Instant Pot Refried Beans
It’s the onion, garlic, and chiles I use to season them that make these Instant Pot Refried Beans so good! And if you like making beans in the Instant Pot or cook Mexican food regularly, you’ll make these refried beans over and over.
PIN Instant Pot Refried Beans to try them later!
I first made Instant Pot Refried Beans when I was having extensive house renovations on my old house, and there was more comfort food on the menu than usual. At that time that I made refried beans in the stovetop pressure cooker, and loved them! Fast forward a few years and a new house later, and of course now I would make these refried beans in the Instant Pot!
Refried beans are not super low in carbs, but dried beans are high in fiber so the refried beans may be lower in net carbs than you think, and this is something I love for an occasional treat. I made them recently and decided to take some new photos to update this favorite recipe.
After we took these photos, Kara and I had to sample the beans of course, and we kept commenting about how amazing the refried beans were! And and I ate the leftovers in bean burritos with low-carb tortillas and enjoyed every bite. If you’ve never made homemade refried beans, I hope this will be the recipe that’s going to get you to try them!
What ingredients do you need?
- dried pinto beans
- olive oil
- onion
- Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
- diced green chiles (affiliate link)
- salt
- grated cheese
- green onions, for serving (optional)
What kinds of beans can you use for refried beans?
The pinto beans we used are traditional for Mexican refried beans, but this recipe would also be delicious with black beans if you prefer that option.
Why make your own refried beans?
If you’ve only had refried beans from a can, I can’t emphasize enough how there is something completely special about homemade from-scratch refried beans, especially my recipe where the beans are cooked in the pressure cooker, then pressure-cooked a second time with onion, garlic, and chiles, and then fried.
What size Instant Pot did I use?
I use a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for all my Instant Pot Recipes. You can use Instant Pot Recipes to see all my other recipes using the Instant Pot!
Don’t want to use the Instant Pot for Refried Beans?
If the Instant Pot is never going to be your thing, you might like this collection of Slow Cooker Refried Beans, which are also really delicious.
Mexican Dishes to serve with refried beans:
Check out Low-Carb and Keto Mexican Food Dinners for some tasty Mexican main dishes to serve with refried beans!
How to Make Instant Pot Refried Beans:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)
- Use two cups of dried pinto beans; no need to soak them but beans that have been on the shelf or in your pantry for a while will take a little longer to cook.
- Put beans in the Instant Pot and cover with water 2 inches above the beans. Add 1 T olive oil to slow cooker, then lock lid.
- Set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE and 30 minutes.
- When 30 minutes is up, use QUICK RELEASE to release the pressure. (Be sure to add 5-10 minutes cooking time if your beans are old.)
- While the beans are cooking, chop the onion, mince garlic (or use Minced Garlic (affiliate link) from a jar), and get the can of diced green chiles (affiliate link) and salt ready.
- Add those ingredients to the cooked beans. Lock lid again, set Instant Pot to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, and 10 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- When the pressure has released, use an immersion blender (affiliate link) or a food processor (affiliate link) to puree the beans, making them as creamy or chunky as you prefer. (Beans may seem watery, but any extra water will cook out when they’re fried.)
- Heat olive oil (or fat of your preference) in a large non-stick frying pan.
- Add the pureed beans and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until beans have thickened to the desired consistency.
- Serve Instant Pot Refried Beans hot, with grated cheese and sliced green onions if desired.
More Instant Pot Beans:
Instant Pot Pinto Beans with Ground Beef
Spicy Black Beans with Cilantro
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Instant Pot Refried Beans
You'll love these delicious refried beans, made in the Instant Pot, and I think the special way I season the beans really does make them The BEST Instant Pot refried beans!
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans (see notes)
- 3 T olive oil, divided (see notes)
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 T minced garlic
- 1 4 oz. can diced green chiles (see notes)
- 1 tsp. salt
- grated cheese, for serving (optional)
- thinly sliced green onions, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Put beans in pressure cooker with enough water to cover by about 2 inches.
