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refried beans in a spoon sitting on top of a folded tortilla

Easy Homemade Refried Beans Recipe

Kelly
These Easy Homemade Refried Beans are fragrant with onion, garlic, and earthy pinto beans with a hint of smoky bacon.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Servings 8 servings
Calories 132 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound pinto beans
  • 3 tablespoons bacon fat fat or vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin optional
  • 1 teaspoon paprika optional
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Soak beans overnight in water or quick soak in boiling water for 1 hour.
  • Drain and rinse beans.
  • Put beans in a large pan (or pressure cooker), and cover beans with water by 2 inches. Boil beans until soft, about 1 ½ - 2 hours (30 minutes in pressure cooker).
  • Drain beans and reserve 1 cup of boiling liquid.
  • Heat bacon fat or vegetable oil in a large pan and sauté onions a few minutes until soft. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add cumin and paprika if using. Stir to mix. Add drained beans to pan and mash with a potato masher, adding cooking liquid as necessary to achieve the desired consistency.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste
  • Turn off heat and serve.
  • Beans will thicken somewhat as they cool.

Notes

  • The hint of smoky bacon perfectly accentuates and brings out the flavor of the beans. You can also use vegetable oil for the beans if you like, they will still be delicious.

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.04gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 272mgFiber: 5gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 127IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg
Keyword refried beans
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