Make delicious, better-than-restaurant refried beans in 20 minutes or less! These easy refried beans are creamy, flavorful and make the perfect side dish.

Homemade refried beans are SO GOOD, but making them from dried beans is a long process. Now you can have all the tastiness of refried beans in a fraction of the time!

White bowl with creamy refried beans, cilantro, tortillas and wooden spoon.

How to Make Easy Refried Beans

The key to making these easier refried beans is using canned pinto beans.

Now before you ask yourself (or me) why on earth you’d use canned beans to make refried beans if you could just open up a can of refried beans, let me tell you why. ⤵️

Because these simple and quick refried beans are about a thousand times yummier than any can of refried beans I’ve ever met. And why are they yummier? ⤵️ ⤵️

  1. We’re building layers of flavor by sautéing garlic and onions in the first step.
  2. Rinsed and drained beans get a quick simmer with a few extra, important ingredients that continue building a more complex flavor profile.
  3. YOU control the consistency of the finished refried beans when you mash them in the last step.
Sautéing garlic and onions in olive oil in stainless pot with wooden spoon.
Stainless pot with broth and canned beans.
Stainless pot with broth, canned beans, garlic and onion.
Potato masher mashing canned beans in stainless pot.

The finished refried beans can be as smooth or as chunky as you like. For a super smooth consistency, get in there with an immersion blender.

Otherwise, a potato masher is the perfect tool for turning the soft beans into refried beans with some texture.

Additionally, you can add a bit of hot water at the end if you’d like the beans less thick. Basically, what I’m saying is: YOU HAVE ALL THE CONTROL HERE. Use it wisely. 😉

Easy creamy refried beans in white bowl with fresh cilantro.

Best Refried Beans Ever

Listen, I love this classic pressure cooker refried beans recipe that uses dried beans. (And so do hundreds of you.)

But there have been times when I don’t have the time (or the dried beans) to make that recipe happen. So I took notes from that recipe and transferred the yummy flavors to these easy refried beans, and WOW, they are so, so good.

They are perfect as a side dish for many a Mexican-inspired meal. And they make the most excellent super fast bean and cheese burrito/quesadilla thingies (yeah, the kind you whip up in two seconds and throw in the microwave – YUM).

This is such a great recipe to have in your back pocket when you need really, really good refried beans and you need them now!

Wooden spoon scooping serving of refried beans from white bowl.

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Top down view of white bowl with easy refried beans, cilantro and tortillas.

Easy Refried Beans

Yield: 4 to 5 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
4.86 stars (7 ratings)
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 cans (15-ounces each) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ to 1 cup water (see updated note!)
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions 

  • In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions are translucent.
  • Add the drained beans, water (start with 1/2 cup if you want to make sure beans aren't too thin), vinegar, and salt. Bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook at a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Check once or twice to make sure the beans aren't sticking to the bottom of the pot; moderate heat as needed. Add additional water if the beans appear dry while cooking.
  • Uncover and cook 2 to 3 minutes longer until thick and syrupy.
  • Use a potato masher to mash the beans to desired consistency. Add additional salt to taste, if needed.
  • Water can be added a little at a time to adjust consistency, if needed. Serve warm.

Notes

Water: based on comments, I’ve updated the water amount to start with 1/2 cup and add additional water, if needed (the original recipe called for a full 1 cup water). Brand of canned beans may be a factor here. I use the full 1 cup water when I make them, but it may be that I prefer refried beans a bit thinner than most. Keep in mind that the beans will thicken up quite a bit after sitting for 5 to 10 minutes off the heat. 
Additions: a finely diced jalapeno can be added with the onions and garlic for heat. 
Author: Mel
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Method: Stovetop
Serving: 1 serving, Calories: 31kcal, Carbohydrates: 1g, Protein: 0.2g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.4g, Sodium: 119mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.4g

Recommended Products

Potato Masher
Garlic Press
Bamboo Cutting Board
Wooden Spoon

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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