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Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)

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.
Prep Time6 minutes
Cook Time4 hours 10 minutes
Total Time4 hours 16 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Servings: 4
Author: Yvette Marquez

Ingredients

Frijoles de la Olla:

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 599kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 956mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 5mg