Muy Bueno: Fiestas 
Homemade Refried Beans + Video
Make traditional Homemade Refried Beans just like mom or grandma! Serve them as a side dish with a Mexican meal, as a bean dip served with tortilla chips, or slather them on a homemade flour tortilla for the best bean burrito.
I am constantly developing new recipes and forget to share the simple staples of Mexican food. I am often asked how to make homemade refried beans. Homemade refried beans are simple to make, economical, and so comforting and nostalgic.
If you grew up in a Mexican or Mexican-American home, frijoles were probably a staple. But for some reason when it comes to refried beans they tend to be a little complicated.
Lard, shortening, bacon fat, or oil?
I am often asked, “What do you fry your pinto beans with? Lard, shortening, bacon fat, or oil?” Honestly, it is truly up to you and your preference. When I make them at home I usually fry them with olive oil, but for honest to goodness and the most delicious refried beans I highly recommend lard.
Pinto beans
Sure, you can open up a can of pinto beans, but to make delicious homemade refried beans, I recommend starting with homemade Frijoles de la Olla and go from there.
Refried bean tips
Do not drain and strain beans – do not be afraid of too much bean broth. Bring beans to a boil for a couple minutes and smash beans in a cast iron skillet with a potato masher until mixture is thick and no whole beans remain.
Simmer the beans low and slow while stirring so that you can see the cooking process of the beans. Do not overcook them and let them dry out. You can control the consistency at a slow simmer.
They might look runny, but they will thicken as they sit, so do not be tempted to overcook them.
I asked my mom to share all of her secrets! We filmed this video and she shares a lot of great tips along with sweet memories from the good ol’ days.
I hope this video is helpful so that you can learn the simple process of making homemade refried beans. Not only will you learn how to make refried beans, but you can enjoy my mom’s company and see how it feels to be side-by-side with her en la cocina.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
DELICIOUS RECIPES MADE WITH REFRIED BEANS:
- Refried Bean and Guacamole Tostadas
- Breakfast Sopes
- Fry Bread Tacos
- Baked Huevos Rancheros Casserole
- Brisket Sopes
- Molletes de Huevo con Chorizo y Aguacate
Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)
Ingredients
Frijoles de la Olla:
- 2 cups dry pinto beans
- ¼ onion, optional
- salt to taste
- water
Refried Beans:
- 2 tablespoons lard or olive oil
- 1 ½ cups cooked Frijoles de la Olla , plus 1⁄2 cup liquid
- salt to taste
Instructions
Frijoles de la Olla:
- Measure out the beans. Spread the beans over your counter so you can look for beans that are broken, discolored, or shriveled and remove them. There will also be small stones or pebbles that should be sorted out of the beans during this phase. Discard all of the undesirable pieces.
- Place beans in a colander. Rinse the beans thoroughly with cool water for about 3 minutes.
- Pour the drained beans into a large pot. Add enough water to reach 3 inches over the beans. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer until the beans are tender, about 3 - 4 hours, adding more hot water as the beans absorb liquid. Every pot is different and so check your beans after 2 hours. Most take 3 - 4 hours but I have a pot I love to cook my beans in because it only takes 2 hours.
- Add salt and onions (onions are optional) about one hour before complete. Refrigerate beans when cooled. The beans can be frozen in small bowls for later use.
- Beans can be refrigerated for (5) days.
Refried Beans:
- Heat lard or olive oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beans and the liquid.
- Cook over medium heat. While the beans are boiling mash them with a potato masher.
- Continue to cook until they form a thick paste, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
Video
Notes
- Do not drain and strain beans – do not be afraid of too much bean broth. Bring beans to a boil for a couple minutes and smash beans in a cast iron skillet with a potato masher until mixture is thick and no whole beans remain.
- Simmer the beans low and slow while stirring so that you can see the cooking process of the beans. Do not overcook them and let them dry out. You can control the consistency at a slow simmer.
- They might look runny, but they will thicken as they sit, so do not be tempted to overcook them.
