Skip the canned refried beans and learn how to make this authentic & easy crockpot refried beans recipe! Use dry or canned beans, or make refried black beans! Great for burritos made with homemade tortillas.
I know that not everyone is a fan of beans.
My kids thought beans were gross until I made a batch of black bean brownies. Now, they ask me to make this to share with their classmates on their birthdays!
One of my goals as a real foodie parent is to find a way to get my kids to like all the real foods that are good for them.
First, hide them whenever possible.
Remember the aforementioned black bean brownies? You can’t even tell they have beans in them, and I certainly didn’t say anything.
When the kids ate seconds and thirds, I knew the recipe was a winner.
That success led to white bean blondies (which are also loved). These led to chocolate hummus and cookie dough hummus – both of which are in our weekly lunchbox rotation.
Second, I almost always make them from scratch.
I’m not beyond having a can or two of beans in the pantry because even foodie moms get busy and forget to soak beans or need to whip up dinner in a flash.
But I have learned that cooking beans from scratch always, always, ALWAYS tastes better.
And when it’s worth my time (like I teach in Grocery Budget Bootcamp), it always saves me money.
Speaking of ‘from scratch,’ let’s talk about the fact that these beans cook ALL DAY LONG in the slow cooker, which means the flavors really get soaked up into every little ounce of the beans.
And isn’t that the whole point?
Crockpot Refried Beans
Besides the fact that they’re absolutely delicious, these crockpot refried beans…
- Taste authentic. Packed with the classic, yet basic flavors of onions, garlic, jalapenos, and cumin, these crockpot refried beans are all we’ve grown up to love and expect out of Mexican cuisine.
- Healthy. These beans have the rich refried flavor without the re-fry, making them healthier than store-bought refried canned beans.
- Freezer-friendly. A perfect recipe for meal planning ahead because these refried beans freeze in individual portions so well.
What are the ingredients for crockpot refried beans?
- Pinto beans
- Onion
- Jalapeno
- Garlic
- Salt
- Pepper
- Cumin
- Water (up to half of the water can be substituted with chicken stock)
Note: Some people like to add chili powder to their refried beans, especially when making bean tacos, but I didn’t for this recipe. But you certainly can customize this recipe as you go, especially if you freeze portions for future meals.
Are refried beans the same as pinto beans?
Yes. Most recipes for ‘refried beans’ are made from pinto beans for that authentic Mexican flavor. But you can make refried beans with black beans also!
What is the best way to make refried beans from scratch?
In the crockpot, of course! It’s so easy!
- Place all the ingredients in a large slow cooker. I have this 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 8 hours if using dry or soaked beans (4 hours cooking time for canned).
- Drain as much water as you can from the beans and save.
- Using an immersion blender (or potato masher, or alternating in a blender), mash the beans with the cooking liquid.
- Serve hot, or prepare for storage.
Can I customize this crockpot refried beans recipe?
Yes, of course! Here are some ideas…
- Use chicken stock or chicken broth. Substitute chicken stock for up to half of the water in the recipe. I wouldn’t go any more than that though, otherwise, you’ll lose the bean flavor. We make homemade chicken stock in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot!
- Make it mild. Substitute a 4 oz can of diced green chilies in lieu of the jalapeno. You can also keep the jalapeno for flavor, but remove the membranes and seeds first.
- Make it hotter. Keeping the membranes and seeds of the jalapeno will definitely make it hotter. You can also add a second pepper, or choose a hotter pepper altogether. As a general rule of thumb, the more wrinkly the jalapeno, the hotter it is.
- Use different beans. Like “refried” black beans? Swap them for the pinto beans and you have an entirely new, yet delicious, recipe.
- Soak the beans. I’ve made this recipe with beans soaked overnight (to reduce the gaseous aftermath) and with freshly rinsed dry beans. You can’t go wrong, either way, so do whatever you prefer.
How do you thicken homemade refried beans?
When the beans are done, you blend them with an immersion blender (or with a spoon, potato masher, or whatever you have) until they’re the consistency you like. Whether you want chunky beans or perfectly smooth beans is up to you. Just use as much as you need of the excess liquid that you drained from the cooked beans.
How do I Freeze Refried Beans?
This crockpot refried beans recipe makes a big batch, but they freeze BEAUTIFULLY. Depending on your needs, you have a couple of options here.
Single Servings
Line a muffin tin with silicone muffin liners. I have this muffin tin and these silicone liners and LOVE them both.
