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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)

[heart_this] · May 3, 2015 · 12 Comments

Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)

Quick, easy, healthy and pantry friendly homemade refried beans.

Refried beans are cooked and mashed beans that are a staple in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine that can be served as a side dish, condiment, dip or as an ingredient in other recipes. The name is a bit of a misnomer since the ‘re’ means ‘well’ so they are actually ‘well fried beans’ rather than ‘twice fried beans’. At their base refried beans are simply beans, often pinto beans, that are cooked, fried and mashed but you can add extras like onions, garlic, chili powder, cumin, etc. to taste. The beans are traditionally fried in lard which adds flavour but you could also substitute bacon grease or butter for a different flavour or even oil if you want something a little healthier or without too much flavour. I like to make refried beans in one of two ways, the quick and easy pantry friendly way with canned beans and the slow cooker way with dried beans and both methods are super easy and taste way better than canned!

Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)
Refried beans are great as a snack with tortilla chips for dipping!

Cheesy Refried Bean Dip
Add some ooey gooey melted cheese and it are even better!

Cheesy Refried Bean Dip
Just look at all of that stringy melted cheese!

Cheesy Refried Bean Dip

Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)

Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Servings: 6

Quick, easy, healthy and pantry friendly homemade refried beans.

ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion, diced (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
  • 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans (or other bean), drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked beans, from 1/ cup dry)
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
  • * water (optional)
  • salt to taste
directions
  1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the beans, cook until warm, mash and add water to get the beans to the consistency that you desire before seasoning with salt to taste.
Option: Lard is more traditional than oil and adds more flavour, bacon drippings and butter also work well and if you use one of these feel free to use more than 2 tablespoons for even more flavour!
Option: Add a touch of chipotle chili powder for smokiness.
Option: Instead of using water to thin the beans use broth or the water that you cooked the beans in, if you cooked dry beans, for more flavour.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 172, Fat 5g (Saturated 0.5g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 0, Sodium 338mg, Carbs 28g (Fiber 7g, Sugars 0.7g), Protein 9g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes Servings: 6

Easy slow cooker refried beans that are healthy and pantry friendly.

ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups dried pinto beans, picked over
  • 1 small onion, small dice (optional)
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
  • 4 cups water
  • salt to taste
directions
  1. Place the beans, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumim and water in the slow cooker and cook on high for 8 hours.
  2. Drain the liquid, reserving it, mash the beans and add as much of the cooking liquid as desired to get the consistency that you want before seasoning with salt to taste.
Option: Use black beans, or other bean.
Option: Add a touch of chipotle chili powder for smokiness.
Option: Fry the mashed beans in lard, bacon grease, butter or vegetable oil.
Option: Mix in and/or top with shredded cheese!
Nutrition Facts: Calories 167, Fat 0.5g (Saturated 0, Trans 0), Cholesterol 0, Sodium 12mg, Carbs 30g (Fiber 7g, Sugars 1g), Protein 10g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Use in:
7 Layer Dip
Quesadilla Huevos Rancheros
Burritos
Jalapeno Cornbread Grilled Cheese with Chipotle Caramelized Onions, Refried Black Beans and Guacamole
Hot Cheesy Bean Dip
Huevos Rancheros
Huevos Motulenos
Seven Layer Dip Cornmeal Pancakes
Butternut Squash and Chorizo Tostadas
Chorizo Scrambled Eggs Breakfast Tacos
Taco Quesadilla Pizzas
Chipotle Tuna 7 Layer Dip
Huevos Rancheros Breakfast Sandwich

Similar Recipes:
Cilantro and Lime Refried Beans
Korean Style Refried Beans
Jalapeno Spiced Black Beans
Black Bean Guacamole
6 Ingredient Guacamole
Traditional Hummus
Cheesy Margherita Pizza Hummus with Pesto Pita Chips
Cheesy Bacon Black Bean Dip
Roasted Garlic and Parmesan White Bean Dip
Seven Layer Dip
Chili Cheese Dip

Appetizer, Condiment, Crockpot, Dip, Food, Gluten-free, Mexican, Recipe, Side Dish, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Coffee & Vanilla says

    December 2, 2007 at 11:20 pm

    Kevin,
    I’m jealous, I love refried beans!! 🙂

    Margot

    Reply
  2. tigerfish says

    December 3, 2007 at 6:56 am

    First time hearing about refried beans :O

    Reply
  3. Dhanggit says

    December 3, 2007 at 9:04 am

    i remember i had my best beans in a small resto in montreal when we went there for our summer vacation.. i forgot the name though.. never knew its possible to refry them!

    Reply
  4. Deborah says

    December 3, 2007 at 4:39 pm

    I’m a bacon grease fan, so I usually save mine and put it in the fridge for when I need it. That way, I always have some on hand!

    Reply
  5. PG says

    March 22, 2009 at 7:39 am

    yes, I had asked myself that question too, thank you for the good explaination. The burrito looked gorgeous!

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    July 27, 2009 at 1:28 am

    The beans are 're'fried because they are well cooked. "Re" being used as a Spanish prefix to denote 'quite' or 'well' or 'very'. It has nothing to do with the beans being fried twice, which of course you knew. So your explanation is fairly sound, although without perhaps knowing why.

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    January 9, 2010 at 3:02 pm

    Well this explains alot…I was opening a can of pinto beans and mashing them, then microwaving. I can't wait to start making them this way instead. Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Ducky says

    January 27, 2010 at 11:51 am

    This looks great and so simple! I had frijoles so many times when I lived in Mexico, but never learned how to cook it myself. I'm going to make this and try one of your dips tonight:)

    Reply
  9. bellini says

    May 3, 2015 at 11:22 pm

    Love the Vine of this cheesy dish Kevin. I wish this were on my table tonight.

    Reply
  10. Joshua Hampton says

    May 4, 2015 at 12:28 am

    I love how thick and cheesy that dip is. Yum.

    Reply
  11. The Stranded Chef says

    April 22, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    Throw in a small can of roasted, chopped Hatch chilis for some kick!

    Reply
    • kevin says

      April 24, 2020 at 9:23 am

      Yes!

      Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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