Instant Pot Refried Beans

Instant Pot Refried Beans

Instant Pot Refried Beans are creamy, flavorful, and effortless to make in the pressure cooker...a perfect side dish for all of your favorite Mexican recipes!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 50

Pressure Build-Up & Release Time 35

Total Time 1 30

Servings servings (4 to 5 cups)

Calories 220kcal

Author Samantha Skaggs

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion chopped
4 large cloves garlic minced
1 jalapeño seeds & membranes removed, minced
1 pound (approximately 2 cups) dried pinto beans rinsed & sorted
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
7 cups low-sodium chicken (OR vegetable -- for vegan) broth or stock
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon salt plus additional to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Measure the olive oil into a 6-quart (or larger) Instant Pot insert and set to the SAUTÉ function. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño; cook, stirring regularly, for 2 minutes. Press CANCEL after sautéing.
Add the beans, green chiles, broth, vinegar, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, and pepper to the pot; stir to combine. Seal the lid according to the owner's manual and cook on HIGH pressure for 50 minutes.
When the timer is done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes, then carefully vent to release the remaining pressure (consult your owner's manual for more specific instructions). Open the lid and use a ladle to remove as much cooking liquid as possible to a large measuring cup or bowl. Drain the beans into a colander to discard of the remaining liquid, and transfer the beans back to the Instant Pot insert.
Use an immersion blender to puree the beans until smooth and creamy, slowly and gradually adding cooking liquid back to the beans until your desired consistency is reached (typically between ½ to 1 cup total liquid). Adjust the seasonings to taste, adding more salt, pepper, or vinegar, if desired. Serve hot.

Video

Notes

For refried beans with some spice, include the whole jalapeño, seeds and membranes intact.
You may make this recipe with water, but cooking the beans in broth or stock adds extra flavor. I usually use Better Than Bouillon Organic Chicken Base plus water in place of store-bought or homemade broth. For vegan beans, you may use vegetable broth instead.
If you don't have Mexican oregano, use regular (Mediterranean) oregano.
Apple cider vinegar gives this recipe a little extra oomph, but plain white vinegar may be substituted.
If you don't have an immersion blender, you can mash your refried beans by hand using a potato masher. Or you can allow your beans to cool a good bit. Then transfer them in small batches to a blender or food processor and carefully puree until smooth.
Leftovers may be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze refried beans, I recommend portioning them into freezer-thickness, zip-top plastic bags. Squish the beans into a thin, flat layer, and freeze the bags laying flat. Once the bags of refried beans are frozen, they can easily be stacked in the freezer. They also thaw more quickly this way.

Nutrition