Measure ¼ cup of cooked refried beans (or save your sanity and use this muffin/ice cream scoop – totally worth every penny!) into each muffin liner. Freeze the whole pan for about 8 hours, or overnight.
Remove each portion from the silicone liner and store them in the freezer in a freezer-safe container. Pull out the portion you need, when you need it, and reheat on the stove or microwave.
Family Servings
Re-use plastic containers that once held sour cream, yogurt, or cream cheese. Smaller, 8-ounce containers are perfect for 2-3 people, and larger 16 ounce containers are great for 4-6 people.
You can store the beans in these containers, with a lid in the freezer, OR you can remove the frozen beans to another freezer-safe container if you need to re-use the plastic one.
There is always the option of freezing in a glass container too, and this tutorial on how to freeze in glass without breaking the jar is super helpful!
Note: Freezing food after making big batches is a great way to save money on groceries AND have pre-cooked healthy options to eat later. I love having a meal plan for freezer cooking, and even a pre-made grocery list to cut down on time and effort! Check out the Freezer Family Bundle here for awesome prepped meal plans for your family.
Can I convert this recipe to make Instant Pot refried beans?
Yes! This is how I learned to convert this recipe to my Instant Pot for when I forget to soak the beans overnight or start them early!
What can I serve crockpot refried beans with?
Need some meal ideas to put these crockpot refried beans to good use? How about…
- Burritos made with homemade tortillas, slow cooker shredded chicken, and homemade salsa
- As a side for fried sweet potatoes and runny eggs
- Inside pulled pork bowls
However you like crockpot refried beans, I hope you enjoy!
More Beans Recipes
- Slow Cooker Beans
- Our Favorite Black Beans Recipe
- Instant Pot Beans
- Our Favorite Beans and Rice Recipe
- Instant Pot White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale
Dinner on a Dime
Subscribe to my newsletter and get instant access to “Dinner on a Dime”: 15+ family-friendly and kid-approved recipes that are quick, cheap and healthy!Crock Pot Refried Beans
Skip the canned beans and learn how to make this authentic & easy Mexican crockpot refried beans recipe! Use dry or canned beans, or make refried black beans!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 5–7 cups 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Slow Cook
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry pinto beans, thoroughly rinsed OR soaked overnight using this method, OR 6 cans cooked pinto beans, drained and rinsed 3 times
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 jalapeno, top cut off and quartered
- 2 Tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 9 cups water (up to half of the water can be substituted with chicken stock)
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in a large slow cooker. I have this 6 quart slow cooker, but I wouldn’t use anything smaller than a 4 quart.
- Cook on high for 8 hours if using dry or soaked beans. Cook on high for 4 hours if using canned beans.
- Place a colander over a stock pot and drain as much water as you can from the beans.
- Using an immersion blender (or potato masher, or alternating in a blender), mash the beans until they reach your desired consistency, using some of the cooking water to help thin. Remember that you can always add more water to thin, but you cannot make them thicker again.
- Serve hot, or prepare for storage.
Notes
Adapted from allrecipes.
Keywords: Crock Pot Refried Beans
I’m making a double batch and it calls for 18 cups of water…is that correct?? My Crock Pot is almost full with 8 cups!! 😱 Thank you!
Hi Alyson,
The beans do soak up a lot of water and you want them to be covered the entire time. Go ahead and fill your Crock Pot to the fill line (near the top) and set a timer to check it halfway to make sure it’s all still covered with water. If needed, add some more water to it so none of your beans dry out. Let us know how it goes!
Absolutely fantastic, Tiffany! Thank you for this. I only made two little tweaks – doubling cumin and halving black pepper. Seriously – these taste BETTER than traditional refried beans.
Cannot thank you enough! Love your site and love your mission. Homemade is so much less expensive and so much better. :0-)
★★★★★
I am so excited that you ove this recipe so much!!! =) <3
I have struggled making dry beans in a crock pot or stove top. seem no matter how long I cook them they stayed hard. But I had two bags of pinto beans from a food pantry and I figured I would make refried beans. I found your recipe and it worked like a charm. I think cooking on high was the key I think most recipes tell you to cook on low. I did find it needed much more seasoning, but that’s often a personal preference. I did not have jalapeno peppers so I just used a bell pepper and onions but I took some of those out before I use the immersion blender because the onions were super strong. I added a few back in as I blended the beans. Thank you again for this recipe It worked beautifully and I just might use this as a base for all my dry beans to be cooked.
★★★★★
These refried beans were so easy and delicious! I used 1 tsp jalapeno paste instead of fresh. I also added a can of ro*tel when I blended them. Just enough spice.
