Quick Summary: Creamy, smoky refried beans made from dried black or pinto beans in an Instant Pot, with no soaking. The beans pressure cook with toasted guajillo chiles, then get mashed and fried with onion, garlic, and spices. Slow carb compliant and much better than canned. Prep: 15 min | Cook: 1 hr 30 min | Serves: 10 (1/2 cup each)
Jump to: RECIPE | What are Refried Beans? | Pinto or Black Beans? | Low Carb or Keto? | Make in Instant Pot | Spices | Ways to Use Them | Nutrition | FAQ
Refried beans are often made with dried pinto beans (sometimes black beans) and making them from scratch with dried beans is leaps and bounds tastier than from a can.
The Instant Pot makes this practical for a weeknight. No overnight soaking and no long simmering. You just sauté the aromatics, add dried beans and water, and let the pressure cooker do the work for the next hour.
Make them in a big batch and keep in the refrigerator for breakfast burritos, a dip for chips or as sides to carnitas, quesatacos and most other Mexican main dishes.
I rewrote this recipe in 2026. The beans now get fried in lard at the end, the way refried beans should be, and the flavor is so much deeper.
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What Are Refried Beans?
Refried beans (frijoles refritos) are cooked beans that have been mashed and fried with fat and aromatics. Despite the name, they’re not fried twice. The “re” in refried comes from the Spanish “refritos,” which means “well fried” rather than “fried again.”
Traditional refried beans are made with pinto beans and lard, cooked low and slow until creamy. The Instant Pot version skips the long simmer but keeps the depth of flavor by caramelizing the onions and spices before pressure cooking.
In Mexico, refried beans appear at nearly every meal. They’re served as a side dish, spread inside tacos and burritos, or topped with cheese as a simple appetizer.
Are Refried Beans Low Carb or Keto?
No, refried beans aren’t low carb or keto, but they are slow carb. A half cup of canned refried beans has about 18 grams of carbs and 6 grams of fiber, which comes to roughly 12 grams of net carbs. On a strict keto plan of 20 to 50 grams of net carbs a day, one scoop uses up a big share of the day.
Slow carb works differently. Tim Ferriss’s slow carb diet in The 4-Hour Body makes beans and lentils the main carb, because the fiber and protein slow down how fast that carb reaches your bloodstream. When I coached slow carb clients, beans were the food that kept people full enough to stick with the diet.
If you’re on keto and miss refried beans, black soybeans are the usual swap. They mash up much the same way and have only 1 to 2 grams of net carbs per half cup.
Pinto Beans vs Black Beans
Both pinto and black beans make great refried beans: pinto beans turn out creamier, and black beans are a little earthier and sweeter.
Pinto beans are the everyday bean of northern Mexico and Tex-Mex cooking, while black beans are standard in southern Mexico, including Oaxaca, Veracruz, and the Yucatán. I go back and forth depending on what’s in the pantry.
Pinto beans:
- Traditional in northern Mexico and Tex-Mex
- Creamiest when mashed
- Mild, earthy flavor
- About 245 calories and 45 g carbs per cup cooked
Black beans (also known as turtle beans):
- Standard in southern Mexico
- Hold more texture; denser and meatier
- take a little longer to cook
- Earthier, slightly sweet flavor
- About 227 calories and 41 g carbs per cup cooked
For slow carb eating, black beans have a slight edge with a few fewer carbs per cup. Fiber and protein are about the same in both, roughly 15 grams each per cup.
I mix these up a lot, depending on what I have on hand. Both work well for refried beans. Here’s how they compare:
Pinto beans:
- Traditional choice for refried beans
- Creamy texture when mashed
- Mild, earthy flavor
- 234 calories per cup
- Slightly higher in carbs and starch
Black beans:
- Common in Cuban and Caribbean cooking, also used in parts of Mexico
- Firmer texture, holds shape better
- Slightly sweeter, more robust flavor
- 227 calories per cup
- Higher in protein and fiber, lower in carbs
For slow carb eating, black beans have a slight edge due to lower carbs and higher protein. But both are compliant, and both taste great. Use whichever you prefer.
Best Spices for Mexican Refried Beans
The best spices for refried beans are dried chiles, Mexican oregano, cumin, garlic, and a bay leaf in the pot. Toast the dried chiles first and bloom the ground spices in hot fat at the end, and the beans taste like they simmered all day.
For smoky heat:
- My Smoky blend (chipotle, ancho, and pasilla), which I sell at the St. Paul Farmers Market. If you don’t have access to this blend, use 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder plus 1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder.
- Guajillo chiles (dried, fruity, medium heat)
- Serrano peppers (fresh, sharp heat)
For milder versions:
- Smoked paprika (smokiness without heat). I sell my own at the market, made from Alma paprika peppers.
- Ancho chile powder (dried poblano, mild and earthy)
Aromatics:
- Mexican oregano (more citrusy than Mediterranean oregano)
- Cumin (earthy, warm)
- Bay leaf (subtle depth)
- Garlic (essential)
The Instant Pot’s sauté function lets you bloom these spices in oil before pressure cooking, which develops more flavor than just dumping everything in together.
I smoke my own chipotles and paprika on the farm. Here’s how to smoke chile peppers at home for your own chipotle and spice blends, and my guide to the best chile peppers for traditional Mexican cooking.
How to Make Refried Beans in an Instant Pot
Refried beans in an Instant Pot take two steps: pressure cook the dried beans with chiles and aromatics, then mash and fry them in lard with fresh onion and spices. For exact amounts, see the recipe card below.
- Toast the guajillo chiles in a dry skillet, 20 to 30 seconds per side.
