Homemade Refried Beans

You can make them creamy or chunky, either way, they are awesome! Full of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals like thiamine, iron, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, beans will keep you full for a while!

A lot of people add a lot of extras when refrying their beans, which is totally fine! They’re great no matter how you make them. Most Mexican homes will usually add in onion, garlic and/or jalapeño peppers.

I like to keep them as simple as possible. They take little effort to make and still taste great!

How to mash the refried beans

You can use a potato masher fo a more chunky style bean or use a hand blender straight into the pot to make them creamy and smooth. You can also add them to your regular blender, just be careful when adding hot things to a blender they sometimes explode!

Beans can be made as creamy or as chunky as you’d like. I personally like them more smooth, but others may like them lightly mashed and chunky. Seriously consistency is a personal thing, do what makes you happy.

What kind of beans should I use to make Mexican refried beans?

Traditionally, in Mexico, they use the pinto bean, which translates literally to spotted bean. But if you don’t have any pinto beans you can use black beans or whatever beans you have on hand.

Are refried beans vegan?

So here’s the thing, yes and no. If you go out to a restaurant or to a friend’s house, you might want to ask what they use to fry those beans. It’s VERY common for homes to use lard. Yeah, like actual lard, not vegetable shortening. But some places, like restaurants, will probably use vegetable oil. Chances are, it’s corn oil. But always ask to be sure.

Can I freeze beans?

You can! It’s better to freeze the freshly made beans and not after they have been refried, but you can. Use a freezer safe zip lock bag and add your cooked and cooled beans to the bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Step by Step Process

To a pan, add cooking oil and your cooked beans with no cooking liquid. Add 1 ½ cups of cooking liquid to the pan with the beans.

Let them come to a boil in the pan and then you can start mashing or blending. To get a more chunky consistency, mash them with a potato masher. For more creamy consistency, blend them with either an immersion blender or in a regular blender.

If you feel they are too thick just add more cooking liquid until desired consistency is reached.

Once mashed, stir the beans for about another 2-3 minutes, turn off the heat.

Serve topped with some cheese and enjoy!

Tips and Ideas for Making Homemade Refried Beans

• Instead of oil add some bacon to the pan, crisp up and then add your beans for refrying. So good!
• You can boil them in a slow cooker just adjust your times accordingly then transfer to cooking pan.
• Top your bowl of delicious beans with cheese or any of your fave toppings!

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