Homemade refried black beans are delicious, creamy and packed with flavor. This quick side dish pairs seamlessly with all of your favorite Mexican food and also works great as a dip for crunchy tortilla chips!
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Black beans are both delicious and nutritious! They're really high in dietary fiber, high protein and low in net carbs, which means they can easily be incorporated into a keto or low-carb diet. (source: healthline.com)
Black beans also contain B vitamins and tend to be mineral rich. (source: healthline.com)
If I'm not making re-fried beans, you'll catch me using my canned legumes in Taco Stuffed Peppers, Creamy Taco Soup, Zucchini Squash And Corn Casserole or Chicken Taco Salad!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Sure, you can buy a can of traditional refried beans from the store. But I'm here to tell you that a homemade rendition is SO much tastier.
When you make your own refried black beans, you have a lot more control over the final product. Canned refried beans are kind of mushy and lackluster, in my opinion.
Homemade refried beans have insane flavor, plus a much more appealing and rustic texture. They'll definitely be your new favorite side for taco Tuesday!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Olive oil: just a touch for sautéing onions and garlic. You can also use avocado oil!
- White onion: yellow also works.
- Garlic: I always keep a jar of minced garlic in the refrigerator for convenience sake. You can also mince up 1-2 fresh cloves.
- Spices: salt, pepper, hot or mild chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika. Regular paprika also works, but I like the extra boost of smoky flavor. You can also add onion powder an garlic powder, though I find the actual diced aromatics add plenty of flavor!
- Black beans: you can use canned whole beans or cook your own from dry.
- Cilantro: for extra flavor and beautiful color.
- Lime juice: squeeze a little fresh lime juice into your creamy refried beans, if desired! This is totally optional but very tasty.
How To Make Refried Black Beans
Let's start with a quick overview for making these easy and scrumptious black beans! Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements.
Sauté:
- Mince onion and garlic cloves (if you're using fresh garlic). I generally use a jar of minced garlic to keep things super-duper easy, and I think it tastes just as good!
- Now measure your olive oil into a large skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat.
- Give the oil a couple of minutes to heat up, then add onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes. Once the onion begins to brown, add your garlic and sauté 30-60 seconds longer, until fragrant.
Add beans:
- Next you'll add your black beans, no need to drain! Dump them in there, aquafaba cooking liquid and all.
- Add salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika. Mix well, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Mash:
- Once the bean mixture is nice and hot, grab a hand masher/potato masher and go to town! You can make your beans extra smooth or leave them with a delicious, rustic texture.
- You can use a fork if you don't have a masher, just be careful not to scratch your pan. An immersion blender or stick blender will also work nicely.
Add cilantro:
- Fold some fresh, chopped cilantro into your beans. If you don't enjoy cilantro, you can totally leave it out.
Serve:
- Serve beans warm alongside all of your favorite Mexican dishes. You can also enjoy it as a tasty dip for tortilla chips! Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Onion: Mince your onion up nice and fine for optimal texture!
Garlic: I love keeping a jar of garlic in my refrigerator at all times. It's so convenient, saves time and tastes just as fabulous (in my opinion). You can mince up a couple of fresh cloves if you prefer.
Smoked paprika: If you don't have smoked paprika in your spice cabinet, you're missing out! Regular paprika works, but smoky ads the best favor. I also use it in my Healthy Queso Dip, Hamburger Potato Soup and Greek Yogurt Egg Salad.
Texture: If you like really smooth and creamy refried beans, you can pop them in a food processor or blender. I personally enjoy a chunky texture, so I use a hand masher!
Recipe Variations
Pinto beans: Use pinto instead of black beans. Refried pinto beans are very common and popular.
Spicy: Add some heat to your beans with cayenne pepper, hot chili powder, jalapenos or hot sauce.
Make them creamy: Stir some sour cream into your refried beans! To do this, mash the beans up and remove from heat. Let them cool down a bit before mixing in the cream to help prevent curdling.
Can I Use Dry Black Beans For This Recipe?
You definitely can! I've tested this recipe with beans that I cooked from dry and it worked well. I would just recommend adding more seasonings.
