The Secret to Great Refried Beans…
When I moved out of my parent’s house, I was 19 and going halfway across the country to cold and beautiful Minnesota. For what Minnesota had in beauty it lacked in…Mexican Food. Every food that I missed from home I suddenly had to make myself if I ever wanted those flavors hitting my tongue again. This included good ol’ refried beans. I made them time and time again, but they never tasted as delicious as my mother’s. I thought to myself “Why is it this hard? It’s only a few ingredients!” It wasn’t until discussing this with my sister that she told me she had seen how our mother makes them, and the trick was…
Oil
Maybe it’s because I always try to use oil conservatively, but it really hadn’t occurred to me that in order to make some really good refried beans, I had to really “fry” them and that this would involve quite a generous amount of oil. It suddenly made so much sense! So while I won’t say this is the healthiest way to enjoy beans, I will say it is the most delicious! Of course, you can adjust to your liking. I’ve had to play with the amount of oil I use myself, and quickly learned how much is too much. Don’t let the pictures below scare you, I’ve adjusted the oil measurement since then, so yours won’t look as oil heavy š
Ingredients
This recipe really only uses 3 ingredients, which is surprising considering how delicious it is! It uses cooked whole beans along with their broth, oil, and salt. You can use several types of beans like pinto or even black, but I prefer mayocoba beans as those are the ones my mother always used. Though canned beans should work, I like to use my slow cooker beans for this recipe because the broth gets a nice flavor from the aromatics. Additionally, I can use as much of the broth as I want. This comes in handy when deciding the texture I want for my refried beans. Sometimes runnier is better, like when it comes to nachos…yum!
Directions
The first step is to add the oil to a large skillet and allow it to get really hot.
Once the oil is hot, add your strained beans to it. Be careful! Though our beans are strained, it’s inevitable for some bean broth to make its way in there, so be careful when adding the beans, as the oil can splatter. Let the beans fry for 5-7 minutes.
After frying the beans for a few minutes, start mashing with a potato masher. For smoother beans, mash well. If a little texture is what you’re going for, leave a few beans whole, or add some when done mashing.
Once you’re finished mashing the beans, allow to fry for a minute or two then slowly start incorporating the bean broth while continuing to mash. For runnier beans, add more bean broth. For thicker beans, add less. Note that as the beans start to cool, they’ll thicken a bit, so add just a bit more bean broth than the consistency you’re looking for. Add salt, and you’re done!
Traditional Refried Beans
Traditional and comforting refried beans that make a perfect side, burrito addition, dip, or poured over nachos!
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Ingredients
6 cups 1419.53 ml Cooked Beans
1 cup 236.59 ml Neutral Oil
1 cups 236.59 ml Bean Broth
1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon Salt
Directions
- Strain beans well and reserve bean broth.
- On medium-high heat, heat oil in skillet and allow to get really hot.
- Once oil is hot, add strained beans to oil. Be careful! Oil may splatter.
- Fry beans for 5-7 minutes, or until you see the edges of beans get nice and crispy.
- Mash beans. Let mashed beans fry for a couple minutes.
- Slowly incorporate bean broth and continue to mash. For runnier beans add more broth. For thicker beans add less.
- Add salt and mix well.
Notes
- As beans begin to cool, they will thicken a bit. It may be helpful to make beans just slightly runnier than preferred to get the texture you’re looking for before serving.
- Store in refrigerator for 3-4 days or in freezer for up to 3 months.
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