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!
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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
This is great recipe! After setting everything up in my slow cooker, I realized after 2 hrs that I had not plugged it in!! I transferred it to the stove top and cooked it there for 3+ hrs. Although it turned out great, it required more babysitting than the slow cooker. I made 1.5 times the recipe because I thought it wouldn’t be enough… It would have been plenty for the two of us! Luckily, we have leftovers! Thanks for a terrific recipe. I’ll be making this one over and over!!
I have tried this recipe many times and I LOVE it!!! I changed one thing. I have cooked a lot of crock pot beans over the years and I add salt to them before I cook them. They always turn out great!
I love this recipe! If I didn’t have a slow cooker and used canned beans – would this still work?
Yes but you’d have to let them sit on the stove longer to cook.
We love this one! We make a pot most every week. The only thing I do different sometimes is use canned diced green chilies instead of the jalapeno, since there’s always green chilies on hand. But either way, everyone loves it. It has totally ruined canned refried beans forever. The beans freeze great. (And sometimes we wait to mash the survivors until we’ve eaten the beans with some fried potatoes.) They have such a great flavor!
Thank you for the awesome review Shiny!
Excellent recipe. My husband currently can’t have hard foods, and can barely open his mouth. These beans were soft and yummy after cooking all night. We couldn’t wait, so I whipped them smooth with my immersion blender, and served with soft scrambled eggs on the side. I used Mayocoba beans from Rancho Gordo, which are not budget friendly, but they are a treat!
I’m happy to hear that you found something he can enjoy with you May.
I’ve made this over and over. I love that it’s easy, cheap, healthy, and freezes well! I replaced the jalapeno with a 4oz can of green chiles because I didn’t want it too spicy. I also used a stick blender to mash them. I usually make taquitos with this – refried beans + cheddar cheese in corn tortillas are a freezer staple of mine.
Happy to hear it Stacy!
This is my go to refried bean recipe. I normally make this in my Crockpot, however last night I had to make it on the stove-top for the first time. I soaked my beans for approximately 6 hours before cooking, drained the soaking water, and rinsed the beans. I added all ingredients to the pot except the salt. (I ended up needing around 7 cups water) I brought the water to a boil then turned the heat down and allowed the beans to simmer covered for approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. (Stirring occasionally) When the beans were soft and most of the water was gone I added the salt and mashed. They came out perfectly just like cooking in the Crockpot. This is such a fantastic recipe. Thanks
Happy to hear it! Thanks for sharing!
I have always heard that beans should be soaked overnight in a brine before cooking. Reason being to reduce gas. Is there any particular reason you do not presoak your beans?? Have you noticed increased flatulency after eating your beans?
I don’t because I have personally never noticed even a slight difference in the way it affects my stomach. :) And I’ve tried many times with high hopes! Hahah But everyone is different.
I’ve a crock pot full of these right now, it’s at least the third time I’ve made them. Love them with a little cheese, salsa, and avocado for a really yummy high fiber (filling!) meal. I love things spicy so usually add a second diced jalapeno. Inexpensive, easy, low sodium, and delicious, what more could I want?
How many cups roughly of refried beans does this make??
Thanks!❤
About 4.5 cups
Has this been tested in an Instapot? Would I need to increase/decrease an ingredients? How about cooking time adjustments? Normally I love these from the slow cooker, but my husband broke the ceramic insert while washing it :(
I haven’t tried it in an IP, but there is some good info about converting slow cooker recipes to IP on hippressurecooking.com :)
I tried it out today and the results were good! I used the beans setting and it took about 80 mins using dry beans bc they were still a little hard after the pre-set of 40 mins. They may take even less time, I just did another 40 bc I was busy. I did end up with significantly more liquid than in the crock pot so I had to re-up the spices after I removed most of it, but otherwise worked out great!
Added a can of fire roasted tomatoes and reduced the water by one cup. I didn’t think they were too spicy even with the whole jalapeno, so I added a sprinkle of cayenne. I froze two cans worth and used the rest for breakfast tostadas – spread on a tortilla crisped in some butter, then top with a fried egg, some chopped tomato, and queso fresco.
Why do you even comment on a recipe when you just change up the whole thing. RUDE!!!
Thank you for sharing what you added! I love seeing all the ways I can use or modify a recipe.
If I used canned beans, should I skip the 6 cups of water? Or reduce it? I can’t wait to try these!!!!
Would it be possible to cook these in a bean pot instead of a slow cooker?
Yes, but I’d need to do some testing to figure out the proper liquid ratios and cooking times.
I’m looking forward to making your weeknight enchilada recipe and am wondering if I could substitute dried black beans for the pinto beans as I have a large back I need to use up? Thanks.
Yes, you can use the same technique with black beans. :)
I’m just curious as to if the recipe would work the same with a different kind of bean, black beans or kidney beans?
yes, it does!
My husband prefers half pinto and half black beans. Works great!