Canned beans usually have some added salt, which makes them more flavorful. When you cook your own dry beans, they won't be seasoned at all, so do a taste test and add more as needed.
I basically doubled all of the seasonings in this recipe when using dried beans.
Also, I ended up simmering my beans, spices and sautéed aromatics for closer to 20 minutes (rather than ten) before they were super soft and easy to mash.
You may also need to add ¼ - ½ cup water when simmering, depending on how much liquid aquafaba you have from the cooking process.
How To Serve Refried Black Beans
On tostadas: Use your beans to make Shredded Beef Tostadas or Shrimp Tostadas! Simply slather them on crunchy, Homemade Tostada Shells and add Shredded Beef or sautéed shrimp along with all of your favorite toppings (cheese, sour cream, salsa, etc.)!
As a side: Serve your refried beans alongside all of your favorite Mexican food like Taco Stuffed Peppers, Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas, Taco Casserole, Chicken Tinga Enchiladas, Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos, Shredded Beef Enchiladas and so much more.
As a dip: Refried beans make a great dip for crunchy tortilla chips, Sheet Pan Nachos or even Quesadillas!
Sometimes I like to make a few different dipping options along with my beans. Poblano Sauce, Baja Sauce and Homemade Guacamole are all fantastic.
Storage
Leftover refried beans are easy to store and reheat very well! Let them cool and transfer to an airtight container. They can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 whole months.
Reheat your beans in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave. If you use the microwave, be sure to cover them with a paper towel to avoid splatter.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are not! Refried beans are actually made by simmering already cooked beans with sautéed onion, garlic and spices. Then, they're mashed up to create a creamier consistency.
Aquafaba is the liquid created when chickpeas or pulses (beans) are cooked in water. Most recipes call for this liquid to be drained and rinsed from the beans before cooking, but for refried beans, it's often incorporated.
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Best Refried Black Beans
Equipment
- Large skillet with lid
- Bean masher/potato masher
Ingredients
- 1 & ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil *or avocado oil
- ⅔ large white onion *finely minced *yellow also works
- 2 tablespoons garlic *finely minced *see note below
- 2 15oz cans (3 & ½ cups) black beans *do not drain *see note below
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder *mild or hot per your preference
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika *see note below
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro *chopped
- Lime juice *optional
Recipe notes:
Garlic: I like keeping a jar of minced garlic in the refrigerator, but you can mince up 1-2 fresh cloves if you prefer. Canned black beans: you can also use beans cooked from dry, but you'll likely need more seasonings. Add spices per recipe instructions, taste test and add more as needed. Also, when using beans cooked from dry, I recommend adding about ½ cup of water and increasing simmer time from 10 minutes to 15 or 20. Smoked paprika: Regular paprika also works, but I love the extra flavor from the smoked version. So dang good!Instructions
- Mince onion and garlic (if you're using fresh garlic cloves instead of jarred).
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and place on medium-high heat.1 & ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Allow oil to heat for a few minutes, then add minced onion. Sauté 3-5 minutes until it begins to brown.⅔ large white onion
- Add minced garlic and sauté 30-60 seconds longer.2 tablespoons garlic
- Next you'll add your black beans, no need to drain! Include all liquid.2 15oz cans (3 & ½ cups) black beans
- Mix in all of your spices, cover skillet with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer approximately 10 minutes.½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Remove from heat and mash beans with a hand/potato masher until they reach your desired consistency. You can also use an immersion or stick blender. If all else fails, you can use a fork! Just be careful not to scratch your pan.
- Stir in your chopped cilantro and a bit of optional fresh lime juice, if desired. Enjoy!¼ cup fresh cilantro, Lime juice
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Rachael says
Thank you for including the ingredients and their measurements WITHIN the instructions!!! I hate having to scroll up and down while I’m cooking. I’m so excited to make these beans for my boys! They love black beans and we just harvested some fresh from our garden!
Garlic Salt & Lime says
I'm so glad that feature was helpful for you! I hope you have fun making your refried beans!! Happy harvesting. 🙂