Where have pinto beans been all my life? I dismissed them after a couple of lackluster Mexican restaurant meals, but I’ve recently realized pinto beans in their full glory. They’re creamy and rich, and mix in beautifully with scrambled eggs, soup, rice and more.
Pinto beans make the best refried beans, since they’re so buttery. I recently crossed the refried black beans recipe with my pinto beer beans (both available in my cookbook) and ended up with these outrageously delicious refried beans.
Fresh cilantro livens up these refried beans, and a squeeze of lime juice makes them taste more complex. Flavor aside, these refried beans are also a healthy source of plant-based protein and fiber (12 grams of each per serving). You can read up on pinto bean nutrition here.
Bonus? This recipe is so easy to make! I used high quality canned beans to make this recipe quickly. I tried home-cooked beans and couldn’t tell enough difference to bother doing it again. If you prefer to cook your own beans, though, you certainly can.
Cook up some onion in olive oil, add spices and beans, and your refried beans are ready in under 25 minutes. This recipe is far superior to store-bought refried beans, and it’s become a staple in my kitchen. I hope it becomes a staple in yours, too.
Uses for Refried Beans
Refried beans are a healthy side dish to serve along with any Mexican meal. They’re so good that I like to eat them with tortilla chips as a bean dip.
You can also use these protein-rich, vegan refried beans inside tacos, enchiladas and burritos. Spread them on the inside of a quesadilla or on top of a tostada. You can’t go wrong!
Watch How to Make Refried Beans
Refried Bean Tips
Chop the onions very small and be sure to cook them until tender. This is key to achieving a creamy texture. If the onions are too large or undercooked, they will be distracting and crunchy. No thanks!
Mash the beans as much as you’d like. I usually stop when the beans are half to three-quarters mashed, but you can mash them completely if you’d like perfectly creamy refried beans. (You’ll get even smoother results if you blend these beans in a food processor. I don’t recommend trying the blender since they are so thick.)
Use black beans if you prefer. Black beans aren’t as easily blended as pinto beans, so they’ll probably be a little more chunky. If you love black beans, you’ll love this version!
Add peppers for even more flavor. You can add a finely chopped bell pepper (any color) or jalapeño pepper(s) with the onion, for beans with extra flavor and texture. Jalapeños will make the beans more spicy—I recommend removing the seeds and membranes first so you have more control over the spice level.
Please let me know how these refried beans turn out for you in the comments! Your feedback keeps me going, and your star ratings encourage other readers to make the recipe. I’ll be back soon with more Mexican recipes, and you can view my Mexican recipe archive here.
Easy Refried Beans
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
These refried beans are delicious and so easy to make. This refried bean recipe is quick, too—use canned beans and they’re ready in 25 minutes! Plus, these beans are healthy, vegan and gluten free. Recipe yields 2 ½ cups refried beans (21 ounces), enough for 5 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped yellow or white onion (about ½ small onion)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked pinto beans
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ medium lime), to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onions and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained beans and water. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and remove the lid. Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash up about at least half of the beans, until you reach your desired consistency. Continue to cook the beans, uncovered, stirring often, for 3 more minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Taste, and add more salt and lime juice if necessary. If the beans seem dry, add a very small splash of water and stir to combine. Cover until you’re ready to serve.
Notes
Change it up: Substitute black beans for the pinto beans.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Kerin
Add fresh garlic just before the beans for even more yumminess. Thanks for sharing you inspiring cooking ideas, Kate!
Kim Shea
I made this twice this week along with homemade corn tortillas. It was a big hit for dinner. Great, easy recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for letting me know you love it, Kim!
M
Great recipe! I used some taco sauce to get a thinner consistency instead of water which adds a lot of flavor.
★★★★
Rory
Can this be prepared before hand and put in the fridge for a few days before using?
Brian
We make them ahead all of the time. They will dry out a bit so we add a few tablespoons of water and microwave slowly. Good luck!
★★★★★
Don
It’s simple and quick and (nearly) foolproof. Easy to substitute too. I like to slice my onion halfway through to the axis and then turn it to cut out onion rings that are now split and liner strands. Slice the split rings off the onion very thinly. When they are sauteed they become these long sloppy stringy onion strands you pull out of a burrito with your teeth while you eat, and they retain the onion flavor in the strand, rather than having it blended into the mash. Caramelize them a bit in the olive oil. Thanks for the proportions. Tasty.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you love it, Don!
Aleta Mergenthaler
My kids love these refried beans! I make them all the time!:)
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thanks for your review, Aleta.
Bernadette
I love this recipe and being able to make a lower sodium and lard free recipe! I add more lime juice in place of water and it’s so good I use it as a dip.
★★★★★
Chris
Can you freeze the leftovers?
Kate
I haven’t tried it, sorry!
Patti
I always freeze them, works great
Kevin
I’m glad I found your recipe, as I am on a LOW sodium diet (I just omitted the salt). Looking forward to doing this recipe again (hopefully, not making ONE big mistake – I was cooking taco meat at the same time, and when I went to put in the water, I grabbed the wrong cup – TOO much water. It took a bit longer cooking them to get the beans less runny, BUT, they tasted good.) THANKS!
★★★★★
Kate
Oh no! I’m glad you were still able to have a good result.
Linda Allmaras
Had a can of refried beans with no idea how to use them. Saw your recipe and am glad I did. It is easy and simple and delicious. Thanks for your work. I added more garlic to it as I really like garlic. Looking forward to more recipes!
