This recipe for Instant Pot refried beans is destined to become a family favorite. I’ve been making a version of this recipe for years now, ever since my friend Jane shared her recipe. I’ve switched from making them on the stove top to making them in my Instant Pot, though, since it’s much faster.
Budget beans
There’s a lot to love about beans, but the fact that they’re so danged inexpensive is a big one. Dried beans can be purchased in bulk and store well. (And of course, they’re even less expensive this way!)
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Refried beans are an inexpensive meal in themselves, or great for making burritos (with Spanish rice), as a side dish to tacos, or as a hot dip.
I’ve been making our favorite refried beans for years, but recently modified the recipe to work in my 6-quart Instant Pot. No Instant Pot? No problem! Make my stovetop homemade refried beans.
The best beans
Classic refried beans are made with pinto beans, but this recipe could technically be made with any kind of bean. Why not refried black beans?
I think it’s important to note that even though this Instant Pot refried beans recipe is our favorite, it’s not going to pass muster as “authentic” refried beans. We’ve tried a lot of recipes over the years and this is the one that my people ask for again and again, authentic or no.
Related: 6-Ingredient White Chicken Chili
To soak or not to soak
With the Instant Pot, you can easily go from hard, dry pinto beans to fully cooked beans in an hour. But soaking beans before cooking them can make them more digestible. And for many people that means fewer…side effects.
Soaking beans helps to remove the phytic acid from beans, too. Phytic acid is considered an “anti-nutrient” — you can read more about that here. If you do soak the beans, be sure to drain the soaking water off and start with clean, fresh water for cooking them. [More on cooking with dry beans.]
Related: Switching from Boxed and Canned to Home Cooking
Instant Pot refried beans
Now that you know what kind of beans to use and whether or not you’ll soak them, you’re ready to make Instant Pot refried beans! And folks, it couldn’t be easier. Simply combine the beans, onions, and garlic with water in the bowl of the Instant Pot and push a few buttons.
Once the beans are cooked, there are several ways to prepare them. You can simply use a potato masher to achieve the desired consistency. You can use an immersion blender. Or you can use a food processor to “mash” these Instant Pot refried beans. The finished consistency of these beans is entirely up to you.
Related: Canning Dried Beans: Planning Ahead for Fast and Easy Meals
★ Did you make these Instant Pot refried beans? Don’t forget to give them a star rating below! ★
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Build a better burrito with these Instant Pot refried beans! Homemade from dried beans, they're budget friendly and a great addition to taco night.
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry pinto beans
- 4 1/2 cups water
- 1 large onion quartered
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 T. red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
Instructions
How to cook pinto beans in a pressure cooker
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Put dry beans in the reservoir of your Instant Pot and add enough water to cover the beans by 4-5″ or so. Soak eight hours or overnight. Drain beans then add onions, garlic, and 4-1/2 cups water to the pot. (If you just need cooked pinto beans, leave out the onions and garlic.) Be sure that the ingredients don't exceed the halfway mark in the cooker as mentioned in the Instant Pot manual.
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Close and lock the lid, turning the steam valve to "sealed." Using the manual setting, enter 28 minutes and walk away. When the cycle completes, use the natural release method. Simply let the pressure come down on its own until the lid unlocks. (About 20 minutes.)
Instant Pot refried beans
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Transfer to a food processor and whir until beans are a creamy consistency.
Or use an immersion blender right in the pot to "mash" the ingredients to a consistency that you like. (See notes.)
If you don’t have either of these tools, get out your potato masher – that’ll work, too.
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Stir in remaining ingredients.
Recipe Notes
Refrigerate or freeze for later use, or serve immediately. Makes approximately the equivalent of 5 – 16oz cans of refried beans.
With the Instant Pot, you can easily go from hard, dry pinto beans to fully cooked beans in an hour. But soaking beans before cooking them can make them more digestible. And for many people that means fewer...side effects.
If you opt not to soak your beans you'll need to use more water. In that case, I'd cover the beans by 3" of water. Just be sure that you don't exceed the halfway mark in the cooker.
Using an immersion blender
Here's the (slightly) tricky part. Depending on the hardness or dryness of the beans, sometimes there's more liquid remaining than you need. You should be able to see liquid just below the beans. If there's much more than that, use a ladle to drain some off, otherwise your final product may be a bit runny. Reserve the excess liquid, though, in case you need it to create your preferred consistency.
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Michelle
March 24, 2018 at 7:12 PMDelicious!
Simple and easy recipe for a great dinner.
Pao
March 28, 2018 at 8:08 AMI’m confused… I thought the point of making brand in the instant pot was to avoid the time soaking.
I haven’t made pinto beans in the IP, but I never soak black beans
Kris Bordessa
March 31, 2018 at 2:32 PMYou’re right, in that the pressure cooker allows us to cook them fully without the soaking step. However, soaking helps remove the lectins in beans, so for health reasons, many people (myself included) continue to soak beans before cooking them. More on that: https://gundrymd.com/remove-lectins/
Sophie
July 31, 2018 at 8:23 PMThank you! These have become a go-to for our family.
Kris Bordessa
August 5, 2018 at 4:37 PMAwesome!!
Sasha
August 20, 2018 at 8:00 AMI have a 3qt insta pot. Do I need to alter this recipe or can I still make it in my insta pot?
Kris Bordessa
August 22, 2018 at 6:11 PMYes; my IP is a 6-quart. I’d suggest cutting the recipe in half. Be sure the ingredients don’t exceed the level recommended by the manufacturer.
Sasha
August 26, 2018 at 4:10 PMThanks! I did it in two batches. These are delish!! I’m making another batch now!
Mary
December 5, 2018 at 9:07 AMDo you blend the onions and garlic along with the beans. Or do you take them out before blending the beans?
Kris Bordessa
December 5, 2018 at 9:15 AMBlend them all together!
Al Dodd
March 4, 2019 at 12:42 PMI made these for supper tonight. Very easy and fast. They taste great. No more store bought refried beans in my house from now on.
The recipe made enough for 4 meals at least.
I was careful with the liquid and held back a lot of it as I pureed them otherwise they would have been way too runny. I used lemon juice instead of wine.
Thank you.
Al
M
April 23, 2019 at 8:31 AMI love refried beans, and as a Southerner, a bowl of creamy pinto beans with a little ketchup on top and a corn pone with a slice of Vidalia onion is almost a religious experience. Add a mess of greens—collard, turnip, mustard… if you have them. I love Alton Brown’s oven method for collard greens but haven’t tried them in my instant pot yet. He uses rice vinegar, and it’s much better than the other vinegars I’ve used. ACV or pepper vinegar is used when serving so everyone can dress them however they please.