Creamy and delicious, these Instant Pot Refried Beans are so easy to make, with or without soaking your beans first! This method only takes a fraction of the time it would take on the stovetop and makes flavorful, perfectly seasoned refried beans.
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We're big fans of Mexican food in my family, but we don't always want to order in or go out to feed that craving.
This recipe for refried beans tastes just like what you'd get at the restaurant (maybe better!), but is made super easy with this dump-and-start recipe using an Instant Pot. And the best part is, this method works with or without soaking your beans first.
The secret to restaurant-quality refried beans is in the seasoning. I like to use vegetable broth to cook my beans to give them extra flavor. A handful of spices helps take this recipe to the next level. You'll be amazed at how delicious these beans are with just a few pantry staples!
Want more beans? Check out this Bean Recipes collection for a variety of multi-cuisine recipes. And for more information on soaking and cooking beans along with a time chart, read this article on Instant Pot Beans.
What Are Refried Beans?
Refried beans are one of the staples of Mexican, Latin American, and Tex-Mex cooking. The refried beans at your favorite Mexican restaurant are probably pinto, but they are also made with black, red, or other varieties.
The classic creamy texture of refried beans comes from mashing them after cooking. They are absolutely delicious as a side, in burritos, as a dip, or any way you could imagine.
Fun Fact: The name "refried beans" doesn't mean they were fried twice. In Spanish, the dish is called frijoles refritos. Refritos means "well-fried."
Ingredients- Notes & Substitutions
Here's what you need to make these Instapot refried beans:
- Dried pinto beans: I prefer to soak the pinto beans overnight. Alternatively, you can use the no-soak method I've included in the recipe tips.
- Vegetable broth: Use flavorful vegetable broth to give this dish extra seasoning. But if you prefer to use just water, add an extra ½ teaspoon of chili powder.
- Olive oil: If you don't have olive oil, you can use any neutral oil, such as vegetable or avocado.
- Onion & Garlic: White or yellow onion is ideal in this recipe, but if red onions are all you have, go for it (like I have in this recipe). As for garlic, freshly minced cloves are ideal. You can substitute that with ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Seasonings:
- Oregano: Adds a bit of earthy, peppery flavor to the beans that balance well with the stronger, spicier flavors.
- Cumin: Cumin has a nice warm flavor with a bit of sweetness. You can also substitute with ground coriander, as they are both from the parsley family.
- Chili powder: You can use any Mexican chili powder you like, depending on how hot you want your beans.
- Paprika: I prefer to use regular paprika here. If using smoked paprika, cut the quantity in half. I don't recommend skipping this seasoning as it really adds a lot of flavor to your beans.
- Cayenne: You can skip the cayenne for a mild dish or if you are serving little ones who are averse to spice.
Scroll to the recipe card for a detailed list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Refried Beans in Instant Pot
Prep the beans: Rinse beans and soak them in fresh water overnight or at least for 8 hours. Drain and rinse them again before using them.
(Note: If you don't wish to soak your beans, check the tip for the unsoaked version.)
Add the ingredients to the Instant Pot: Add beans in the Instant Pot along with broth (or water), oil, minced garlic, chopped onion, and all spices. Give it a stir.
Cook the beans: Close the lid and pressure cook at Bean/Chili or Pressure Cook for 30 minutes, on sealing mode.
After that time, wait for 10 minutes of natural pressure release, followed by a manual release of pressure. Open the lid after the pin drops.
Mash the beans: Using a potato masher, mash the beans. Alternatively, you can use a hand blender and blend a couple of times for 2-3 seconds each time.
Turn on Saute and simmer the beans for a few minutes until they reach the desired thickness.
Garnish and serve: Garnish them with chopped cilantro, salsa, and cheese. Enjoy with a side of tortillas, tostadas, or as a dip for chips.
Serving Suggestions
There are tons of ways to eat these refried beans with your favorite classic Mexican condiments, like Salsa, Guacamole, or Pico De Gallo.
When I'm in the mood for a hearty appetizer or snack, I garnish them with cilantro and Cotija cheese and serve them as a dip with an assortment of tortilla chips.
And when I want to make a meal out of them, I serve them in tostadas, tacos, or make quesadillas with them.
How to Store
Leftover refried beans can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To reuse, heat in the microwave or on the stove. If they're too thick, add a few tablespoons of water to loosen them a bit.
Recipe Tips & Notes
- Beans: In this recipe, I use Pinto beans, which are the traditional choice for refried beans. But you can use the same process for black beans or other beans of choice.
- Soak or Unsoaked Beans: I prefer to soak beans overnight, then pressure cook them for 30 minutes. If using unsoaked beans, rinse them and adjust the pressure cooking time to 45 minutes.
- Beans to Liquid Ratio: I use a 1:2 ratio when cooking refried beans. This means, for 1 cup of dried beans, I add 2 cups of broth or water. The important thing to remember is that the beans should be fully submerged in liquid in order to cook fully and evenly.