- Add 1 T olive oil to cooker, then lock lid, choose MANUAL SETTING and HIGH PRESSURE, and set time for 30 minutes. (Remember to add a few minutes if your beans are old.)
- After 30 minutes, use QUICK RELEASE to release the pressure.
- While beans cook, chop the onion, and prepare minced garlic and green chiles, and measure the salt.
- Add those ingredients to the pressure cooker with the cooked beans.
- Lock lid again and set to MANUAL, HIGH PRESSURE, and 10 minutes.
- Let pressure release naturally when the time is up.
- When pressure has released, remove lid and without draining, use an immersion blender (affiliate link) or a food processor (affiliate link) to puree the beans, being careful not to over-blend.
- At this point, beans will definitely be more runny than you want, but I like the idea of keeping the flavor that’s in the cooking water and excess liquid will cook off when the beans are fried.
- Heat 2 T oil of your choice in a heavy, nonstick pan.
- Add beans and simmer over low heat, stirring often, until beans have thickened to desired consistency.
- For me this took about 10 minutes.
- Serve hot, topped with grated cheese and thinly sliced green onions if desired.
Notes
There is no need to soak the beans, but beans that are fresher will cook more quickly. If your beans have been sitting on the shelf for a while, add 5-10 minutes cooking time.
You can also use lard, bacon grease, or any other fat you prefer for frying the beans. I used Anaheim chiles, called diced green chiles (affiliate link) in U.S. stores, but you can use hotter chiles if you prefer. I used Four Cheese Mexican Blend for the cheese.
I originally created this recipe with a stovetop pressure cooker, but recently I made it again in the Instant Pot and you can certainly use a Cuisinart Electric Pressure Cooker or another electric pressure cooker if that’s what you have. (affiliate links)
This recipe was created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 142Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 317mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 5gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Many people don’t realize that dried beans are approved for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, which makes these Instant Pot Refried Beans perfect for South Beach Diet meals. Beans are a bit high in carbs for traditional low-carb diet plans, although they do have lots of fiber so check the net carbs and see what you think.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Instant Pot Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to Follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest or on Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
50 Comments on “Instant Pot Refried Beans”
Question ; to instead prepare recipe with canned beans, what would be the substitution of drained/rinsed canned beans? Would one progress straight to adding the other ingredients to the canned beans and cooking for 10 minutes? Thank you.
Personally I think the flavor of cooking the beans from scratch is well worth the time for this recipe; they are so much better than canned refried beans. And I haven’t made it with canned beans so I’m not sure how much advice I can give you. I know that one can of beans is 1 1/2 cups of cooked beans, but I don’t know how many cups of cooked beans you’d get from 2 cups of dried beans, maybe you can google to find that. I think that the canned beans probably need a little cooking under pressure to give the soft texture of refried beans, then I would add the other ingredients and finish it.
So these are turning out to be delicious, but I did have a snafu. I soaked my pinto beans overnight because they were old beans (2 years +) and the added the water to 2 inches above the beans. I followed the directions but the bean mixture turned out to be pure liquid. I salvage them by simmering the bean water over low heat to cook off the water- but this took about 1.5 extra hours. So for the future, if I pre-soak my beans, how much water should I be adding to the Instant Pot?
I’m glad you were able to rescue it! I can’t really answer that question because I haven’t made them with soaked beans. But you do need some water to make the pressure cooker come to pressure. You may have to experiment. Try water just barely above the beans. Or just make with unsoaked beans like I did.
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As of December 2017, fat-free refried beans have 0 Smart Points in the Weight-Watchers plan.
Eat up!
Good news for people who follow weight-watchers!!
