This Restaurant Style Crockpot Refried Beans recipe is made in a crockpot, and you don’t need to soak the beans! As a result, the recipe is easy, and the beans come out creamy.
Table of Contents
Homemade Refried Beans Recipe
Warning: Once you make my Restaurant Style Refried Beans Recipe, you’ll never go back to canned beans because this is an easy, delicious Mexican refried beans recipe!
After a few months of tweaking, I’m thrilled to announce I’ve perfected my easy refried bean recipe! With a well-stocked pantry, I can whip up a batch of these whenever we crave Mexican food. The best part? My kids love them – they devour these homemade refried beans by the spoonful!
Ingredients and Estimated Cost
Per Serving Cost: $0.18
Recipe Cost: $2.13
You need just a few pantry staple ingredients to make these Crockpot Refried Beans.
- 3 cups of dried pinto beans – $1.11
- 7 cups of water – $0.00
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes – $0.16
- 1 medium white onion – $0.70
- 2 teaspoons of garlic powder – $0.06
- 2 ½ teaspoons of ground cumin – $0.09
- Salt and pepper to taste – $0.01
NOTE: I calculate the recipe prices by using name-brand grocery prices on grocery store websites.
How To Make The Best Refried Beans
Making delicious, restaurant-style refried beans at home is so easy! Add everything to the crockpot, cook for 9 hours, and blend and serve.
- First, place your ingredients, minus the salt and pepper, into your slow cooker.
- Give everything a quick stir.
- Next, cook the beans on high for 9 hours. Yes, 9 hours. Please don’t cook them for less than that!
- Finally, using an immersion blender, puree the beans until smooth. Add water as needed and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you’re feeling decadent, add a stick of butter to the beans!
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Homemade Refried Beans Recipe (Crockpot)
Video
Equipment
- slow cooker
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 3 cups dried pinto beans rinsed and picked over
- 7 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (or 2 bouillon cubes)
- 1 medium white onion diced (or 1 Tablespoon onion powder)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
GARNISHES:
- Shredded Mexican cheese blend optional
- unsalted butter optional
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients, except for the salt and pepper to the crock-pot.
- Cook on high for 9 hours. At this point, the beans will be tender and a bunch of them will have popped open.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the beans until smooth.
- Add more water as needed, or if you're feeling decadent, add up to 8 tablespoons of unsalted butter to make creamy, out-of-this-world beans.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with shredded Mexican cheese (optional).
Notes
- This recipe makes about 6 cups of beans.
- Some readers have not cooked the beans for the full hours and end up with watery beans. You must cook the beans for the entire 9 hours. I cannot express the importance of this enough!
Storage Tips
SERVE: You can keep these out for about two hours before they need to be refrigerated. STORE: Cover and store the beans in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. FREEZE: You can freeze these beans in Ziploc bags in small batches. They will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months. THAW: Thaw the frozen packets of beans overnight in the refrigerator. REHEAT: Heat the beans in a saucepan over medium heat until heated. You may need to loosen the beans with a couple of tablespoons of water when reheating them.Recipe Variations
- If you use Chicken broth instead of the chicken bouillon granules, you will need 6 cups of broth and 1 cup of water!
- To make this recipe, you’ll need an immersion blender. You can also use a standard blender and run small batches through it, but it will take a while. (If you go this route, you’ll need to hold the lid to the blender SUPER tight!)
- When rinsing the beans, discard any that float or are discolored. Also, look for small stones, especially if you buy cheaper pinto beans.
Nutrition
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Restaurant Style Refried Beans FAQs
I love them on a tortilla or with some tortilla chips. Add some salsa with the chips and tortillas, and you’re golden!
This Mexican Rice also goes great with the beans. You could even serve the beans alongside this Mexican Lasagna and have such a great meal.
In America, we might first think that refried beans mean that the beans have been fried twice. However, the word refried comes from the Spanish name frijoles refritos. The translation for this phrase means well fried. Therefore, they are not cooked twice but cooked well until soft enough to mash into the creamy beans we all love.
Most restaurants use lard in their refried beans. That is one reason I prefer to make them at home. I can get the same great taste from the seasonings without adding extra fat.
There are a few things you can add to refried beans to make them creamy:
– Fat: Adding fat to refried beans will also help to make them creamier. You can use butter, shortening, lard, or even olive oil.
– Dairy: Adding dairy products to refried beans is a great way to make them creamy and rich. You can use sour cream, Greek yogurt, or cream cheese.
– Cheese: Cheese is another great way to add creaminess and flavor to refried beans. You can use shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, or queso fresco cheese.
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I made these tonight to go with my enchiladas and Spanish rice after trying numerous refried bean recipes. I gave my husband a taste after blending. He paused for a few seconds and I thought he was going to say he didn’t like theme. Then he said “I think those are the best beans I’ve ever had.” And this is after we’ve both worked at a mexican restaurant! They have our seal of approval for sure!
