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Frijoles (beans) are an absolute staple in Hispanic kitchens. There are several kinds of beans and they can all be prepared in many different ways. My favorite Mexican beans are frijoles refritos, aka refried beans!
If you are a frequent consumer of Mexican cuisine, I’m sure you have had refried beans many times before. It is very commonly included in meals as a side, along with rice and some fresh lettuce.
Refried beans are traditionally cooked in lard in order to get that signature, delicious refried bean taste. Neutral oil or bacon grease are commonly used instead, but I highly recommend using lard for the best results. If you can’t find it or prefer not to use it, my second suggestion would be neutral oil. I would stay away from bacon grease mainly because the taste is very strong and will overpower the refried beans. They will just taste like bacon, in my opinion.
Ingredients
- Pinto beans- I highly recommend starting this recipe off with loose dry pinto beans instead of canned. You can definitely get canned to save some time, but fresh of course will taste better. I soak my beans over night to make the boiling process faster. You can also use black beans!
- Spices & Herbs- Salt and cumin are absolutely necessary to get the right flavors. Epazote is an herb that is traditionally used in refried beans, but they can be difficult to find especially fresh. If you can’t find it, Mexican oregano is a good substitute.
- Aromatics- Garlic, onion, and jalapeno. The jalapeno is optional- I think it adds good flavor but do not be worried about it being spicy.
- Lard– No one likes to hear this an one of the ingredients in a dish but did you know that it is actually better for you than most other fat alternatives? If you want an authentic result, I highly recommend picking up some lard to make your frijoles. It makes such a difference.
- Water- don’t throw out the water after draining the boiled beans! A lot of really good flavor is cooked into this water and we will be using almost all of it to refry the beans.
Pro Tip
If you’ve made carnitas using lard, you can strain and reuse it for refried beans! I believe this is the secret to a lot of restaurant frijoles that are amazing.
You should only reuse lard once or twice, and I don’t recommend making refried beans with carnitas lard if you’re planning to pair it with carnitas. Also keep in mind that the lard is seasoned, so be careful how much seasoning you add to the beans once you start frying them.
Ways to enjoy refried beans
I made these frijoles specifically for Tortas Ahogadas (Mexican sandwich), but there are SO many ways to enjoy them!
One of my favorite favorite ways to eat refried beans is in a burrito. My go-to breakfast is a bean and cheese burrito with avocados, sour cream, and my favorite hot sauce Tapatio.
An ALL TIME FAVORITE meal of mine is a chile relleno burrito with refried beans! This is something that I usually make if I have leftover chile rellenos from dinner the night before. I will have a recipe for that very soon. It is SO good!
Other common ways of eating refried beans is as a side to an entree, on a tostada with cheese, on nachos, or as a dip. The possibilities are endless!
Making a Mexican dinner?
If you’re searching this recipe to make sides for your Mexican dinner, I HIGHLY recommend making my Abuela’s Authentic Arroz Rojo (Mexican rice).
It is the most popular recipe on my blog and it absolutely the best Mexican rice recipe ever!
Here are some other Mexican recipes that would pair well with rice & beans:
Authentic Refried Beans (Frijoles Refritos)
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry pinto beans, or black beans
- water, for boiling the beans
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp mexican oregano, or epazote
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small onion, 1/2 whole, 1/2 finely minced
- 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup lard , or neutral oil
- salt, Mexican oregano, and cumin to taste
Instructions
- Pick out the bad beans and throw them out. Rinse and soak your pinto beans over night for a faster cook (optional).
- Drain the beans and put them in a pot deep enough to boil. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp epazote or Mexican oregano, 1/2 of an onion, 3 crushed garlic cloves, and enough water to cover the beans by 2-3 inches.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat.
- Cover and reduce the heat a tiny bit for 1 hour and 30 minutes. You may need a little more time if you did not soak the beans over night. It should be a gentle boil.
- Check on the beans about half way through and add HOT water as needed. You want to maintain a water level of about 1 inch above the beans from this point on. Adding too much water will dilute the bean flavor we want.
- The beans are ready when you can easily smash them between your fingers (careful! they are hot). Strain the beans, onions, and garlic but don't throw out the bean water. Or you can use a slotted spoon to transfer the beans to the frying pan later and pour the bean water from the pot to save dishes.
- Heat some lard (or oil) in a skillet over medium-low heat, then add the finely chopped onions and sauté until fragrant and almost browning. If using neutral oil or lard, season the onions with a pinch of salt. Do not add the salt if you are reusing lard used to make carnitas (this is already seasoned).
- Add the chopped jalapenos and sauté for another minute.
- Increase the heat to medium high, then add the drained pinto beans.
- Begin smashing the beans. I'm use a potato masher, but you can use the back of your spatula or whatever you have that can get the job done.
- Reduce the heat to medium after a minute. Keep smashing until you reach your desired consistency, while simultaneously adding the bean water in increments as you smash. I added back all of my bean water in 3-4 batches.
- Try the refried beans and add salt, cumin, and/or Mexican oregano to taste. I usually end up adding about 1/8 tsp each to get the perfect flavor. Note: you may not need to add any seasoning if using carnitas lard, since it is already seasoned with these spices.
- Once you've reached your desired consistency, remove from heat. I like my refried beans smooth but with little visible little chunks. Some people like it super smooth or chunky- there is no wrong way! Use an immersion hand blender to make it smooth like this one.
- Top with your favorite cheese and enjoy 🙂
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Been following you for a while on IG – I’m 100% Korean, but my mom told me she craved Mexican food while she was pregnant with me and I came out of the womb asking donde esta la salsa? Mexican cuisine was my favorite for most of my life and I’m now trying to cook more things from scratch.
I’ve now made both your arroz rojo and your refried beans. I have to say, these beans are sooo good. I boiled 2c of pinto beans and was going to try making 2 separate batches (one with manteca and the other with schmaltz) but after frying the onions and jalapeno in the manteca, I ended up making both batches with the lard. The smell was too delicious and figured why mess around? I wasn’t sure how much fresh epazote to use so I tossed in 2 full sprigs. Then I mashed the boiled onion and epazote in with the beans…is that typical? Muchas gracias y kamsamnidaaaaa
Hello Stella,
I was planning on making the carnitas on New Year’s day and then the beans the next day because of the leftover lard. However, you mentioned you do not suggest serving them together (if using the leftover lard). Why is that? Taste too similar?
Hi Janine, yes that’s exactly why. You totally can if you want to- it’s more of a personal preference for me. As I get older my taste buds are changing, and I prefer pairing foods that are not so heavily seasoned or heavy if that makes sense. If this is not a problem for you, using the lard for refried beans might be the way to go.
Looks great, but come on, what is a cup of beans? Grams please!! Or at least a measurement that we can convert to grams. Surely measurements of volume are not for solids. And I don’t have an American cooking cup. Signed – everyone outside of the USA who finds this recipe
Hi Tami. It’s very easy to convert these measurements online, a quick google search will tell you that one cup of dried pinto beans is equal to about 195 grams. Hope this helps.
Thanks!
I will never buy caned refried beans again. Easy recipe to follow. Thanks 😋
These are definitely the best refried beans I have ever eaten…and I’ve eaten a lot of refried beans in the last 69 years!
Came across your site today and can’t believe how many authentic recipes you have! I’m always looking for the best frijole recipe and this one covers all the bases. I can tell we are from the same spirit tribe. Great stuff!
This is the recipe I use the only difference is I use green chilies instead of the jalapeño. I learned to make them from a co-worker years ago. Authentic and very easy to make 😋