Be warned, they do take a while to make, but they can be made either on the stove, or in the slow cooker, I’ve done it both ways without a problem. It also makes a large batch, so if you are not going to use them all within a week, once they have cooled you can put them in a heavy zipper bag and freeze them for the next time you need Refried Beans.
Refried Beans
Author: Jeanine Friesen
Ingredients
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
- 1/2 cup fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
- 2 teaspoons gluten-free chicken bouillon
- 9 cups water
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a slow cooker (or heavy bottomed stock pot). Stir to combine.
- For the slow cooker, cook on high for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: If more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, the temperature is too high.
- For the stove top, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and cover, stirring occasionally. Cook for 4-5 hours, or until the beans are tender. Add more water if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking.
- Once the beans have cooked, strain them, reserving the liquid. Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain the desired consistency.
Notes
Adapted from AllRecipes.com
I need to try this! I love refried beans, but I hate the BPA in the can lining! It's nice to open a can in a hurry, but if these freeze as well as you say, that would totally be the way to go. Dried beans are way cheaper, too.
Oh my goodness!! I love making refried beans! I am so going to use this recipe next time as they look absolutely DIVINE!!! I can seriously eat homemade refried beans with just a spoon. I do not even need a chip! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi there. This is my first visit to your blog, (love the refried beans btw!) and I read your post from a few days back about rude comments. I can't believe someone would even say that. I looked around, and didnt see a single "gross" photo. Your food looks terrific!! Those cinnamon rolls are drool-worthy and I could never tell they are gluten free (Im bookmarking those!). Dont let the negative ones get ya down.
-from another nonphotographer in a dark kitchen
Jeanine..super job on your photo of refried beans..you did great on making them look 'pretty'.
I love refried beans..do you know that they are quite tasty without onions??
And now I am hungry for Mexican food..
I'm not normally a fan of refried beans but I think I can get behind these. You made them look super delish.
@Carolyn-What Life Dishes Out Carolyn, you should definitely give these a try! It's nice to know you can make things quite simply, that we usually get out of a tin. Just takes a little time, but if you use your slow cooker, it's not that it needs to be tended to, just mixed & left!
@Kim-Cook it Allergy Free Ha, Kim, me too! Chips are sort of optional. Glad that I'm not the only one.
@honeybeecooksjackfruit Aw, Honeybee, thank you so much! Thanks for popping in, and understanding. And yeah, those cinnamon buns…let me tell ya…YUM!
@betty r Hehe, Betty, I bet they are tasty without onions as well.
And thanks for the comment on the photo…refried beans are NOT very photo friendly.
@Eliana Thanks, Eliana! I think you'd enjoy them…covered with cheese & salsa & dig in!
Do you remove the onion before mashing, or just sort of mash it in? I went with door #2 when I made these today, but I think I probably should have removed them, as they didn’t mash up very well.
Actually, I leave the onion in. After cooking for 3+ hours, they are pretty soft, and I haven’t had a problem mashing them (and we’re not huge onion fans here), but I’ve never seen chunks after mashing. HTH.
Thanks! There were definitely big chunks of onion in mine, but maybe I just didn’t mash vigorously enough. It was delicious, nonetheless.
My youngest loves refried beans, a stockpile in the freezer would be great. Bean and cheese burritos make the best best busy night dinners.