Homemade Refried Beans

Better than restaurant quality at home! These homemade refried beans are simple and delicious, and made with just 5 ingredients!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword easy refried beans, homemade refried beans, refried beans, refried beans recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 1 15

Servings servings (1/2 cup)

Calories 208kcal

Equipment

Blender optional

Ingredients

1 pound dry pinto beans about 2 cups
1 large onion quartered
2 Tablespoons lard bacon grease, or oil of choice
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1-2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions

Prep – Remove any rocks or broken pieces from the measurement of beans. Rinse the remaining beans in a colander and add to a large pot. Cover with water and soak at room temperature overnight.
Cook – Drain the soaked beans and add them back to the same pot. Cover with fresh water until the beans are covered by about 2 inches of water. Add the quartered onion to the water and half the salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally. Check the beans at one hour and cook a bit longer if they aren’t fully soft.
Drain – Drain the beans and keep some of the bean water.
Blend – In a blender or food processor, blend the onion, half the lard, remaining spices, and half the beans until smooth. Add water as needed during the process. NOTE: This step is optional. You can just mash them all in the skillet, but if you like smoother parts to your refried beans, blending half is the best way.
Refry – In a large skillet, heat the remaining lard and melt over medium heat. Add the whole and blended beans to the pan and half-mash the whole beans until you get the texture you prefer.
Finish – Stir and cook until the beans are hot and well mixed. Adjust seasoning to taste. Top with cheese if desired and serve hot.

Notes

Ingredients

These ingredients are very simple and straightforward… and you probably have them all in your pantry right now! There are a few substitutions you can make, so I’m noting them below. Read over this section before you start!

Beans – Pinto beans are traditional, at least in Tex-Mex cuisine, but you can also use black beans if desired. You can also use canned pinto beans instead and skip to step 3.
Onion – Yellow or white onion is best! Red onions will change the taste of the finished recipe too much, so avoid them.
Fat – Lard or coconut oil are traditionally used, but we really love the flavor that bacon grease gives this dish! You can also use any oil of your choice.
Garlic – I use garlic powder in this recipe, but if you want to use fresh garlic, substitute 3 cloves for the garlic powder.
Salt and Cumin – Cumin is optional, but highly recommended! Both spices can be increased or decreased to taste.

Nutrition