Learn how to make the BEST Instant Pot Refried Beans! No soaking required, and they taste so much better than canned. Vegan.
Whether you make simple refried bean burritos, or use them as a side dish to enchiladas, tofu tacos, cauliflower fajitas or vegan chik’n burritos, these instant pot refried beans are going to blow your mind!
Refried pinto beans are the most kid-friendly bean I know. For some reason, my kids can be resistant to eating whole beans, but they LOVE mushy beans. Grab some tortillas, maybe a little shredded vegan cheese and you’ve got an easy dinner the whole family will enjoy. Of course, I’d probably add lettuce, avocado chunks, salsa and tomatoes, but you get the point.
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What Instant Pot should I get?
I purchased the 6-Quart Instant Pot a few years ago and it’s the perfect size for my family of 5. If you are cooking for 1 or 2, you may want to consider the 3-Quart or for large batch cooking, I’d get the 8-Quart. The cooking times will be the same using each one, but be aware if you have the smaller Instant Pot (3-quart) you may need to cut recipes in half.
How do you make Refried Beans in the Instant Pot?
- Saute an onion and a few cloves of garlic in the Instant Pot for a few minutes. To de-glaze the pot and prevent the dreaded “burn” message, add a small amount of water and scrape off any stuck bits of food.
- Add rinsed pinto beans, water, chili powder, cumin and a teaspoon of salt. Give it a little stir. Seal, and cook at high manual pressure for 40 minutes. Once the timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes, then vent any remaining pressure.
- Remove the lid. The beans will be very watery. Remove 2 cups of the liquid and reserve it. Drain the beans and discard the rest of the liquid.
- Using an immersion blender, puree the beans, adding in the reserved liquid until the desired consistency is reached.
Special Tips & Considerations
- BURN Message: If your Instant Pot easily give you the burn message, you can skip sautéing the onion/garlic and simply add everything together in the pot and cook.
- Don’t have an immersion blender? You can mash them by hand using a potato masher, or transfer in small batches to a food processor/blender and process until smooth.
- How to store refried beans: Store in covered containers in the refrigerator for 5 days. They can also be frozen. To freeze flat, place the beans in a large, freezer safe bag, seal, then flatten and freeze. When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and re-heat on the stove.
- If you wish to soak the beans, you can. Decrease the cooking time to 15 or 20 minutes.
Instant Pot Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pinto beans (about 2 1/4 cups)
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups water
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1-2 teaspoons salt, to taste
Instructions
- Rinse the pinto beans in a large colander, picking out any misshapen beans. Set aside.
- In the Instant Pot, turn on the Saute feature and warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn off the Instant Pot for a moment. Pour a small amount of water into the Instant Pot, and scrape along the bottom to remove any bits of food (this will help prevent the BURN message).
- Add the dry pinto beans, the rest of the water, spices and 1 teaspoon of 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 40 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes, then vent any remaining pressure manually.
- Keep 2 cups of the liquid from the cooked beans in a bowl, then drain the rest of the liquid. Return the beans back to the pot.
- Use an immersion blender to blend the beans to the desired consistency, adding some of the reserved liquid as needed. The beans will continue to thicken as they cool. Add more salt to taste. Serve with any desired toppings and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- How to store refried beans: Keep in covered containers in the refrigerator for 5 days. They also freeze well. To save space, freeze flat in large freezer ziplock bags. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before warming on the stovetop and serving.
- If your Instant Pot gets the burn message easily: Instead of sauteing the onion and garlic in oil, simply skip the sauteing and add everything together in the pot.
- If you wish to pre-soak the beans, you can decrease the pressure cooking time t0 15-20 minutes.
- Don't have an immersion blender? You can leave the beans whole, use a potato masher, or transfer in small batches to a food processor/blender and process until smooth.
- For a change, use black beans instead!
NUTRITION INFORMATION
This recipe was originally posted in December 2017 and has been updated with newer photos and writing.
Sherri
Hi! I love refried beans so was excited to make this. The beans were a bit tough at 40 mins so i put them on for another 10 and they were creamy goodness! The one other tweak that I did was add a few dashes of liquid smoke to give them a bit of umami—yuuuum! Thanks for all the amazing recipes!
Nora
You’re welcome! I’m glad the beans came out great!
Laura
Hi! We don’t have an instant pot, and have no plans to get one anytime soon. Do you have a recipe for crock pot or stove cooking?
Nora
Hi there! So you could cook these in a crock pot for about 8 hours on high. Or the stovetop for about 2 hours until soft. Hope that helps!
Alex H.
Used this recipe for my instant pot 1st use. It is super easy and oh my goodness they are awesome. So much so, we made it again the next day. Thanks for sharing this with us, This is the one you need to make.
Nora
Thanks for the comment! So glad you like them!
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!!!