- Pressure cook the beans with water, half an onion, garlic, the chiles, a bay leaf, and salt: 30 minutes for black beans, 40 for pinto. Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes.
- Drain the beans, saving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Remove the bay leaf and onion.
- Cook chopped onion in lard until golden, then add garlic, serrano, and spices for a minute.
- Add the beans and a splash of liquid, mash, and fry until creamy and thick.
Favorite Ways to Use Refried Beans:
Possibly the single best reason I keep coming back to this recipe is that I use them in everything! Refried beans work as a side, a spread, a dip, or the base of a bowl, so I always make a big batch. These are the ways I use them most:
- With eggs: A scoop next to fried eggs and salsa is my favorite slow carb breakfast.
- Bowls: A base layer under carnitas, pickled onions, and avocado. Skip the rice for slow carb.
- Side dish: Next to carnitas, quesatacos, or any Mexican main dish.
- Tostadas and tacos: Spread on crisp tortillas and top with lettuce and salsa (not slow carb).
- Bean dip: Warm, with chips (not slow carb, but delicious).
- Tortas: A flavorful layer inside Mexican sandwiches.
Calories and Carbs in Refried Beans
One cup of canned traditional refried beans has about 220 calories, 36 grams of carbs, 12 grams of fiber, and 13 grams of protein. A half cup, a sensible slow carb serving, is about half of that.
Homemade refried beans land in the same range. Most of the difference comes from how much fat you fry them in. This recipe comes to about 165 calories per half cup.
Beans earn their place in any long-term way of eating. The one food every Blue Zones longevity culture had in common was beans, at least half a cup a day. Both black and pinto beans also give you manganese, iron, vitamin B1, potassium, magnesium, and phosphorus.
FAQ
Yes. Beans are one of the allowed carbohydrate sources on slow carb. They’re high in fiber and protein, which moderates blood sugar response. Eat them in reasonable portions (about 1/2 cup per serving). For the full list, see my slow carb food list.
No. The Instant Pot pressure cooks dried beans without soaking. This is one of its biggest advantages for bean recipes. If you do soak them, cut the pressure time to 8 minutes for black beans and 10 for pinto.
Yes, but the texture and flavor won’t be as good. Drain and rinse canned beans, skip the pressure cooking, and just mash with the sautéed aromatics. If you buy canned refried beans, look for a label that lists only beans, water, salt, and fat. Skip any with added sugar or flour.
Refrigerated in an airtight container, 3 to 4 days. Cool them and get them into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. They freeze well for up to 3 months.
Frying the mashed beans in lard or oil is what makes them “refried.” It browns the onion and blooms the spices, and the beans turn creamy and rich instead of tasting like plain mashed beans.
Add some of the reserved cooking liquid or water, a little at a time, until you reach your preferred consistency.
About my coaching experience: I lost 30 pounds on the slow carb diet in 2013 and have kept it off for over a decade. From 2016 to 2020, I coached more than 400 people through slow carb and low carb diets. The biggest lesson: the people who cooked for themselves were the ones who made it a sustainable lifestyle. The ones who struggled usually had one of three problems. They didn’t know how to cook, they were too busy, or they got bored with the food. My recipes are written for all three: clear directions, easy steps, and big flavor. I’m not a doctor. If you have diabetes, kidney disease, or take medication, check with your doctor before changing how you eat.
Slow Carb Refried Beans in an Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Beans
- 2 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded
- 2 cups dried black beans or pinto beans | sorted and rinsed
- 6 cups water
- ½ medium white onion peeled but not cut
- 2-3 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2-3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon lard
For Frying
- 3 tablespoons lard
- ½ medium white onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 serrano pepper minced
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Smoky blend
- 1 tablespoon lime juice optional
Instructions
- Toast the chiles. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the guajillo chiles 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until fragrant and flexible. Don’t let them blacken or they’ll turn bitter.2 dried guajillo chiles
- Pressure cook. Put the beans, water, onion half, smashed garlic, toasted chiles, bay leaf, salt, and 1 tablespoon lard in the Instant Pot. The lard keeps the foam down. Seal and cook on High Pressure, 30 minutes for black beans or 40 minutes for pinto beans. Let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then release the rest.2 cups dried black beans or pinto beans | sorted and rinsed, 6 cups water, ½ medium white onion, 2-3 cloves garlic, 1 bay leaf, 2-3 teaspoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon lard
- Drain. Remove the bay leaf and onion. Drain the beans in a colander set over a bowl, saving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. Keep the chiles with the beans.
- Cook the aromatics. Melt 3 tablespoons lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chopped onion 5 to 6 minutes, until soft and golden. Add the garlic, serrano, oregano, cumin, and Smoky blend and stir for 1 minute.3 tablespoons lard, ½ medium white onion , 2 cloves garlic , 1 serrano pepper, 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon Smoky blend
- Mash and fry. Add the beans, chiles, and ½ cup of the reserved liquid. Mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth, or use an immersion blender off the heat. Cook, stirring, 5 to 8 minutes, adding liquid a splash at a time, until the beans are creamy and pull away from the pan. They thicken as they cool.
- Season. Stir in the lime juice, taste, and add salt if needed.1 tablespoon lime juice
Notes
- Fat: Lard gives the most traditional flavor. Bacon fat or avocado oil also work.
- Spice swap: Without the Smoky blend, use ½ teaspoon chipotle powder plus ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder.
- Salt: The amount is for Diamond Crystal kosher salt. If you use Morton’s, start with 1 teaspoon.
- Peppers: You can substitutes jalapenos for serranos. Serranos are hotter.
- Slow carb: A ½ cup serving is slow carb compliant. Skip the cheese and chips to stay compliant.
- Storage: Cool within 2 hours. Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months. Reheat with a splash of water.