Quick and Easy Refried Beans

  4.6 – 278 reviews  • Refried Bean Recipes

Use any chocolate cupcake or muffin recipe for this Halloween-themed snack. Every party I bring these spooky skull cupcakes to is a hit. The “Night of the Living Dead” movie served as my inspiration as I was making them.

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Servings: 6

Ingredients

  1. 2 tablespoons canola oil
  2. 2 garlic cloves, peeled
  3. 2 (15 ounce) cans pinto beans
  4. 1 teaspoon cumin
  5. 1 teaspoon chili powder
  6. salt to taste
  7. ½ lime, juiced

Instructions

  1. Heat canola oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.
  2. Cook garlic cloves in hot oil, turning once, until brown on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Smash garlic cloves in the skillet with a fork.
  3. Stir pinto beans, cumin, chili powder, and salt into mashed garlic and cook until beans are thoroughly heated, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  4. Smash bean mixture with a potato masher to desired texture. Squeeze lime juice over smashed beans and stir until combined.

Reviews

Joshua Barker
I used clarified bacon grease instead of Canola oil and added a little water at completion to achieve the desired consistency. Awesome flavor profile!
Hannah Griffin
It was very good. but i would cut the cumin in 1/2 unless you like the taste of cumin. added a jalapeno for a little heat.
Shawn Wall
I used one can drained beans and one can with beans and liquid. I also used 1/2 the cumin amount. Didn’t add any salt. I let the beans simmer for twenty minutes, then used a potato masher. Squeezed one half lime after it was cooked. Followed the recipe other than my changes! Delish!
Jessica Tucker
Quick and easy! My husband and I really liked them! Better than canned refried beans in my opinion. Made them as a side dish for tacos and he wants the rest to eat with his eggs in the morning!
Laura Carter
I enjoyed this recipe and ate it with a tostada shell and watermelon for a side to the meal. Note: I used Red Kidney Beans.
Donna Gibson
I literally just found this recipe, prepared it and it’s delicious. If my grandmother were alive, she’d be very proud.
Jonathan Morris
After reading that some found this too dry, and at least one said that it was lacking in flavor, I did as I often do ~ I made a few changes to the recipe. I used half the beans and the full amount of the other ingredients. I cut the garlic into tiny pieces and cooked it along with a chopped onion in avocado oil. After that, I added the drained and rinsed beans and mashed them with the onion and garlic. Next I added the lime juice, the spices, part of a chicken bouillon cube (instead of salt) and between ¼ and ½ cup of water and mixed it all together to a pleasant consistency. Finally I made a wrap with a tortilla, lettuce leaves, refried beans, and tomato slices. Delicious!
Taylor Faulkner
Absolutely loved this recipe! Super easy. I did use a can of pinto and black beans. My family thought it was better than any we have had before. So win for me!
Brian Hernandez
I am not a refried bean fan but made this to go with a Cinco de Mayo themed gathering. This recipe changed my mind about refried beans!! It also changed a few guests minds too!! They were leery about putting on their plate but not a bite was left. I think the garlic and the way it’s cooked and then mashed is the trick!?! Topped with a sprinkle of shredded Colby cheese and green onions. Kudos Marasflourpower!
Jennifer Brooks
Good recipe. I had made my pinto beans homemade and reserved the bean water. I used bacon fat instead of canola oil. It added a nice smoky flavor. I did use some of the reserved bean water because the beans are a little dry once smashed. If using canned, I recommend reserving the water as well, in case needed to loosen it up. When cooking the garlic I removed the pan from the burner to smash the garlic. I was worried about burning the garlic, this worked well. Great recipe and easy to make.
Frank Brooks
Fast easy and delicious. I used bacon grease instead of the oil. Followed the rest of the recipe exactly. I drained about 1/2 of the liquid from the beans and did not add any salt. Simmered for about 15 minutes or so, after mashing to allow the liquid to evaporate to allow the seasoning to fully incorporate. Just finished eating these refried beans. They were delicious and my picky family loved them too. Thank you.
Isaac Higgins
All-Recipes always hits the nail on the head, gotta say, and this was no exception! Absolutely simple and D-liscious!
Jacob Thomas
These re-fried beans were so delicious! I ate mine with a nice salad and veggie chips. Seasonings are always a surprise. They make more of a difference than expected.
Mr. Christopher Ritter
Awesome, thank you!! I never knew how easy it was to make these. I halved the recipe and used minced garlic instead of cloves, and added cayenne. Turned out perfect. I drained 90% of bean juice.
Jacqueline Chan
We usually go for the canned stuff but forgot to get it last time. I had a can of pinto beans and everything already on this recipe, so figured, why not? I didn’t change the recipe at all and these came out perfect. I kept some of the juice from the pinto beans to make sure it didn’t come out as paste. Everyone loved it and it’s easier to make than cleaning a can of pre-made to heat it up. I’m hoping the half lime is about 1/8 cup because that amount seems to work prefect for us.
Darren Goodman
It was missing something, but I’m not sure what. Only made 1/2 batch and used leftover pinto beans instead of canned. Definitely easy! I will make again and play around with my spices.
Lisa Gray
I rarely write reviews… I have to say this recipe is hands down the best I’ve come across! This is better than any pre-made canned refried beans. I followed recipe to the T. Well, I used olive oil, & one can of organic black beans… with the juice, per other reviewers not knowing because the recipe doesn’t disclose. I just made sure to let cook on low-medium and simmer to reduce the liquid to the right consistency. To make a double batch, I will use 4 cloves of garlic. Thank you!!!!!!
James Bradford
Perfect! So fast and easy! Very authentic
Julie Acosta
Quick & easy. So much better than canned refried beans. I added a little bit of onion and just a touch of cayenne pepper, very tasty. A definite keeper to make again.
Anna Chen
A little more garlic and boom delicious
Doris Peck
decent recipe although I added a garlic black pepper salt mix to help kick up the flavor. I added the liquid with the beans and it was way too runny, so I strained another can of pinto beans and added them in mixing it with a food processor. Still very runny so I’m now trying to cook down some of the liquid on low for a little bit. Next time I try this recipe I will do it without the liquid and then add some back in as needed.

 

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