Have you ever had refried beans that were so good that you wanted to just eat them plain out of a bowl? If you’ve been getting your refried beans out of a can, I’m going to guess you haven’t.
These (not) refried beans are that delicious. They have an incredibly complex flavor thanks to the jalapeño, chili, and other spices. The beans are so good and so flavorful, you’ll be tempted to serve them as your main dish. Dress them up with some roasted corn, crumbly cheese, and maybe some grilled zucchini and you can make a bowl out of them!
How to Use (Not) Refried Beans
This recipe makes about the same amount as three standard 15oz. size cans of refried beans. The left overs can be frozen so don’t worry about the large volume. You can use them as a chip dip, in a quick batch of Weeknight Enchiladas, to fill burritos, layered into a 7 Layer Dip, or more. These beans are versastile, so you’ll be glad you made a big batch!
How to Freeze Refried Beans
To freeze these beans first make sure you cool them completely in the refrigerator. Then, simply spoon them into a freezer bag in recipe-sized portions, squeeze out the air, and transfer to the freezer. I suggest about 1.5 cups per bag because this is roughly the same amount as a can of refried beans. Oh, and don’t forget to label and date the bags!
How to Make The Beans Less Spicy
My batch was just a tad on the spicy side, but I know not everyone is as big of a fan of spicy as I am. So, to make your refried beans less spicy, use half of a jalapeño and making sure you scrape out ALL the seeds. The jalapeño brings a lot of flavor with its heat, so I wouldn’t suggest nixing it all together. Just be sure to remove ALL of the seeds and white ribs on the inside of the jalapeño because that is where most of the heat lives.
Serve With: Homemade Tortilla Chips, Weeknight Enchiladas, Spiced Chickpea Tostadas
(Not) Refried Beans
Servings 9 about 1/2 cup eachIngredients
- 1 lb. dry pinto beans ($1.45)
- 1 medium onion ($0.42)
- 1 medium jalapeno ($0.13)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 tsp cumin ($0.10)
- 1/2 Tbs chili powder ($0.15)
- 10-15 cranks cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 6 cups water ($0.00)
- 2-3 tsp salt ($0.05)
Instructions
- Spread the dry beans out onto a baking sheet to pick through them and remove any stones or bad pieces. Place the beans in a colander and rinse with cool water.
- Dice the onion. Cut the stem off the jalapeño, slice it open lengthwise, and remove the seeds and ribs by scraping with a spoon. Dice the jalapeño and mince the garlic. Place the onion, garlic, and jalapeño in the slow cooker along with the cumin, chili powder, and black pepper. Do not add the salt.
- Add the sorted and rinsed beans to the slow cooker along with 6 cups of water. Stir everything to distribute the seasoning. Secure the lid and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8. It’s okay if they cook longer, they’ll just be easier to mash.
- After cooking, remove about 1 cup of the water and reserve it in a bowl. Mash the beans and add the reserved water back in as needed. Make the beans a little thinner in texture than you’d expect because they will thicken as they cool. Season the mashed beans with salt, beginning with one teaspoon and adding more to taste. I used approximately 1 Tbsp but add a little at a time until you’re satisfied. Serve warm!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!The slow cooker I use is an older model, but the newer version of the same model is this Hamilton Beach Stay or Go Slow Cooker, 6 qt.
How to Make Slow COoker Refried Beans – Step By Step Photos
Start by sorting through one pound pinto beans to remove any stones or debris. Transfer the beans to a colander and give them a good rinse.
Dice one yellow onion and mince two cloves of garlic. Cut the stem off one jalapeño, then slice it open lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and ribs. Dice the jalapeño. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño to the slow cooker along with 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 Tbsp chili powder, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 10-15 cranks of a pepper mill).
This is the chili powder that I use. It’s completely mild and contains very little salt. If you use another brand, it may have spicy red chiles in it, so be aware of the amount that you’re using and adjust accordingly.