I saw a comment about how not to waste the bean broth…I freeze it (safely!) and use it as a base to my beef stew!
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Is it really 8 hours on high? This is my first time making these and I just want to make sure. Thanks!
Tiffany,
Thank you for sharing such a super easy recipe. Your recipe is written well and as a visual learner your video is helpful too. I’m taking them to a Taco Bar themed Christmas party tomorrow. They taste wonderful and smell amazing, but might be too spicy for some. Oopsie! Probably should have removed the seeds from jalapeños.
Adding your recipe to my Pinterest board! 😋
★★★★★
Great beans! Served these for our Small Group tonight and everyone gave them rave reviews. My husband said I shouldn’t ever buy canned refried beans again! Question: do you have any suggestions for reusing the drained liquid? Mine was more thick than a stock, but I wonder if it could be repurposed in some other dish??
I’m so glad everyone loved them, Amy! If you want to repurpose the liquid, I would suggest adding some to a dish that you are okay having the pinto bean flavor. Something to consider though, is that the enzymes that cause digestive issues are in the water, so if you add it to another recipe, you might have some unexpected farts. 🙂
Hello,
I have been making my beans for years almost exactly like your recipe except I have always cooked them on low for 8 hours. Does cooking on high cause the water to dry up faster? I would be afraid to do it while I’m at work all day.
Hi Kathleen! I haven’t had any issues with the beans drying up in 8 hours when cooked on high. 🙂
If I cook this in an Instant Pot would I still use 9 cups of water?
Yes! Beans expand quite a bit as they cook. Reserve the water as you drain though, in case you want your beans to be thinner in the end. 🙂
Tiffany,
I have the same crock pot as your. If I double the recipe, will it still fit in the 6 qt. crock pot?
Ooh, it’ll be close Paula. You could probably 1.5x the recipe and have room, but if you doubled beans AND water, you’ll be awfully close to the top! You can 2x in an 8 quart IP though!
I am cooking a pot right now. I made some variations due to my cupboards and tastes (dislike cumin).
I didn’t have any jalapeños, so I used about a quarter cup of chili paste with garlic (my family LOVES spicy foods), a half bulb of garlic, a large minced onion, garlic powder, onion powder, a dash of liquid smoke, a can of tomatoes and green chilies, and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar to breakdown the enzymes that cause gas. 🙂
As this is essentially the same ingredients I use to “Doctor” canned beans when in a pinch, I am excited to see how slow cooking them will be. Once they have been cooking for an hour, I’ll add salt to taste.
Now for the long wait!
★★★★★
I hope the slow cooking infuses the flavors like they do for the recipe as written Kitty. You have some delicious sounding subs going on there!
This dish looks soooooo deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right now!
★★★★★
I just got done making a double batch and I find them amazing. I used a large jalapeno with the seeds and membrane removed and I used only 2tsp of pepper. I cooked them on high for 4 hours and then low for 2 hours (my crockpot cooks hot or quickly, not sure). I did not pre-soak my beans but they still turned out wonderful and I will definately be making these again!
I am wondering if anyone has ever saved the juice from their beans to help season the next batch. I will try it and try to update if is works well or not. I am thinking if it is a good batch of beans (to me that means the jalapeno didn’t have any extra hidden spice to it. LOL) then to use the juice would be a good benefit to spicing it for next time…maybe; maybe not but worth a try.
★★★★★
These were amazing! Don’t think I need to try any other recipe. Served them to guests as burritos in a flour tortilla with lettuce, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, onions and cheese. Everyone loved them! Thanks for the recipe. Have frozen the leftovers in burrito sized portions for later.
★★★★★
YAY! I’m so glad you liked this recipe Anne. Your burritos sound delicious!!
I love to support local and this time of year I buy a bunch of dried beans for the year from a local farm stand here in Maine. I usually cook them up with some molasses, brown sugar, and bacon or salt pork-Mmmmm!!! I just stumbled across this recipe and would love to try it, but the stand doesn’t sell pinto beans! You’ve suggested using other beans, so I’m curious on your suggestions as to what type to try 1st;) They usually carry Jacob’s Cattle, yellow eye, red eye, pea, and kidney
We’re not very adventurous when it comes to beans, but any white bean would be my second choice. We use garbanzo in dessert hummus, white in a few baked goods and black often as well.
I was recently given your recipe as I have gone plant based eating and I am now venturing out on trying to make things more healthy homemade rather then store bought. These are amazing and easy….thanks!
You’re very welcome Christine!