Slow Cooker Refried Beans
I think I might be a little late getting on this bandwagon, but refried beans with melted cheese on a warm homemade whole-wheat tortilla is the bomb! Oh and don’t forget to top it with a little sour cream. I seriously cannot believe I am just figuring out how good this combination is. The reason why though is because I didn’t think I liked refried beans. That’s what happens when you only try them out of a can. But much like the difference between store-bought and homegrown tomatoes…homemade refried beans are light-years beyond the canned stuff! And with this super easy recipe below there is no excuse not to make them yourself.
I am even going to pull out a bullet point list to tell you all the reasons why I like this recipe so much:
- Beans in general are super cheap and a good source of protein
- You don’t have to soak these dried beans overnight (which I often forget to do)
- They are sooo easy to make you could even do it with one hand tied behind your back 
- You can freeze the leftovers for another day
- And for me, since I don’t normally love beans for textural reasons, this mashed up version is the perfect way to make them extra good
Print This Recipe
Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans
Adapted from allrecipes.com
Ingredients
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
- ½ fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- One big pinch of cumin
- 6 cups water
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.
- Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save excess liquid until the final product is desired consistency.
- Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.
Other Slow Cooker recipes from “100 Days of Real Food”…
Pork Carnitas Tacos
The Best Whole Chicken in a Crock Pot
In other news: Check out my nationally syndicated newspaper column that runs every week in papers across the country. Here is a link to the Miami Herald version. If you like it please click “like” by the title. Thanks for your support!
“The real food pledge countdown“
[...] canned refried beans suprisingly qualify as real food, but I would love to make Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans instead in the future. I grated some white cheddar cheese which (unlike Patrick’s sandwich [...]
My mother taught me how to make refried beans & her tia taught her a little trick to make them taste refried without actually frying them in lard. Add a Tbsp of bacon grease after you mash them. Works great! I always add in cumin, cilantro & cheese as well.
[...] favorite way to eat tortillas? We like them filled with refried beans and some queso fresco or shredded cheddar, warmed under the broiler until good and melted. They [...]
[...] also made some crockpot magic and cooked these homemade refried beans overnight. It’s just how I roll, you guys. (My rolling usually lasts about two [...]
[...] I have a hard time buying it now. Luckily, I found a super easy and pretty declicious recipe (from here) for refried beans in the crock-pot. Check it [...]
In reading through your blog and especially your recipes, I’m amazed to find how many things I already make that are real. I make “refried” beans almost exactly this way. However, I also love to make cupcakes (but not eat them as I’m diabetic), so I’m not there yet. Thanks for sharing your recipes and lifestyle.
I can’t remember if I’ve already commented on this recipe, but in case I haven’t I just wanted to say these beans are incredible. I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t pull out the onion chunks (mine just kind of disintegrated into the beans) and since I couldn’t find my potato masher I stuck my immersion blender down into the crock pot. Perfection! Every person in my family gobbled them up and asked for seconds. I will be making these again and again. One of my goals in 2012 is to work through all of your recipes that I have bookmarked. I’ll comment along the way!
I also kept the onions In and used my immersion blender. Yum!
I just made these and I’m underwhelmed. The texture is amazing and I love how easy and inexpensive this recipe is. I followed the recipe and, sadly, it’s the blandest thing I’ve ever tasted. I ended up adding a 12-oz jar of salsa and a teaspoon of white pepper, which made it pretty tasty.
Next time I’ll make it with low sodium, organic vegetable broth, more jalapeno, more salt, more of everything.
Did you follow the recipe exactly?
Yes, I did, I even used the 3/4t salt. And I was surprised that I found it so bland. I normally cook with 1/4 the amount of salt called for in recipes for health reasons so I usually find food too salty.
After I seasoned and mashed them, though, there was no stopping us. We finished the entire batch by Monday afternoon!
Oh, I didn’t realize you had originally tried them before mashing them together. I am glad it ended up working out. This is one of my most favorite recipes.
My wife and I made this exactly the way the recipe calls for, and it was fantastic! It had a nice spicy kick, and was just salty enough. We froze some and had it weeks later with chips. We couldn’t eat enough! It’s especially good with cheese.
