Use pinto beans or black beans for these simple vegan refried beans.
So Easy To Make
Ready In Less Than 10 Minutes
Creamy
Spiced How You Like
Delicious
And So Thrifty!
What Are Refried Beans
Isabel Eats has a fantastic blog post with all you need to know about refried beans, how to make them, and how to enjoy them! Isabel shares the family recipe they learned and also shares some information about the origin of Mexican refried beans. They also give you a great tutorial for how to cook pinto beans from scratch using a slow cooker or your stove-top!
My simple vegan refried beans recipe differs from most traditional recipes in that I don’t tend to include onions. My spice mixture is definitely to my own taste and I will mix up the texture of the beans depending on how I want to serve them.
This recipe uses:
2 cups pinto beans (although you can use black beans as well)
A clove of garlic (feel free to add more)
1 teaspoon chilli powder (use less if desired)
½ teaspoon cumin
A bit of salt and as much bean water, fresh water, or broth as desired.
How To Make This Simple Vegan Refried Bean Recipe
I usually start by cooking my beans from scratch but you can absolutely use canned beans for convenience. I often cook large batches of beans and freeze them for easy meals. My blog post on cooking Chickpeas From Scratch covers basic directions for how to cook any bean!
Once your beans are cooked:
- Heat oil in a small pot or saute pan,
- Cook minced garlic for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the beans, spices, and as much liquid as desired.
- Cook for 5 minutes until the beans are heated through.
- Then roughly mash or puree until smooth.
- Taste, adjust the seasonings as desired, and serve!
If the refried beans are drier than you would like, stir in more liquid. And if they are too liquid, just cook them longer to dry them up!
Recipe Cost
I love finding different ways to cook with beans because they are so inexpensive, filling, and health promoting.
This simple vegan refried bean recipe costs us approximately: CAD $0.73 using beans we cook from scratch and using water, bean water, or homemade vegetable broth.
Making this recipe using canned pinto beans, would cost us roughly: CAD $1.96.
As pinto beans are always in our pantry or cooked and stored in our freezer, this simple vegan refried bean recipe is so convenient and thrifty for us. Take a look at our Pantry & Freezer Tips page to see how we stock our kitchen to make cooking plant based convenient, delicious, and cost effective.
Let me know in the comments below if you try this simple recipe and if you serve it on the side or as a dip!
We love having these with our 10 Minute Breakfast Scramble or piled on our Ultimate Scramble And Spuds Breakfast Bowl.
Print
Simple Refried Beans – Make It A Dip Or A Side
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Ready in less than 10 minutes these simple vegan refried beans are perfect on the side or enjoyed as a dip. Delicious and thrifty too!
Ingredients
- 2 cups pinto beans, cooked (or black beans)
- ½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tsp chilli powder (or less to taste)
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ – 1 cup water or broth
*All the ingredients for this recipe are from our pantry and freezer tips!
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium low heat, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the beans, spices and water/broth. (The more liquid you add the thinner the refried beans will be. For drier beans start with the lesser amount of liquid and increase if needed to reach your desired consistency). Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the beans are heated through about 5 minutes.
- Mash the beans with a fork or potato masher for a rougher texture. Puree the beans using an immersion blender for a completely smooth texture.
- Store in the fridge in an air-tight container for 3-4 days or freeze for longer storage. Enjoy as a side or a dip. We love having these refried beans on the side of our 10 Minute Tofu Breakfast Scramble.
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $0.73 using beans we cooked from scratch and water, bean water, or homemade broth for the liquid. Using canned beans would cost us roughly $1.96.
Most traditional recipes saute diced onion with the garlic. Lessen the spices to your taste. And add as much liquid as desired for the consistency you want. (I also find I need more or less water depending on what kind of bean I use and how they were cooked).
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
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