Refried Black Beans
This refried black beans recipe is easy, fresh and satisfying! Made with canned beans, these refried beans are the perfect side dish for Mexican meals.
Posted by Kathryne Taylor on January 27, 2025
Refried black beans are one of my favorite plant-based recipe components. I’ve perfected my technique and flavorings over the years, and I’m excited to share the recipe with you today.
Made with canned beans, these refried black beans are a quick and satisfying alternative to stovetop black beans, and a fun variation on classic refried pinto beans. They taste far superior to plain canned black beans or store-bought refried beans. They’re the best!
These refried beans are flavored with sautéed onion, roasted or fresh red bell pepper, garlic, cumin, and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Thanks to the red bell pepper and cumin, they have a subtle Cuban vibe that plays beautifully with the earthy flavor of the black beans.
Refried Black Bean Tips
Chop the onions finely and cook them until tender. This is key to achieving a creamy texture. If the onions are too large or undercooked, they will be distractingly crisp.
Mash the beans as much as you’d like. I stop when the beans are about half mashed (or a little more), but you can mash them completely if you’d like perfectly creamy refried beans. You’ll get even smoother results if you blend these beans in a food processor. I don’t recommend using a blender since they are so thick.
Skip the cilantro if you don’t like it. I love its burst of freshness, but I know it’s not for everyone.
Uses for Refried Black Beans
These refried beans are a healthy side dish for any Mexican meal. They offer a hearty dose of fiber and protein (over 10 grams each per serving) that completes a meatless meal.
The beauty of refried beans is that they are spreadable and stay put better than plain beans. Use refried beans inside tacos, enchiladas and burritos. Spread them inside a quesadilla, on top of a tostada, layer them into huevos rancheros, or dollop them onto nachos. Honestly, these beans are so good that I like to eat them with tortilla chips as a bean dip.
For the simple and delicious bowl shown here, combine cooked brown rice or quinoa, refried black beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes and crumbled feta. These refried beans are great with roasted sweet potatoes, too.
More Essential Black Bean Recipes
If you appreciate these beans, be sure to try these black bean recipes:
- Fresh Black Bean Burrito Bowl: Substitute these refried beans for the stovetop beans.
- Kale, Black Bean & Avocado Burrito Bowl
- Spicy Black Bean Soup
- Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tacos with Avocado-Pepita Dip
- Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas
Please let me know how your beans turn out in the comments! I’m excited to hear how you enjoy these beans, and I love hearing from you.
Refried Black Beans
This refried black beans recipe is so fresh and satisfying! It’s the perfect hearty side dish for Mexican meals. Recipe yields about 2 ½ cups, or five servings.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup finely chopped red, yellow or white onion (about ½ small onion)
- ½ cup chopped roasted red pepper (jarred is fine) or 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked black beans
- ½ cup water
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened and are turning translucent, about 4 to 7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cumin. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the drained beans and water. Stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and remove the lid. Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash up about at least half of the beans, until you reach your desired consistency. Continue to cook the beans, uncovered, stirring often, for about 5 more minutes, until the beans are nicely tender and thickened.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stir in black pepper, to taste, and the cilantro and lime juice. Taste, and adjust if necessary—add another pinch of salt for overall flavor or another squeeze of lime juice for zing. If the beans seem dry, add a very small splash of water and stir to combine. Cover until you’re ready to serve. Leftovers will keep well in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 5 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my Easy Refried Beans.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I curious as to why the salt content is so high. Is that because canned beans are being used?
Hi Lucie, my nutrition calculator doesn’t have an option for rinsed and drained canned beans, so it counts the whole can’s worth of sodium. I think the sodium is inflated in my nutrition information. If you use low-sodium beans, it would be much lower than shown here.
I have several bags of dry beans. What would you have to do to use dry beans instead of canned beans. I am trying to use what is in my pantry. Thank you.
Hi! You could cook the black beans in water per the package directions, then use 3 cups cooked beans for this recipe.
Thank you. I will give it a shot. I love refried beans.
My dear Kate,
Every time I receive one of your website’s Emails, I see your ravishing smile, which – in turn – makes me smile. You really cheer me up! And I love your recipes. Some of them are a bit tricky to cook in Germany, but when I’m in the US, I try to follow your instructions as much as possible.
Please continue to be so positive and have a very happy 2025
;-)
Thank you, Elke! I’m delighted to know that you appreciate my recipes. All my best.
Kate!!! Girl! We’re on the same page with these refried beans. Black beans make such a tasty refry, they’re the only ones I use. I prefer to make mine myself in my crockpot n portion out to freeze for future meals. We eat Mexican weekly. Thanks for sharing!
Smart! Sounds like a great system!
May I ask how you do that in your crock pot? Would like to freeze them too. Thank you!
Looks great! I’d love to see how you could do this with dry beans rather than canned.
Hi Katy! I would do it the same way but use 3 cups cooked black beans. I have a great recipe for seasoned black beans from scratch here.
For Brits, Cilantro is Fresh Coriander.
Waiting for your next book! I use recipes from Love Real Food every day! Thanks, Kathryn.
Hi,
I was wondering if I could make this with dry beans. Can you give instruction on how to make this with dry beans? I know that one would have to soak the beans overnight, but after that, how would one go about preparing the beans so that they could be used in this recipe.
Thank you
Wow this is really delicious! The only thing I did different is add a few shakes of Trader Joe’s Chili Lime seasoning because I had it, but it’s great without it. So nice to have a tasty refried beans dish that’s cholesterol friendly. I will definitely have this one on repeat.
Quick, delicious and filling. Loved it!
Delicious! I made this for batch cooking of breakfast burritos to freeze. Followed recipe minus the peppers, just because I didn’t have any. I stopped using the canned stuff a long time ago and used only canned black or pinto beans so was glad to find a way better/much tastier option.
Another great recipe. When making it with canned beans, don’t throw out the liquid in the can. That is bean stock. Throwing that out and then adding water doesn’t make sense. I use the contents of the entire can. Do what you like, but try it this way if you feel inspired.
Love this idea, thank you!
I recently tried this refried black beans recipe, and I’m really impressed. The instructions are clear, and the flavours come together beautifully. I love how simple yet satisfying the dish is – it’s packed with flavour but doesn’t require any complicated steps or hard-to-find ingredients. The beans turned out creamy, with just the right amount of seasoning. It’s also a great base to customise with additional toppings or mix-ins. Perfect as a side dish or even the star of a meal. Highly recommend this recipe for anyone looking to elevate their bean game.
I am busy making ratatouille your way very similar to mine: Next I will try making retried black beans if I can find tin s of them in this small
town in South Africa! thank you
These beans are insanely good! I have to admit that I’m not completely on board with canned beans, but they turn out fine and are incredibly convenient. We visit a multitude of cooking sites, but yours is our most used!
I’ve been looking for canned black beans recipes and this sounds really good. Two questions please? If I use the food processor, will it grind up the skins enough to be smooth? I have a swallowing issue and the skins are difficult for me. Secondly, how does the red wine vinegar change the taste? I always have that on hand and it would be easier than trying to remember to buy limes. I’ve never heard of substituting vinegar for lime! Thank you for your great recipes!
Hello, It will be much smoother if you process in a food processor, and that should help with your issue with the skins. The red wine vinegar, like citrus juice, adds some acidity that brightens the flavors.