refried beans recipe with step by step pics. this homemade refried beans recipe gives you a really delicious creamy refried beans. it tastes too good plain or in a taco, quesadilla or tortillas. in fact the vegetarian tacos i made were so good with these refried beans, tomato salsa and sour cream.
refried beans is a well known dish made in mexico and latin american countries. its made with beans like pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans (rajma). refried beans is either served as a part of a main course or stuffed in a tortilla or taco. refried beans can also be served as a dip with nachos.
in spanish language refried beans is called frijoles refritos. the word by word translation of ‘frijoles refritos’ in english is refried beans. ‘refritos’ means well fried and not fried again. since the word ‘re’ is also used in english it misleads that the beans are fried again. source wikipedia
in the recipe though the beans are not fried. they are cooked and then mashed. so this is an overall a healthy dish. its always better to cook beans in a pressure cooker as it save times. so you can use a pressure cooker or an instant pot to cook the beans.
making refried beans is very easy. i have also made the recipe with kidney beans and it is similar to the way we make rajma masala. usually lard (pig fat) is used to sauté the garlic & onions, but for vegetarians one can easily use olive oil, butter or sunflower oil.
while cooking beans, its always better to soak the raw beans in water overnight. rinse them well and then cook them. this way the phytic acid is reduced in the beans making the beans easier to digest. reduction of phytic acid also aids in the digestion of some minerals from the beans. for the recipe method i referred to some cook books and adapted to suit our indian taste buds.
i have got many requests for mexican recipes and i will be adding them slowly on the website. few mexican recipes which i have already shared are:
i made a medium portion of refried beans to go as a stuffing with tacos. but the recipe can easily be halved or doubled. the spices and herbs can also be adjusted as per your taste buds. in the dish you can even have a chunky texture or make a smooth mashed creamy version. so this simple dish is very much adaptable and forgiving too.
refried beans recipe:
refried beans is a well known dish made in mexico and latin american countries. its made with beans like pinto beans, black beans or kidney beans (rajma). refried beans is either served as a part of a main course or stuffed in a tortilla or tacos. refried beans can also be served as dip with nachos.
- ½ cup kidney beans or 100 grams (rajma), you can also use pinto beans
- enough water for soaking
- 2 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium onion
- 2 to 3 medium garlic cloves - finely chopped or ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper, add as per your taste buds
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- salt as per taste
- ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required
rinse kidney beans a couple of times with water and then soak them in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
then next day discard the water. rinse the kidney beans very well in running water. then add them in a 2 litre pressure cooker.
add ¼ teaspoon salt and 2 cups water.
on a medium flame pressure cook for 15 to 18 minutes. fresh beans will cook faster. if the beans are old, then they will take a lot of time to cook. so do keep this in mind while cooking beans.
when the pressure falls down on its own in the cooker, open the lid and check the beans. they should be completely cooked and mash easily when you press them. drain all the water from the beans and keep aside.
heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan. you can also use butter or any other oil like sunflower oil instead of olive oil. lower the flame and add finely chopped garlic. you can even add more garlic if you want.
fry the garlic for some seconds till its raw aroma goes away. no need to brown the garlic.
then add finely chopped onions and mix well.
stirring often sauté onions on a medium-low flame till they become translucent.
then add the cooked kidney beans.
add ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required. you can also add vegetable stock instead of water.
season with salt as per taste and mix well.
on a medium-low flame let the kidney bean mixture come to a boil.
when the mixture comes to a boil, then with a vegetable masher, mash the beans. you can even stop cooking here and let the beans cool down a bit. then blend everything to a smooth puree with an electric blender. we prefer some chunkiness in the beans, so i have not mashed all the beans. but do mash well as this gives a creamy consistency in the refried beans.
then add ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper) and 1 teaspoon cumin powder.
you can add cayenne pepper or red chili powder depending on the heat you want in the dish. so add spices and herbs as per your requirements. you can always add more or less of each spice and herb.
mix very well.
on a low to medium-low flame continue to stir and simmer beans for 5 to 6 minutes till it thickens. you can make refried beans thick or with a slightly liquid and flowing consistency. add more water for a slight liquid consistency or if the beans look dry.
when the refried beans have thickened to the desired consistency then switch off the flame.
pour in bowls and serve refried beans. you can garnish with some coriander leaves or parsley leaves. some grated cheddar cheese can also be sprinkled on the refried beans.
additionally you can serve a side of guacamole, tomato salsa and sour cream to go along with the refried beans.
few tips and suggestions:
- recipe can be halved or doubled or tripled.
- addition of spices and herbs can be adjusted.
- canned beans can also be used. if using cooked canned kidney beans, then add 3 to 3.5 cups.
- beans can be cooked in a pot too. just add some more water.
rough nutrition info per serving:
making homemade refried beans recipe with stepwise pics:
1. rinse ½ cup kidney beans (rajma) a couple of times with water and then soak them in enough water overnight or for 8 to 9 hours.
2. then next day discard the water. rinse the kidney beans very well in running water. then add them in a 2 litre pressure cooker. also add ¼ teaspoon salt.
3. add 2 cups water.
4. on a medium flame pressure cook for 15 to 18 minutes. fresh beans will cook faster. if the beans are old, then they will take a lot of time to cook. so do keep this in mind while cooking beans.
5. when the pressure falls down on its own in the cooker, open the lid and check the beans. they should be completely cooked and mash easily when you press them. drain all the water from the beans and keep aside.
6. heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan. you can also use butter or any other oil like sunflower oil instead of olive oil. keep flame to a low and add ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic. you can even add more garlic if you want.
7. fry the garlic for some seconds till its raw aroma goes away. no need to brown the garlic.
8. then add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions or 1 medium onion (finely chopped).
9. mix well and stirring often sauté onions on a medium-low flame.
10. sauté onions till they become translucent.
11. then add the cooked kidney beans.
12. add ½ to ⅔ cup water or add as required. you can also add vegetable stock instead of water.
13. season with salt as per taste and mix well.
14. on a medium-low flame let the kidney bean mixture come to a boil.
15. when the mixture comes to a boil, then with a vegetable masher, mash the beans. you can even stop cooking here and let the beans cool down a bit. then blend everything to a smooth puree with an electric blender. we prefer some chunkiness in the beans, so i have not mashed all the beans. but do mash well as this gives a creamy consistency in the refried beans.
16. then add ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ to 1 teaspoon red chili powder (or cayenne pepper), 1 teaspoon cumin powder. you can add cayenne pepper or red chili powder depending on the heat you want in the dish. so add spices and herbs as per your requirements. you can always add more or less of each spice and herb.
17. mix very well.
18. on a low to medium-low flame continue to stir and simmer the beans for 5 to 6 minutes till it thickens. you can make refried beans thick or with a slightly liquid and flowing consistency. add more water for a slight liquid consistency or if the beans look dry.
19. when the refried beans have thickened to the desired consistency, switch off the flame. check the taste and add more of salt, red chili powder, black pepper and oregano if you want.
20. pour in bowls and serve refried beans. you can garnish refried beans with some coriander leaves or parsley leaves. some grated cheddar cheese can also be sprinkled on the refried beans. additionally you can serve a side of guacamole, tomato salsa and sour cream to go along with the refried beans.
Amarjeet ahuja says
Mam I m big fan of ur recipe i want to download app but it’s not opening in iPhone is there any link u can provide for iPhone users
dassana amit says
Thanks Amarjeet for your kind words. We have deleted the app because of technical issues.