These Instant Pot Refried Beans have me rethinking an age-old question that confronts me every time I go out for Mexican food: “Would you like black or refried beans with that?”
Up until making this pressure cooker pinto bean recipe, I always answered black beans. In fact, I’ve probably ordered enough waves of black beans and rice to fuel all of our Taco Tuesdays (and Taco Thursdays) from now until next January.
We grew up eating Mexican food every Sunday after church (and Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas on Christmas), and back in those days, I was a refried bean girl. At some point, I transitioned over to black beans and sort of forgot about poor pinto.
Friends, I have been MISSING OUT!
Refried beans are delicious. <—Do I really need to tell you that? Am I the only one who has been in a black bean bubble? You also don’t need to go out to dinner to enjoy them. This Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe is a snap to make at home, AND they are much much healthier for you than any refried beans you’ll find in a restaurant.
After sharing these Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos, I thought it would be fun to revisit this staple recipe, in case you are in need of a stellar side to go with them. To show just how quick and easy these are, I’m adding a video below for you as well.
This Instant Pot recipe covers both how to make Instant Pot pinto beans and Instant Pot refried beans. We love both.
Whether you keep the beans whole or mash them for refried beans, they are freezer friendly. You can dress them up or down as much as you like.
As written, these refried beans are vegan, but if you prefer to make Instant Pot Refried Beans with bacon as many restaurants do, I have a suggestion for you there too.
This Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe was inspired by my Instant Pot Black Beans, which are so simple and tasty, they’ve convinced a number of you to ditch canned beans altogether. I won’t be surprised if these Instant Pot Refried Beans have similar results. They are just as easy and tasty!
How to Make the Best Instant Pot Refried Beans
Here are the critical pieces of information you need to know to make an (Instant) pot full of refried beans that taste like they came from a restaurant!
ONE: Choose the Right Beans
- First things first: If you’ve been wondering what kinds of beans are used to make refried beans, the answer is pinto.
- You can follow a similar mashing process outlined here with black or other beans, but pinto are traditional, so that’s what I used in the recipe.
TWO: Skip the Presoak
- Don’t presoak the beans! The beauty of making refried beans in the Instant Pot is that you don’t need to soak the beans in advance to speed up the cooking time. The pressure cooker takes care of it.
THREE: No Canned Beans, Please
- Don’t be tempted to make Instant Pot Refried Beans with canned beans. The superior flavor and texture of this recipe comes from starting with dry pinto beans.
FOUR: FLAVOR
- This Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe has stellar smacks thanks to the addition of onion, jalapeño, bay leaves, and classic Southwest spices like cumin and cayenne. Feel free to adjust to your desired level of spice.
Recipe Variations
- If you’d like Instant Pot Refried Beans bacon-style, you could sauté the veggies in rendered bacon fat instead. Then call me. I’m coming over with Skinny Margaritas.
- To keep the Instant Pot Refried Beans vegan, just follow the recipe as written. It’s still delicious without meat or dairy (and I’ll still come over with margs!).
Which Instant Pot to Buy (and What to Do if You Don’t Have One)
- For those of you who have not yet taken the plunge to purchase an Instant Pot, this is the model I own.
- You can also check out my recipe for Crock Pot Pinto Beans, which can either be enjoyed whole or turned into refried beans. They take much longer but are still absolutely scrumptious.
How to Store Instant Pot Refried Beans
This Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe yields a generous batch. I recommend portioning them into individual containers, then thawing them as needed.
- To refrigerate or freeze in containers: Let the beans cool completely. Place the beans in airtight containers of desired size. Refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To freeze flat (great for saving space!): Let the beans cool completely, then portion them into ziptop freezer bags labeled with the date. Seal the bags, removing as much air as possible, and squish the beans so that the bag lays flat. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: If the beans are frozen, let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Warm the beans gently on the stove or in the microwave. The beans thicken as they cool, so if you’d like to thin them out, add a bit of water or vegetable broth.
- You can store the beans mashed (refried) or unmashed.
How to Use Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Mashed, these beans are great for adding to burritos or piling on avocado toast.
- Left whole, I love using them anytime I need canned pinto beans or in place of black beans in other Mexican recipes like these Vegetarian Enchiladas.
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Video
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans 2 cups
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion chopped into 1/4-inch dice
- 1 jalapeno cored, seeded, and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock divided
- 3 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
- For serving: queso fresco or shredded Monterey jack cheese diced tomatoes, diced red onion, chopped fresh cilantro, avocado (optional)
Instructions
- Place the pinto beans in a large colander. Thoroughly rinse them. Pick the beans over, removing any damaged or clearly misshapen beans and discarding them. Set the rinsed beans aside.
- Turn a 6-quart (or larger) Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and jalapeno. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and let cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add a few splashes of chicken stock and scrape along the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck-on bits of food (this will prevent a BURN warning). Add the remaining stock, water, bay leaves, salt, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and the rinsed and drained beans. Lightly stir to combine.
- Seal the Instant Pot. Cook on HIGH (manual) for 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes of pressure cooking has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 25 minutes. Vent to release any remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid. The beans will be very liquidy.
