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Instant Pot Refried Beans

Name: Instant Pot Refried Beans
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 4 cups chicken broth; 2 cups dried pinto beans (washed and picked over); 1 small onion (diced); 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or more if you can stand the heat)

Last updated on May 4, 2021. Originally posted on August 13, 2018 By Elaine 50 Comments

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This instant pot refried beans recipe is easy because you use a pressure cooker, which means you can get them on the table that much faster. And it is so delicious that once you make these beans, you will never be satisfied with canned.

Refried pinto beans in a bowl with chips and salsa in the background

I have to say that refried beans is one of the best discoveries to come out of my tenure at the Mexican restaurant.

Of course, the other is the Cadillac margarita. Or any margarita for that matter. I’d never had one before I went to work there and now I can’t get enough of them!

Why use a pressure cooker for making refried beans?

It’s an awesome time saver. The normal time to cook beans is anywhere from 3 to 4 hours. The actual cooking time for this recipe is 50 minutes. You do the math. 🙂

Why are refried beans considered refried?

The ‘refritos’ in frijoles refritos does not actually mean ‘refried.’ What it does mean is ‘well fried’ or ‘well cooked’. This refers to the fact that they’re basically cooked to mush. I don’t cook beans to mush, but you can easily smash the beans in this recipe to mush after they’re done.

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Helpful tips

Wash your beans well and pick them over because there are often rocks mixed in with pinto beans.
Use the freshest dried herbs as you can. Remember, dried herbs can go stale.
If you are not vegetarian, use chicken broth as it gives the refried beans such a lovely taste.
Don’t use bouillon cubes diluted with water as this will make the broth way too salty.
You can make this recipe vegetarian or vegan by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth
You can also make this recipe with black beans

What I’ve discovered since I started using my instant pot

It doesn’t make a difference in the taste of a dish whether you sauté the onion in oil or not. Save the calories (and the cost) of the olive oil and just toss the onions into the IP with the rest of the ingredients.

Look at that, I just saved you about 5 minutes of cooking time and 5 cents. It all adds up!

How to make refried beans

Step one

Gather the ingredients – herbs and spices, chopped onion, washed pinto beans and chicken broth.

Oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and chili powder on a dish, with onions chopped, beans in a bowl and broth

Step two

Add the beans, broth, herbs and spices and onions in the instant pot.

Beans, the herbs and spices, onion and broth in an instant pot

Step three

Seal the lid and make sure the venting knob is in the sealed position. Press the Bean button and adjust the time to 45 minutes. The IP takes about 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the timer begins and the IP can do its job.

Step four

When the IP beeps, let it rest for 5 minutes before doing a quick release.

Here’s how: put on an oven mitt and carefully flick the venting knob to gently release the pressure.

Step five

Remove the insert from the instant pot before mashing them. You can mash the beans in the IP container, but to show it as is, I put it in a glass bowl.

Pinto beans in a glass bowl with a wooden utensil

Step six

I use an old fashioned masher and mash away. I let some of the beans stay whole but the majority turns into refried beans.

Step seven

Either transfer the beans to a serving bowl, or spoon directly on your plate.

Close up of the creamy pinto beans in a bowl with chips and salsa in the background

Let’s look at these beans from above.

Overhead view of the a white bowl of refried pinto beans with chips and salsa

You can do many things with these instant pot refried beans. Use them as a side dish or stuff them into enchiladas or burritos.

Other delicious bean recipes

And as always, may all your dishes be delish.

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!