Instant Pot Refried Beans are a staple in my house. I can have rustic, chunky beans, cooked from dried, in about an hour from my pressure cooker.
Refried beans are a staple in my house. Back when my oldest was a toddler, he went through a phase where he would only eat "smushy beans", so I've practiced this recipe a lot.
Canned beans are OK - they're good, and consistent - but if you want great refried beans, you have to cook your own. Homemade beans have an extra depth of flavor, and the cooking liquid is almost better than the beans. It's a shame that cooking dried beans takes so long.
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That's where the Instant Pot comes in. A cup of dried beans, three cups of water, and 40 minutes of pressure cooking. Homemade refried beans, from scratch, in about an hour. And most of that cooking time involves staring at the pressure cooker.
For weeknight beans, I try to get the pressure cooking going early. I don't want to be staring at the pressure cooker, willing it to finish, when everyone is sitting around the table. As soon as I get home, I throw everything in my Instant Pot, set the cooking time, and then go about the rest of my evening routine. When the Pot beeps at me, I quick release the pressure and remove the lid, leaving the cooked beans and their liquid in "keep warm" mode. That way, the beans are waiting on me, not the other way around.
🥫Ingredients
- Dried Pinto beans
- Garlic
- Fine sea salt
- Baking soda
- Bay leaf
- Vegetable oil
- Onion
- Jalapeño
See recipe card for quantities.
🥘 Substitutions
You can substitute dry black beans for the pinto beans. Cut the pressure cooking time for the beans back to 35 minutes. (See a full recipe here: Instant Pot Refried Black Beans.)
If you want cowboy-style refried beans, substitute bacon fat or lard for the vegetable oil. And if you happen to have some leftover bacon with the bacon fat, crumble it up and sprinkle it on the beans right before serving.
If you can't take the heat, skip the Jalapeño pepper. If you want it hotter, replace the jalapeño with a serrano pepper, or add a second jalapeño
If you want to use canned beans instead of dried beans, skip the "pressure cook the beans" step and use 2 (15- to 16-ounce) cans of pinto beans, drained, with 2 cups of water.
🛠 Equipment
I cooked this in my 6-quart pressure cooker, but it will fit in a 3-quart pressure cooker. (Pressure cooker dried beans are one of the key reasons I became a pressure cooker convert.)
Potato masher. You can use a wooden spoon in a pinch, but it's not a great tool for smashing - not enough surface area to smash with.
12-inch frypan (Mashing and simmering the beans is easier in a wide pan, but you can use your Instant Pot if you don't want to dirty another pan.)
How to Make Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Sort and rinse the dry pinto beans. Get rid of any stuff in the bag that's not a bean, and toss any broken beans.
- Put the dry pinto beans, 3 cups of water, ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, 2 cloves of garlic, and a bay leaf in an Instant Pot (or other pressure cooker).
- Lock the lid, and pressure cook at high pressure for 40 minutes. Then, quick release the pressure. (discard the garlic and bay leaf.)
- In a large fry pan, sauté a diced onion, 2 smashed cloves of garlic, and a minced jalapeno.
- Add the beans and their cooking liquid to the fry pan. Simmer and smash until the beans are thick and ready to serve. Enjoy!
📏Scaling
This recipe halves easily. You can double the beans in a 6-quart Instant Pot or other pressure cooker, but it might overflow a 12-inch frypan, so I switch to my 3-quart sauté pan or dutch oven for the sauté and mash step.
🤨 Soaking pinto beans?
I get the “to soak, or not to soak?” question all the the time. I don’t soak my cannellini beans in this basic recipe. They don’t need an overnight soak, and cook to tenderness with 35 minutes at high pressure.
That doesn’t mean you can’t soak the beans. They turn out fine, though the bean broth isn’t quite as full bodied. Soaked beans cook much quicker, 12 minutes at high pressure. I use that when I’m cooking the beans with other ingredients, where the shorter cooking time keeps me from overcooking the whole dish just to get the beans tender.
