be aware, when you cook legumes like this in general, they thicken up and absorb quite a bit of water still after cooked. So if they were nice and creamy when you make them, the next day they will have hardened into a firm clump and you’ll need to add water to loosen them up to the desired consistency again. Same thing when you make hummus. If you plan not to eat them all at once as soon as they’re done, it’s a good idea to make them on the loose side to start with. Tip from someone who’s cooked dals and and other legumes regularly over the years.
Thank you for sharing Jim. It definitely sounds like you know your stuff.
By My Self I hid Them I am a Pig Even eat on crackers
I just made these beans.. I used pinto beans, and added cumin and chopped jalapeño peppers. Salt and pepper afterwords to taste. They are the best beans I’ve ever tasted!!!
I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe. It is amazing how they taste when you cook them from scratch.
This Refried Beans recipe does not mention when the salt and cumin should be added. Thanks for any help you can give me with this !
We usually use canned (GASP!!!) so I REALLY need to try these at home!
I bet you will love these!
These look so good! I just love refried beans, but only usually get them at the Mexican restaurant. I would love to try making them at home- thank you for the recipe! 🙂
I hope you give this recipe a try.
I cook them in the crock pot and also cook mexican rice then mix the two together put on top of tortilla chip and eat so yummeh
I love that combination of Mexican Rice and Refried beans!
Its stems not steams.
What is Cilantro Steams? I have never seen them.
Cilanto has 2 portions, a leafy portion and the steams. I cut off the leaves and cook up the steam in this recipe. Does this help?
Do you mean stems? As in the stem of a flower or vegetable?
Yes. I made a typo
I made a typo. I meant stems.
What is your favorite way to use refried beans?
When nobody else is at home to share!!