• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Seeking Good Eats
  • Recipes
  • by Course
  • Low Carb Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
×
Home » Recipes » Dairy Free Recipes

The Best Refried Beans Recipe - 2 Ways!

Modified: Aug 30, 2024 by Kori Butler · Published: Mar 2, 2022

FacebookPinterestEmailReddit
Jump to Recipe

This is easily the best refried beans recipe - they're simple to make and taste WAY better than the store-bought refried variety - these are so creamy and flavorful! There are 2 ways to make them - use canned pinto beans (quickest) or dried cooked beans (traditional).

Refried beans cooked in a cast iron skillet and topped with melted cheese and cilantro.

Why You'll Love These Mexican Refried Beans

"These are amazing and result in flavorful and creamy refried beans similar to your favorite Mexican restaurant. Once you make them, you'll never buy the canned variety again. You can make these by using a dried pinto bean, or the quick and simple method with canned beans."

So Many Uses! Serve as a snack for dipping chips, or as a filling in burritos, tostadas, or tacos. Or, as a side dish with your favorite Mexican dish.

Quick! Making homemade refried beans is quickest if you use canned refried beans - it'll take under 15 minutes! It’s a perfect quick side dish if you're busy!

Traditional. You can opt to make these the more traditional method and use dried soaked and cooked pinto beans. This process takes longer but does result in amazing beans.

So Delicious!  These creamy and flavorful refried beans have so much more flavor than canned! The recipe is also easily customized to your tastes.

Healthy! This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free (don't use optional cheese), and sugar-free.

Best Refried Beans Ingredients

Ingredients needed for making homemade refried beans

Here are the ingredients you will need to make homemade refried beans:

  • Pinto Beans - use canned to save time, or use softened, soaked dried that have been cooked. See the recipe card instructions in the post on how to cook them. If you use canned beans, you need to rinse and drain them.
  • Yellow Onion - I used a yellow onion but a white may be used instead.
  • Oil or Lard - there are many forms of fat that can be used to saute the onions and beans. I used beef tallow, but you could use olive oil, avocado oil, bacon fat, chorizo sausage fat, lard, or vegetable oil.
  • Beef Broth - I used beef but you could use any kind that you like. If you soak dried pinto beans you can use the bean broth instead of beef.
  • Garlic
  • Salt
  • Optional Cheese - cheese makes a nice creaminess and who doesn't love melted cheese? Use any favorite cheese such as queso fresco, oaxaca, cheddar, cotija cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend.
  • Optional Cilantro - use as a garnish, this is optional but gives it a nice freshness.

Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions!

Pin me for later on Pinterest! 🙂

A cast iron skillet of refried beans with cheese and fresh cilantro.Pin

Variations and Substitutions

  • Spicy - add chili pepper flakes while cooking to increase the spicy heat into the dish, or saute diced jalapeno with the onion.
  • Finely minced garlic cloves can be added.
  • Add freshness and brightness by stirring in lemon or fresh lime juice.
  • An undrained can of diced tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, or fire-roasted may be used in place of some of the broth.
  • Black beans can be used in place of the pinto beans.
  • You can mix in fresh or dried Mexican oregano for added flavor.
  • Vegetable broth, chicken, or the bean broth leftover from the soaking beans can be used in place of beef broth.
  • Upgraded - add the finished beans to the slow cooker and mix with a small can of diced tomatoes with green chilies, ½ cup cheese, and half a recipe of my copycat taco seasoning mix. Stir together and cook on low for a couple of hours until warm and cheese is melted. Serve as a side dish or dip.

How to Make Refried Beans From Scratch

Prep

If using dried cooked beans: follow the instructions below. Don't forget to soak the beans overnight. Drain the beans and save the broth to use in place of beef broth. If using canned beans: drain and rinse before using. If using cooked beans do not drain liquid.

Cook Onions and Garlic

Preheat a medium-sized skillet or a large skillet with your fat of choice. Add the onions and garlic and saute until golden and soft.