Add the rinsed beans to the slow cooker.
Add six cups of water and give everything a stir.
Secure the lid and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours. After, it will look a little something like this. The longer it goes, the better because the beans will become more tender and easier to mash.
Stir everything up to see how much extra liquid is in the pot. Remove about one cup of water, but don’t throw it away.
Mash the beans with a potato masher or even use a hand mixer. Add more of the reserved liquid back in as you mash if needed. Mash until the beans are fairly smooth. Make them a little thinner than you’d think because when they’ll thicken up some when they cool down to eating temperature. Once mashed, it’s time to finally season with salt. This is when you’ll see the flavors pop. Start by adding 1 tsp of salt at a time until they get to where you like. I ended up using about 1 tablespoon (or 3 teaspoons) of salt.
Eat them with chips, in a burrito, or just with a spoon like I did! :P
They are sitting in my fridge “cooling” at this very moment. I let them cook overnight and used my immersion blender to mush it all up. Can’t wait to make…something…anything…with them tonight! Thanks for the great idea, I love eliminating all gobs of salt from bean recipes!
Shady – one pound of dry beans is about 2 cups. The recipe is pretty forgiving, though, so if you’re over or under a bit it won’t make much of a difference :)
Looks like the comment I posted the other day didn’t work. I buy in bulk so I’m not sure how much 2lbs of beans are. Can you give an approximate measurement in cups? Thanks
I will be bookmarking this and coming back to it for sure. I’m a beans anytime girl, but they are a particular favourite once there’s a bit more of a chill in the air at night.
Wow I’ll have to try this. I’m the only person who likes refried beans and I end up wasting most of the can since it never gets eaten. This way I could make it from scratch and freeze it into individual portions. I’ll have to try this out soon!
Love this. I have made refried beans from canned pinto beans, but I love that this recipe uses the dried beans and a crock pot! The spices in this sound wonderful and the pictures look great! These are also so much healthier than the canned because of the sodium content – thanks for this recipe!!
I am a bean-a-holic. Can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
Word. Slow cooker beans are so easy and tasty! I like to add a bit of grated cheese to mine as well… maybe it’s just an Oregon thing. I also like a few dried chipotles and a bit of tapitio in mine.
I’m a bit surprised though that 1lbs of pinto beans cost so much; out here they are only $0.79 per 1lbs bag!
@ Anonymous…A 15 oz can or Little Bear Organic refried beans was $2.75 at the store. Dry pinto beans in the natural food section were $.99 a pound. I usually cook 3-4 pounds at a time. Pre-soaking them cuts down the cooking time. I soak about 8 hours, usually. @BB…My recipe is a lot like yours , with the onions and spices, but we keep it mild. When mashed and cooled I pack them into 1, 2 and 4 cup freezer containers. When the children stop by they usually take a couple home with them. I need to do this again, almost out.
I have never tried the slow-cooker. We have a gas cook top so just simmer on low for as long as it takes. I think the quality of the finished product far outweighs the price of the cooking, though I can’t imagine it adds that much, especially when cooking a large batch at once.
Funny I just made a nearly identical recipe for the first time a few weeks ago for a Mexican themed party. They were so good. I thought about making up another batch and freezing them in meal sized portions.
Ah-Mazing!!!! I LOVE beans. My husband, he hates that I love beans ;) Making these this weekend for a party.
I’ll be making these this week, I’ve only ever had canned so I’m interested on how much better they are :) And to Anon, a slow cooker costs like 2 cents an hour to operate…or some low number like that.
Oh, homemade beans are worth the effort and whatever else! A crockpot uses very little energy anyway… and Beth, I like to stir cheese into mine! Mmmm mmm mmmm.
Using gas or electric for so many hours will add to the cost making as opposed to buying already cooked. Sometimes its not worth the effort and expense ?
These look wonderful! I’ve never worked with dry beans before – you make it look easy!