These are great! Made this as my base for a bunch of freezer burritos for my family. 🙂
Adrienne
These beans are perfectly seasoned and a huge hit with my crew. We love our Mexican food and are so pleased with this recipe!
Marina Oberholtzer
I have a clarifying question, and I really like your affordable and SIMPLE TO MAKE recipes! Thank you.
I went to the Mexican market in town and asked for Ancho Chile Powder, but they were out. She said she had various others, and the Chile Arbol wasn’t “as spicy” as some others. So I used that one. I used for the Instant Refried Beans recipe, and for the enchilada sauce recipe. Oh my. It’s waaay too hot. So, I’m learning quick. I’ll definitely try again when I can get some Ancho Chile powder, but I notice online it looks brown. And your sauce is red. Do you really only use the Ancho Chile powder for the sauce?
Jessica Fisher
How fun that you’re getting to experiment with different ground chiles. The sauce will reflect the color of the chile powder. This is the chile I used in the recipe photos for the Enchilada sauce. It’s definitely red. Hope that helps.
Kelley
Hey so I finally found an apartment after being homeless for years. Can this be done on the stove, definately no slow cooker and all I have is a stove
Jessica Fisher
Congrats on your new home, Kelley! That is so exciting. Yes, you can make these beans on the stovetop. I’ve updated the recipe card to show those instructions.
Kelley Anton
Thank you! I appreciate the quick update and response!! Hopefully I’ll get this right.
Will update once I’m done
Thanks again Jessica
Jessica Fisher
Of course! I’m happy to help. Cooking at home is a great adventure and I’m so thrilled for you to start it. Please let me know if I can help.
Tess
I loved this recipe but curious of the calorie count per serving.
Jessica Fisher
We are currently working on updating nutritional information, but haven’t gotten to this post yet. Soon! Thanks for asking.
Cheryl
I love refried beans and am excited to try these out! I have never made homemade refried beans, can you tell me what it means to ‘sort’ the pinto beans?.
Thanks Much!
Jessica Fisher
When you buy dried pinto beans, there’s the possibility of there being small rocks or “other organic matter” in them. You’ll want to lay all the beans out on a cookie sheet and just examine them to make sure that everything going in your pot is bean and nothing else.
Penny Pring
Finally got around to making them (refried beans), they were delicious!
My family and I thank you for the recipe and the leftovers!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Glad you liked it!
Christopher Johnson
I finally made this today after months of saying I was going to do it. I was a little bummed that it takes two days to make it, but the final product is great! I usually make my own chili powder since I try to stick to a low-sodium diet, but it turns out that I didn’t have what I needed to make any. Then I found a mostly empty bottle of McCormick’s salt-free Southwest Sweet ‘n Smoky Seasoning (not a plug just what I had). It tastes great and I really like the smokey flavor so much so that I think I’ll use smoked paprika in my chili powder after this. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Glad you liked it!
Jessica S
I have never been a fan of refried beans, but in an effort to get more into my diet( and help with lowering a slightly elevated LDL…).. I decided to make a half batch of these and a small pot of ham and bean soup. I followed your suggestion of 24hr soak and then split the lb of bean between 2 crock pots. Ham, veggies and seasonings went into 1 while just water into another. I drained the beans when they were softened and since it was late and I did nto want to drag out my machines I just grabbed my pastry blender! PERFECTION! They mooshed right down.. I seaseoned with some garlic and onionpowder, chili and a dash of cumin! WOW! I had no idea that there could actually be flavor in that mash! Thanks for being an inspiration!
Jessica Fisher
YAY! Isn’t that wonderful! I’m so glad to hear it worked well for you!
Peggy Davis
I made a half batch of these beans this weekend. They were fabulously tasty and I’ve frozen several portions for use in the coming weeks. I’ve never successfully frozen the canned beans after the initial heating so I look forward to Mexican for one that is healthier and flavorful.
Christina Ferreira
Have you ever tried canning any of your recipes that you end up freezing? I do not have a deep freezer, but am trying to start making things at home as opposed to buying them. Storing caned goods would be much easier since we have a large storage area in our basement.