Kim, I am SO glad you and your hubby loved the beans! Your comment totally made my day! THANK YOU for taking the time to write a comment! 🙂
How many chicken bullion cubes would i use. I don’t have granulated bullion.
Use 6 bullion cubes and 7 cups of water. Enjoy!
Hi I am going to make for my son’s graduation party as we are having a taco bar. we are expecting around 50 and are having hoagies and penne as well. should I double this and if so can it fit in one crockpot?
Hi Susan, I just made these beans this weekend in a 6.5 quart slow cooker and there’s no way a double recipe would have fit in it. To serve 50 people you will definitely need to double the recipe. I suggest making a batch the day before and storing them in the fridge, then just reheat on the stove top (you might need to add some water to loosen them). Then make another batch in the slow cooker the day of the party. I hope this helps!
Made this recipe today. They turned out amazing. Followed the recipe exactly. Will make these over and over again.
Audri, I am SO glad you love the recipe!
Thanks for sharing this. I really love Mexican food. This is going to make a show in my next couple dinner night. My wife and I love having friends over for dinner parties. I think I will make this one a fiesta instead. The recipe seemed simple, but the beans are the best part of the dinner to me.
Kody, these would be great for an at-home fiesta! Have fun!
Hi so I am making the beans and I need to take them to work afterwards in my crock pot, I see there’s liquid still in the crock pot after I blended the beans should I dump it out or keep it in?
Hi Dulce! There really shouldn’t be liquid after blending the beans. Did you cook these on high for 9 hours?
To answer your question yes, I would drain off the extra liquid.
I had already soaked my beans all day then I threw them in the crockpot overnight and woke up to this wonderful smell in my kitchen! Perfect recipe and love the crockpot technique because I usually cook them on the stovetop for several hours. This is much easier!
Cindy, I am SO glad you love this recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! 🙂
Would soaking the beans before cooking them change the cooking time? I sometimes have digestive problems when it comes to beans and want to make them easier on my stomach. Thanks!
Hi Michael, I’m not exactly sure but I imagine soaking would speed up the cooking time. But with that said you really need to cook the beans for 9 hours so they absorb a a lot of the cooking liquid. I hope this helps, and enjoy!
Thank you for taking me back to my childhood! I grew up eating my Mexican grandma’s refried beans and have been on the hunt for beans like hers ever since she passed away. Sadly, I never did get her recipe, but thanks to you I now have something soooo close to what she made. I followed your recipe almost exactly — I added the 7c. of chicken broth instead of the bouillon and I added 4 slices of bacon at the halfway point, because I remember there being bacon in my grandma’s beans. Yum, yum, YUM!! Thanks again! xo
Mari-An, I am SO glad you loved the recipe! I am making these refried beans later this week and I am SO going to add bacon half way through cooking, can’t wait to try your suggestion! 🙂
These are so tasty !! This is a pretty fool proof recipe. I botch up recipes easy and food never turns out good..just..tolerable. I had no problems with these beans.
Follow this recipe correctly and you’ll have no issues at all.
I cooked these over night and put half the liquid and beans in my blender. (Blendtec ). Came out so perfect ! It was evenly/perfectly salty. Froze the other half.
I am confident to stick these beans near my Mexican brother in law’s food when we have pot luck at my parent’s. Lol
Kara, I am thrilled that the recipe turned out for you and that you loved it! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, I always love hearing from readers! 🙂
Made this for a party this weekend and got rave reviews. So easy to make. I used a blender instead of an immersion wand and it worked great. No more canned beans for me. 5 stars
Tamara, I am SO glad you loved the recipe! I make it almost weekly at my house… 🙂
Can you use something besides chicken bouillon? I can’t find any that doesn’t have MSG in it.
Hi Becky! Instead of chicken bullion you can use 7 cups of chicken broth/stock and leave out the water. I hope this helps!
Can you use vegetable broth? My daughter is a vegetarian.
You bet, vegetable broth will work well!
So, I made these for my wife and they turned out great. Per Jillian’s instructions I added 6 cups of water but used a tbsp of Better Than Bullion’s chicken base. I used 4 large cloves of garlic since I had no powder. I also used a red onion and did not add salt since it was plenty flavorful. Delicious!! Not only is this a great refried beans recipe, but I think I can use this method to make many different types of dried beans. Thanks again.
Fred, I am SO glad you and your wife liked the recipe! Thanks for letting me know how the refried beans turned out for you!
Thanks for the recipe. That little guy is a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!
Thank you!
What size slow cooker? I have a 3.5 qt. and a 6 qt. If the recipe is designed for a larger slow cooker, what would be the ingredient quantities to make a smaller batch for the smaller cooker, because we are a small family?