By the way, my wife and I make food from your blog all the time. She’s pregnant, and the homemade chicken nuggets are a great way to get protein. We also eat your fruit-yogurt smoothies every single day (we’ve had them over fifty times). We weren’t doing the real food challenges, but because real food tastes so good, we eat it much more often now.
[...] “Refried” Beans from 100 Days of Real Food and Homemade Spanish Rice from Hillbilly Housewife [...]
mmmmm. My husband asked how long prep time was. Less than 5 minutes for me, but that would translate to 10 minutes for him. SUPER easy. I can’t wait to try different beans with different herbs. Thanks!
[...] Tacos, Slow Cooker Refried Beans, and Mexican [...]
Thank you for this recipe! So nice and easy. I didn’t have any pinto beans when I wanted to make these. I used black beans instead and they are great! Not the same as traditional, but our family enjoys both regular pinto and black refried beans, so I had hopes. I can’t wait to try this again with pintos:)
We do this but add a lot of salsa and taco seasoning, and sometimes a little Tobasco sauce. Delicious!
I don’t have a crock pot. Do you know what I need to do to make this on the stove?
Sorry, after I commented I noticed that I only saw half the comments, I went back and I saw the suggestion for the stove top.
[...] often I make them into refried beans. I love ’100 Days of Real Foods’ method of cooking beans in your slow cooker, but have also tried the no-soak oven recipe over on ‘The Kitchn’. Each week, [...]
LOVE this recipe for refried beans! I don’t have a potato masher so I used my blender (the cap in the lid is long gone so I put a towel over the lid to keep hot stuff from flinging all over my kitchen). Made a “taco salad” using home-made whole wheat tortillas, spring mix greens, cheddar cheese and avocado – YUM!
[...] Homemade refried beans are the bomb! [...]
I love this recipe! As we are working towards eating more whole foods I am realizing that it requires more work from me in preparing and cooking meals. While I am ok with that, I especially love this recipe because it requires so little work!
[...] Chicken Fajitas, Slow Cooker Refried Beans, and Mexican Coleslaw Share this:ShareTwitterFacebookEmailStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to [...]
OMG!!!!! this is the best recipe. I have been trying to find the right recipe, and here it is. I doubled the recipe and it turned out great. I will never buy refried beans again. YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!!Thank you for posting the recipe
So excited to get on the bandwagon for eating healthier and feeling good about what my family eats. Super excited to try this recipe for supper tomorrow night. Just hope the kids will enjoy it.
Found this pinned on Pinterest and made it last night. Just wanted to come here and thank you for such a wonderful, easy recipe. Just proves that healthy eating doesn’t have to be time consuming or difficult!
I’m making this for the second time today. The beans are totally delicious and my family loves them!! However, the last time I made them, I had to cook them for about 14 hours in my crock pot, so this time I soaked the beans overnight and then followed the recipe. I’ll let you know how that turns out!
My crockpot has two settings: low and high. Any ideas on which one I should use for these?
High
[...] http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/29/recipe-easy-slow-cooker-refried-beans/ View more posts in: [...]
[...] Beans & Cornbread Share this:FacebookEmailPrintTwitterLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]
I have tried many crockpot pinto bean recipes, but this is the best. I followed the directions exactly but made a double batch. We ate them unmashed with toppings – cheese, salsa, black olives, sour cream. My pickiest eater loved them and ate a whole bowl, which is pretty unheard of for her! I am mashing the leftovers for retried beans for more meals this week. Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi, I’m making these right now! Thanks for recipe!
Why don’t you need to soak them before putting them in the crock pot?
If they cook overnight it’s all they need to become soft!
How long do they stay “good” in the fridge? How long do you typically keep them?
About a week…no longer than that.
Curious about soaking too. I want to make these to go with burritos for tomorrow’s dinner but wonder if I should soak them? Usually when you soak beans you don’t have to worry about them drying out/adding more water while they cook. Have you ever had to add more water?
Nope I have never had to add more water…and I have never pre-soaked them. They always turn out great!
I never pre-soak any beans I make in my crock pot
Thank you, Lisa! I am really excited about making these. I LOVE refried beans but always feel guilty for buying them in a can. I can’t wait to see how they go over tomorrow. I’ll let you know!