💡Tips and Tricks
- I use both an Instant Pot (to pressure cook the beans) and a frypan (to sauté everything) in the instructions. You can make this recipe entirely in your Instant Pot by cleaning the pot liner out and switching to sauté mode when it comes to the Sauté step. I find it easier to work with a frypan, especially for simmering down the beans.
- See my Instant Pot Pinto Beans recipe for more bean cooking details.
- For an extra touch of flavor, sprinkle crumbled queso fresco (or substitute shredded pecorino romano) on top of the beans right before serving.
- These are rustic, chunky refried beans. If you want smooth beans, use a food processor. After step 1 is complete, pour the beans and their liquid into a food processor. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
- No pressure cooker? No problem. Cook the beans in a large sauce pot with a lid. Instead of pressure cooking, bring the pot to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover with the lid ajar so some steam can escape. Cook for 2 hours, or until the beans are completely cooked. You may have to add water during the cooking time to keep the beans submerged. Once the beans are cooked, continue with Step 2.
- No dried beans? No problem. Canned beans will work just fine. Replace step 1 with two 15- to 16-ounce cans of drained pinto beans, and add two cups of water to help the beans simmer in the pan.
- Use make-ahead beans: Why cook a cup of beans when you can cook a pound? I freeze leftover beans in 2 cup containers, covering them with their liquid. Then this recipe is a quick weeknight side dish. I pull a container of beans out of the freezer, and thaw it in the microwave while I sauté the onions in step 2.
What to Serve with this Recipe
Refried beans are a classic side dish, used on both sides of the Southwestern border in Tex-Mex and Norteno Mexican cooking. Serve them with Tacos, Enchiladas, Fajitas - or any other Tex-Mex dish. Or, use them as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
Adapted From: Lorna Sass, Pressure Perfect
Print🔪Recipe
Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Instant Pot Refried Beans are a staple in my house. I can have rustic, chunky beans, cooked from dried in about an hour from my pressure cooker.
Ingredients
Beans
- 8 ounces (1 heaping cup) dried pinto beans, sorted and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic (whole, with skins still on)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups water
Aromatics
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 cups of cooked pinto beans and their cooking liquid (from above)
- 1 teaspoons fine sea salt
Instructions
- Pressure cook the beans for 40 minutes with Quick Release: Put the beans, whole garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon of salt, baking soda, bay leaf, and water in an Instant Pot or other the pressure cooker. Stir, and then lock the pressure cooker lid, Cook on high pressure for 40 minutes in an Instant Pot or other electric pressure cooker ("Manual" or "Pressure Cook" mode), or for 35 minutes in a stovetop pressure cooker. Quick release the pressure. Remove the lid and discard the bay leaf and garlic cloves. Save the beans and the cooking liquid.
- Sauté the aromatics: Heat the vegetable oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion, smashed garlic cloves, jalapeño, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Sauté until the onions are browned around the edges, about five minutes. (If the beans aren't done, turn the heat off and move the pan to a cool burner. When the beans are done, put the pan back over medium-high heat and continue with step 3.)
- Fry the beans: Add the beans and all of their cooking liquid to the fry pan. Be careful - the hot oil may splatter when the wet beans are added. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of salt over the beans. Start mashing the beans, stirring as you go to get the onions evenly distributed. Keep cooking the beans, mashing and stirring occasionally, until the beans thicken, about eight minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Equipment
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- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keywords: Pressure Cooker Refried Pinto Beans, Instant Pot Refried Pinto Beans
☃️ Storage
To make the beans ahead, pressure cook them, and refrigerate them in 2-cup containers for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. To make the recipe, thaw out the beans and continue with the "Sauté" step.
This recipe freezes well, in 2-cup containers, for up to 6 months.
