There’s no need to settle for canned refried beans when you can make this restaurant-style refried beans recipe at home! This authentic Mexican beans recipe walks you through how to make creamy refried beans using dried pinto beans (or properly doctored up canned beans when you’re short on time).
The result? Rich, smooth refried beans (frijoles refritos) that put the canned stuff to shame. Watch the How to Make Refried Beans Video below to see just how easy it is!
What This Refried Beans Recipe is NOT
You know those refried beans that are dry, crumbly or so thick and pasty they stick to the roof of your mouth (aka cement beans)?
These beans are the complete opposite of those! This easy refried beans recipe creates silky smooth creamy refritos, with just the right amount of fat (not too much) creating the perfect consistency which you can customize to be thinner or thicker.
They’re scoopable using your spoon but still hold their shape with whole beans to bite into! These Mexican beans are just like the velvety, perfectly seasoned beans you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant – the kind that make you want to lick the plate clean.
And they’ll never leave you feeling heavy, bloated, or overstuffed like so many (delicious) restaurant beans. The secret lies in the quality of ingredients, the cooking methods, and getting the right ratio of liquid to beans. Too little liquid gives you paste, too much gives you soup – but this recipe hits the sweet spot every time.
This recipe shows you both the traditional dried bean method and a quick refried beans version using doctored up canned beans that still deliver amazing results.
How to Make Refried Beans (Step-by-Step)
Making restaurant-style refried beans is a two-step process – first, cooking the beans with aromatics until tender (using either the pressure cooker or the slow-simmer methods below), then “refrying” them. Don’t worry – the process is mostly hands-off and the results are authentic!
Part 1. Cook the Dried Beans (Pressure Cooker Method)↓
Step 1. Sort, Rinse & Soak the Beans: Sort through the beans to remove any stones or debris. Rinse thoroughly, add them to a large mixing bowl, add water, cover, and soak them 8-12 hours. Drain and rinse the beans thoroughly just before cooking.
*Soaking beans before cooking helps make them easier to digest and makes you less gassy so I always soak first to remove these enzymes.
Step 2. Combine the Ingredients: In a 5-quart (or larger) pressure cooker, add the drained and rinsed beans, lard, diced onion, garlic clove, and epazote. Cover the beans with low-sodium broth (or water) by 2 inches (or 8-10 cups liquid).
Step 3. Cook the Beans (Pressure Cooker Method): Close the pressure cooker and bring the pressure to high, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting while still maintaining high pressure. Cook the beans for 55 minutes and allow for a natural release (if doing a quick release, cook the beans for 60 minutes). Season with salt without adding too much because you’ll season them again during the end of the refrying process.
Why You Should Salt Beans While They Cook
Despite the common myth that salt prevents beans from softening, my experience shows the opposite is true (and science and great cooks way before me back this up).
Shirley O. Corriher (a writer, biochemist, teacher, lecturer, and author of Bakewise and KitchenWise: Essential Food Science for Home Cooks) put this myth to bed for me years ago! Because like most of you, I’d grown up with a (Southern) mama who always said, “Never add salt to beans while they cook or they’ll take forever and never get tender!” which as we now now is a total myth.
For further exploration, you can check out Serious Eats and read more about the chemical reactions here. But here’s the gist of what they say: The sodium ions in salted cooking water actually replace calcium and magnesium ions in bean skins, allowing for better water penetration and more even cooking and minimizing how many beans burst open.
I always salt my bean cooking water or broth (just about one teaspoon for 8-10 cups of liquid) which is a low-sodium approach, but enough to flavor the beans inside and out and allow me to use the beans for different recipes without them ever becoming too salty (like in this refried beans recipe). I consistently achieve perfectly tender, super creamy beans with intact skins that are seasoned throughout.
Just avoid over-salting your cooking liquid or, as it will reduce and concentrate as the beans cook and you finish seasoning them. This is especially true when making refried beans which are cooked twice so I usually avoid adding much if any, salt to the bean cooking liquid.
Traditional Mexican refried beans start with dried pinto or black beans soaked overnight and cooked with a little onion, garlic, fresh or dried epazote herb (or sometimes an avocado leaf, or Mexican oregano), plus a little finely diced chile pequin (or serrano or jalapeño). Lard is another ingredient used in traditional refried beans, but vegetable oil is often substituted. Cooked beans are then mashed and “refried” with aromatics until really creamy but not completely pureed, with some small chunks remaining for texture.
Epazote has an earthy, oregano-mint-like flavor with almost a hint of dried dill flavor and it enhances rather than overwhelms dishes (like this authtentic refried beans recipe).
Restaurants use dried beans instead of canned, add epazote and/or other traditional Mexican herbs and spices during cooking, take time to properly develop flavors with aromatics, and carefully control the liquid-to-bean ratio during mashing. They also often use lard for the best flavor which is why you’ll love this authentic easy refried beans recipe!