Jessica Fisher
No, I only have a water bath canner, not a pressure canner. Freezing things in ziploc bags can help save space.
Teri
Christina, I can all my beans. You would need a pressure canner but it’s easy and they are nice to have in my pantry. Don’t can beans that have been mashed or pureed. They are too dense. To make my “refried” beans, I soak pinto beans overnight, cook a little (until half cooked) add my seasonings to each jar and then process. Because I now cook for only the 2 of us, I can “refried” beans in half pints. I can black, white and red beans in pint jars. Pinto beans can be canned without seasoning also. I do add a little canning salt to each jar before processing. Ball Blue book is a good resource for all your canning/freezing/drying needs. 🙂 Teri
Belinda
I have got to try this!! No one else in my family eats beans, but it looks yummy (and easy) enough to make just for me 😉
Jessica Fisher
I wish I had made a double batch. They disappeared too quickly.
Carla
Love this. I keep my black beans and red beans “whole” after cooking and freeze for various recipes. My pintos, I cook up and then whip through my ninja resulting in smooth “refried” beans. Cannot get easier than that. Since my teen is my refried bean foodie, he gets to have the final say on the seasonings.
Brooke Kingston
Thank you for this great post! We love refried beans at my house, and I totally concur with the whole homemade-is-better-tasting-than-canned. But I, too, am magnetically drawn to canned beans! 😉 We make our refried beans in the slow cooker, too, but I find I can do them without the soak! 8-10 hours on high, with a tablespoon or so of bacon drippings added for flavor, and ta-da…perfect frijoles refritos! Thanks for inspiring me to get out my crock today…I think we’ll be having bean tostados for dinner!
Diana
I do them in the slow cooker too, without the soak 🙂 I don’t know if they turn out the right texture for something like bean salad, but they are perfect for mashing into soups or refried beans!
I saute a little onion in a pan, blend the beans in a blender (because we like them smooth), and then stir the beans into the sauteed onion until reheated. In fact, I’m doing that tonight to stretch some ground beef for taco pie! 🙂
Jessica Fisher
I’ve found that the longer soak makes them softer and less gassy. 😉
Julia
These are great! Made this as my base for a bunch of freezer burritos for my family. 🙂
Adrienne
These beans are perfectly seasoned and a huge hit with my crew. We love our Mexican food and are so pleased with this recipe!
Marina Oberholtzer
I have a clarifying question, and I really like your affordable and SIMPLE TO MAKE recipes! Thank you.
I went to the Mexican market in town and asked for Ancho Chile Powder, but they were out. She said she had various others, and the Chile Arbol wasn’t “as spicy” as some others. So I used that one. I used for the Instant Refried Beans recipe, and for the enchilada sauce recipe. Oh my. It’s waaay too hot. So, I’m learning quick. I’ll definitely try again when I can get some Ancho Chile powder, but I notice online it looks brown. And your sauce is red. Do you really only use the Ancho Chile powder for the sauce?
Jessica Fisher
How fun that you’re getting to experiment with different ground chiles. The sauce will reflect the color of the chile powder. This is the chile I used in the recipe photos for the Enchilada sauce. It’s definitely red. Hope that helps.
Kelley
Hey so I finally found an apartment after being homeless for years. Can this be done on the stove, definately no slow cooker and all I have is a stove
Jessica Fisher
Congrats on your new home, Kelley! That is so exciting. Yes, you can make these beans on the stovetop. I’ve updated the recipe card to show those instructions.
Kelley Anton
Thank you! I appreciate the quick update and response!! Hopefully I’ll get this right.
Will update once I’m done
Thanks again Jessica
Jessica Fisher
Of course! I’m happy to help. Cooking at home is a great adventure and I’m so thrilled for you to start it. Please let me know if I can help.
Tess
I loved this recipe but curious of the calorie count per serving.
Jessica Fisher
We are currently working on updating nutritional information, but haven’t gotten to this post yet. Soon! Thanks for asking.
Cheryl
I love refried beans and am excited to try these out! I have never made homemade refried beans, can you tell me what it means to ‘sort’ the pinto beans?.
Thanks Much!