Photography by Jenna Sparks / Video by Pure Cinematography
12 Comments on “Homemade Refried Beans + Video”
We have a regional market Cardenas Los Altos Ranch Market that has refried’s to die for. I am trying to recreate / duplicate the recipe. So yesterday I did a triple batch of beans – one using a good EVOO, one using duck fat, and one using Farmer John’s Lard. We taste tested these agaisnt the Ranch Market refired and what was noticeable was a mild sweetness to the market beans. What is coming to mind is maybe they added a dash of evaporated milk or something similar? Any thoughts? I know my fiance’s nana uses a little regular mild in hers, but is doesn’t create the sweetness noted in the market beans. The sweetness does not taste like a sweetner such as a suger / honey/ agave was added..it is very suttle.
My paternal grandma used to add a splash of milk for creamy beans and sometimes a splash of tomato sauce. Both add a great flavor profile.
Perfect, delicious, and just mind-blowing how delicious such a simple recipe can be. I can’t even get canned refried beans where I live and these are just a god-send! Thank you!
I’ve used a few different recipes now, and while the flavor is great, my refried beans end up mealy. You can feel the texture of the skin of the beans with your mouth, so the beans are not smooth. Am I not cooking them long enough? How do you tell when they are done? Thanks!
Hello from El Paso! I have a question about frijoles. Some cooks use cumin, various chiles, and/or dried red Chile. What do you think? My children don’t like bland beans with no Chile.
Great recipe, thanks.
I saw the calories. Is that per serving and how much would be a serving.
I worked for Taco Bell when everything was still made from scratch, and I made a few hundred five gallon batches of refried beans. Just thought I’d share their method.
First we cooked the beans in a giant pressure cooker.
Once done, we mashed them with a drill with a LONG bit tipped with blender type blades. Basically a giant immersion blender.
Then we would pour them out into shallow pans (for faster cooling), and refrigerate them overnight.
The next day we would lay them out in a giant skillet on the stove, add an appropriate amount of water, and stir constantly over heat until ready to serve.
FYI, the only ingredients were beans, salt, lard, and water.
Labor intensive, but near perfect refried beans.
OMG!! These refried beans. are the best. I’ve been buying dried refried beans and they are pretty expensive. I haven’t been able to get them lately so I decided to look for something that I thought might fill the bill. After trying several recipes I finally found your recipe and video. The video did it for me. I slow cooked my pintos on high for 4 or five hours and then turned the slow cooker off. The only ingredient was some bacon. I continued to cook the beans for a couple of hours on low. When I checked and the beans were done I added salt. Being old and tired I turned the beans off and went to bed. (I put the beans in the fridge until the next day . That day is today and since I am old I set up my counter top nu wave to refry the beans. (I can control the heat better and sit on a bar stool so I can stir constantly and add the beans as shown on your video,) Thank your mother for this recipe as it was just what Iwas looking for. No add ins except some salt and bacon. Oops, I did coat my skillet with bacon grease.(about 1 1/2 tablespoons). Thank you, thank you thank and God bless.
Turned out great! (I added my homemade chili powder, cumin and roasted garlic powder), and I used all but one cup of the bean water, which I saved…just in case!
Thank you so much for posting this.
In 1966 my California family moved to a hill-top in Grand Forks, BC, Canada. There was no Mexican food to be found or even recipes. Luckily family in Calif. sent us some. There were no Mexican foods (refritos, tortilla, chillies etc). We soaked our Pinto beans over night then discarded the water (along with the gas often caused by the beans). Next they were boiled with whole dried red chillies and fresh garlic or garlic powder until soft and drained (keep ALL bean water). The beans were then “riced” in a grinder until smooth. We used bacon grease when we had it or lard to fry them in a large cast iron pan slowly mixing in all of the bean water until it was evaporated into the hot fried bean mixture. Using the water and “sludge” from the pot increased the full flavour of the beans. Seasonings were added at the end then Jack cheese was grated into the beans and stirred until melted.
Love the old Mexican ways. Need a good and easy empanadas de camote or pumpkin