Creamy and flavorful, these gluten-free, vegan, oil-free Refried Beans are easy to make and perfect for burritos, enchiladas, as a dip, as a side dish, and more!

A bowl of refried beans topped with minced garlic, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Refried beans are a staple of Mexican and Tex Mex cuisine and can be served in so many delicious ways! But they’re usually high in refined fat. If you’re looking for a healthier version of refried beans that’s still loaded with flavor, you’re going to love these delicious and creamy, oil-free Refried Beans.

A million times better than canned, this homemade refried bean recipe is delicious and easy to make.

Are Refried Beans Healthy?

A bowl of refried beans with cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, peppers, red onion, and sour cream.

Most refried beans typically contain 3 to 8 grams of refined fat per cup. Not a very healthy choice.

These oil-free refried beans – maybe I should call them unfried refried beans – are a much better option! They’re an excellent source of slimming fiber (great for weight loss!). Just one cup gives you over 20% of your daily need for iron. And they’re a good source of protein, zinc, and magnesium.

Beans are the perfect food for diabetics. Eating beans helps keep blood sugar levels stable not only in the meal in which they are eaten but also for the next meal!

Beans are high in nutrients that are great for gut health too.

And they’ve even been shown to help reduce high blood pressure.

How to Use Refried Beans

Tortillas topped with refried beans, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, peppers, red onion, and sour cream.

When you have refried beans, you have an excellent base for a nutritious, delicious, meatless meal.

How are refried beans served?

My favorite way to use refried beans is in burritos.

We also like them spread on a warm tortilla along with this yummy Almond Cheese. Or topped with this Vegan Cheese Sauce. Or this Vegan Sour Cream.

And they make a fantastic dip for vegetables or tortilla chips.

You can also serve them with/in/on/over nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, chilaquiles, and taquitos.

Refried beans are luscious with rice. Garnish them with fresh cilantro, onions, minced garlic, and/or a splash of lime juice. I like to drizzle this dressing over mine.

I’ve even been known to spread refried beans on this sandwich.

Refried beans are a delicious side dish too.

They’re great served with my Avocado Cilantro Lime Rice, Avocado Cabbage Slaw, Corn Relish Salad, or Avocado Tomato Salad.

How to Store Refried Beans

Store leftover beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Refried beans are a great make-ahead food. You can store them in the freezer for about 3 months.

Tips for Making Healthy Refried Beans

Use this recipe. This homemade refried beans recipe has great flavor and is so good for you.
Make sure you cook your beans until they are super soft.
If you prefer super creamy beans, mash them extra well adding more liquid as desired. Or use a food processor.
If you prefer a chunkier texture, mash them less.
Season to taste. Garlic and lime juice are great additions.

Refried Bean FAQ

Are refried beans vegan?

These delicious homemade refried beans are 100% plant-based vegan, but many others – especially those that you get at a restaurant – are not. (They often contain lard.)

Can these be made with a different variety of bean?

I have not tried this recipe with other types of beans, but I’m quite sure that black beans would work well. You may want to increase the water amount slightly as black beans tend to use more in the cooking process.

Crock-Pot Refried Beans

These beans are great for burritos, tacos, or as a dip.

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Cook Time 17

Total Time 10

Course Main Course

YIELD 5 Cups

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Ingredients

2 1/2 cups dry, uncooked pinto beans
7-8 cups water - (See note #2.)
1 medium Turkish bay leaf
1 medium yellow onion
4 to 6 cloves garlic - minced
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated onion
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Instructions

Sort through beans, removing any stones and dirt. Place beans in a large colander and rinse very well under running water.
Transfer beans to a 3-quart slow cooker. Add water and bay leaf.
Turn slow cooker to high and cook for 10 to 12 hours. See note #4.
All slow cookers cook differently, but you can determine how long your beans need to cook by testing them. If they are very soft, tender, and starting to fall apart, they are done. But it doesn’t hurt to cook them longer than needed; provided they have sufficient water, it’s difficult to overcook beans.
When beans are done, remove bay leaf.
Finely dice onion.
Sauté onions in a medium saucepan (3- to 4-quart) over medium-low heat for 2 minutes or until they begin to soften.
Reduce heat to low and continue sauteing for 8 minutes or until onions are translucent and lightly browned.
Add minced garlic and continue sautéing for 1 to 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, carefully pour off and reserve most of liquid from beans. Set aside.
Add seasonings to beans. Using a potato masher or a large fork, mash beans adding in as much reserved bean liquid as needed until desired consistency is reached.
When onions and garlic are done, stir into mashed beans.
Serve warm or cold.

Notes

1. It is important that the beans come to a boil during cooking. Most slow cookers get hot enough to bring beans to a good boil for several hours. Make sure your slow cooker gets hot enough by checking your beans at the end of the cooking time to see if they are gently boiling.

2. All slow cookers cook differently. Some lose a lot of steam during cooking while others do not. Adjust water amount accordingly.

3. This recipe is for a 3-quart slow cooker. If using a larger slow cooker, you can increase ingredient amounts. If doubling the recipe, you will only need 12 to 14 cups water.

4. The cooked beans should be very, very tender before serving. If your beans are not soft after 8 hours of cooking, they may be too old or your slow cooker may not be working correctly.

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