Jessica Fisher
When you buy dried pinto beans, there’s the possibility of there being small rocks or “other organic matter” in them. You’ll want to lay all the beans out on a cookie sheet and just examine them to make sure that everything going in your pot is bean and nothing else.
Penny Pring
Finally got around to making them (refried beans), they were delicious!
My family and I thank you for the recipe and the leftovers!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! Glad you liked it!
Christopher Johnson
I finally made this today after months of saying I was going to do it. I was a little bummed that it takes two days to make it, but the final product is great! I usually make my own chili powder since I try to stick to a low-sodium diet, but it turns out that I didn’t have what I needed to make any. Then I found a mostly empty bottle of McCormick’s salt-free Southwest Sweet ‘n Smoky Seasoning (not a plug just what I had). It tastes great and I really like the smokey flavor so much so that I think I’ll use smoked paprika in my chili powder after this. Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Glad you liked it!
Jessica S
I have never been a fan of refried beans, but in an effort to get more into my diet( and help with lowering a slightly elevated LDL…).. I decided to make a half batch of these and a small pot of ham and bean soup. I followed your suggestion of 24hr soak and then split the lb of bean between 2 crock pots. Ham, veggies and seasonings went into 1 while just water into another. I drained the beans when they were softened and since it was late and I did nto want to drag out my machines I just grabbed my pastry blender! PERFECTION! They mooshed right down.. I seaseoned with some garlic and onionpowder, chili and a dash of cumin! WOW! I had no idea that there could actually be flavor in that mash! Thanks for being an inspiration!
Jessica Fisher
YAY! Isn’t that wonderful! I’m so glad to hear it worked well for you!
Peggy Davis
I made a half batch of these beans this weekend. They were fabulously tasty and I’ve frozen several portions for use in the coming weeks. I’ve never successfully frozen the canned beans after the initial heating so I look forward to Mexican for one that is healthier and flavorful.
Christina Ferreira
Have you ever tried canning any of your recipes that you end up freezing? I do not have a deep freezer, but am trying to start making things at home as opposed to buying them. Storing caned goods would be much easier since we have a large storage area in our basement.
Jessica Fisher
No, I only have a water bath canner, not a pressure canner. Freezing things in ziploc bags can help save space.
Teri
Christina, I can all my beans. You would need a pressure canner but it’s easy and they are nice to have in my pantry. Don’t can beans that have been mashed or pureed. They are too dense. To make my “refried” beans, I soak pinto beans overnight, cook a little (until half cooked) add my seasonings to each jar and then process. Because I now cook for only the 2 of us, I can “refried” beans in half pints. I can black, white and red beans in pint jars. Pinto beans can be canned without seasoning also. I do add a little canning salt to each jar before processing. Ball Blue book is a good resource for all your canning/freezing/drying needs. 🙂 Teri
Belinda
I have got to try this!! No one else in my family eats beans, but it looks yummy (and easy) enough to make just for me 😉
Jessica Fisher
I wish I had made a double batch. They disappeared too quickly.
Carla
Love this. I keep my black beans and red beans “whole” after cooking and freeze for various recipes. My pintos, I cook up and then whip through my ninja resulting in smooth “refried” beans. Cannot get easier than that. Since my teen is my refried bean foodie, he gets to have the final say on the seasonings.
Brooke Kingston
Thank you for this great post! We love refried beans at my house, and I totally concur with the whole homemade-is-better-tasting-than-canned. But I, too, am magnetically drawn to canned beans! 😉 We make our refried beans in the slow cooker, too, but I find I can do them without the soak! 8-10 hours on high, with a tablespoon or so of bacon drippings added for flavor, and ta-da…perfect frijoles refritos! Thanks for inspiring me to get out my crock today…I think we’ll be having bean tostados for dinner!
Diana
I do them in the slow cooker too, without the soak 🙂 I don’t know if they turn out the right texture for something like bean salad, but they are perfect for mashing into soups or refried beans!
I saute a little onion in a pan, blend the beans in a blender (because we like them smooth), and then stir the beans into the sauteed onion until reheated. In fact, I’m doing that tonight to stretch some ground beef for taco pie! 🙂
Jessica Fisher
I’ve found that the longer soak makes them softer and less gassy. 😉