Easy Refried Beans – Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Make delicious, better-than-restaurant refried beans in 20 minutes or less! These easy refried beans are creamy, flavorful and make the perfect side dish.

Homemade refried beans are SO GOOD, but making them from dried beans is a long process. Now you can have all the tastiness of refried beans in a fraction of the time!

How to Make Easy Refried Beans

The key to making these easier refried beans is using canned pinto beans.

Now before you ask yourself (or me) why on earth you’d use canned beans to make refried beans if you could just open up a can of refried beans, let me tell you why. ⤵️

Because these simple and quick refried beans are about a thousand times yummier than any can of refried beans I’ve ever met. And why are they yummier? ⤵️ ⤵️

1. We’re building layers of flavor by sautéing garlic and onions in the first step.
2. Rinsed and drained beans get a quick simmer with a few extra, important ingredients that continue building a more complex flavor profile.
3. YOU control the consistency of the finished refried beans when you mash them in the last step.

The finished refried beans can be as smooth or as chunky as you like. For a super smooth consistency, get in there with an immersion blender.

Otherwise, a potato masher is the perfect tool for turning the soft beans into refried beans with some texture.

Additionally, you can add a bit of hot water at the end if you’d like the beans less thick. Basically, what I’m saying is: YOU HAVE ALL THE CONTROL HERE. Use it wisely. 😉

Best Refried Beans Ever

Listen, I love this classic pressure cooker refried beans recipe that uses dried beans. (And so do hundreds of you.)

But there have been times when I don’t have the time (or the dried beans) to make that recipe happen. So I took notes from that recipe and transferred the yummy flavors to these easy refried beans, and WOW, they are so, so good.

They are perfect as a side dish for many a Mexican-inspired meal. And they make the most excellent super fast bean and cheese burrito/quesadilla thingies (yeah, the kind you whip up in two seconds and throw in the microwave – YUM).

This is such a great recipe to have in your back pocket when you need really, really good refried beans and you need them now!

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Easy Refried Beans

Yield: 4 to 5 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ¼ cup finely chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 cans (15-ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup water
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

• In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions are translucent.

• Add the drained beans, water vinegar, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook at a gentle simmer for 5 minutes (check once or twice to make sure the beans aren’t sticking to the bottom of the hot; moderate heat as needed).

• Uncover and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer until thick and syrupy.

• Use a potato masher to mash the beans to desired consistency. Add additional salt to taste, if needed.

• Water can be added a little at a time to adjust consistency, if needed. Serve warm.

Additions: a finely diced jalapeno can be added with the onions and garlic for heat. 

Author: Mel

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Method: Stovetop

Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 31kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Sodium: 119mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.4g

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe