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.
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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 love this recipe, but I am traveling and don’t have access to a crockpot. Can I cook them in a pot on the stovetop?
The recipe originally involves cooking the beans in a slow cooker, but stovetop cooking is a viable alternative. Here’s how you can adapt it, tell me how it turns out!
Preparation: Soak the beans overnight, then drain and rinse them.
Cooking: In a large pot, add the beans and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are tender, which can take about 1.5 to 2 hours. You may need to add more water during cooking.
Seasoning and Mashing: Once the beans are cooked, drain them, reserving some of the cooking liquid. Sauté onions and garlic in oil until fragrant, then add the cooked beans. Mash the beans with a potato masher or a fork, adding reserved cooking liquid as needed to reach your desired consistency.
Final Touches: Continue to cook and stir until the beans are thickened and flavorful. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Delicious – and I’m not even the biggest fan of refried beans. For us, it works better with 6.5 cups of water vs. 7 and 1 tsp of salt. Taste and try! If you hit the right amount of salt, they come to life and are SO good! Thanks for the great recipe!
I love your price calculations. It is very helpful when I am planning what to make. Thank you for putting this together!
I’ve been looking for a good refried bean recipe and I found it. These are delicious.
This is my go-to recipe for pinto/refried beans. Easy to make and delicious! Thank you!
Hi, just want to let you know that I tried this recipe and absolutely loved it. Love how easy they are to freeze. I’ve made them in several variations. Some I keep plain. Others I’ve added green chiles, or small cubes of cheddar or pepper jack cheese.
Should I cook them for 9 hours on HIGH or LOW? Thanks!
On HIGH.
This recipe is amazing! I have looked for a restaurant quality refried bean recipe for a long time and I finally found it! 🙂 I make it at least weekly now. I also make homeade chips to go with it and we just snack on the chips and dip. The downside of it is the smell. My house smells soooo good all day long but I have to wait 9 hours to eat them! LOL!!
Can you cook two batches at a time?
I don’t think 2 batches will fit in the same slow cooker. So you will need 2 slow cookers.
I have tried so many refried bean recipes and they just fall flat. These are absolutely delicious! I am so happy to have this recipe – definitely a keeper! Thanks so much.
I’m so glad you loved the recipe; it’s one of my favorites! Thanks for stopping by to let me know. 🙂
Better with bacon drippings. Your welcome!
Yum, can’t wait to try!
Just discovered your recipes and website. I love how simple and informative and straight to the point you are! Will definitely be perusing more of your food ideas!
I’m so glad. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
My family loves refried beans – I don’t – at least until I tried these! They are so delicious! I did have better luck with 6.5 cups of water vs. 7 and used 2 cups of diced onions. Don’t be afraid to add salt at the end – makes all the difference, really! We use 1 tsp salt in ours. Freezes great, makes a ton, is easy and super cheap! Thanks!
These refried beans were delicious with Mexican lasagna!
Ok now I want your recipe for Mexican lasagna!
excellent this recipe, really inviting
Could this recipe be halved and still work?
Yes, this recipe can absolutely be halved.
I’m excited to make this. When making fresh, how long do you recommend leaving it in the refrigerator? I would like to make this ahead of time for a taco bar night and trying to determine how far in advance I can make it. Thanks!
Hi Liz, these will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Is 1 lb. package (16 oz.) of dry pinto beans equal to 3 cups?
There’s a little bit more than 3 cups.
Do I need to soak the beans overnight before cooking them?
No, no need to soak the beans.
After thawing, are they still good to use cold in a Mexican layer dip?
Yes, they should work great in a Mexican layer dip.