These homemade Refried Black Beans are a cinch to make and are packed with flavor. A little bit spicy, a little bit smoky, thick, creamy, and so, so tasty. Completely vegan, and ready in under 30 minutes, this refried black beans recipe is the best!
It's time to level up your refried beans
Hey-o!! We're huge fans of beans here on HNL, and today we're going to make some Refried Black Beans. These beauties are the building block of many, many delicious dinners. With a batch of refried black beans in your fridge, the possibilities are endless.
From crispy Bean and Cheese Tacos to Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos and Black Bean Tostadas, almost any Tex-Mex dinner can be made meatless with the addition of refried black beans. Are you excited yet? You should be!
As with our basic refried beans recipe, it all starts with a can (or three) of beans—black beans, in this case, instead of pinto beans. Black beans have a bit of smoky oomph to them even before you add any other ingredients, meaning they don’t need much doctoring up to get them ready for dinner.
As a nutritionist, I love knowing exactly what's in my beans. With no lard and minimal oil, these refried black beans are healthier than many store-bought and restaurant-style varieties.
You only need a handful of ingredients to make your own refried black beans at home. And you can get that creamy refried bean texture just like your favorite Mexican restaurant without having to add any lard—I’ll show you how.
Let's do this!
Tip!
If you’d like, you can make this recipe with cooked black beans or Instant Pot black beans rather than canned. I like to add a few crushed garlic cloves and a bay leaf while cooking the dried beans to amp up the flavor. About 4 ½ cups of cooked dried black beans equal 3 cans of beans. Be sure to reserve the cooking liquid!
Let's Make Refried Black Beans Together!
You'll find detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. For now here's a step-by-step overview, complete with photos!
Step 1: sweat & season your onions
Set a heavy-bottomed skillet (like cast iron) over medium heat. Add the oil and once it’s shimmering, stir in the onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and just starting to brown.
Stir in the chili powder, ground cumin, minced chipotle pepper, and salt; sauté for a minute or two, until the spices are fragrant.
Step 1: simmer & smoosh your beans
Add the black beans to the skillet, then pour in enough of their liquid to come about halfway up the beans. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Reduce the heat to low. Then, mash the beans until you've reached the desired consistency.
Stir in the lemon juice, then season to taste. At this point, you can either remove the beans from the heat and serve or store them, or continue simmering to let them thicken.
Storing and Reheating Refried Beans
You can store refried beans in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in an airtight container. For longer storage, freeze them for 3 months. (I like to place them in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze them flat so I can stack them!)
When you're ready to enjoy, simply heat the beans in a pan on the stove with a little water or broth, or warm them up in the microwave until they're hot. Keep in mind that they'll thicken after being stored and reheated.
Refried Black Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped white onion approx one small onion
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce finely minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 14-ounce cans black beans drained - liquid reserved!
- Black bean liquid Reserved from your can
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet (I use cast iron) over medium heat. Add the diced onion, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and is starting to brown.3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup chopped white onion
- Add the chili powder, ground cumin, minced chipotle pepper, and salt. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to combine the flavours.1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon salt
- Add the beans, along with enough of their liquid to come about halfway up the beans. Simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.3 14-ounce cans black beans, Black bean liquid
- Reduce the heat to low and using a potato masher, mash the beans until you've reached the desired consistency.
- Add lemon juice, stir, and taste the beans. At this point you can adjust the seasonings as needed.Juice of half a lemon
- You can continue to simmer the beans on low, stirring occasionally, until they have reached the consistency you like. Keep in mind they will continue to thicken as they cool.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
Bennett says
I love the taste of these! I only had lime juice, so I used that, and it was fantastic. I can't wait to make them again with the lemon.
Katie Trant says
Thanks Bennett! Lime juice is a great idea 🙂