Instant Pot Refried Beans are so much better than the canned variety, and they are easy to make!. Cooked from dry pinto beans in just about an hour! These pressure cooker refried beans have lots of flavor!
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Refried beans have never been my thing. I mean, if they had enough cheese on them I would eat them at the Mexican restaurant, but to me they are bland. Back in the day we would sometimes buy the canned stuff to put in a recipe, but that can of beans added absolutely NO FLAVOR to my dish! I didn’t make my own because I listened to the folks who said how hard they are to make.
If you are making refried beans the traditional way they are more involved, but with the Instant Pot it is super easy, AND they come out with so much flavor! Dare I say Winning?! No? Yeah, that’s so five years ago! I’m nothing if not slightly behind the times.
You do not have to soak the beans overnight! You can, and it will cut down the time and the amount of water you use, but I never remember to soak them. Now I don’t bother. The Instant Pot Refried Beans are done in a little over an hour. About 10-15 minutes for the pot to come to pressure. 45 minutes of cook time. 15 minutes of NPR (Natural Pressure Release). If you do soak, take 15 minutes from the cook time and reduce water by 1.5 cups.
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These Instant Pot Refried Beans are way better than than canned. Ready from dry beans in just over an hour! These have lots of flavor!
- 1 lb Beans, dry (rinsed and sorted) Kidney, Pinto, or Black Beans
- 4 1/2 cups Chicken Broth (or Vegetable Broth or Water)
- 1 Large Onion, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp Bacon Fat, Lard, or Olive Oil
- 3-4 cloves Garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 tsp Kosher or Sea Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1/2 tsp Mexican Oregano (or regular oregano)
- 1 Jalapeño, seeded and chopped (optional)
- 1 Bay Leaf (optional)
Rinse, drain, and sort the beans. Put them in the inner liner of the Instant Pot.
Add the broth/water.
Press the Sauté button on the IP to start warming up the broth or water. This helps the IP come to pressure quicker.
Add the chopped onion, fat/oil, jalapeño, garlic, spices, and bay leaf and stir.
Press the Cancel/Keep Warm button to cancel the sauté mode. Put the lid on the IP and set the steam release knob to the Sealing position.
Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, and then the + or - button or dial to select 45 minutes (High Pressure). The pot will take a few minutes to come to pressure.
When cooking cycle ends, let the pot sit and naturally release the pressure for about 15-25 minutes, or longer if you want.
Manually release the remaining pressure/steam by turning the steam release knob to Venting, and when the pin in the lid drops, carefully open the lid.
- Stir the beans.
Use an immersion blender (or food processor) to blend up the beans (Careful doing this with hot beans). Or use a potato masher if you like more texture. It thickens up as it cools.
Garnish with avocado, or Cotija cheese, pepitas, tomatoes, cilantro, or anything you like!
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I loved these refried beans! They were so good!!
Hi, I’m glad you liked the recipe!
We made these refried beans for Cinco de Mayo today. Everyone really liked them! We had burritos, and they were so good! Thank you for such an easy recipe. I will never buy canned refried beans again, lol!
Hi Shannon, I agree about the canned! These are so much better, and easy! I’m glad you all liked them! Thank you for the nice review!
I love these refried beans! Better yet, my husband loves them!
Yay! Thank you for your review!
These came out so delicious! Just what I was looking for. The only change I’ll make next time is one more pepper – I like heat. But the texture and looseness was spot on!
Hi! That’s great, and I’m glad this recipe worked for you! Who needs the canned beans when you have an IP?! Thank you for your review, Jaxx! I appreciate it!