🤝 Related Posts
Instant Pot Pinto Beans (No Soak)
Pressure Cooker Pasta and Bean Soup (Pasta Fagioli)
Pressure Cooker Mexican Black Bean and Noodle Soup (Frijoles y Fideos)
Click here for my other pressure cooker recipes.
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Rodney Schmidt says
Another winner from Dad Cooks Dinner! Made this as directed except substituted a tablespoon of lard for one of the tablespoons of oil (because lard :-)). Great flavor. So much better than canned beans and not a lot of work. Thanks Mike!
★★★★★
Elizabeth Nielson says
Excellent! I have a made a lot of different recipes for pressure cooker refried beans, and this one is my favorite. Beautiful flavor.
(I do leave some of the liquid out, though, at the end. I may have put in too much water for a 16 oz bag of beans)
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
I'm glad you like it!
Elizabeth Nielson says
I liked this so much, I made it again a few days later! Turns out, I did, in fact, add too much liquid the first time. This time I paid better attention (lol) and added the recommended amount of liquid. It was perfect. This is the best refried bean recipe hands down, and like I said, I've made a lot! Thank you for this deliciousness.
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
karen says
mike! you are a bean-cooking-savant! i have tried (too) many recipes with terrible results include some from big fat 'pros'
america's test kitchen was an epic fail on one end to a close-but-no-cigar version from martha stewart slow cooker book . . .
YOURS is PERFECT! originally from So. Cal., i'm pretty darn snooty about really good refried beans . . .
THESE are DELISH and all i had were the cheap pintos from the market
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
btw when you're ready to write the 'Bean Primer' cookbook i'm ready to buy
- we eat very little meat at our house so perfecting beans, especially in my stovetop pressure cooker, is a BIG deal -
'almost gave myself a belly ache from eating sooooo much of the yummy results
#notyourfault
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You’re welcome!
Margaret says
I’ve made this recipe dozens of times. It’s so easy! I’m sitting on the couch right now as it cooks. They are runnier the first night, but the leftovers are thicker. It’s easy to set aside some of the liquid and add some back later if desired. I can’t believe I ate canned beans for so many years! I made this recipe for a Mexican potluck and received many compliments. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
You're welcome!
Anon says
Can this recipe be made in a 3 Qt Instant Pot?
Mike Vrobel says
Yes, it's a small enough amount of beans to fit in the 3 quart pot. (Don't go over the half-full line with beans in a pressure cooker.)
★★★★★
Diana says
Hello, if I make 3 cups of beans, would i use 9 cups of liquid? Thanks
★★★★★
Mike Vrobel says
Sounds right!
Red says
Amazing refried beans! In fact, the best ever!! I get asked for the recipe regularly, I tell them to come here to your website to get it! I have found the water to beans ratio works better if I don't soak the beans, which works great for those last minute recipes! And of course, for us non-spicy/heat people, I put in 1/4-1/2 of a jalopeno. Awesome job Mike!
Mike Vrobel says
Thanks! Yes
Barbara Waldorf says
This part of the directions is confusing me: Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes in an electric pressure cooker, or 30 minutes in an electric pressure cooker.
Can you please clarify?
Mike V says
Typo - second one should say "30 minutes in a Stovetop pressure cooker." Fixed in the recipe.
Ben says
Nice recipe. I kept the beans in the pressure cooker for 35 minutes with a natural release... they were a bit underdone. Next time I'll go for 45. The only thing I changed is adding Epazote in a tea ball (removed prior to frying.) to me, if you don't have epazote, the beans are missing some flavor.
sommer says
OK, these are delicious!!! Just made them for lunch and, you're right, the depth of flavor is astounding when compared to canned! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Jill says
I've made all sorts of refried beans over the years, and this definitely is a good, no frills recipe for them! One question, though - if I soak the beans in advance, is there a reason why I still should use 3 cups of water? The beans don't need that much water to cook, and less water would certainly cut down on the amount of time it takes to cook down the liquid. Is there some other benefit to that specific quantity of water that I am missing?
Thanks!