Smash Beans

Reduce the heat to low and add the beans. Smash the beans with the back of a mixing spoon or a potato masher. Hint: Mashing a few at a time is easier. Try mashing a third of the beans, then adding another ⅓ of the beans and continuing.

Finish and Serve

Once the beans are mashed, pour in the broth until they reach your desired thickness. Stir to heat. Top with optional cheese and garnish with minced cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Serve warm.

How To Cook Dried Beans

  • 1 cup dry beans
  • 1 small onion onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil, or other fat of choice.
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Rinse the beans and remove any dirt or pebbles. Add the beans to a bowl and 3 cups of water. Soak overnight. Beans are ready for cooking when you break open one and see no dryness inside.
  2. Drain beans and add to a 3 to 4-quart saucepan with 3 cups of fresh water, onion, oil, and salt.
  3. Bring to a simmer and partially cover. Simmer until fully tender, about 1 to 2 hours. Add more water if the water evaporates. Stir occasionally to keep the beans from sticking to the pot.
  4. Drain the beans, but save the broth. The softened beans are used to make this recipe, and the bean broth from soaking can be used in place of the beef until the desired consistency is reached.

How to Serve Mexican Refried Beans

  • Serve it with a little cheese on top, garnished with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.
  • Make it a dip - top with guacamole, diced onions, sour cream, shredded lettuce, and serve with chips.
  • Meal idea! Serve these beans with Cowboy Ribeye Steak with Cumin Chili Rub and a side of Mexican Street Corn Salad or Mexican rice.
  • Use it as a taco and burrito filling or on tostadas.
  • Serve it as a side to any of your favorite Mexican dishes. Here are a few dishes that these beans would go well with Carne Enchiladas, Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers, and Chicken Tinga Tostadas.

Kori's Tips

  • Beans will thicken as they sit. Add broth as needed to soften.
  • To mash beans you can use the back of a spoon, a bean masher, or a potato masher.
  • To help soften soaking dry beans, add a pinch of baking soda.

How To Store Homemade Refried Beans

  • To store, cool the leftover beans completely, then transfer them to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze refried beans in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Easy Refried Beans Recipe FAQs

How to reheat

Reheat slowly in a microwave or on the stovetop. Add liquid to soften beans as needed.

Why do people put milk in refried beans?

Many people add milk to their refried beans to make them creamier. Refried beans can dry out if not enough fat is added. Adding milk can add back moisture.

Why are restaurant refried beans so good?

Restaurant refried beans are so good because of the meaty flavor you get from the type of fat they use. Bacon drippings, pork lard, or fat rendered from chorizo are the three most common types of fat used in refried beans.

What gives beans a good flavor?

Besides the beans - fat, salt, onion, and garlic are the main ingredients that give beans a good flavor. Refried beans are especially delicious because they are cooked twice - the first time, the flavors are blended from cooking low and slow for hours. The second time the liquid is drained, and the beans are fried in a pan with onion, garlic, and fat, then mashed. Tasty!

How many carbs in refried beans?

While each recipe is different, in ours, there are 12 grams of carbs with 4 grams of fiber and 8 grams of net carbohydrates.

Can I ask you a favor?

If you tried this recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5 star rating and leave a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my newsletter to get healthy fresh recipe ideas every week!

📖 The recipe.

Refried beans in a cast iron skillet with a spoon and garnished with fresh cilantro.

Authentic Refried Beans

Homemade authentic refried beans are so delicious and simple! 2 ways to make - using dry pinto beans (traditional) or canned (the quickest).
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
Author Kori Butler
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6
Calories 117 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 16 ounce can pinto beans or 1 recipe of cooked dried beans (see below in the notes section)
  • 1½ tablespoons fat (olive oil, avocado oil, pork lard, beef lard, bacon drippings)
  • ½ small onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic (minced)
  • ½ to 1 cup water or beef broth (as needed)
  • salt (to taste)
  • 3 tablespoons crumbled queso fresco cheese (optional)

Instructions
 

Prepare Beans

  • If using dried cooked beans: follow the instructions below on how to cook dry beans (don't forget to soak the beans overnight). Drain and save the bean broth from the soaking beans to use in place of beef broth. If using canned pinto beans: drain all liquid and rinse before using.

