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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.
If you don't already have one, you can buy the same slow cooker we have for a reasonable price and use it for this and other slow cooker recipes.
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.
Are Refried Beans Healthy?
I’m all about finding healthier ways to make comfort foods and this recipe for refried beans is no exception. On their own, beans are a healthy plant-based source of protein. They’re also high in fiber and other nutrients.
It’s all about how you prepare them. This recipe for refried beans in the slow cooker uses waaaay less salt and no added fats (although I should point out that healthy fats are fine by me!) making it a much healthier option compared to refried beans from a can.
How to Make Refried Beans in a Crockpot
Cooking refried beans in a Crockpot saves so much work compared to doing it on the stove. The trick is cooking the beans on high, not low. They take about 8-10 hours to cook on high and can be left overnight or all day while you’re out.
If you’re going to be cooking for more than 10 hours set your slow cooker to low instead to avoid burning.
Do You Need to Soak Pinto Beans Before Cooking Them?
Not in this recipe. The pinto beans cook perfectly fine without soaking so you can completely skip that step. I told you these refried beans were easy!
If you have pre-soaked or canned pinto beans, you will need to adjust this recipe a bit. First, make sure you thoroughly drain your soaked or canned beans. Second, you will need to reduce cooking time. Finally, if there’s too much moisture in your beans this recipe may turn out runny. If that happens, finish cooking with the lid off to help water evaporate.
Can I Use Black Beans Instead of Pinto for Refried Beans?
Yes, you can definitely use black beans in this recipe instead but since black beans have a mild flavor, you might want to swap 4 cups of the water with chicken broth to improve the taste.
How to Mash Slow Cooker Refried Beans
Once your beans are fully cooked in the slow cooker, you’ll need to mash them to get that refried bean consistency. A regular potato masher should work fine, especially if your beans have been cooked thoroughly.
If you find mashing by hand difficult (especially with black beans) you can pulse with a handheld blender.
How to Store and Freeze
Once cooled, refried beans can be stored in an air airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This recipe also freezes well, too! When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw frozen refried beans in the fridge and then heat in the microwave or thaw from frozen on the stove at a low temperature (you may need to add some water).
Ways to Serve Refried Beans from the Crockpot
Refried Bean Dip: Enjoy these homemade refried beans on their own with organic corn chips or add it to your favorite refried bean dip recipe.
On Tortillas: On their own or with some cheese or other taco ingredients for a delicious, easy meal idea.
As a Side Dish: Refried beans are great served with steak or chicken!
Mixed With Rice: This is a delicious side dish for any Mexican-inspired meal your family enjoys.
Easy Slow Cooker Refried Beans
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 8 hours, or overnight while you're sleeping.
- Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save the excess liquid to add back to the final product to get the optimal consistency (i.e. not too dry).
- Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.
Teresa says
Are the garlic cloves necessary, or can they be substituted for garlic powder?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hello. You can use powder.
Jennifer says
Easy and delicious. I make these all the time.
Rachelle says
I have made these a few times and I LOVE them! First time I followed the recipe exactly and found it did not have much of a spicy kick to them. But still they were delicious! Next time around I added 2 finely chopped whole jalapenos and 1 finely chopped habanero (seeds and ribs included). This was the spicy kick I was looking for. The outcomes of flavor are endless, this is a recipe you can definitely play around with when it comes to adding flavors.
One more thing... These re-fried beans are a very versatile dish; at least they are in my home. I've made them a half-dozen times and never had any leftovers to freeze. My most recent use for the leftovers is turning them into soup. Chopped & sauted: onion, cabbage; chicken broth and about of cup of beans makes a delicious meal out of leftovers!
Rachel says
Oh...my...word. Perhaps the best thing since sliced bread here. I LOVE this recipe. Once done, I use my hand stick blender to blend everything (onions included). It's delicious! I made this the other day with black beans instead of pinto and it was also AMAZING! The black beans though do cook much faster than pinto (like in half the time). Black "refried" beans were just as amazing. Kept the spices etc. exactly the same.
