You know how when you go to a Mexican restaurant, they always have the most amazing refried beans? This recipe gives you those delicious restaurant-style refried beans and the great part is that they are SO easy to make because they cook in your Instant Pot!
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our Instant Pot refried beans, you need the following ingredients:
- Onion
- Dry pinto beans, rinsed
- Jalapeno pepper
- Minced garlic
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Ground cumin
- Water
- Chicken broth
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Instant Pot Refried Beans
- Place the liner into the Instant Pot.
- Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into the liner of the Instant Pot.
- Pour in the water and the chicken broth.
- Place the lid on top of the Instant Pot. Move the valve to SEALING.
- Press the MANUAL (or PRESSURE COOK) button and set the timer for 45 minutes.
- Let the pressure do a natural release when it’s done (will take 15-25 minutes).
- Drain the excess liquid from the beans and set liquid aside.
- Using a potato masher or handheld electric mixer, mash the cooked beans until they reach the desired consistency. Add drained liquid back in as needed (I usually add ½ cup – 1 cup of liquid back in).
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
I love to top these bean with shredded cheese or cotija cheese, some fresh cilantro, and diced jalapeños.
If your family doesn’t like the heat from jalapeños, you can substitute a can of green chilies.
You could easily freeze these beans (once they have cooled down, I stick them in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and place them in the freezer. When you want to eat them, remove from the freezer and let them thaw for a few hours in the fridge, then heat up in the microwave until warmed through.
Enjoy More Delicious Bean Side Dishes
Need the perfect compliment to your main dish? You’ll want to try these delicious side dishes. Browse our comprehensive collection of simple side dish recipes.
Instant Pot Refried Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- ⅓ jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced; more or less depending on how hot you prefer your beans
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin, optional
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Place the liner into the Instant Pot.
- Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeno, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into the liner of the Instant Pot.
- Pour in the water and the chicken broth.
- Place the lid on top of the Instant Pot. Move the valve to SEALING.
- Press the MANUAL (or PRESSURE COOK) button and set the timer for 45 minutes.
- Let the pressure do a natural release when it's done (will take 15-25 minutes).
- Drain the excess liquid from the beans and set liquid aside.
- Using a potato masher or handheld electric mixer, mash the cooked beans until they reach the desired consistency. Add drained liquid back in as needed (I usually add ½ cup – 1 cup of liquid back in).
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
I would love to do this recipe! I can’t buy pinto beans in Argentina. Can I use kidney beans or any other kind? Thank you! Greetings from Bs As!
Refried beans are usually always made with Pinto beans. If you use a different bean, you’ll have a totally different taste.
Now I really like refried beans. This recipe has become a regular in my house. I am wondering what one serving is 1/2 cup?
This is my favorite Instant Pot refried bean recipe I have come across. It is the only one I use and I have used it many time. I like to use bone broth made from the instant pot if possible. It makes the beans taste so amazing and fresh. I end up keeping a lot more of the bean juice to where it seems kind of runny but it firms up and does MUCH BETTER if refrigerated or frozen. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Thanks Julie for letting us know that you like this IP Refried Beans Recipe. Great to hear that you use the bone broth from the IP when possible. Sounds amazing.
Oh my gosh, these beans are WONDERFUL! I love making lazy burritos with them. That’s where we just get a whole wheat flour tortilla, add the beans along with some salsa and shedded cheese, fold it up and eat. We’re too impatient to even toast the burritos before diving in! Thank you!!
Lazy Burritos sound delicious!
I love how these beans taste, but my beans are never done when they come out of the instant pot. I’ve made this recipe three times and keep increasing the cook time. Today I pressured them for an hour and 5 minutes and the natural release took about 35 minutes, and the beans were still a little hard. I just dump everything into a pot and finish the cooking on the stove. Any suggestions? They still taste fantastic, they’re just not as convenient.
I did a little research, it said to be sure that your beans aren’t old and maybe increase the cook time (which you did). Here is a link with some tips on cooking beans in the Instant Pot – https://www.dadcooksdinner.com/pressure-cooker-refried-pinto-beans/#how-to-make-instant-pot-refried-beans