The refried beans at your favorite Mexican Restaurant are a great side dish for taco or enchilada dinners at your house. Make them at home with your Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker. They are easy and affordable. You don’t soak the beans and the recipe costs under 2.00! This makes the recipea no-beaner….I mean brainer.
Making Refried Beans in the Instant Pot Saves Time
Who buys beans in a can? I do. I’m sure you do too. Why wouldn’t you? Canned beans take a few minutes to heat up while making your own takes much longer.
Beans are normally soaked before cooking. This is done overnight in water or by using the quick-soak method. Then, the beans are cooked, taking another couple of hours.
Refried Beans, and other beans for that matter, are perfect for the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot takes the soaking step out of the process completely and reduces the cooking time.
Making Refried Beans in the Instant Pot Saves Money
As I mentioned in the beginning, homemade refried beans are inexpensive. A can of refried beans is around $1 to $2 a can. This recipe gives you 3 cans worth of beans for under 2.00.
You Have Control
Cooking from scratch allows you total control over the ingredients used in the recipe.
- Vegetarian? Use oil instead of bacon fat.
- Don’t like onion? Leave it out.
- Want more spice? Sauté a diced jalapeño or two with the onion.
- Watching your sodium? Reduce or leave out the salt.
This becomes a recipe that best works for your family with these simple tweaks.
Looking for other Instant Pot Recipes? Try Pork Carnitas and 5 Minute Egg Roll Soup.
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 Pound of Pinto Beans
- 1 Tbs. Bacon Fat, or oil of choice
- 1 Small Onion, Chopped
- 4 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
- 5 Cups Water
- 1 ½ tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 1 Cup Reserved Liquid from Cooked Beans
Instructions
- Pick over your beans. Discard any small rocks or debris you find as well as any beans that don’t look right (wrinkled, dark spots).
- Rinse the beans well.
- Turn the Instant Pot on to the sauté function.
- Add the bacon fat or other oil option to the Instant Pot.
- Once the bacon fat is heated, add the chopped onion and sauté for a couple minutes until the onion begins to soften.
- Turn off the Instant Pot.
- Leaving the Instant Pot off, add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper and give it a quick stir.
- Add water and pinto beans into the Instant Pot and stir again.
- Check that your sealing ring on the lid is in place, put on the lid and double check that your steam release knob is set to “sealing”.
- Set the “manual” button for 40 minutes on high pressure.
- Once the 40 minutes is up do, a quick release on the Instant Pot.
- Drain the Beans, reserving the liquid and return the beans back to the pot.
- Add 1 cup of the reserved liquid to the beans.
- Using an Immersion Blender or food processor, process the beans until smooth, adding more liquid to the beans if necessary.
