Instant Pot Refried Beans are perfect for when you’re craving Mexican food from home. They’re so easy to make and go great with so many dishes. These are so much better than canned refried beans again.
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Why this Instant Pot Refried Beans Recipe is a Keeper
I love to make refried beans in the instant pot because it’s quick and easy; perfect for those busy weeknights. These are so much better than canned beans.
- 35 Minute Meal: From start to finish, these beans will be ready in a quick 35 minutes.
- Easy Ingredients: You’ll need less than 10 ingredients to make delicious refried beans.
- Make Ahead: Make a big batch of beans to use as meal prep for the week.
- Adaptable: This recipe is super customizable when it comes to seasonings.
- Makes Great Leftovers: These beans are just as good the next day. Serve refried beans in your favorite burrito or quesadilla recipe.
If you’re looking for more bean recipes, try these Italian White Beans, Mexican Black Beans and Sweet and Spicy Baked Beans
Can you Make Instant Pot Refried Beans Recipe Vegan?
To make this recipe completely vegan, use vegan, vegetable-based butter in place of regular butter.
Ingredient Notes for this Easy Instant Pot Recipe
- Pinto Beans: You will need dried beans to make the best refried beans I’ve ever had.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
Variations and Substitutions for Easy Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Black Beans: Use whatever dry beans you like, black beans are a great option!
- Fresh Herbs: Top with fresh herbs to add a little green to this delicious side.
- Salsa: Mix in a little of your favorite salsa.
Special Equipment Needed to Pressure Cook the Beans
You’ll need a couple of special pieces of equipment for this recipe.
- Instant Pot: An instant pot or pressure cooker is what will cook your dried pinto beans so fast with no need to soak the beans.
- Immersion Blender: You’ll need to use an immersion blender or a food processor to blend up the beans. If you don’t have either of those, use a potato masher.
Pro Tip for the Best Beans
Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.
How to Make Refried Beans
Refried pinto beans are so easy to make, they can be made in 3 steps.
These are the basic steps for making Instant Pot Refried Beans. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions.
1. Cook the Beans
Place dry rinsed beans in the instant pot (or a pressure cooker like the instant pot) and add 5 cups of water. Seal the lid and pressure valve and pressure cook beans at high pressure for 30 minutes.
2. Drain the Beans
Manually let the pressure release when finished and drain the beans. Save 2 cups of liquid and set aside.
3. Add Spices and Blend
Add the drained beans back to a food processor with butter, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder and ground cumin.
Mash the beans until smooth and creamy while adding the left over cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste and adjust to your desired consistency.
Homemade Refried Beans Recipe FAQs
Store this instant pot beans recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can easily freeze these Mexican refried beans recipe. Store in a heavy duty airtight container for 3-6 months.
Instapot refried beans can be reheated in the microwave or stovetop. Put the beans in a pot with a splash of water and heat over medium heat until warm.
You can eat these Mexican refried beans as a side dish or topping on burritos, salads, nachos, tacos or anything that would be better with beans.
You can try this easy refried beans recipe with whatever your favorite beans are.
Maybe. You can always try to make homemade refried beans from canned beans if you’re up for it!
Expert Tips to Make Refried Beans Recipe
- Double or Half this Recipe: Increase or decrease the ingredients proportionately. If increasing, split this instant pot bean recipes into two batches and store the beans in a large container.
- Food Processor: If you do not have a food processor, a blender or immersion blender will work as well.
- Black Beans: You also use dried black beans in place of the pinto beans.
- Nachos: Make some nachos with this healthy instant pot black bean recipe. Start with tortilla chips, then add the beans and queso, sour cream, corn, jalapenos, cilantro, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and a meat of your choice!
What to Serve with Refried Beans
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Instant Pot Refried Beans
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Pinto beans, dried
- 4 tablespoons Butter, 1/2 stick
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
- 1 tablespoon Chili powder
- 2 tablespoons Ground cumin
Instructions
- Place dry rinsed beans into instant pot and add 5 cups of water
- Seal the lid and pressure valve and cook on high for 30 minutes. Manually release pressure when finished.
- Drain beans while keeping 2 cups of liquid and set aside.
- Place the beans in a food processor with butter and spices. Blend until beans are smooth and creamy. Add left over liquid 1 tablespoon at a time to achieve desired consistency.
Christina’s Notes
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- Double or Half this Recipe: Increase or decrease the ingredients proportionately. If increasing, split this instant pot bean recipes into two batches and store the beans in a large container.
-
- Food Processor: If you do not have a food processor, a blender or immersion blender will work as well.
-
- Black Beans: You also use dried black beans in place of the pinto beans.
- Nachos: Make some nachos with this healthy instant pot black bean recipe. Start with tortilla chips, then add the beans and queso, sour cream, corn, jalapenos, cilantro, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and a meat of your choice!
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided are estimates. It is recommended that you verify this information with your own trusted resource.
We love honest feedback, but to keep reviews helpful for everyone, we reserve the right to remove star ratings if it is clear the recipe has not been made, if the comment does not provide meaningful input, or if significant substitutions or alterations were made. Please note that ratings should reflect the original recipe as written to avoid confusing other readers.
This recipe is my personal adaption of an ethnic-inspired recipe. It is not intended to be an authentic recipe. I’ve recreated this recipe because I enjoy the flavors and I want to encourage my readers to expand their tastes and try new flavor combinations. The recipe, ingredients, and processes may have been adapted to make the recipe accessible to the average American. I have provided links to authentic versions of the recipe in the post above. I encourage you to visit these pages and learn more about the traditional version(s) of this recipe.
These refried beans were delicious! So much better than store bought and easy to make in the instant pot.
It’s so easy to make and so delicious. My family loved it.
Love refried beans. These are so much better than what you get in a can.
Loved the spices in these beans (and the butter of course). So tasty! Thank you for the recipe.