‘Refried’ Beans

the magical fruit!

Fun fact: When I was in high school my favorite after school snack was a can of La Preferida spicy chipotle refried beans. To honor that, and to keep things simple, we’re using canned pinto beans instead of dry beans.

Refried beans are still my favorite treat at Mexican restaurants. I’ve dabbled with making them at home every once in a while and figured it was time to get a recipe on paper. While lard is traditional, this recipe uses avocado oil because that’s what I have on hand and for weeknight purposes, it’s a healthier option. Lard is of course more flavorful! You could easily swap the avocado oil out and use beef tallow instead.

Ingredients

• 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans

• 1/2 Vidalia or yellow onion, sliced or diced

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped

• 3 tablespoons avocado oil

• 1 1/2 cups chicken or beef stock

• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo

• 1 tablespoon adobo sauce

• 1/3 cup sour cream, optional

• Salt + black pepper, to taste

• About 1/2 can water

For Topping

• 2 tablespoons finely diced raw white or red onion

• 2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro or cilantro stems

• 1/4 cup crumbled or shredded cheese, such as:

  • Cotija

  • White cheddar

  • Monterey Jack

Instructions

1. Heat the avocado oil in a medium pot or saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and fragrant.

3. Drain the pinto beans, but do not rinse them. The extra starch will help with the creamy texture. Fill one of the empty bean cans about halfway with water.

4. Add the drained beans and the water to the pot. Bring everything to a gentle simmer and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the chicken or beef stock and continue simmering for another 10 minutes, until the beans are very soft and the liquid has reduced slightly.

6. While the beans simmer, prep the toppings. Finely dice the raw onion and jalapeño, chop the cilantro or cilantro stems, and crumble or shred the cheese.

7. Add the chipotle pepper and adobo sauce to the beans along with a splash of broth to help with blending in the next step.

8. Use an immersion blender to blend the beans directly in the pot until smooth, or carefully transfer everything to a countertop blender.

   If you prefer more texture, reserve about 1/4 cup of the beans before blending and stir them back in afterward.

9. Return the beans to low heat. If using, stir in the sour cream until fully incorporated and warmed through. This will add a creamy richness.

10. Taste and season with salt and black pepper as needed. Add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

11. Transfer the beans to a serving dish and top with the diced jalapeño, raw onion, cilantro, and your choice of cheese.

Serve warm.

Tips + Notes

For this version, I’d keep the beans a little looser than traditional refried beans. Since they’re being served as a side dish, a soft, spoonable consistency feels more generous and less dense.

If the beans get too thick while sitting, stir in a splash of stock or water before serving.

Cilantro stems work especially well here because they have a lot of flavor and hold their texture better than the leaves. Finely dice them so they blend into the toppings rather than feeling fibrous.

Cheese: I like cotija for the salty crumbliness but it’s not great if you want a melty cheese. If you’re going for more melty, use shredded white cheddar or monterey jack!If you’re using cotija, go lighter on added salt at the end since the cheese brings plenty of salinity.

Hot Sauce vs Peppers: If you don’t have a can of chipotle peppers or prefer a less spicy version, just add a chipotle style hot sauce (Cholula + Tabasco both have their own versions that are widely available). You can also add a couple spoonfuls of the adobo sauce for a more mild heat. Different grocery stores have different brands but it’s always in the Mexican food specialty section.

This recipe goes really well with my beef barbacoa! If you’re making both, add a little bit of the fat/ sauce from the barbacoa into the beans at the end with the sour cream.