Frijoles Refritos
Making homemade refried beans is easier than you might think and they are far superior in flavor and texture to canned refried beans.
You might be surprised to know that they are not overloaded with lard. We prepare the recipe with 2 tbsp. of cooking oil. The more traditional preparation method calls for lard but this recipe substitutes cooking oil which is the way many people prepare beans today.
Refried beans are the perfect side dish for any Mexican meal.
Healthier than You Think
Normally, we don’t talk too much about calories and fats in our recipes but in this case, we think it is worth mentioning nutrition.
Many people are reluctant to make refried beans because they believe that the fat content is excessive and that they are really unhealthy. There are only 8 grams of fat per 1/2 cup serving. We think they are a healthy option.
How to Make
You will need cooked whole beans to prepare. We recommend that you cook your own beans using our frijoles de la olla recipe. Although, our method of preparation works equally well with your home-cooked beans or canned beans.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked beans pinto, black, bayo (Different varieties of beans give a different flavor. Experiment to find your favorite.)
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 finely chopped garlic clove
- 2 tbsp. oil
- A pinch of black pepper
- Salt 1/2 tsp. + to taste
Preparation
Chop the onion. Finely chop the garlic.
In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion is just becoming transparent.
Add the chopped garlic.
Cook for 1 or 2 minutes until the onion is just starting to brown.
Add the cooked beans with a little bit of the cooking water plus the salt and pepper to the pan. Cook for 2 minutes before mashing.
Mash the beans to the constituency you prefer.
Once they are mashed to your preferred consistency, cook for 5 minutes stirring continually. Turn off the heat and allow the beans to rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Dishes Served with Refried Beans
To get you started here are some of our favorite dishes served with refried beans.
Enjoy!
Homemade Refried Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked beans pinto black, bayo with a little cooking liquid (We recommend that you cook your own beans using our recipe for frijoles de la olla. But no need to worry, canned beans work perfectly well.
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 finely chopped garlic clove
- 2 tbsp. oil
- a pinch of black pepper
- salt 1/2 tsp. + to taste
Instructions
- Chop the onion. Finely chop the garlic.
- In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion becomes transparent.
- Add the chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute. Do not allow the garlic to brown which will give it a bitter taste.
- Add the cooked beans with a little bit of the cooking water plus the salt and pepper.
- Cook for 2 minutes before mashing.
- Mash the beans to the consistency you prefer.
- Cook for 5 minutes stirring continually.
- Turn off the heat and allow the beans to rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Notes
- You can reduce the cooking oil by 1 tbsp. to reduce the fat.
recetas mexicanas says
very delicious recipe !!! I love It !!!!
Julie H. says
You might want to edit out the word constituency and replace it with consistency!
Michelle says
If I use your frijoles de la olla recipe do I still need to add the onion and garlic called for in the refired bean recipe?
Douglas Cullen says
Michelle, yes you will want to add the onion an garlic that the refried beans recipe calls for. Let me know if you have any more questions. Always glad to help. Cheers!
Lyn says
Very easy and tastes great. Reheats well IF you have any leftovers.
Shari C says
Made these last night and they tasted so garlicy. Not like raw garlic, like sauteed garlic. It completely overpowered the dish and I used the exact amount suggested. I’m searching for that perfect refried bean recipe and this one unfortunately wasn’t for me. But it surely could be for others.
Craig Cooper says
Then, ummmm, reduce the garlic?
Abi says
Did you mistake 1 garlic clove with an entire head of garlic? Because there’s no way your dish should have been overpowered with only 1 clove. Or maybe you don’t like garlic?
Abel A says
delicioso!
Ed Sadowski says
I like to add chopped jalapenos and chili powder!
Elen says
Awesome! Tasted like real refried beans but not our of the can. Really loved and enjoyed it with my homemade tacos! I never made refried beans before and just had such a huge craving that I wanted to try to make them at home and this one really was the one. Thank you!
SR says
Just made this, very nice and much better that the ‘old el paso’ tinned stuff from the shop. I added a dash of Chipolte hot sauce to spice it up a bit.
Neil Zevenbergen says
That is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very precise info… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read post!
Buddy says
Shared! This is AWESOME stuff! Thank you!
Dean Fanson says
Just made these awesome first time. I added a pinch of Cumin.
I’ll try again and add chili powder.
Pete Medrano says
I am still looking for a recipe that refries the beans. This recipe only fries them once. Am I missing something?
Ernie says
The name “refried” is a misnomer, Pete. The most common spanish name for the dish is (as stated) Frijoles Refritos. They are beans that have already been cooked (boiled to soften) that are then mashed and fried. think of a different translation for “refritos”–reheated or recooked by frying.
Stephen says
Toast separately, cumin and. Coriander seeds, black peppercorns, rosemary, thyme. Put in a coffee grinder with ome paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, shredded nutmeg, allspice and kosher salt. Grind to a fine powder. Add to beans while frying, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Be sure to use fresh spices. Adjust these spices to suit your own palate but for goodness sake, do something beyond what this recipe calls for. I reconstitute several kinds of dried Mexican chillies and use some of the pot liquor while finishing the beans. Bon appetit!