Refried Beans Without the Refry Recipe

These turned out really good. My family ate them in bean burritos last night with chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar, avocado, and sour cream. I omitted the jalapeno, otherwise they would've been too spicy for my 5 year old. To clarify, the halved onion completely disintegrates while cooking--I was worried about having a hunk of onion, but it works just the way it's written. Also, I used 1/2 of the salt--you can always add more salt once they are done, but I didn't. Once cooked, I poured the beans into a collander and allowed some of the juice to drain off, otherwise they would have been too wet for burritos. I then mashed them with a potato masher several good times, and they were great. Next time I make these, I'll try the black bean/pinto bean combo that others have suggested, and I may also add some reduced sodium taco seasoning instead of salt for more flavor. These are a fabulous substitute for canned refried beans, and I plan on freezing the leftovers for another meal--this does make a lot!

Having lived with a Mexican family (Jalisco) for over one year, I know what REAL refried beans should taste like, and this recipe takes the cake! Some changes I made to make it taste a bit more authentic is I did 1 whole jalapeno instead of half, 1/4 teaspoon cumin instead of 1/8, and added 3 tablespoons of paprika, and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. I also cooked the 2 lbs of beans for 10 hours instead of 8 hours on high. Mi familia LOVED it! We will be making our "refried" beans this way from now on! ^_^ Also forgot to mention, the broth alone is fantastic for those whom participate in long-term water or juice fasting! Lots of natural protein, it's liquid, and it's delicious!

These beans were delicious! I used to cook them in the Pot for 4 hours with only onion and salt...but WOW...THIS IS MY NEW RECIPE!! I only added 3 teaspoons of salt and will add only 1 tablespoon of garlic next time. I cooked them on High for 8 hours as called for in the recipe and they came out great!! After they were done cooking,I served a bowl to my husband ( frijoles de la hoya)and then I transferred some of the beans (along with some juice) to a pan and mashed them. I added a little bit of lard, a tad of milk and some cheese to make them creamy. The beans were PERFECT without adding lard,milk and cheese...I only added those ingrediants because I am mexican and that is how we have been refrying beans for generations. I couldn't break the habit :) I think next time I will try subsituting 2 cups of water for 2 cups of chicken broth.

Salty! Oh my gosh this is salty-3 tsp would have been enough. In the restaurant I use to work at we added 1 TBSP sugar and 1 TBSP chili powder (along with 1/4 cup oil or lard) Good way to cook them but wish I would have cut back on the salt.

5 star recipe! I've made this a couple of times when I planned on serving tacos or enchiladas. Great time saver using the crock pot and a very simple recipe that yeilds fantastic results. Of course, every cook personalizes a recipe to accomodate their family's taste so here's my changes: add three slices of bacon, upped the cumin to 1 tsp, chicken broth in place of the water, cut the salt and adjusted to taste at the end. In place of the water, I used the broth remaining from parboiling chicken for Chicken Enchiladas I from this site (fabulous recipe BTW) consisting of chicken stock, celery, green ortega chilis, garlic, cumin, chili powder, tomato sauce, black peppercorns, oregano and onions. This gives the beans an absolutely superb flavor! It's wonderful without my stock, but using it gives this recipe an added boost.

Very good. I left mine in for about 9 hours and mashing them was a snap. The flavor was just right; actually we found it to be very close to the canned variety (which we like). But we fried the leftovers with a little olive oil the next day and they were amazing! If you have the time, definitely give that route a try because it's twice as good. Also, this makes a lot, as most slow cooker recipes do.

Excellent. Life saver. Thank you! My Mom forgot that she was going to make the beans for my Mexican "Fiasco" and I ran to my local pantry and picked up the pinto beans.....threw these in the crock pot 10 p.m., the next morning....mmmmm smelled so good. I used 1 cup of the reserved liquid, stuck them in the kitchen aid to "mash" them and they were perfect. Got many compliments on this very easy recipe! Thanks CHEFCLAUDE!!!!! Your my new favorite!

I love this recipe. It's healthy, without the fat. I added garlic salt, and less salt. Didn't even chop the jalapeno, left it whole. When beans were done, I took out the onion and jalapeno. Seperated the beans and liquid. Mashed the beans, while adding the liquid. Loved it. Hubby says the beans had a punch. It's a keeper. Thank you for sharing.

