There’s something so satisfying about making homemade refried beans from scratch — especially when it’s this easy! With the help of your Instant Pot, you can turn a bag of dried pinto beans into creamy, flavorful refried beans in under an hour. There is no soaking required. This recipe is a lifesaver for busy weeknights, meal prep days, or anytime you want a hearty, budget-friendly side dish ready to go.
You’ll start by using the sauté function on your Instant Pot to cook up some chopped onion and jalapeño for a little flavor kick. Once those are softened, you add in your dried beans, spices, and broth. Then just seal the lid, set it to pressure cook, and let the Instant Pot do its magic. In about 45 minutes, you’ll have perfectly tender beans ready to blend into creamy perfection.
After cooking, drain off some of the liquid but save a bit to help with blending. Then use an immersion blender to reach your desired texture — smooth or slightly chunky. It’s amazing how deliciously rich and comforting these beans turn out!
This recipe makes a generous amount — perfect for meal prepping or freezing in individual portions for later use. These homemade refried beans are perfect for tacos, burritos, nachos, or even as a dip with chips. Once you make them yourself, you’ll never want the canned version again!
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Quick and Easy Refried Beans — Instant Pot Magic in 1 Hour!
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans 2 cups
- 2 tsp avocado oil olive, canola, or vegetable
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 jalapeno cored, seeded, and finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 cups water
- 2 bay leaves optional
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper optional
Instructions
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Place the pinto beans in a large colander. Thoroughly rinse them. Pick the beans over, removing any damaged or clearly misshapen beans and discarding them. Set the rinsed beans aside.
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Turn a 6-quart (or larger) Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and jalapeno. Sauté for 2 minutes, then add the garlic and let cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add a few splashes of chicken stock and scrape along the bottom of the pot to remove any stuck-on bits of food (this will prevent a BURN warning). Add the remaining stock, water, bay leaves, salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder, cayenne, and the rinsed and drained beans. Lightly stir to combine.
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Seal the Instant Pot. Cook on HIGH (manual) for 45 minutes. When the 45 minutes of pressure cooking has finished, let the pressure release naturally for 25 minutes. Vent to release any remaining pressure. Carefully open the lid. The beans will be very liquidy.
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Discard the bay leaves. Reserve 2 cups of the bean cooking liquid in a bowl or measuring cup, then drain the remainder. Return the beans to the pot.
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With an immersion blender (or by hand with a potato masher), puree the beans until they reach your desired consistency, adding some of the reserved liquid as needed. (You can also scoop the beans into a blender in batches and puree them that way-be sure to let the beans cool somewhat first so that they do not splatter).
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Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Sprinkle with any desired toppings, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Refrigerate leftover beans or freeze for up to 3 months.
- For easy portions: Let the beans cool COMPLETELY, then portion them into Ziploc freezer bags labeled with the date. Seal the bags, removing as much air as possible, and squish the beans so that the bag lays flat. Freeze flat for simple storage.
- Let the beans thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stove with a splash of water or stock as needed to thin them back out.
