Authentic Homemade Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)
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Updated May 28, 2025, Published Aug 14, 2019
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Make traditional Homemade Refried Beans just like your mom or abuela! Serve them as a comforting side dish with any Mexican meal, enjoy them as a warm bean dip with tortilla chips, or slather them on a homemade flour tortilla for the ultimate bean burrito.
What Are Refried Beans?
Refried beans (or frijoles refritos) are cooked and mashed pinto beans that are fried in fat — traditionally lard — until creamy and flavorful. They’re a staple in many Mexican and Mexican-American households and can be served with almost any dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Comfort food at its best: Nostalgic, filling, and so satisfying.
- Budget-friendly: A big pot of beans goes a long way!
- Customizable: Make them vegetarian, creamy, spicy, or plain.
- Better than canned: Once you try homemade, you won’t go back.
Ingredients & Substitutions
You only need a few ingredients to make authentic refried beans — and most are pantry staples:
- Cooked pinto beans: I recommend starting with homemade Frijoles de la Olla for the best flavor, but canned pinto beans can work in a pinch.
- Fat of choice: Lard is traditional and gives the best flavor, but olive oil, bacon grease, or shortening all work. I usually use olive oil, but when I want that rich, nostalgic taste — lard it is!
- Bean broth (liquid): Don’t drain your beans. The broth adds flavor and helps create that creamy texture.
See the full ingredient list and instructions in the printable recipe card below.
How to Make Homemade Refried Beans
Step 1: Heat the fat. In a cast-iron skillet or sauté pan, heat your preferred fat (like lard or olive oil) over medium heat.
Step 2: Add the beans. Spoon in your cooked Frijoles de la Olla along with a generous amount of bean broth. Don’t worry if it looks too soupy — the mixture will thicken as it simmers.
Step 3: Mash the beans. Use a potato masher (or a “bean masher” as I call it!) to mash the beans until smooth and no whole beans remain.
Step 4: Simmer slowly. Cook low and slow, stirring often, until thickened to your liking. Don’t let them dry out — keep an eye on the consistency and adjust with more broth if needed
Watch the Video
I asked my mom to share all her secrets — and we filmed a video so you can learn side-by-side with her in la cocina. She shares tips, tricks, and sweet memories from the good ol’ days. Watching her in action makes this recipe feel extra special.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- Skip straining: Keep all that flavorful bean broth — it makes the beans creamier.
- Mash as you go: Don’t wait to mash everything at the end. Start mashing while the beans simmer.
- Too runny? No problem: Refried beans thicken as they sit. Let them cool slightly before serving.
- Flavor boost: Stir in chopped onions, jalapeños, or shredded cheese for extra flair.
Serving Suggestions
- Spoon onto a plate with grilled carne asada or red enchiladas
- Spread on a homemade flour tortilla for the best bean and cheese burrito
- Serve with homemade tortilla chips as a dip
- Use as a filling for bean flautas or gorditas de harina
- Looking for a party-worthy variation? Try my Cheesy Refried Bean Dip — made with bacon, jalapeños, and white beans. It’s always a hit!
Storage & Reheating
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat on the stove or in the microwave, adding a splash of water or broth to loosen.
- Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
More ways to use refried beans
This Homemade Refried Beans recipe is a simple, humble staple — but one that always brings comfort. Once you get the basics down, you can make them your own. And trust me, your family will be hooked.
If you tried this Homemade Refried Beans recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Authentic Homemade Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)
Equipment
- Colander
- Cooking Spoon
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
How to Make Frijoles de la Olla
- 2 cups dry pinto beans
- ¼ onion, optional
- salt to taste
- water
How to Make 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
How to Make 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.
How to Make 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
- No need to drain the beans. That flavorful bean broth adds richness and helps create a creamy texture. Don’t be afraid to use extra — you can always simmer it down.
- Use a cast-iron skillet and a potato masher (or “bean masher” as I call it!) to smash the beans as they heat. Keep going until they’re thick and smooth with no whole beans left.
- Simmer low and slow. Stir often and watch the consistency. Add more broth as needed to keep them creamy and prevent drying out.
- They will thicken as they sit. Don’t be tempted to overcook — they may look loose at first but will firm up as they cool.
- Refrigerate: Cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Warm on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of broth or water to loosen.
- Freeze: Freeze in small portions for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat as needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Jenna Sparks / Video by Pure Cinematography
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