Alexandra Rathgeber says
My daughter-in-law passed on to me your recipe for these great slow-cooker beans....made them today, but used black turtle beans instead. ...only needed 3 hours ...and I am so pleased with the outcome! Thanks so much. We love black beans, and go through many cans ...this is a great idea. One other change...I only added the salt after the beans had completed cooking due to the tendency for salt to toughen beans and legumes during the cooking process.
Thanks for a great website ...very inspiring and useful.
Michael says
This recipe bland? No way, follow the recipe
Karyn says
Um, yes you do need to soak beans. Always. Legumes, grains, and nuts ALL contain antinutrients and enzyme inhibitors that you want to neutralize before consuming!! I've started making plain beans according to Nourishing Traditions, and since we've been correctly preparing them, no more gas and bloating. You don't even want to eat oats or rice unsoaked, much less BEANS!
magnoliasouth says
@Karyn:
I would really like to know your source on this. I'm a nurse and I cannot find a study that has proven this. Do you mind sharing where you heard this? The closest I can get is an old (1985) dissertation (not a true study): https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/handle/2142/72221
Given that this is very old and we have new technology to measure such things, I have to call that dissertation into question.
Please understand that I am not doubting you at all. I'm just saying that I can't find a study and would love to read it if you know where I can find it. As a nurse, I'm always interested in nutrition. Many thanks!
Jamie says
I made these yesterday and they cooked all day in the crockpot and they were deilicious!!! I didn't have a fresh jalapeño so I used a half can of roasted jalapeños (these cans are the little tiny ones). My husband and I both liked them a lot. I will be making these again!!
Jennifer says
Any suggestions on the best way to freeze these? Thank you! Off to make them now for the first time. :)
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Jennifer. You can freeze these beans in any airtight container.
magnoliasouth says
My personal preference is to freeze these (or any cooked beans) in gallon freezer bags. Before freezing, pat them down until they're flat, then squeeze out the air and seal well; then pat them flat again if they lost shape. Next, stack them on top of each other in the freezer. Once frozen, you can stand them upright to make more room in your freezer; it'll look like a filing system. lol!
Abbey says
This recipe was stolen from AllRecipes and claimed as her own. Here is the link:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Refried-Beans-Without-the-Refry/
Beyond that, you don't need to remove the onion. It cooks into the liquid (why would you remove vegetables from your food?!). Anyways, drain the beans (onions and all) and use an electric mixer to mash, adding liquid as needed. The onions will blend into the beans.
Sarah says
There are a lot of recipes for a certain dish or food that have similar ingredients. I don't think anyone is claiming anything. :) Everyone has different versions and measurements they prefer. Both versions look yummy!
Sarah says
And it is mentioned above the recipe that it was "Adapted from allrecipes.com." :)
magnoliasouth says
@Abbey
I don't know if one of the recipes has been changed or not, but as of this writing the one from Allrecipes is completely different recipe than this one.
For example, this one calls for 2 cups beans and Allrecipes calls for 3. Both call for a half of a jalapeno so that right there is proof that they are different. The ratio of cups of beans to whole jalapenos for this recipe is 4 cups of beans to a whole jalapeno and the Allrecipes is 6 cups of beans to a whole jalapeno. That's an enormous flavor difference!
The same goes for other ingredients. It is wise to note that the same ingredients does not mean that it's the same recipe. What matters is quantities of the same ingredients, and this one isn't.
Raee says
shut up Abbey.
Megan says
I made these today but they came out really bland in taste so very disappointed. Lovely on homemade tortilla with baby spinach, tomato, and cheese though :)
Lenaia says
I've made this recipe numerous times & it's delicious when you make a couple adjustments. Use half of a seeded poblano pepper instead of the Jalapeño. It adds a a better mild spicy flavor than the jalapeño. Also add some garlic powder to the mix before cooking. When it's done I don't remove the larger pieces of onion I use an immersion blender to blend everything & then add salt, pepper & more garlic powder until I get the right flavor I'm looking for. It freezes awesomely too!
lucy says
Can leftovers be frozen and how?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Lucy. Sure, these can be frozen in any freezer safe container form wide mouthed mason jars to zipper bags. I prefer freezing in servings of 1 or 2 to use as needed.
