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
While cooking do you add water when it cooks down?
Just made these…so easy and SO good!
Dan – Actually, letting it soak should have made it cook/soften faster. If you added salt before cooking, that can prevent them from getting soft, but I’m sure you saw that in the instructions. I’m beginning to wonder if the mineral content in people’s water affects how well the beans cook because a good number of people couldn’t get their slow cooker baked beans to soften either. Those are the only things I can think of. Hopefully cooking them on high for a little longer helped!
OH would it have made a difference that I let the mixture soak in the pot a little bit before I started cooking? Everything sat in the pot for several hours before I turned on the slow-cooker.
I was really excited to try this out and I followed all the directions and stuff but after 8 hours on low in my slow cooker, the beans were still a little firm. I decided to start mashing them anyway, and after mashing, etc. everything was a lot different than your photos :(. The mixture was much lighter and not as creamy. It also didn’t taste that good. I put in some of the water that I took out, thinking that could make a difference, but it didn’t. I have it in the slow cooker again(with a little more bean-water), and I plan on cooking the mixture on high a little more. Perhaps that will bring them to the right consistency/flavor.
@Holly – It’s best to *never* cook red kidney beans from dry in a slow cooker! There’s a toxin that doesn’t get fully cooked out due to the low heat level. Other types of beans are okay. Here’s more info: http://www.fda.gov/food/foodsafety/foodborneillness/foodborneillnessfoodbornepathogensnaturaltoxins/badbugbook/ucm071092.htm
So much healthier than out of a can!
You weren’t kidding. I ate these out of the bowl.
So. Delicious.
thanks for sharing! what a great site you have. Thanks again
Bah. I didn’t have any pinto beans on hand, so I ended up using red kidney beans…bad call. The consistency is weird and lumpy and I dunno, they just taste ok, but nothing stellar (and I’ve had really stellar refried beans!). I think I’m going to recycle them into sloppy joe filling or something.
ecoteri – I didn’t use a pressure cooker simply because I don’t have one yet ;)
how come you aren’t using a pressure cooker for your beans? they do such an amazing job, my partner who has always stove-topped the beans has been converted in only a few months to swearing by pressure cooked beans. soft and supple in under two hours (many in just an hour) and yummy. no problems with beans not getting soft…
how come you aren’t using a pressure cooker for your beans? they do such an amazing job, my partner who has always stove-topped the beans has been converted in only a few months to swearing by pressure cooked beans. soft and supple in under two hours (many in just an hour) and yummy. no problems with beans not getting soft…
I have been looking for a way to make pink beans like my husbands mother but they never seemed to come out right. I used this slow cooker recipe with a few changes to make them and they turned out great! Not only can I serve them over rice but they also are yummy mashed up for refried beans. Thanks for the technique.
These are AMAZING. I can’t imagine buying refried beans again. Thanks Beth, for showing once again, that homemade is less expensive, EASY and tasts GREAT.