★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Linda! Be sure to let me know what other recipes you try. :)
Juliana
I’m vegetarian so I’m used to eating a lot of beans already. Today I tried this version and I’m glad now I have one more way of getting my proteins! I’m using it for my meal prep this week!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Juliana!
Lynn
Great, easy recipe. I always cook my own beans and pop them in the freezer, so they are always on hand. I had some cannellini beans and used them. Turned out great. I am using them in a vegan 7 layer dip.
★★★★★
Lynn Shuck
I never knew how easy it was to make refined beans. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Lynn!
Rachael Nead
I have made the refried beans in this recipe 3-4 times now. I am not a vegetarian BUT i am trying to reduce my consumption of mean and this is an easy and tasty way to do so. I don’t even make the green guac cause.. just the refried beans and the pickled onions. Slap it on a flour tortilla and it is just delicious. I did find if I switched chili powder for chipotle smoked chili powder it was even better.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Rachael!
Iorraine
I substituted black beans for the pinto beans and added finely chopped cooked bacon to the onions. They were amazing!!
★★★★★
JoBeth
These were great refried beans – quick, easy and delicious. I did make a few adjustments to suit our taste. I sautéed 3/4 cup of onion (about 1/2 medium onion) and three large garlic cloves in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I increased the chili powder to 1 scant teaspoon. I also used a full can of lower sodium chicken broth instead of water. I added it incrementally and cooked the beans for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. I used 1 can of Goya and 1 can of Bush’s pinto beans. I liked the combination because the Bush’s beans are softer the Goya beans. I’ve never use canned pinto beans before since I always worried that they wouldn’t have enough flavor, but with my changes these were some of the best refried beans I’ve ever eaten – and we eat a lot of those in Texas.
★★★★★
JoBeth
I love pinto beans, but I always cook them from scratch. I needed refried beans for a recipe and I didn’t want to take the time and trouble to cook a whole pot of beans. So I decided to try your recipe, and it was delicious, but I did make a couple of changes. I use a whole can of chicken broth instead of water. I added about 1/3 of the can at a time and cooked the beans for about 20-30 minutes total after adding the broth, stirring after each addition. The taste of the finished product was so good that I now keep a couple of cans in the pantry for bean and cheese quesadillas or bean and cheese nachos.
★★★★★
Becca
I bought the wrong refried beans and found your recipe. All I had was black beans and cannelloni beans. It was delicious! Thank you for saving my meal!
Kate
I’m happy it still worked, Becca!
Cassandra Dean
Love this recipe. Could you tell me where to find the recipe for the onions in the picture along side of the refried beans and guacamole? It looks like red onions soaking in vinegar or perhaps water.
★★★★★
Kate
Hey Cassandra! Those are my quick-pickled onions, and they go so well with these beans.
Crevel Europe
Very interesting , good job and thanks for sharing this recipe..
Michael
This recipe is a perfect foundation. I used the chicken broth, and added it in stages, kind of like making risotto. The end result was rich and creamy. Never thought I’d like retried beans without the lard, but this was fantastic and easy.
★★★★★
Lourdes Fay
Is this recipe gluten, dairy and soy free
My 4 yr old grand daughter is intolerant… don’t want to make her sick.
Thanks
Lori
I’ve made this numerous times and every time it turns out fabulous! Everyone can’t believe there isn’t any lard in it. It’s great per your recipe or if you want to add jalapenos to make it spicy it’s a great addition. It’s so easy to adjust according to the taste palates of those you are serving. Thank you for a great recipe! It’s definitely my “go to”!
★★★★★
Karen
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I used black beans as I had that on hand and added a dash of lemon pepper to amp up the spices to offset the slightly stronger flavour of the beans. I will never buy canned refried beans again. This recipe is easy and so tasty.
★★★★★
Fredda S.
I made this dish tonight and found that it much more flavor fo us even though I used 3 times the spice called for. Chipotle in adobo did the trick thought. With that addition, the beans were delicious.
Katie Hall
Never thought I would get excited about refried beans but these are delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray, Katie! I’m glad you got excited about these.
Daniel McKenna
I am so happy to have found your page, after having Googled: “DIY refried pinto beans” -and the fact that you were the top result shows that, since starting the blog in ’10, you have done well to optimize it for search engines, etc…
I haven’t made the recipe yet; one small issue for me is, while you mention that people could cook their own beans, you don’t go into detail about how to do that. I have always thought that boiling “the hell” out of them for 45 minutes might be the quickest way, but don’t the beans retain more nutritional value if you soak them overnight and then slowly cook them at just under a boil?
I am going to compromise and simmer them on low for about an hour and a half….and then, it will be on to the recipe….
I pocketed a lot of your pages so I can return to them, especially the ones on starting a food blog.
I have a “New Orleans Lifestyle” blog that I started in 2006, but haven’t done nearly as well with linking and promoting, using keywords and a site map, etc. etc. Plus, it’s about my mundane life and offers very few delicious recipes. (I do have a coconut milk/peanut butter ginger and honey thing I make that I’m kinda proud of LOL)
I only include my link in case you are curious, at the risk of making this look like a spam type comment (daniels-new-blog.blogspot.com)
I should get back to you soon with the result of the recipe, I don’t know if I can wait for the beans though, I’m famished!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you came across the blog too, Daniel! Bean cooking method really varies and I haven’t mastered my own technique yet. I know some love using a pressure cooker to cook dried beans. Let me know how cooking your beans goes for you!
Rebecca Yoshor
Easy and delicious
★★★★★