- Discard the bay leaves. Reserve 2 cups of the bean cooking liquid in a bowl or measuring cup, then drain the remainder. Return to the beans to the pot.
- With an immersion blender (or by hand with a potato masher), puree the beans until they reach your desired consistency, adding some of the reserved liquid as needed. (You can also scoop the beans into a blender in batches and puree them that way—be sure to let the beans cool somewhat first so that they do not splatter).
- Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Sprinkle with any desired toppings, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerate leftover beans or freeze for up to 3 months.
- For easy portions: Let the beans cool COMPLETELY, then portion them into ziptop freezer bags labeled with the date. Seal the bags, removing as much air as possible, and squish the beans so that the bag lays flat. Freeze flat for simple storage. Let the beans thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or stock as needed to thin them back out.
I used this recipe but slow cooked it in the crock pot on high for 8 hours instead of using my instant pot (my instant pot is too small for the doubled amount I wanted to make). I also took out all the liquid I could before adding it to my high powered blender and the consistency was nice and creamy. It came out fabulous! Happily sharing this with a big group of friends this evening! Thank you, Erin!
So glad to hear it works in the crock pot, LauraM! Thank you!
We love this recipe! I’ve made this many times. I use only 4 cups stock and 1 cup water and it’s enough to pressure cook the beans without draining out the flavor. I use a immersion blender. They will thicken as they cool but if you like them thicker, put the pressure cooker on sauté mode. Stir constantly until more water evaporates and the beans thicken.
Also added chipotle in adobe sauce for more flavor.
So glad you are enjoying it, Liz! Thank you!
Newbie bean cooker here! Is it possible to use Carioca beans? Do you know if it would require liquid adjustments? Canned pinto refried is hard to come by and I can’t find dry pinto either, so trying to find a way around it!
Hi Erika, I had to look it up but it seems like Carioca beans are pretty similar so it should work. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!
Carioca beans work just as well! Thank you!
Great to hear, thank you Erika!
Great !
Thanks April!
I followed the recipe to a T. Came out with 0 flavor as my husband put it “it just tastes like brown” lol. I ended up having to add a bunch of additional things to make them eatable.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Jm. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
What an excellent recipe – so easy to prepare and delicious.
Thanks Mike!
Super tasty, the only thing that I would mention is that I had a lot of liquid left over. I think next time I’ll do a little less broth/water. Otherwise I thought it was tasty. Thank you! I was literally eating the left overs out of the instant pot with a spoon. 100% satisfaction!
Thanks for the feedback, Wendy! Glad you enjoyed it!
I love this recipe! I don’t add all the spices, just the cumin and it’s perfect for me and my family! Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed it, Emma! Thank you!
Excellent recipe, thank you. We have been exclusively a particular canned bean family, I have tried other recipes in the past with not much success. This one was a hit! I drained some liquid off originally, but reserved all and added back as needed for the consistency we like when refrying as we still like the little bit of extra fat (butter) when refrying.
So happy to hear, thank you Naomi!
Excellent recipe, thank you. We have been exclusively a particular brand canned bean family. I have tried other recipes in the past with not much success. This one was a hit! I drained some liquid off originally, but reserved all and added back as needed for the consistency we like when refrying as we still like the little bit of extra fat (butter) when refrying but any changes I can make to healthier options is a win for me!
Thank you Naomi!
No lie, these are the best! This x is my second time making these. Thank you for the tip on freezing these flat in plastic bags. I added Tajin as my salt this time around. I think I will bring some containers to hand out at work.
Thank you Beth!
Very easy & delicious! Served it last night with homemade Pico de Gallo. Everyone loved it!
So glad you enjoyed it, Janice! Thank you!
what do you think about doing 2 pounds of pintos at one time with the recipe?
Hi Mandy, I don’t think 2 pounds would work because you’d need to double the liquid and I don’t think it would fit.
I have made this recipe so many times so I filled it was only fair that I leave a comment. These are hands-down, the best refried beans I’ve ever had and I’m a foodie that cooks everything.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Sally! Thank you!
Love your recipes! I’m making this tonight. Can I use lard instead of Olive oil? If so how much? AND would it help to soak the beans if I have time for a few hours prior? Or will that matter?
Thank you Tracy! No need to soak the beans, that is the beauty of using the instant pot! Also you can definitely use your preferred fat, such as the lard. Enjoy!
Fabulous-I was able to use vegetable stock and made this both vegan and GF -such great flavor!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, Sarah!
Great recipe! Delicious!
I had extra liquid and took some of the beans and made a delicious bean soup
Yay! Thank you Lisa!
Easy, healthy, and tastes great!
Thank you Ellen!
Recipe has 4 cups of stock AND 3 cups of water. But in the instructions the water is never mentioned.
What is the suggested liquid for 2 lbs of beans?
Hi Melissa, it’s in Step 2. Enjoy!
I’ll be making homemade refried beans this way every time now! I even used the left over cooking liquid to flavor rice with and added a can of diced tomatoes that has cilantro and lime. Now I just need to prep the toppings for our carnitas tacos.
Yay! Great idea, Tausha! Other readers are always looking for ways to use up the liquid so this is so helpful!