The BEST Instant Pot Refried Beans (No Soaking!)

Instant Pot Refried Beans require no presoaking. Plus, they’re virtually fat free and can be made vegetarian or vegan with some simple swaps. 

In our household, Mexican night doesn’t have to wait for Taco Tuesday. Nope, we’ll dig into tacostostadas and chips & salsa any night of the week. I always love an excuse for a Margarita too. But quite often, I’m stumped on what to serve on the side. These Instant Pot Refried Beans are my answer.

These healthy refried beans cook up creamy and delicious with virtually no babysitting, leaving you free to assemble your tacos, mix your margaritas and chill.

How to Make the BEST Instant Pot Refried Beans

  • No need to soak the beans. Just rinse them and add them to the pot.
  • Saute some onion and garlic and then season with lots of yummy Mexican spices – cumin, chili powder, oregano and cayenne.
  • Salt the cooking liquid. It seasons them and helps them cook evenly.
  • Cook for 45 minutes, until tender.
  • Drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.
  • Mash the beans to your preference using a potato masher or immersion blender, adding the cooking liquid as needed. Season again with salt.

No pre-soaking required

That’s right, you don’t need to overnight soak your dry pinto beans before cooking them in your electric pressure cooker! As a matter of fact, you can cook several types of instant pot beans, like these 

No pre-soaking required

That’s right, you don’t need to overnight soak your dry pinto beans before cooking them in your electric pressure cooker! As a matter of fact, you can cook several types of instant pot beans, like these Instant Pot pinto beansInstant Pot black beans, and even chickpeas in the Instant Pot, without soaking beforehand.

Instant Pot black beans, and even chickpeas in the Instant Pot, without soaking beforehand.

What Beans Are Used for Refried Beans?

  • Pinto beans are most often used to make refried beans, though you can also use black beans.
Bowl of pinto beans next to bowl of onions.

How Long Do Instant Pot Refried Beans Last?

  • Refried beans will last in the refrigerator for up to one week, stored tightly covered. You can also freeze these refried beans for up to three months. Try storing them flat in a ziploc bag. When ready to serve, defrost overnight and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

To make these Instant Pot Refried Beans vegetarian and vegan, simply swap out the broth for some vegetable stock. 

Overhead shot of refried beans in blue bowl topped with crumbled cotija, tomatoes and jalapenos.

If you loved these Instant Pot Refried Beans I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.

For more great recipes, be sure to follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.

More Instant Pot Mexican Recipes:

More Instant Pot Bean & Legume Recipes:

Overhead shot of refried beans in blue bowl topped with crumbled cotija, tomatoes and jalapenos.

The BEST Instant Pot Refried Beans

Instant Pot Refried Beans require no presoaking. Plus, they're virtually fat free and can be made vegetarian or vegan with some simple swaps. 
4.96 from 21 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Time for pressure to build & release: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

To Garnish:

Instructions

  • Set Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add oil. Once hot, add onion. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add garlic and let cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 
  • Add a splash of broth and scrape to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add remaining broth, water, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne and beans. Stir to combine. Hit CANCEL.
  • Make sure your sealing ring is in place on the lid. Lock the lid onto Instant Pot and set the steam release knob to the “sealing” position.
  • Press the MANUAL button and set Instant Pot for high pressure for 40 minutes. It will take about 15 minutes for Instant Pot to come to full pressure, then the display will show a countdown timer.
  • Once the 40 minutes are up, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes, then release any remaining pressure.
  • Remove the lid and drain the beans, reserving the liquid.
  • Return the cooked beans to the pot, and stir in ½ cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Season with salt, to taste. Use a potato masher to mash the cooked beans until smooth, leaving some texture if you like. Or, you can use an immersion blender for pureed beans.

Notes

Refrigerate any leftovers for up to one week, or store in the freezer for up to three months. 
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

Equipment

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 461mg | Potassium: 1113mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 6.8mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 4.6mg

Check out the web story here.

16 thoughts on “The BEST Instant Pot Refried Beans (No Soaking!)”

  1. This post couldn’t have come at a better time. Last night I used the last can of refried beans from my Costco pack (I’m eating leftovers as I type this). I eat refried beans all the time but would rather eat 100% homemade – and thanks to this recipe, I CAN without spending an entire day soaking and cooking the beans. Can’t wait to eat this!

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    Homemade refried beans are so much better than the store bought varieties. Yum! This recipe looks perfect, and I love how vibrant your photos are. Thanks for sharing, Erin!

    Reply
    • 5 stars
      I have never made homemade refried beans prior to this. They turned out great! I will definitely try this recipe again. A few comments mentioned that the beans were too runny. I think they missed the part that you drain the beans, reserve the liquid and then only put a 1/2 a cup back in.

      Reply
  3. 5 stars
    Excellent! I changed it easily to low fat vegan, leaving out the oil and using the vegetable broth. So nice to not have to soak the beans first. 😁

    Reply
  4. 5 stars
    Great recipe! Just made this today and it was perfect. I used red beans instead of pinto and it was still excellent! Will definitely be saving this to use again! 5 stars!

    Reply
  5. 4 stars
    Made this last night and mine are runny. Not good for making burritos. Maybe I need less liquid next time? Now I need to figure out how to thicken them up before tonight or I’ll have to just open some can of refried beans and eat these up myself. Good flavor though!! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  6. Following the recipe exactly, I found when I opened the pot I had soooo much liquid. I started to use an immersion blender, but realized if I kept going I would just have liquid beans. I poured out the beans into a colander over a bowl to separate the immense amount of liquid. I dumped them back into the Instapot and used the immersion blender, which worked well, but the beans are still a little too runny for our preference. I threw away about 3 cups of liquid from the 6 cups (3-broth, 3-water) I put into the pot. Can’t figure out what went wrong.

    Reply
  7. 5 stars
    Love these beans, have made them 4 times already! Is the nutrition info at bottom for entire amount of beans? Or just one serving? And exactly how big is one serving? Trying to do weight watchers and need to track. Thanks!
    Laurie

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.