Thank you, I am eager to try this recipe!
Hi Elaine! If you’re going to make the full recipe use your 6 qt slow cooker. If you want a smaller quantity I would suggest decreasing all of the ingredients by half, use the 3.5 qt slow cooker, and cook the same amount of time. My family is on the small side, too (2 adults and a 5 and 2 year-old) I usually serve these beans with dinner twice during the week and then freeze the rest. The cooked, pureed beans freeze very nicely. I hope this helps! Enjoy!
Just made the refried beans. They are very good. Only ended up with about 7 cups of refried beans. Your blog said 16 cups….. Which seemed way too much for only 3 cups of dried beans.
HI Jillian Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it for a Super Bowl party and it turned out great. We used it for tacos then for bean dip later in the day. Love the crock pot set and forget style cooking. If I had a question about the recipe it would be why would you have to dice the onion fine. By being in the slow cooker for that long it seams that any cut would be just as good especially if your going to blend.
Thanks Lee
Hi Lee,
To answer your question about the onions, I like to dice my onions for almost any recipe because when you dice it small it exposes more surface area. I feel it enhances the flavor a little more this way. This is just my personal preference. I think if you chop the onion into bigger chunks it will be fine, too. Just make sure the chunks aren’t too big for your immersion blender to handle. I hope this helps!
P.S. SUCH a good idea to use this as bean dip…I’m going to try it the next time I make these beans!
I read in The Food Lab that exposing the surface area of an onion is what releases flavor. The finer you dice, the more concentrated the flavor.
I’m reading that epic cookbook, too! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Hi Jillian – great recipe I made it on Friday night for a Mexican dinner when we had some friends over – loved it! I even shared our recipe on my blogpost. Thanks for sharing, this one is a keeper!
I am SO glad you liked it, it’s one of my favorite crock pot recipes. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I glad i found this recipe and i am going to try it. I have instant pot so how would i cook it has setting for slow cooking.
Vickie, I’m not sure. I have never used an instant pot, sorry!
If your instant pot has a slowcooker setting you should be able to follow the same directions.
Can you give directions on how long to cook stovetop? Soaked pinto beans last night, but am using my crockpot to cook carne asada. I only need about a cup of beans for my husband and I. Tia!
Hi Holly! I haven’t tried this recipe on the stove top yet so I’m not sure of the directions. Maybe try this recipe: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/refried_beans/
It sounds like you have a yummy dinner planned, I hope it turns out for you! 🙂
Do you need to soak the beans according to package directions before putting then in crock pot? Anf how much water for 2 cups (16oz) of beans? About 5 cups maybe? Thanks for advice and looking forward to trying this recipe.
For 2 cups of beans you’ll need about 4 2/3 cups of water. You do not need to soak the beans because they’re going to cook for quite a while in the slow cooker. I do, however recommend rinsing the beans and throwing out any abnormal ones. Enjoy!
Hi Jillian,
I have been looking for a large retried bean recipe like this for quite some time, so when I saw this, I could not wait to try it. The results in my case were disappointing. I followed the recipe exactly, except I didn’t have the chicken bouillon, so I substituted a 14 oz can of chicken broth for almost 2 cups of water.
First of all after 5 hours on high, the beans were tender and breaking open, so I ended it there.
I was concerned about how much water there was in the crockpot, so I removed about 2 1/2 cups of liquid.
I was able to use my Imersion blender to purée the beans to decent consistency without adding additional water. The bean flavor was very bland, like all the spices were washed out. Could my crockpot be running too hot? I don’t know what went wrong?
Hi Tom, thanks for your comment and questions! I made this recipe again today because I wanted to see what the beans looked like in my slow cooker after 5 hours of cooking (plus they’re super delicious and I was craving them!). Hopefully I can help shed some light as to why they didn’t turn out.
1. 2 Tablespoons of the chicken bouillon granules is the equivalent to 6 cups of broth (I should have provided that conversion in my Cook’s Note section, I apologize. I am adding it now!). With that said, the 14 oz can you used wouldn’t be enough broth. That could be the main reason why your beans were bland.
2. After 5 hours of cooking only about 15% of my beans were breaking open. Your slow cooker might be running a little hot. By chance is it a slow cooker with a dial (those tend to run a little hot in my experience)? If it is, you might want to try a medium setting rather than the high.
3. The 9 hours of cooking time allows the beans to soak up the liquid, and some of the liquid evaporates, too. So I think the 5 hours of cooking time you gave might have added to the excess liquid in the end result.
I hope this helps!!
I know these will cook fine and be delicious (they really were) without soaking the beans, but I’m not going to skip it next time. The process of soaking the beans makes them more digestible and therefore, you don’t get so gassy.
I cook mine on he stove. If the beans are new. It will only take one hour. It old they will take longer to cook. And instead of butter try bacon grease.. I learned from my mother.