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You are here: Home / Beans / Refried Beans

Refried Beans

Douglas Cullen, 583 words., About 3 minutes to read this article., This blog generates income via ads

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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.

Homemade Refried Beans

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

Frijoles de la Olla to Make Refried Beans

Preparation

Chop the onion. Finely chop the garlic.

Chopped Onion and Garlic on Wooden Cutting Board

In a medium-sized pan, heat the oil to medium and add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion is just becoming transparent.

Frying Chopped Onion in Pan

Add the chopped garlic.

Chopped Onion and Garlic in Frying Pan

Cook for 1 or 2 minutes until the onion is just starting to brown.

Cooked Onions in Frying Pan

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.

Beans Cooking in Pan

Mash the beans to the constituency you prefer.

Mashing Refried Beans

Mashing Refried Beans in Pan

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.

Refried Beans in Pan

Dishes Served with Refried Beans

To get you started here are some of our favorite dishes served with refried beans.

  • Huevos Rancheros
  • Huevo a la Mexicana
  • Migas Norteñas
  • Chorizo and Egg

Enjoy! 

Easy Homemade Refried Beans
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4.2 from 10 votes

Homemade Refried Beans Recipe

Flavorful homemade refried beans are easy to make in 15 minutes. Start with your favorite bean variety, pinto, black, or bayo.
Course Side
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword beans, black beans, frijoles, pinto beans
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 182kcal
Author Andrés Carnalla

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 constituency you prefer.
  • Cook for 5 minutes stirring continually.
  • Turn off the heat and allow the beans to rest for 3 minutes before serving.

Notes

Substitutions
  • You can reduce the cooking oil by 1 tbsp. to reduce the fat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/2 cup | Calories: 182kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Sodium: 207mg

More Bean Recipes

  • Black Bean Soup with Avocado
  • Enchiladas with Bean Sauce (Enfrijoladas)
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. recetas mexicanas says

    February 07, 2018 at 4:54 pm

    5 stars
    very delicious recipe !!! I love It !!!!

    Reply
  2. Julie H. says

    May 18, 2018 at 6:59 pm

    5 stars
    You might want to edit out the word constituency and replace it with consistency!

    Reply
  3. Michelle says

    August 15, 2018 at 3:08 pm

    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?

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      August 16, 2018 at 4:34 am

      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!

      Reply
  4. Lyn says

    November 18, 2018 at 8:09 am

    5 stars
    Very easy and tastes great. Reheats well IF you have any leftovers.

    Reply
  5. Shari C says

    December 10, 2018 at 3:11 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • Craig Cooper says

      June 14, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      Then, ummmm, reduce the garlic?

      Reply
    • Abi says

      October 28, 2019 at 10:55 am

      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?

      Reply
  6. Abel A says

    January 16, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    5 stars
    delicioso!

    Reply
  7. Ed Sadowski says

    July 14, 2019 at 4:11 pm

    I like to add chopped jalapenos and chili powder!

    Reply
  8. Elen says

    July 17, 2019 at 3:24 pm

    5 stars
    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!

    Reply
  9. SR says

    October 05, 2019 at 5:20 am

    5 stars
    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.

    Reply

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Douglas Cullen
I am Douglas C. – Share my love of Mexican Cuisine that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico. More…

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