Easy fast cookie recipe cookbook, Love Real Food, is here! They’re delicious and ready to serve in 15 minutes. These refried beans are vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and healthy, too! Super easy and delicious refried beans!
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. Fresh cilantro livens up these refried beans, and a squeeze of lime juice makes them taste more complex.
You can read up on pinto bean nutrition here. 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.
Watch how to make the best refried beans in this short recipe video! They’re quick to make—use canned beans and they’re ready in 15 minutes! 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.
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. 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. I’ll be back soon with more Mexican recipes, and you can view my Mexican recipe archive here.