Mike V says
I find that the beans do need that much water to cook, even when soaked, or I wind up with floaters that aren't cooked all the way through.
Teri says
I've been doing alot more cooking from scratch lately. I've gotten to the point that (except for tomatoes) canned ANYTHING just doesn't taste right. I absolutely LOVED these refried beans. So so easy and SO tasty. I served them alongside some viejo ropa and rice. I was wondering if the full 1/4c of vegetable oil is necessary or could I cut back a little? At any rate, I will never EVER buy canned refried beans again.
Mike V says
Yes, you can cut back on the oil...but the results are less "fried" and more "simmered until thick". That's not necessarily bad, but it is a different style of beans. Give it a try and see if you like it with less oil.
Lora says
I'm planning on making this today, I'm looking forward to it based on comments. I just am not understanding why it says the prep time is 8 hours when there's no pre-soak needed. Can you explain what I might be missing?
Thanks
Mike V says
Fixed - must have copied the prep time from a "soak the beans recipe." Thanks!
Beau says
Agreed! Have this recipe and haven't bought canned beans ever again!
Mike says
Made a half recipe of this (without presoaking the beans) today to put on tacos. Oh my, I never knew beans could taste like that. My wife was blown away by the flavor in these beans.
Thank you so much for opening our eyes to the amount of flavor fresh beans can have. I will never buy canned refried beans (or canned beans in general) again!
Mike V says
Ahh - another dried bean convert. You're welcome!
Mike says
A bit confused how you presoak but still use the same amount of water to cook the beans since all of the water is transferred to the aromatics. Do you reduce the amount of cooking liquid transferred over to the aromatics?
Cook says
Hello Mike,
What a wonderful recipe. I've been making great R.F. Beans in my nearly antique pressure cooker for decades, but I'm always looking for variations in seasonings etc. In this case, I measure, wash and pick about two cups of dried beans, add tons of water and bring to a near but incomplete boil (no salt) and let them rest for an hour or so. After, I drain the few veggies, including about 2X the pepper - I used the pickled ones and all must be a super fine dice. Rinsed, soaked beans get fresh water or broth, the veggies and a slightly shortened time under pressure. (One might think a little less time, but they are getting old.) As noted, I'm always looking for new seasonings to try, but your combination is one of the best. I still use natural cooling and a brief fry while mashing; I tend to mash a bit less that many. I serve them in multiple ways and they seem just fine after short term freezing (3-4 months?) without any errant flavors. Friends even ask for them. Your seasoning combination is a big hit and it makes the beans. I do like to add a little fat while frying and mashing and I've tried just about everything. For my own use, I prefer a pork leaf lard, a few object on religious grounds; perfectly OK. EVOO, butter vegetable shortening or vegetable oil are fine and so little is used. As for a little salt, that is always the last addition I do not much care for it and in many things use under half what may be called for. Thanks for sharing this adaptation of Ms. Sass's method. Now... I hope I can find your blog and an equally good method for Mexican rice. Per the comment above, I know that you do not like to pre-soak beans. I recognize that it is not necessary when using a P.C., but I still do so, especially with dried beans that are >one season old. Thanks for the great seasoning suggestions. Happy eating to you + family,
-C.
belladane says
Thank you for this recipe! I have done refried beans in a pressure cooker before, a long time ago, and am a little rusty. But just purchased an electric pressure cooker, not your brand though. I went for the PressurePro. I am wondering, do I need to soak my beans (either over night or with the quick method) to cook them in my pressure cooker, or can I just put them in dry? (I have forgotten what I did in my stove top pressure cooker I had before) My instruction manual didn't give any info about beans, although there is a preset button for beans (which I thought was kinda weird!) Thank you again so much. 🙂
Mike V says
The beans are not soaked in this recipe - put them in the pot dry.
Roxanne says
I made this recipe, and it was tasty!! If you increase the recipe using an electric pressure cooker, do you also increase the water, and all ingredients? (Like if I wand to use a pound of dried beans?