My beans are cooked & mashed! I think they are fabulous! Do they taste like out of a can? NO! They are fresh and wonderful! I doubled the recipe and added a wee bit more jalapeno than the 6 year old will probably care for… I’m looking forward to having these tonight along with burritos!
Thank you, Lisa!
PS – I saved the drained liquid and added it back into the beans for a smoother consistancy.
Loved the whole wheat tortillas but had a little blunder with the refried beans…2 cups instead of 2 lbs. makes a huge difference! LOL…whoops. Can’t wait to try it again! Thanks for all the great recipes!!
I soaked my pinto beans in the Crock Pot for 24 hours (with one rinse and water change) to break down the phytic acid and for better digestion. I just added water and the ingredients after the soak! I wish I had a fresh hot pepper but we just added some paprika and used some salsa on our burritos for extra flavor. This was so delicious!! I paired it with Homemade Spelt Flour Tortillas and I am dying of deliciousness over here!
Will leftovers freeze well?
Yes! I do it all the time
WOW, thank you for this recipe! My family loves these beans. Not only is it a great real food recipe and easy to make, it is super economical. Refried beans in a can cost $1.50, 99 cents on sale. I bought a whole bag of bean for 69 cents. The onion, garlic, and a few spices certainly don’t add up to much cost. Thank you for this delicious and budget friendly recipe.
My family loves these beans and they are so economical. Thank you.
I am so excited to have come across this recipe and cant wait to try it! but I have also been trying to count calories at the same time, any idea what the nutritional values would be looking like with this recipe? thanks so much! LOVE this site btw!
We actually don’t count calories, fat grams, carbs, protein, etc. Eating real food means eating a variety of whole foods (including lots of produce and veggies) and not overeating in any way. If you follow those general guidelines the rest just falls into place!
Hi! I want to try this recipe out and I have black beans and red beans…Have you ever tried these as a substitution for pinto? If not, do you have recipes using these beans?
Thanks!
I have tried black beans and it works…not sure about red beans, but you could try.
How many does this serve please?
A lot …maybe 10 servings or so.
Do these turn grey? That has been my problem with homemade refried beans, the less than appealing color. My kids want the pretty tan color from our organic canned refried beans. All of my attempts with other recipes have turned grey.
Mine were a nice medium brown – definitely not grey.
I made these go go along with our supper this week. They were delicious! I almost messed up, because I tasted and seasoned them a little more right before I drained and mashed them. They were almost too salty. If I decide to add anything or change it up, I will wait until I have the finished product. (I don’t think I will need to add anything, though.)
I normally hate retried beans but these are so delicious! I was in shock at the tastiness and how amazing they were!!!!!! Totally addicted
I absolutely love this recipe! We are having a cinco de mayo cookout tomorrow and I am making these but I think I need to double the recipe. Have you ever done that? Will I need to double the cooking time? Thanks so much for all your hard work on this blog…I haven’t found one recipe I don’t love!
I have not doubled the recipe before, but I wouldn’t think you would need to also double the cooking time. I’ve cooked it as long as 12 hours before (single recipe) and love the way it turns out so just start with that and see how it goes! Good luck.
I made these yesterday (minus the jalapeno because I didn’t realize until putting it together that I didn’t have one.) It was delicious. My 21 month old had three (small) bowls for dinner with cheddar cheese mixed in. I will definitely be doing these again (with the jalapeno next time.) I never would have thought of making refried beans myself, but it was so easy. Thanks.
What size crock pot is this made in? I have a 2 quart but would love to try the recipe.
My crock pot is 5 quarts so I would recommend trying a half recipe.
thanks! I’ve already got the beans and onion ready to go whenever I find a moment off from work. =]
[...] called for lard or bacon grease, I really didn’t want to go that route. I found one over at 100 days of real food that is simple and delicious! I tweaked it just a tad for my families [...]
I made these yesterday with black beans (I also left chopped onions in it) and blended mine with an electric mixer, then put them on whole wheat tortillas, topped them with leftover taco venison, pepper jack cheese and a dollop of sour cream and had the most amazing Mexican pizza I’ve ever had!