Instant Pot Refried Beans are the best refried beans made with dry pinto beans, no soaking required. Flavorful, creamy, and done in under 1 hour! So much better than canned beans!
Making refried beans in the Instant Pot could not be easier. All you need is onion, garlic, spices, pinto beans and water or water/stock combo.
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Why This Recipe Works
Cooking beans in my Instant Pot is truly life-changing. No more canned beans! You can easily cook them in your electric pressure cooker, no soaking is needed. Refried beans start with dry pinto beans, sauteed onion, garlic, and spices. Add vegetable stock and water and let the Instant Pot do its magic. Once done, all you need to do is mash them to desired consistency.
Ingredients:
- beans: I used pinto but black beans work also
- aromatics: garlic and onion
- spices: chili powder, cumin, oregano
- liquid: vegetable stock and water; necessary for pressure cooking the beans.
How to make refried beans in the Instant Pot?
- Saute onion, garlic and spices in olive oil, on saute setting. This activates the spices and will ensure the beans are delicious.
- Add ½ cup of stock or water and deglaze the bottom of the pot, which means you need to scrape any cooked on bits from the bottom of the pot. I like using a wooden spoon for that. Deglazing is an important step when you start the dish with sauteeing. It will prevent the burn message from appearing. Add beans and remaining liquid, close the lid and set IP to cook.
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- Once timer is done, strain beans over a big bowl to catch the liquid. It is very flavorful and we will use it to mash the beans to desired texture. I like to use my stick blender to puree the beans, leaving almost half of them whole for the chunky texture.
- Taste the beans and season with more spices, salt and pepper as needed.
What beans can I use to make refried beans?
The most commonly used bean for making refried beans is pinto bean. It takes 45 minutes to cook 1 lb of pinto beans in the Instant Pot, without pre-soaking. You can use black beans as well, just reduce the cooking time to 25 minutes.
How to use refried beans?
Serve these delicious refried beans with my Instant Pot Chicken Tacos, or Instant Pot Chicken Fajitas. They are perfect for making burritos, huevos rancheros and tostadas. One of my favorite ways to use them is the Mexican 5 Layer Dip.
Recipe FAQs:
Store the beans in a container with lid, in the fridge, for up to 4 days. Reheat them in a skillet, on the stove. You may need to add water or stock to bring back the creamy texture.
No need to soak them when using the pressure cooker. That's another great thing about using this small appliance!
More Instant Pot side dish recipes:
Check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, filled with all the info you need to get started with your new appliance! Seeing BURN message on your IP? Read my Instant Pot Burn Message post to learn why and how to save your dish.
If you like this recipe and make it, let me know in the comments below! Don't forget to rate it if you enjoyed it!
Instant Pot Refried Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb pinto beans dry (2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¾ teaspoon chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make sure the inner pot is in your Instant Pot. Press saute setting and wait 2 minutes.
- Add oil and onion. Saute 2 minutes. Add garlic and spices (chili powder, cumin and oregano). Saute 2 minutes. Press cancel/off button.
- Add ½ cup water to the Instant Pot and using a wooden spoon, deglaze the bottom of the pot. Scrape any cooked on bits.
- Add beans and remaining water and stock. Stir everything.
- Close the lid, set valve to sealing position (the newer IP models do it on their own). Make sure the Instant Pot is set to cook on high pressure. Press manual setting and set timer to 45 minutes. The pressure cooker will beep and will start coming to pressure. This can take about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Once the timer is done, press cancel/off button and let the Instant Pot release the pressure naturally (do not switch the valve). When the pin drops, carefully open the lid away from your face. Stir the beans.
- Set a big colander over a big bowl and strain the beans. Return beans to IP insert. Using a stick blender or hand masher, mash beans to desired consistency, adding the reserved liquid as needed.
- Serve or cool completely and store in container with lid for up to 4 days.
jol says
Definitely tastier than the canned beans. Worth making!!
Marla says
Too bad we can’t leave a pic because we had them tonight and they were easy and amazing!
Anna says
Hi Marla! That's wonderful! I am so glad you enjoyed the beans! Thank you so much for trying my recipe.
Jocelyn says
I can't believe how quick and easy the Instant Pot makes beans! So much better than the canned ones!
Anna says
Right? It's the best!
Tanya says
I can’t wait to have this with my tacos!
Toni says
This was so good and really easy to make!
Katerina says
Homemade is the BEST!! I can't wait to try this recipe!!
suzy says
These are 10 times better than the store bought kind!