While not mandatory, soaking beans before cooking has plenty of benefits like reduced cooking time, more even cooking, better digestion, creamier textured beans, and they’re so much cheaper than canned beans.
If you’re really short on time, use the quick-cook method outlined above (aka “quick soak”). However, if you want the best texture and flavor, especially for refried beans, take the time to soak your dried beans overnight.
For a true dried beans emergency use canned beans instead – bring beans to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand covered for 1 hour. While not quite as effective as overnight soaking, it’s better than not soaking beans at all.
Common causes include: old beans (they can take much longer to soften). Always buy from sources with good turnover. Also, cooking in hard water can prevent beans from softening. If beans are still hard after 2 hours, add ¼ teaspoon baking soda to help stubborn beans soften. and continue cooking.
While not strictly necessary, soaking beans overnight can reduce the cooking time by about 30 minutes and helps with digestion. If you forget to soak, you can use the quick soak method (outlined above), or simply extend the cooking time.
Restaurants start with dried beans and often use lard, epazote (a traditional Mexican herb), and other aromatics like fresh garlic during cooking. They also take time to properly “refry” the beans and carefully control the liquid-to-bean ratio so they’re never too thick or too thin. This recipe uses these traditional ingredients and replicates those techniques for authentic restaurant refried beans at home!
Epazote is a traditional Mexican herb that adds authentic restaurant refried bean flavor and helps reduce beans’ gas-producing properties, so I never skip. I also use it in all kinds of soup recipes and Mexican recipes. *See the ‘Refried Beans- Ingredient Substitutions’ section above for good epazote substitutes in a pinch!
Properly sealed refried beans will last 3- 4 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer. Just be sure to cool completely to room temperature before storing them.
Yes, you can make refried beans up to 4 days ahead (they actually improve with time as flavors meld) and keep refrigerated or freeze them for up to 3 months. When reheating, add liquid (broth or water) as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Yes, refried beans freeze exceptionally well for at least 3 months in airtight containers or freezer bags. For best results, cool homemade refried beans completely before portioning them into meal-sized servings, leaving about ½ inch of headspace to allow for expansion. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of broth, water, or bean cooking liquid to restore the original creamy consistency since frozen refried beans tend to thicken upon freezing. Properly frozen and reheated refried beans maintain their rich flavor and creamy texture, making them perfect for meal prep or reducing food waste.
If you’re dealing with hard beans after cooking them (even cooking them long past the required time), the culprit is likely that they’re just too old since old beans take longer to cook. And if they’re too old, they may never become tender or soft. Always buy dried beans from a source with good turnover which will ensure they’re not too old. Your beans are not hard because you salted the bean cooking liquid (see above section to learn all about the science and how this myth has been dispelled)!
A traditional bean masher, potato masher, or flat spatula works great for mashing refried beans, allowing you to control the texture. While you can use an immersion blender for super-smooth beans, hand mashing typically gives the best restaurant-style texture with some small chunks remaining.
The key to getting perfect refried bean consistency is adding the reserved cooking liquid (bean broth) gradually while mashing. This allows you to control the texture, making them as smooth or chunky as you prefer.
Traditional Mexican refried beans most commonly use pinto beans, which create that signature creamy, buttery texture and slightly sweet, earthy flavor that restaurant-style refried beans are known for. While pinto beans are the classic choice, especially in Northern Mexico and Tex-Mex cooking, black refried beans (frijoles negros refritos) are widely used in parts of Mexico like Oaxaca for their richer, earthier profile.
Some regional variations might use other varieties like Peruano beans, cranberry beans, or even red kidney beans. The choice of bean significantly affects both the final texture and flavor profile, with pinto beans yielding the smoothest, creamiest result that most people associate with authentic refried beans.
Use olive oil instead of lard, control added salt, and cook beans from scratch to avoid preservatives. The fiber and protein content make them naturally nutritious.
If you don’t add enough bean broth (or chicken broth) during the refrying step while mashing or reheating, you can end up with dry and pasty refried beans. Also, if you didn’t cook your beans until they’re tender and soft, you can have a texture problem. Always reserve bean cooking liquid and add gradually while mashing. When reheating, add water or broth to reach desired consistency
No – “refried” comes from the Spanish “refritos” meaning “well-fried.” The beans are only fried once after cooking and mashing usually with a little extra added lard and minced white onions like in this recipe.
First, be sure to use a heavy-bottomed pan or cast iron skillet with enough added lard (or fat/oil) which helps prevent sticking and be sure to stir the beans and scrape the bottom of the pan constantly.
It’s normal for beans to foam as they cook which is caused by natural starches and proteins in the beans. Just skim off the foam with a spoon, or simply cook beans in a pressure cooker which eliminates any need to skim the foam!
Yes, you can make refried beans using a slow cooker or Instant Pot for initial – see the instructions in the “Refried Beans Variations” section above!
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