Easy Refried Beans
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! Healthy, vegan and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
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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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Is there a reason why you use 1/2 c water instead of the bean “juice?” Curious, please. This recipe looks easy and delicious! Trying it tonight.
I like this best as written. If you prefer to keep the liquid, you will need to reduce the water.
Good recipe. Clean and light. I pressure cooked a pound of beans without salt added to the water (although you can!) and used up everything, just added a little more of every ingredient except olive oil, because it was enough to fry the onions in.
Nothing like a simple scrumptious recipe with thorough instructions. Sometimes I get bogged down in details but this recipe helped me make perfect refried black beans for my tostadas. I used the frozen beans I make in large batches and everything worked out even better than expected. Thanks Kate!
You’re welcome, Joe! Thank you for your review.
Just made this with black beans as it was all I had available…. By the power of Greyskull, this recipe is brilliant, I love them thank you for the recipe
You’re welcome Phil!
I tried this recipe; put on a tortilla, smothered with cheese, rolled up and placed in a casserole dish; added red enchilada sauce + topped with shredded cheese. My husband loved it!ate the beans while rolling the tortillas
Thank you for sharing how you made this, Sonya! I appreciate your review.
I’ve made these and dehydrated them for use while backpacking. I put around 90 grams (dried weight) per baggie and then use them for quick lunches on the trail eaten straight from the bag. They rehydrate almost instantly, and are super delicious and satisfying!
Made half the recipe since we only had one can of beans. absolutely perfect and served two easily. definitely becoming a staple in this house!
I never really use a recipe to make refried beans, but I sometimes look at one as a guide in case I forget something. I always use the cooking liquid from the beans rather than water. More flavour, more protein. And I end up adding more and more as I smash the beans to keep it creamy and from getting dry. I added some chopped jalapeño with the garlic. And I kept adding more salt, chili powder and cumin until it was no longer bland. Everyone tolerates different levels of spice. At 2-3x the spices I found this tasty, but not spicy.
Holy crow. These were amazing. I want more, but they’re all gone. Thanks so much!
I’m happy to hear you enjoy these beans, Aine!
Made up this recipe for a gang of friends and it was wonderful! So easy using canned pinto beans with tons of flavor. We are all fans of GOOD Mexican food, these went perfectly for huevos rancheros for brunch. Thanks so much for this!
You’re welcome, Donna!
Hi thank you for the recipe. I haven’t tried this yet but was wondering what the difference might be between the half cup of water versus not draining the can of beans?
I just used a 28 oz can of pinto beans, undrained, and buzzed them in the can with my immersion blender. Skipped adding the 1/2 c of water. Easy and tasted great. Also a little less clean up, which is always a win. Great recipe.
Great to hear, Susan!
These were absolutely divine! Naturally, I added loads more garlic since we all love, and a helping of Mexican oregano. Also did extra cumin, and added jarred jalapeños. We went nuts over these, thank you so much for a great recipe! Tasted like from a fave Tex-Mex place!
Very good !
Great to hear, Jane!
This is a great recipe for refried beans. My friend and I almost ate the entire dish in one sitting. I served this with tortilla chips. We thought it was delicious!
Loved your recipe. I like what you mentioned about the onions, you don’t want them to be firm bits of texture. I used white onion and it made that authentic difference to me.
Thank you this line up rocks!
I made this recipe and found it much better than premade. I leave out the cilantro until ready to use. Didn’t really measure amounts of ingredients, so my results may vary.
There great. Made them to the letter but I did half the recipe and add a heaping Tlbs spoon of finely chopped picked jalapeños. I’ll make them again as I live by. Life without Mexican food is no life at all!
I added more water as needed, and more salt. These taste great with either pinto or black beans.
I am a Vegan and must prepare my own meals. Restaurants are so skimpy on ingredients when it comes to the limited meal options they offer to Vegans.
This is a great recipe with a lot less oil than traditional recipes that I’ve looked at. I have a LOT of dried pinto beans that I needed to use. I soaked them and then cooked them in my instant pot and used those for this recipe. It turned out delicious. Your site is one of my go-to’s for healthy food and this was so easy and delicious!
Great to hear, Kelly!
Love it! When my favorite vegetarian refried beans went to $4.50 a can I said no more. Tried this and we are over the moon. So much better. We will never go back. One thing I did do differently was adding Aleppo pepper. Mostly because I’m just obsessed with Aleppo pepper right now.
Oh my goodness Kathryne! What a wonderful simple and delicious recipe. I had no idea they could be this easy. I followed exactly except leaving out the onions, my husband is allergic, and I used a fourth cup of the juice from the canned beans instead of water. As one reviewer said: I’m never eating refried beans from a can again! Thanks so much!
You’re welcome, Carol! Thank you for your review.
It’s a perfect and easy recipe. I add a piece of Serrano pepper with the garlic and seasonings for a little heat….so good!
My family loves this recipe! I double it and use black or pinto beans, and there are never any leftovers. Thanks for this recipe!