These taste so much better than store-bought canned refried beans, it’s unbelievable! Vegan Refried Beans are made in the Instant Pot in under an hour and are super affordable. No need for lard or oil in these babies. Just pure plants.
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I have been making these Instant Pot Vegan Refried Beans a lot lately. My kids aren’t crazy for all kinds of beans (they are getting there), but they have always loved refried beans. I guess they are less scary because they are mushy and creamy? I don’t know.
After buying vegetarian canned refried beans for many years, I only recently decided to try making my own from scratch in the Instant Pot. And OMG, I am hooked! They really do have a different taste altogether. No aftertaste from a can. They taste like the refried beans you would get served in an authentic Mexican restaurant, except they are vegan, oil and lard-free, and good for you!
You do not need to soak your beans first for this recipe, but if you want to, that’s fine. I suggest reducing the cooking time to 25 minutes if you do.
The other trick to remember is that when the beans are finished cooking, drain and reserve a few cups of the water BEFORE you blend them. Then, use an immersion blender and add back in the reserved water if you need to, to make them less thick. I prefer them to be a little more on the soupy side, because they thicken up pretty quickly as they cool.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could transfer them to a food processor, or just mash with a potato masher.
Serve these refried beans with these incredible Sheet Pan Cauliflower Fajitas or Cauliflower Mushroom Walnut Tacos for a Mexican feast!
Inspired by this recipe.
Instant Pot Vegan Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound dry pinto beans
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Instructions
- In the Instant Pot, turn on the Saute feature. Add the onion, garlic and a few tablespoons of water. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until translucent and fragrant. Turn off the Instant Pot for a moment.
- Add the dry pinto beans, water, spices and salt to the pot. Give it a little stir.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the valve is set to "sealing". Set to manual, high pressure for 35 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 10 minutes. Then, you may manually release the rest of the pressure.
- Drain about 2 cups of the liquid, but reserve it in a bowl.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the beans to the desired consistency. Add in more of the cooking liquid if you need it. The beans will appear runny at first, but will thicken considerably as they cool.
Recipe Notes
NUTRITION INFORMATION
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Sylvia
Because of a very fragile digestive system I have to soak beans before cooking and discard the water. So, if I soak these beans overnight, by how much do I reduce the water for cooking them?
This recipe sounds delicious and I would like to try it.
Nora
Sure! I haven’t tried it, but I would check them after just 20 minutes. If they aren’t quite done, cook them for 5 more minutes, but 20 minutes might do it. Enjoy!
Alan Downs
Hi Nora,
Probably a dumb question, but here goes. I have some frozen, chopped green chile from New Mexico that I’m thinking about adding to the recipe. I’m a newbie to the instant pot and have yet to try refried beans. When do you think I should add the thawed chile?
Alan
Nora
I would probably add it after they cook, when you blend the beans. Not a dumb question at all!
Kerry Seip
My first Instant Pot recipe! Good beans. I think I’ll tweak the seasonings a bit, but that is personal taste. (I did add roasted chiles!) So what used to take 8+ hours in a crock pot now took less than 2! I think I’m sold on the Instant Pot! Thank you!
Nora
That’s great, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Sharon
Please state what size instant pot you used. I have a 6 qt and am never sure if there is enough room for the liquid after cooking to not burn. I love your recipes. I find in vegan recipes authors many times don’t give the size pan or instapot to use to get optimum results. Thanks!
Nora
6 quart. I will keep this in mind to specify what kind I used, thank you!
Jane Hallett
I left a comment to say my beans were kind of hard. I came back to change my comment and tell you after I processed them. They were delicious. However, my original comment has not been posted. Seems a bit dishonest.
Nora
Hi Jane! I never saw another comment from you, sorry! I don’t even see it in my spam folder, so I’m not sure what happened there. Whatever happened with the beans, I’m so glad they turned out for you!
Claudia Ferriday
Jane Hallett – What’s dishonest is publicly rating a recipe when you hadn’t even finished it!
I just made this recipe and it was perfect!
Nora
Thanks so much! I’m glad they came out perfect for you!
Marilyn
I’ve made these on the stove for years. I just cook up 2lbs of pintos & then make a meal of beans & rice. Then put the remaining beans & juice into freezer bowls & freeze. One way to make this authentic is to brown 4 guajillo dried chilis in some oil. Leave peppers in pot & add rest of the ingredients and cook according to directions. After done use tongs to remove peppers and serve beans, This is the authentic flavor like you get in Mexico!!
Michelle
Hi
Can these be made with black beans?
Nora
Yes, I don’t see why not!
Kelly
WOW…these beans were delicious! My family and I will be enjoying this recipe for many years to come. Thank you 😊
Nora
So much better than canned, right?! I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Eden
Hi Nora! I just made a batch of these beans and they are absolutely DELICIOUS! I am slowly becoming your biggest fan; I’ve been on a marathon of cooking your recipes for the past few days and not one has been a disappointment! I love how each recipe is simple, uses ingredients I have on hand, and tastes delicious! Do you have a cookbook? If so, I would buy it! Thanks for providing such great recipes. PS I love how you sprinkle in Instant Pot recipes as well! I love my Instant Pot and use it all the time!
Cheryl
Thank you for this super easy recipe! I added a small can of chopped jalapeno with the beans during the cooking process to add a little kick. Yummy!
Nora
You’re welcome Cheryl! Thanks for the feedback. The jalapenos sound like a fantastic addition!
James Purcell
Hi Nora, I made your recipe last night and dipped baked potatos in it with avocado slices on top. It was perfect, I’m eating it every day this week. Easy way to reduce your grocery bill to almost nothing, eat just about as healthy as a human can, with almost no effort.
Nora
I’m so glad you enjoyed the beans! Sounds good with potatoes and avocado slices. Yes, eating plant based and healthy doesn’t have to be expensive at all!
Samantha
This was PHENOMENOL!! My beans came out percect – I didn’t Realize just how good this was going to taste. Thank you for such a great recipe. BTW, I added my salt last, before blending. I’ve heard you shouldn’t add your salt while the beans are cooking.
Nora
Yay! They are so good, right!? You’re so welcome, thanks for the comment!
Kara
What about refried black beans?? Would it work the same?
Nora
Yes that should work fine.
Lisa
Can this recipe doubled? It’s my first attempt at Instant Pot!!
Nora
Oh how exciting! I think there would be room to double this, depending on the size of your Instant Pot. Make sure the beans and liquid don’t go above the line inside the pot where it says to stop. However, this recipe does make a lot of refried beans, so you may not need to! With a family of 5, we usually have leftovers for days, or I freeze half.
Robert
Love these beans!!!