This Refried Beans recipe is not exactly, re-fried. They have the same great taste and texture but so much easier to prepare in the Instant Pot than the classic method.

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You guys know how I have all kinds of pretty recipes posted on this blog of mine?
Well, this ain't one of them!
Don't get me wrong, these Instant Pot Refried Beans are tasty as all get out, they just aren't pretty. If you can make refried beans look pretty, then I am in awe of you. I can't. I didn't even try.
If you are new here, I swear, I do have some pretty recipes. Look at Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecake, Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Meatballs and/or Instant Pot Cheesecake for proof.
When it comes to refried beans, I find there are two camps. Those who like the beans thick with some "bite" to them and those who like them super smooth and thin. I fall into the thick category. There has got to be a better way to word that. Oh well, moving on.
If you fall into the category of wanting a thinner, more smooth refried bean recipe, just add more liquid to the pot and process the beans well at the end.
To process the refried beans, I find the easiest method is to use an immersion blender. No need to transfer beans to another device (like a blender or food processor), which means less clean up.
I will admit, I've never even attempted homemade refried beans before. I've heard they take all day. Who the heck has time for that? Not this chick.
It was only after getting my new love, the light of my life, my best friend, my Instant Pot, Instant Pot, that I even entertained the idea. By the way, that is seriously how I feel about my Instant Pot. Don't judge. It's not weird. If you have one, you know. If you don't, well, then, I'm sorry for you.
Oh, one last thing. I generally like to top my refried beans with some shredded cheese. A weird thing happened though, I, um, I ran out of cheese. I NEVER run out of cheese. I've got blocks upon blocks and even bags upon bags. You guys know, I have a major cheese obsession. There is ALWAYS tons of cheese in my fridge. I had my beans ready, tacos heading to the table and I go to grab the cheese and whaaaaaaa ? All I had was 3 blocks of various mozzarella cheeses, a fontina, some goat crumbles and a pecorino. I ended up finding a jar of queso, so we used that for the tacos but I wasn't feeling it for the beans.
See, you probably don't believe me when I say I cook for my family and then blog it, unlike most bloggers who blog it and then feed to family. Listen kids, I'm just chugging away over here trying to feed these humans that live in my house. So stuff happens. It's real life.
To make these Instant Pot Refried Beans simply place cleaned beans in the Instant Pot with all the other ingredients and set it to high pressure for about 45 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure cooker to naturally release. Season beans with salt and process with an immersion blender. Done.
If you love beans but the re-fried style isn't for you then maybe you'd like this recipe for Instant Pot Brown Beans.
So, I'll leave you with this one last thought - don't forget to buy cheese for taco night!
Printable Recipe Card
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans rinsed well
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno seeded and chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dry oregano
- ½ teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked
- 3 T coconut oil, vegetable oil, lard or fat of your choice
- 3 ½ C beef broth/stock or water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Place rinsed beans, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, oregano, black pepper, oil and broth in Instant Pot.
- Cover the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is on sealing. Set instant pot by pressing the beans/chili setting and adjusting the time to 45 minutes.
- When timer is complete, allow pot to come to a natural release. This will take about a half hour (could be a bit more).
- Once the pressure has been released, season with salt and use immersion blender to process to desired consistency.
- If desired, garnish with more jalapenos, cheese and/or cilantro before serving.
Toppings or Stir-In Ideas for Refried Beans:
- cilantro
- monterey jack cheese
- sliced jalapenos
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Celine says
HI there,
These look so good!
In your written description it says "place canned beans in Instant Pot" but the recipe calls for dry beans. Just want to clarify before I go for it.
Thanks,
Celine
foodyschmoody says
Hi, thanks for popping over - I think perhaps you might have misread where I said “cleaned” beans, because the beans should be rinsed. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Celine Torrano says
Yes!!! I did misread. Apologies. I'm always rushing.
foodyschmoody says
No worries! Enjoy!
Pam says
I followed the recipe 100% but my beans were not done after the given time. Did that happen to anyone else?
foodyschmoody says
This time worked perfectly for me. I just went thru my reviews on pinterest to see if anyone else had an issue. Out of all them, 1 person did report she needed 5 more minutes. I wonder if our model of IP is different? What model are you using?
Scott says
These were AWESOME. I made 4 batches to serve to a large group annd they loved them. I made a little change by leaving the jalapeno out and added Chipotle Powder in it's place
foodyschmoody says
Well this just brightened up my day! So glad you enjoyed them.
April Blake says
I made these with chili beans and they were still fantastic!
Louise says
Amazing
Dawn says
The first time I made these, I almost left the oregano out because that did sounded wrong. Glad I didn’t, because these are the best refried beans ever! I have made multiple times and will continue to make more.
foodyschmoody says
I'm glad you tried it even though it sounded off to you and I'm even more glad you liked it!!! Thanks for leaving your review 🙂