Thanks!
★★★★★
Mike V says
Yes - this recipe will scale up nicely. (Though what I usually do is cook the pound of pintos, then freeze the extra for later. )
Shawna says
I've made these beans twice now, each time tripling the recipe, for our contribution to the potluck family taco night and they are a hit! The first time I made these, it took a really long time because the pan I used was too small so I had to cook it in batches. This last time I hauled out our 12" dutch oven and used an electric hand blender to speed up the mashing process (so much easier on my poor arm!). My husband has volunteered me to make another batch of beans for his upcoming March Madness party. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I sure love my pressure cooker.
★★★★★
Mike V says
You're welcome!
beau says
How has this site eluded me for so long?
Made these refried beans in my pressure cooker just now and fried up in my cast iron skillet.
Flavor explosion and the best refried beans I've ever had! Thanks for the recipe!
Anon says
Thanks for this. Wonderful easy recipe and tastes fantastic! Canned refried aren't even in the same galaxy.
Mike V says
You're welcome, and I agree - canned refried are...not good.
Ryan says
Did these tonight minus the Jalapeno so it was kid friendly. Very tasty.. went over quite well and the Instant Pot makes quick work of dried beans!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
You're welcome! And, you can double the recipe and it will work fine. Enjoy!
MoMoWack says
I made these beans this morning. They are delicious and taste nothing like the store bought! I did cut back on the salt due to my husband's high blood pressure. Thanks Mike! Your directions are super clear and I followed to T.
Next time I will double the recipe. Hopefully they will still reduce well in larger batch.
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks, Kayla!
Kayla Pins says
Thanks for this recipe! It is my favorite refried beans recipe. I make a big batch and freeze smaller portions. I come to this blog often for the simple pressure cooker recipes.
conniemm says
I was looking for an alternative to my slow cooker refried bean recipe because it was already evening and I found this recipe. It was great. Next time I'll go lighter on the salt but these very tasty. Thanks!
Baby Bird's Farm says
Oh they are yummy! They can be done any way pintos are cooked. Anazasis also make great refried beans. But we do love those burgers...
Baby Bird's Farm says
Oh they are yummy! They can be done any way pintos are cooked. Anazasis also make great refried beans. But we do love those burgers...
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks for the suggestions! I just got som Anasazi beans from the market, and was wondering what to do with them.
Baby Bird's Farm says
These were awesome!! This was my very, very first attempt with a brand new pressure cooker (our first.) Your recipe was very clear and easy to follow, and they turned out delicious. My friend Charlotte (http://www.therebelheart.com/charlottes-blog/) uses a pressure cooker a lot, and she directed me to your website. I ended up having beans already soaking when my husband came home with the new Fagor, so I'm glad you had the note to only do 15 minutes. They were perfect.
One variation: I used Peruvian or Peruano Beans, instead of Pintos. They are similar but a little tastier, in my opinion, and I found them in the bulk section of my local health-y store. I think next time I will also add a little epazote and cumin in with the bay leaf in the cooking water, which are all carminatives. If you don't mind a link to a recipe on my own blog, I use them when cooking Anazasi Beans... http://babybirdsfarm.com/anasazi-bean-burgers/
Thanks and looking forward to trying more recipes on your site!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
You're welcome, and thank you for the induction burner update. A portable induction burner is on my "when I get some mad money" wish list.
CraigRanch says
I DID IT! Thank you! I bought a Fagor PC, but am admittedly a little intimidated by it! These were a HUGE success last night! I have a Diva induction cooktop, I brought it up to full pressure on 12-setting, left it there for 1 minute, then reduced to 6 for 33 minutes and they were PERFECT! Thanks again!
Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Stretching time with a slow cooker works just as well as a pressure cooker.
Omnivore Vegetarian says
This really makes me want to run out and get a pressure cooker! I do the opposite -- cook my beans all day in a slow cooker so they're ready and waiting when I come home.