I have made these beans many times. They make for great leftovers so I always make a lot! The recipe is excellent as it is, but I still found myself tweaking it a little each time until I found, what I now believe to be, the perfect formula. I use 3 cups low sodium chicken broth and 6 cups water. Adding too much chicken broth, as other posters recommended, tended to overwhelm the natural flavor of the beans. 3 cups seems to be the right amount for my tastes. I use 3 tablespoons of fresh garlic and 1 ½ medium size jalapenos minced with seeds and all. I do not add any additional salt beyond what is already in the chicken broth. Sometimes I’ll start the beans the night before on “warm” and let them cook all night and then throughout the next day. These beans always come out great and everyone I’ve ever served them to absolutely love them. Thanks for a great recipe!

These are the BEST "refried" beans I've ever had. I followed the advice of some other reviewers and made a few minor changes. Instead of the jalapeno pepper, I used a whole can of chopped green chiles. I used two full cartons of chicken broth (8 cups) instead of the water, and I did not add any salt until the end (because I didn't know how salty the broth would make the beans). The beans were pretty good after cooking overnight. They were darn good after they were blended and I added salt to taste. They were to die for the next day when I reheated the refrigerated leftovers. I will never buy canned beans again. These were too easy and too tasty to not make. BTW, this makes a pretty big sized batch. What we do when we have a lot of leftovers that might not get finished fast is we put some in a Foodsaver bag, seal it up, and freeze. Then, when you want to heat them, you throw the whole bag into boiling water and let it heat. You then pour the contents into a bowl to serve. It's a great way to deal with large batches of food, and an excellent way to reheat the beans without having to worry about them sticking to the pan when reheating them.

I never thought I can make refried beans and this recipe made it possible for me. I would've given it more stars if it wasn't sooooo salty. We only used 3 teaspoons of salt and it was still pretty salty. So, I think I'm going to try for just 2 tsps and I've also heard adding milk makes them creamier.

Great recipe

Super easy to throw together and let the slow cooker do 99% of the “work”. I’ve been making this recipe for years!! I use 1 c. Pinto and 2 c. Black beans and 2 cans of low sodium chicken broth, adding liquid if needed. I leave out the salt until the beans are done and then add to taste. Oh! And I use the immersion blender to smooth it all together. Yum! This makes enough for the two of us to have tostadas for dinner and lunch the next day plus three(ish) 16 oz containers to put in the freezer for our next refried beans adventure. Thank you Chef Claude!

I made a half batch of this recipe and it turned out very good! The only things I added were a small can of chopped jalapenos, and the suggested 2 c broth. No salt until the beans were done, then I salted to taste. I could obviously tell there was no fat (lard, bacon grease) added, but the flavor for me will more than suffice! I've lived mostly in the SW all my life and am very familiar with authentic Mexican foods in general. Should I ever need to leave the SW, I think I'd shrivel up and die without good Mexican food! So easy to make. I'll be using this to make and freeze batches. Thanks for the recipe! r-

I have to rate this recipe, I have been making it and sharing it for years! Great as written! My tweaks, after years of making. First I substitute broth for water, usually chicken, but I have used beef, and have used stock for extra protein. I have left the amount of salt alone-usually. Depending who I am serving, I might cut down on the amount of salt because of the broth. You can always add more at the end. Second, I have made it w “all” black beans, 1/2 black and 1/2 pinto is my preference. We like spicy, so I have doubled the jalapeño and cumin. I also add 1/2 tsp smoked paprika. If I am making it as a dip, I do add some type of cheese to it before mashing/mixing. Whatever you choose-cheddar, cream cheese, etc. I have read where people have added butter, lard, olive oil, etc. I do not unless I am reheating. I always reheated w olive oil, but now I have discovered benefits of lard w cooking w stainless steel. Finally, make sure you do remove some of the liquid before mashing/emulsifying to get the right density. I love using an emulsifier to get it creamy, but mashing does leave it chunky. Your preference.

Really like this recipe. I’ve made it several times. Sometimes I add more spices or some salsa, green chilies, adobo or tomato paste. It’s always so good.

Trying it tonight.Easy to throw together. Instead of just water I used chicken bouillon. thanks for the idea . 🙏

Turned out perfectly on the first try.

Good, super easy, but not extraordinary.

We love these beans. It makes a large amount, so I divide it and freeze in smaller containers (unless we eat it in one sitting) :)