Refried Beans

By Rick A. Martínez

Updated February 18, 2026

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(682)
Comments
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Refried beans, a staple of Mexican cuisine, is a flavorful side dish that’s surprisingly easy to make at home. (They’re not really fried twice — “refried beans” is derived from their Spanish name, frjoles refritos, which means “well-fried beans.”) Throughout Mexico, the beans are cooked in freshly rendered lard, which adds a deep, caramelized pork flavor. In this quick recipe, smoked bacon stands in for the lard while chipotle pepper in adobo adds heat, sweetness and a long-simmered flavor that makes canned beans taste homemade. For a meatless version, replace the bacon with half a bell or poblano pepper, and swap the vegetable oil with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. You can easily make a double batch and freeze the leftovers. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

  • ½ medium white onion, finely chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 2 ounces bacon, finely chopped

  • 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto, kidney or black beans, rinsed

  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons adobo sauce, or 1 tablespoon chili powder

  • Salt

  • Pico de gallo and Cotija cheese, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

41 grams carbs; 24 milligrams cholesterol; 358 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 17 grams fiber; 939 milligrams sodium; 19 grams protein; 2 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large (preferably cast-iron) skillet, heat oil over medium. Cook onion, garlic and bacon, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered, the bacon is crispy and the onion is browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Increase heat to medium-high and add beans, chipotle and adobo sauce, and ⅔ cup water. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Using a potato masher, smash beans until the mixture is thick and creamy. Remove from heat, taste and season with salt, if necessary. Let cool slightly; the refried beans will thicken as they sit. Serve with pico de gallo and Cotija cheese, if desired.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
682 user ratings
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Comments

Sam

Um, no. It takes advance planning and hours of cooking (even with a pressure cooker) to make scratch beans. The texture is (potentially) better... but, really, who cares when you're literally smashing them to paste? Canned beans are a fantastic resource. I have never seen canned beans with sugar. Rinsing will deal with excess salt. We should all be eating more beans. Please make this with canned beans, save hours of your life, and enjoy your perfectly delicious, healthy beans.

Margaret

Here’s my 3-can version: 1 can vegetarian refried beans, 1 can drained pinto beans, I can fire-roasted tomatoes. Add to 1 sautéed onion, add trifecta of cumin, chili powder and chipotle Chile powder to taste. Top with grated cheese of your choosing and lots of chopped cilantro. Always a potluck winner!

Randy

I lived in Costa Rica in 1984 as a teacher. This was a staple of my diet. A three ingredient side/meal. 1 - Refried Beans 2 - Minced Garlic to taste 3 - Diced Sweet Green Pepper Optional Chopped Cilantro on top. That's it. All She Wrote. Fini. Perfecto!

Barbara

In these times of expensive groceries it makes sense for me to cook my own beans from scratch and freeze them for later in small packages. Canned beans cost about $1.75 for one and three quarters cups, i.e. fifty cents for half a cup. Drained it is more like sixty cents. One lb. dried pinto beans yields roughly 6 cups of cooked beans for about $2 which is sixteen cents for half a cup. Depending on your budget, and how many people you are feeding, it might make difference.

Audrey

Made with the chili powder rather than adobo because we don’t like smoky flavors, and just tasted like watered down beans with chili powder. Not sure that it would have been much closer to authentic refried beans if we had used the chipotles instead.

Lucky Dan

Lard. That’s the magic ingredient, and why the refried beans in a good Mexican restaurant are so much better than what you make at home.

ML

These are "fried" in bacon fat. Same thing.

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