To Make Refried Beans

  • Preheat a medium-sized skillet over medium heat with your fat of choice. Add onions and garlic and saute until golden and soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to low and add beans. Smash with a back of a mixing spoon or a masher until they are coarsely mashed. Hint: Mashing a few at a time is easier. Try doing a third of the beans, mash, then add another ⅓ of the beans and continue.
  • Once beans are mashed add bean broth or regular broth until beans reach the desired thickness, stirring until heated. Top with optional cheese and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve right away

Kori's Tips

Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!
VARIATIONS: Black beans can be substituted for pinto.
TOP TIPS: Buy canned beans to save time or follow the recipe below to cook dried beans for use in this recipe. 
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve as a dip with chips, a side dish to your favorite Mexican recipe, or as a filling for burritos, tacos, or tostadas.

HOW TO COOK DRY BEANS:

Ingredients
  • 1 cup dry pinto beans
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil, or other fat of choice.
  • ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Rinse the beans and remove any dirt or pebbles. In a bowl add beans and 3 cups of water. Soak overnight. Beans are ready for cooking when you break open a bean and see no dryness inside.
  2. Drain the water and add beans to a 3 to 4-quart saucepan. Add 3 cups of fresh water, onion, oil, and salt.
  3. Bring to a simmer and partially cover. Simmer until fully tender about 1 to 2 hours. Add more water if the water evaporates. Stir occasionally to keep beans from sticking to pot.
  4. Drain the beans, but save the broth. Use the beans to make this refried beans recipe, using the bean broth to use as a liquid in place of the beef as needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 5gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 259mgPotassium: 231mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 60IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 1mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Mention @seekinggoodeatsofficial or tag #seekinggoodeats! Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

© 2025 Seeking Good Eats™

More Recipes You'll Love

  • Crockpot Birria De Res
  • Green Enchiladas with Chicken
  • Creamy Beef Taco Soup
  • Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas
  • Green Enchiladas Chicken Soup (Slow Cooker + Instant Pot)

Reader Interactions

Comments

No Comments

5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Image of Kori Butler Seeking Good Eats FounderPin

Hey there, I'm Kori.

I’m a culinary school trained chef specializing in holistic nutrition and wellness. I’ve always been a major foodie, and as I’ve aged, the full impact of my love of food—and not-necessarily-healthy eating habits—caught up to me. In an effort to make positive changes in my life (and hopefully yours, too), I created this website where I could share great-tasting, craveable, healthy recipes.

More about me

Most Popular Recipes

  • A round white bowl of fried rice with shrimp and chicken.
    Shrimp and Chicken Fried Rice
  • Buffalo chicken wing dip served in a gray baking dish and garnished with celery. A person is dipping a cracker into the dip.
    Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip Recipe
  • A bowl of New Orleans gumbo served over rice with a spoon.
    Louisiana-Style Gumbo Recipe
  • Pork Shoulder Roast Recipe
  • a jar full of premade fajita seasoning mix with a spoon full of seasoning on a cutting board.
    Easy 8-Ingredient Fajita Seasoning Mix
  • Blue cheese wedge salad with dressing, bacon, tomato, and cheese
    Wedge Salad Recipe with Blue Cheese

Footer

as featured in:

Seeking Good Eats as feature in various publication onlinePin
back to top
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Newsletter
  • Sponsor
  • Accessibility Policy
Badge of the Internation Association of Culinary ProfessionalsPin

Copyright © 2025 Seeking Good Eats™

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.