Denise says
Very easy and taste great! I will never buy canned beans again! I love how I don't have to soak overnight, as I'm rarely that organized. Thank you!
Gus says
Hi, Amy.
So, the onion isn't sliced or diced, just put in halved after peeling? Looking forward to trying this.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi. Yes, and Lisa removes most of the onion after cooking though you don't have to.
danielle m says
I made these last night while sleeping, they made the whole house smell great, but when i opened the lid the top beans where still hard and the bottom beans soft.
I added 2 more cups of water gave them a stir and but the heat back on low. Hoping for the best. What did i do wrong?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Danielle. Was the lid on correctly? If so, it should have cooked through and evenly. Have you experienced anything similar when cooking other items in your crock pot?
Nicole says
Hello! Do these freeze well?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Nicole. They do. :)
Katelyn says
Outstanding! Easy as pie! I have made this recipe several times for dinner and even just to have for lunches all week. Sometimes, I add an additional cup of broth to make them more soup like and I do not mash. 100% recommended.
Shirley Rodnitzky says
I would like to make black refried beans, would there be any difference in cooking directions?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hello. I have found that it helps to soak black beans first. ~Amy
Klara says
Can I use canned pinto beans and just put less water in?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Klara. Yes, I think you could though we've not tried it with canned beans.
Lynda Haeske says
We can't eat onions in our house, if I omit them entirely will this effect the outcome? These sound so yummy!
Lynda
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi there. You can leave the onion out though it does effect the flavor.
magnoliasouth says
Lynda, if you can't do onions, try adding a poblano or anaheim pepper for some flavor. Heck, even if you can eat onions try it anyway. :P
Ashley says
I LOVE re-fried beans. LOVE. A fellow yogi of mine made these for our pot luck and WOW. They were as good if not better than the actual fried in fat beans. THANK YOU!!! I love "re-fried" beans. Ever since I was pregnant with my daughter. This lets me eat them more often as a great source of protein minus the extra saturated fat.
*High Five!!*
One Happy Mommy :)
Rebekah Parks says
Is there a way to cook this on the stove?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Rebekah. This might help but use Lisa's recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-yams-and-sweet-potatoes-word-of-mouth-211176. ;)
Kathy W says
I have made these several times and always double it when I make it because the beans freeze well. I use 2 lbs of pinto beans and 12 cups of water. Also use a whole large yellow onion, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, 2 seeded jalapenos cut in half and a heaping tsp of cumin. Turn it on high and let it go for about eight hours. When the beans are done, I take out about half the onion and then drain the beans reserving the liquid. I use my hand mixer and "mash" the beans adding back liquid as needed to the desired consistency. The onion, garlic and jalapeno just disappear into the beans for some wonderful flavor. A great recipe because you can make it your own by adding more or less of whatever you like. Add any salt you want AFTER the beans are cooked, otherwise you end up with tough beans! Everyone who tries them loves them!
Lindsay says
How many servings does this recipe make?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Lindsay. This recipe yields 6-7 cups. Serving size depends on how you plan to use it? :)
Sam says
I love this recipe so much. I've made these twice now. They are so incredibly easy and cheap to make and BOTH of my kids will actually eat them. :) My 3.5 y.o. is able to help with the prep in the beginning and the mashing at the end, so that's great, too. I've started keeping a bag of pinto beans in the pantry at all times now for days when I'm flying without a plan. :) I noticed that canned organic refried beans have canola oil in them, so I'm going to try adding a little bit of that next time I make these. I will probably also try doubling this recipe at some point; need to read through comments and see what people have done about cook time. This is my third 100DORF recipe and all three have rocked. Thanks!
Kathy W says
I always double it. Cook time stays the same! Enjoy!
Jennifer says
If I double the recipe, will my cook time need to increase too?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Jennifer. Other readers have successfully doubled the recipe leaving the cook time the same. ~Amy
Meg says
Oops! I was half asleep this morning and added canned pinto beans to the crockpot along with all ingredients except the water. (I was filling up the measuring cup with water when I figured out that it must have called for dry beans). Any suggestions on how to move forward? Should I just add a little water and hope for the best?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Meg. We can rarely answer recipe questions in real time. How did it go today?