- Water or broth: Add vegetable or chicken broth for more flavorful beans. However, you can use water instead and add another ½ teaspoon of chili powder. Adjust salt to taste as well.
- Simmer to thicken: After pressure cooking, mash and simmer the beans to your desired level of thickness. Depending on whether I'm using them for tostadas, tacos, or as a dip, this time can vary between 5- 7 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
The name comes from the Spanish term for the dish, frijoles refritos. Refritos doesn't mean fried twice, just well-fried.
Refried beans are typically made from pinto beans. They can also be red, black, or other varieties.
I use a 1:2 ratio for beans in Instant pot, which means for every 1 cup of dried soaked beans, I add 2 cups of water or clear liquid.
Yes, you can certainly overcook the beans if you don't follow the specific cooking time for your beans. Beans come in different sizes, which is why it is important to follow the correct cooking time. Here's a cooking chart for beans in an instant pot: https://spicecravings.com/instant-pot-beans
If your instant pot beans are hard, it could be because of two reasons. Firstly, there wasn't enough liquid for them to cook through, secondly, you didn't cook them long enough. To fix hard beans, you can put them back in the Instant Pot with enough liquid to cover them, and pressure cook for 5-9 minutes, depending on how hard they are.
You can enhance the taste of canned refried beans by warming them with olive oil and adding extra spices such as paprika, chili powder, or cayenne. You can also top your canned beans with Cotija cheese, jalapenos, or even sour cream.
Typically homemade refried beans are vegan or vegetarian, but canned can contain pork fat. You can find that information in the Ingredients section of the label.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans, soaked overnight no-soak instructions included
- 4 cups vegetable broth (or water)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 4-5 cloves garlic crushed or minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped (white or yellow)
- 1½ teaspoon salt adjust after cooking, if needed
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- Rinse beans and soak them in fresh water overnight or at least for 8 hours. Drain and rinse them again before using.
- Add beans in the Instant Pot along with broth (or water), oil, minced garlic, chopped onion and all spices. Give it a stir.
- Close the lid and pressure cook at Bean/Chili or Pressure Cook for 30 minutes, on sealing mode. After that time, wait for 10 minutes of natural pressure release, followed by a manual release of pressure. Open the lid after the pin drops.
- Using a potato masher, mash the beans until you reach the desired consistency. Alternatively, you can use a hand blender and blend a couple of times for 2-3 seconds each time. Turn on Saute and simmer the beans for a few minutes until they reach the desired thickness.
- Garnish them with chopped cilantro, cheese and enjoy with a side of tortillas, tostadas or as a dip for chips.
Notes
- Beans: In this recipe, I use Pinto beans, which are the traditional choice for refried beans. But you can use the same process for black beans or other beans of choice.
- Soak or Unsoaked Beans: I prefer to soak beans overnight, then pressure cook them for 30 minutes. If using unsoaked beans, rinse them and adjust the pressure cooking time to 45 minutes.
- Beans to Liquid Ratio: I use a 1:2 ratio when cooking refried beans. This means, for 1 cup of dried beans, I add 2 cups of broth or water. The important thing to remember is that the beans should be fully submerged in liquid in order to cook fully and evenly.
- Water or broth: Add vegetable or chicken broth for more flavorful beans. However, you can use water instead and add another ½ teaspoon of chili powder. Adjust salt to taste as well.
- Simmer to thicken: After pressure cooking, mash and simmer the beans to your desired level of thickness. Depending on whether I'm using them for tostadas, tacos, or as a dip, this time can vary between 5- 7 minutes.
Stephanie B says
Way too runny. It was like soup for me. I added 4 cups water and 2 cups beans. I tried to cook them down.
Aneesha says
Hi Stephanie, I'm sorry to hear that. However, homemade beans tend to be more liquidy right after cooking, but they thicken as they cool. That being said, you can customize them by adding less water next time.
Emily says
Great flavour but too runny. I saw on another blog about draining the beans then adding 2 cups of cooking liquid back and I think this would be a better approach. Easier to slowly add more liquid than to reduce for over 30 minutes...
Aneesha says
Hi Emily, that's a tricky one. The beans need to be fully submerged in order to cook evenly. You can reduce the liquid by 1/2 a cup, but reducing further can lead to uneven cooking.
Karen Henderson says
I made this today for my husband for the super bowl. The flavour was spot on. Very tasty. For some reason mine was too watery though. I would have liked it thicker. I followed your recipe pretty much spot on. Okay I lied, I did add about 1/3 cup of pinto beans because that was all that was left in the can. I did add more water because of adding more beans. I did do the ratio for 1 cup of beans to 3 cups of water (broth). maybe I shouldn't have added the extra broth for that extra 1/3 cup of extra beans. Thank you for your recipe
Aneesha says
Hi Karen, I'm glad you enjoyed the flavor. In my recipe I recommend a 1:2 ratio of beans to water. The extra cup that you added is what made the texture more runny. Hope you love it next time 🙂