Refried beans are one of my favorite comfort foods. They are a must-have whenever we go to Mexican restaurants. I wasn’t sure how homemade refried beans would measure up to the standards of the professionals. I’m happy to report that the restaurants may have a bit of competition! (wink)
After cooking my pinto beans, I whipped out my cast iron skillet excited to get going. I poured my oil in the pan and began mashing.
I continued mashing, and mashing, and…(you get the point!) I highly recommend that you invest in a potato masher if you don’t already have one. Honestly it didn’t take that long to mash them.
This was about as creamy as I could get them by hand. (One of those fancy hand mixers would be perfect to use for this project!) I like very creamy refried beans so I have to admit that I wasn’t sure if I was going to like them. So, I decided to run them through the blender. And voila they turned out perfect!
Homemade Refried Beans
1/4 cup Oil
6 cups cooked Pinto Beans
1 1/2 cups Water (or milk or juice from beans)
Salt
Chili Powder
Cumin
- Heat the oil in your cast iron skillet (or whatever you have on hand).
- Place your pinto beans into the hot oil and mash with a fork or potato masher. As you mash add your water until they reach your desired consistency. (Keep in mind that the beans will thicken as they cool.)
- Add spices
Note: If you like creamy beans place in the blender. (You may need to add additional water).
I plan to freeze some and I’ll definitely be making these again.
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If you freeze Refried beans how do you reheat without them being dry? Also you said six cups cooked pinto beans, how much is that not cooked? Wanted to make an all Mexican Christmas and wanted to use your recipe. Thanks so very much. Cheryl. PS. Have a wonderful Christmas
Cheryl,
Place them in a pan and heat until warm. If needed, add 1-2 tablespoons of water. (I’ve made frozen refried beans quite a few times and never had them turn out dry when I heated them up.)
2 cups (or a 16 oz package) of dry beans equals 6 cups of cooked pinto beans.
A Mexican Christmas sounds fabulous!