I'm a bit late to this party, but this is very similar to how my mother in law from Mexico taught me how to make her awesome refried beans. She always makes them in the pressure cooker, but varies what she puts in them. Her "usual" recipe has you put the beans, a quartered onion and minced garlic into the cooker with the water – bring to a full rock and let it go for 15 mins, then lower heat and let it hiss for another 30 mins. At the end of the 30 mins, quick release and mash the beans. The onion will still be intact, but as soon as you hit it with the masher, it disintegrates. While mashing, she heats oil until it sizzles when a drop of water is added, then pour into pot. The oil will make the beans look dry and gritty, but as you work it in, they get creamy and lighten up a few shades. Another trick, instead of seasoning with salt, she seasons with granulated chicken bouillon. I love the canned chiles that you have in your recipe, I'm definitely trying that next time I make a batch (which is usually once a week). Nobody in my house will touch canned beans.
Thanks for the tips!
Ross, you are so welcome! So glad you like my version.
Kalyn, on the face of it, refried beans aren't the most complicated food to make. Making them taste good is another story. I've been trying to make good tasting refried beans for years. I've finally found my go-to recipe for beans. Thank-you so much for sharing this wonderfully simple recipe.
Karyn, so glad you've been enjoying it!
I made these last night…again…LOL
I used an overflowing cup of Hatch chiles that I roasted last year and then froze in batches….didn't realize this was going to be such a hot batch, but you just never know with chiles.
I LOVE this recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Hi Anne Marie,
The newer models of pressure cookers have safety valves that make them very safe; completely different from pressure cookers of old. I don't have an electric one, but I do know a couple of other bloggers who have a Cuisinart electric pressure cooker and like it. The one I use most is Kuhn Rikon brand, definitely an investment, but I've been very happy with it.
I also have been happy with pressure cooker books by Lorna Sass (maybe google her and they will be available from Amazon.com.) She has several books that give suggestions and cooking tips.
Finally, to find pressure cooker recipes and information, I would recommend Food Blog Search: http://foodblogsearch.com
I just tried it and found a variety of pressure cooker recipes from many food bloggers.
Have fun with it!
Kalyn, I have been loving your recipes over the last few weeks. They have been a great compliment to my south beach diet cookbooks and have greatly expanded my families taste repertoire. I was stuck home w/ a sick baby a few months ago and caught a home shopping network presentation on electric pressure cookers. I spoke w/ a few people who have the old stove top ones which probably would not work in my household. I've tried to do some research to get more info but it doesn't look anyone writes about pressure cookers any more. Since so many of your readers seem to have some good hands on knowledge I didn't know if anyone could recommend a good pressure cooker to buy or specific features I should look for or try to avoid. Both my husband and I work full time w/ 4 children in the house so I am VERY interested in anything that will help on those crazy evenings when I am too pooped to pop. Thanks
You can definitely use fresh chiles instead of canned, but I can only guess at how much to use as I'm not that experienced cooking with fresh ones. I'd guess maybe half as much, chopped up with the seeds removed, unless you really like it hot.
Hi,
Is it possible to use fresh chiles instead of canned? If so, how much do you recommend, the same amount as canned?
I'm trying to be more healthy these days and cutting out canned foods as much as possible. And since our grocery store carries lots of chiles thought I would ask.
Thanks in advance!
I love my pressure cooker and I love refried beans. I'm going to have to try this. I hadn't thought of cooking unsoaked beans – what a fabulous short cut.
Wow!
Now that's yummy.
I love beans.
Refried beans are a fave. Is it gross to say that one of us has been known to eat them cold occasionally straight from a can? Your dish sounds great!
Winestainecloth, thank you! What a nice comment. Always nice to hear that people are enjoying the blog.
Kalyn, these beans look delicious. I love my pressure cooker and learn new things every time I use it. I’m also scouring blogs to learn about a variety of diet requirements and gluten free cooking in order to add to my range as a cook. I thoroughly enjoy everything I find on your site.
Kevin, aren’t they just the best!
Deborah, I was scared of them too, but the new ones are completely safe. So glad I got brave and tried it.
Kalyn, I feel for you! About 5 years ago we added a two-story addition to our house while living in it- it was a real trial! I have to say, I have always been a little afraid of pressure cookers and I have never used one. Your refried beans look so wonderful!