Meg says
No worries... I understand. I ended up adding a little homemade stock instead of water and they turned out ok. I will definitely give it another try using dried beans. Thanks so much!
Karen S says
This recipe is a game changer! It was the first I made from the 100 Days of Real Food cookbook... and it's DELICIOUS! So simple, so easy, so good! I cooked them overnight this weekend, and there was only one downfall... my toddler woke me up at 5:30am Saturday morning to ask "what smell so good?" Next time, we'll make beans during the day. :)
Heather says
Thank you! Thank you! I made these today, and they were absolutely perfect! I am an American living in Portugal, and I had considered refried beans to be one of those things you just can't have here. Not anymore!
Carol Bronson says
Have you ever used vita mix instead of masher?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Carol. You could but they are pretty easy to mash in the crock pot. If you transfer them, you'll have another item to clean up. :)
Melanie says
Would this work with black beans? We love black beans and have the canned kind but not sure if it is able to be substituted easily.
Anyone ever try that?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Melanie. I've made this with black beans but I did soak them first. ~Amy
Shirley says
I just wanted to say I make these in my Pressure Cooker Pro XL by using the low temp slow cooker option for first 4 hours, then switching to pressure cook mode for 15 minutes. It works every time.
Amanda says
Thank you! Been trying to figure out how to cook this in my new Instant Pot. Trying your times.
Danielle says
Goodbye Rosarita refried beans. Hello homemade! These are awesome. I thought that 8 hours on high was a bit much. I puréed them with an immersion blender and they were great.
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Samantha. You can use this recipe as a guide for converting Lisa's to a pressure cooker: http://healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com/2013/05/pressure-cooker-refried-beans.html. ~Amy
Samantha says
Any ideas on how to make this in a pressure cooker? I don't have a slow cooker yet.
Jenna says
They were too dry. Should I have put in more water? Not on high for 8 hours?
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Jenna. Some crock pots are hotter than others. Maybe you need to cut back more on the cooking time. ~Amy
jane maihan says
I've asked a couple questions on different issues on this site and am not having any luck hearing back - could you please tell me how to come up with calorie information on this dish? as well as quite a few of your other dishes. (i.e. creamy homemade mac n cheese) I need to know how many calories are in your dishes. i use the recipes quite often but need to know this information. is there anyway someone could answer me back???
The beans turned out really, really good.
thank you,
jane
Tava says
Hi! So, I don't know if this is what your looking for, but there is an option at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ where you can enter all the ingredients for a recipe, how many servings the recipe makes, and it will tell you the individual calorie count for that dish. The site is free - hope it helps!
jane maihan says
Thanks so much!!1
Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says
Hi Jane. I would have said check out My Fitness Pal, too. We don't provide calorie info because we want people focusing on getting processed foods out of their lives and not so much on the numbers. Please let me know what other questions you need answered. I'm sure I miss a few here and there. :)
betsy says
I am already to make these tonight & looking forward to it & just realized I grabbed the wrong beans at the grocery store. I got roman beans instead of pinto beans. Would that be an ok substitution or should I wait to make till I get the pinto beans? thank you!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello. Sorry, we are rarely able to answer recipe questions in real time. How did it turn out?
kathy says
immersion blender works fantastic to mash them
Danielle says
Thank you for this tip. I used mine and they were terrific.
Megan says
Super tasty and easy! I loved that I was able to put everything in my slow cooker overnight and wake up to homemade beans. The taste is great, but I think I might add a touch more salt next time. I also think I am going to double the recipe; I just felt it didn't make very much. I filled 5 half pint mason jars about 3/4 of the way full; for the effort of cleaning out the slow cooker, I will double it next time for freezing purposes.
Sarah says
If you look at the original recipe from allrecipes they use 1 tablespoon of salt for the 1 pound of beans. She drastically cut the amount down. I think 1 tablspoon is a bit excessive but I've done it with 1 1/2 teaspoons and it was prefect. I also added 2 strips of bacon, mmmm.