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 tacos, tostadas 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 beans, Instant 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.
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.
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.
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More Instant Pot Mexican Recipes:
- Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Instant Pot Salsa Chicken Taco Lettuce Wraps
More Instant Pot Bean & Legume Recipes:
- Instant Pot Red Beans & Rice
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Instant Pot Black Beans
- Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas
- Instant Pot Chickpeas
- Instant Pot Lentils
The BEST Instant Pot Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans (rinsed and drained (2 cups))
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 cups bone broth (chicken stock or vegetable stock)
- 3 cups water
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt (to taste )
To Garnish:
- Cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Diced tomato
- Sliced jalapeno
- Avocado
- Cheese
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
Equipment
Nutrition
Check out the web story here.
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!
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!
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.
This recipe looks so simple and delicious! I cannot wait to try.
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. 😁
It makes it so quick & easy, right?!
This looks so good! If I need to make triple the amount of servings do I still triple all of the liquids?
Hi Kristy – Yes, you’ll triple the liquids as well.
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!
I’m so happy you liked them Lissette! Thanks for the feedback on using red beans!
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.
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.
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
I made them today and talk about delicious. Will never buy refried beans again. Thankyou. Jackie
THE best easiest and tasty recipe. I added some hot peppers from the garden, and just WOW!
I’m so happy it was a hit Nette!