Refried Beans {Instant Pot or Crockpot}
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These Refried Beans are a staple recipe! They have a perfectly creamy texture and a delicious crave-able flavor. They’ll likely remind you of the refried beans you get at your favorite Mexican restaurants.
And since they’re made in Instant Pot or Crockpot they couldn’t be easier (plus there’s no tending to them as they cook).
Refried Beans
Refried beans are a very common side dish in Mexican cuisine. They’re usually made with pinto beans and the process usually consists of simmering pre-soaked beans until cooked through, then most of the excess liquid is drained and beans are mashed to a creamy consistency.
Then from there beans are fried in oil or lard with onion, garlic and spices. Here we simplify that process quite a bit they’ll taste equally as good.
With these two methods (Crockpot or Instant Pot) there’s no pre-soaking required. There’s no tending to beans, monitoring liquid level and stirring while cooking.
And there’s no frying after mashing, the bacon fat (or butter) is just stirred right in.
What Ingredients do I Need for Refried Beans?
- 2 tsp bacon drippings or olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 1 (32 oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 cups water
- 3 3/4 cups (1.5 lbs) pinto beans, rinsed well and drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 cup bacon drippings*
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use medium), then more for serving if desired
How to Make Refried Beans in the Instant Pot
- Select “saute” mode on the instant pot. Once the front label reads “hot” add olive oil and onion and saute 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Select “cancel” to turn saute setting off.
- Pour in chicken broth and water and season with salt and pepper (for now I go with 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper then I add quite more at the end when mashing).
- Cover instant pot, make sure valve is set to “sealing” position. Select “manual” mode and adjust time to 50 minutes.
- Once time is up let pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes then open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Set a large bowl in the sink then set a colander over it. Carefully pour beans into colander (be careful of steam!).
- Return drained beans to the bowl of the instant pot add in bacon drippings, cumin and chili powder.
- Use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash beans to desired texture, while adding in reserved broth about 1/4 cup at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Stir in cheddar, let melt through and serve warm topped with more cheddar if desired.
How to Make Refried Beans in the Crockpot
- First you’ll start by sautéing the onion and garlic in a skillet then add that to a large (6 or 7 quart) slow cooker.
- Rinse the beans and drain then add the beans to the slow cooker. Pour in the water and broth, season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on high heat for 8 – 9 hours.
- Set a large bowl in the sink then set a colander over it. Carefully pour beans into colander (be careful of steam!).
- Return drained beans to the bowl of the slow cooker. Add in bacon drippings, cumin and chili powder.
- Use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash beans to desired texture, while adding in reserved broth about 1/4 cup at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Stir in cheddar, let melt through and serve warm topped with more cheddar if desired.
What is the Best Kind of Fat to Use Here?
I’ve made refried beans with butter, olive oil, lard and bacon fat.
Which is the winner? I’d say bacon fat. But it’s not something you might always have on hand so butter is a good choice too.
For a healthier alternative you can use olive oil but skip the lard. It’s pretty flavorless.
How do You Get Bacon Drippings?
Almost every single time I cook bacon I save the rendered fat for cooking. You can use it to saute breakfast potatoes or cabbage, it makes a delicious salad dressing, it adds richness and flavor to pasta dishes, and it’s perfect for these refried beans.
To get the rendered fat I usually bake bacon on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil in a 400 degree oven until cooked through then I transfer the bacon to paper towels and I let the bacon drippings cool a bit.
Once slightly cool I transfer the fat to an airtight container and store in the fridge for a week. For longer shelf life strain through cheesecloth to get rid of the browned bits.
Not Just a Side Dish
This is my favorite refried beans recipe. It’s the one I turn to again and again because my whole family loves them!
And not only do we eat them as a side dish but I love adding them to things like nachos or burritos.
For burritos I fill large flour tortillas (this kind here) with beans and cheese then wrap and freeze.
We then reheat them in the microwave for a few minutes (one a time, wrapped in a damp paper towel) or I let them thaw then fry (in about 1/2-inch of oil a few minutes per side) for a bean and cheese chimichanga. So good!
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Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil or bacon drippings (for sauteing)
- 1 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/2 Tbsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
- 1 (32 oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 cups water
- 3 3/4 cups (1.5 lbs) pinto beans, rinsed well and drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 cup bacon drippings* or butter
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I use medium), then more for serving if desired
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Select saute mode on the instant pot. Once the front label reads "hot" add olive oil and onion and saute 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Select "cancel" to turn saute setting off.
- Pour in chicken broth, water and pinto beans. Season with salt and pepper (for now I go with 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper then I add quite more at the end when mashing).
- Cover instant pot, make sure valve is set to "sealing" position. Select "manual" mode and adjust time to 50 minutes.
- Once time is up let pressure come down naturally for 15 minutes then open the valve to release any remaining pressure.
- Set a large bowl in the sink then set a colander over it. Carefully pour beans into colander (be careful of steam!). Reserve broth.
- Return drained beans to the bowl of the instant pot add in bacon drippings, cumin and chili powder.
- Use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash beans to desired texture, while adding in reserved broth about 1/4 cup at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Stir in cheddar and let melt through then serve warm with more cheddar on top if desired.
Slow Cooker Method (9 Hours Total Time)
- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and saute 2 minutes add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Transfer mixture to a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker.
- Rinse the beans and drain then add the beans to the slow cooker. Pour in the water and broth (if your slow cooker generally looses a lot of moisture while cooking I might add an extra 1 cup water).
- Cover and cook on high heat for 8 - 9 hours until softened through.
- Set a large bowl in the sink then set a colander over it. Carefully pour beans into colander (be careful of steam!) Reserve broth.
- Return drained beans to the bowl of the slow cooker. Add in bacon drippings, cumin and chili powder.
- Use an immersion blender or potato masher to mash beans to desired texture, while adding in reserved broth about 1/4 cup at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Stir in cheddar, let melt through and serve warm topped with more cheddar if desired.