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Creamy Crockpot Refried Beans are made with very little effort, with simple spices! They are mashed into restaurant-style perfection for a delicious side dish to serve with all your Mexican dishes.

Bowl of refried beans.
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These slow-cooker refried beans deliver authentic taste with almost zero effort, making them your new staple for Tex-Mex nights.

Instead of paying around $1 per can, you can easily make your own refried pinto beans and place them in the freezer to save your family a ton of money. Then you only have to heat them up to eat. Plus, you can make them in your crockpot with very little effort and have them ready and waiting.

Also check out our list of Mexican Side Dishes for more easy recipes.

Why Make Refried Beans in the Crockpot

Skip the canned stuff and make Homemade Refried beans in the crockpot. The slow cooker softens dried pinto beans all day while infusing them with smoky cumin, onion, and garlic.

There’s no soaking, no stovetop babysitting, and you control the ingredients Blend or mash for creamy and velvety beans that make the best side dish. They are perfect to serve with tacos, burritos, nachos and to stock your freezer. Making our own Refried Beans has become my favorite Mexican Slow Cooker Recipes.

Ingredients

  • Pinto Beans – Make sure to use fresh pinto beans for the best results
  • Onion – We peel and chop the onion. However, you can just cut in half, if you want the flavor, but want to take the onion out later.
  • Water – You basically just want double the amount of cups of water in the crock pot than there are beans. You can easily swap with chicken broth for more flavor.
  • Spices – Add in salt, garlic salt, cumin and black pepper. Simple pantry spices for the best flavor
  • Jalapeno Pepper – This is seeded but you can leave it in for those that like it hot.

Scroll to the recipe card for the full recipe.

How to Make Refried Beans in the Slow Cooker

Step 1 – Rinse the pinto beans and pour everything in the slow cooker.

Step 2 – Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 8 to 10 hours with the lid on. Make sure to stir the beans every now and then once you bring to a boil. Cooking time will vary.

Step 3 – When the beans have finished cooking, use a slotted spoon to scoop out some of the bean mixture into another bowl.

Step 4 – Start to mash the beans with a potato masher. You could use an immersion blender but it is easy to do it by hand because they are so soft and tender.

Step 5 – As you mash the beans, you can add the cooking liquid from the crockpot as needed until you get them to the consistency you prefer. This is all personal preference and you can decide how “mushy” you want them.

Step 6 – After the beans are ready, put them into containers to freeze or serve top of the beans with hot sauce.

Instant pot black bean chili.

Crockpot Refried Beans

5 from 25 votes
Creamy Crockpot Refried Beans are made with very little effort, with simple spices! They are mashed into restaurant-style perfection for a delicious side dish to serve with all your Mexican dishes.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 hours
Total Time 10 hours 5 minutes
Servings 24
Cuisine American, Mexican
Course Side Dish
Calories 57

Ingredients

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Instructions

  • Thoroughly rinse the beans. Place in crockpot and add all other ingredients.
  • Cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours. They will start to get really soft.
  • Once they are cooked, use a slotted spoon to scoop out some of the mixture into another bowl. Begin mashing with a potato masher (you could use a food processor here but it is easy to do it by hand).
  • Add liquids from the crockpot as needed to get the consistency you prefer.
  • You get to decide how “mushy” you want them. Continue to do this until all beans have been mashed.
  • Then place the beans into containers for the freezer until ready to eat. 1 pound of dried beans will make about 4 “cans” of beans.
  • When you are ready to eat, just thaw in your fridge and cook on low in a sauce pan, until heated through.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Calories 57kcal, Carbohydrates 11g, Protein 3g, Fat 1g, Saturated Fat 1g, Sodium 297mg, Potassium 177mg, Fiber 4g, Sugar 1g, Vitamin A 8IU, Vitamin C 1mg, Calcium 24mg, Iron 1mg

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Recipe Tips

  • Stock your Freezer – I highly suggest that you cook 2 pounds of pinto beans at a time. This will yield 8 cans in one sitting. Since you are doing the work, you might as well make as much as you can. It really isn’t anymore work and you get double the amount.
  • Prepare Onions – Also, if you use chopped onions in this recipe, save time by learning how to freeze onions . It’s so handy for this recipe and many other recipes being able to just grab already chopped onions from the freezer. I use a small food chopper or processor to quickly and easily chop onions and freeze them in bulk. It is such a time saver.
  • Classic Flavor – If you want the traditional flavor of refried beans, add a stick of butter or olive oil to the mixture and blend together. this will give you the flavor of frying without the mess.
  • Consistency – If the beans are to thick, add more liquid. You can also save some of this to use when reheating. Water can also be used but it is not as flavorful.
  • Easy Clean Up – Now if you want to save yourself even more time (don’t we all? ) then I really recommend these Crockpot liners. They make clean up a breeze when slow cooking.
  • Instant Pot – You can make refried beans in the pressure cooker if prefer.

Serving Ideas

Storage and Reheating Tips

  • Fridge – Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
  • Freeze – Portion into freezer bags, lay flat, and freeze up to 3 months.
  • Reheat – Warm gently on the stove or microwave, stirring in a splash of broth or water to loosen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I Need to Soak Beans before putting in the Slow Cooker?

You do not need to soak the beans overnight. They are cooked long enough where they will be tender.

What Kind of Beans are Refried Beans made of?

Traditionally refried beans are made from pinto beans. However, you can make refried kidney beans or black beans if you prefer.

Is it Cheaper to Make Crock Pot Refried Beans?

Normally, 1 can of refried beans cost about $1.50 on sale. You can get one pound of beans for $1 which yields about 4 cans of beans.
That means they only cost $.25 per can. Now you can normally get a better price on the dried beans if you buy the 2 pound bag, so double check that.
But the main reason I like to make homemade is I can control the spices, they are healthier and taste better too.

More Easy Crock Pot Beans Recipes

We love to hear from you! If you make Crockpot Refried Beans Recipe, please leave us a comment to let us know how everything turns out.

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie Barnard — a professional food blogger with over 14 years of experience helping busy families make dinner fast, easy, and affordable.

At Eating on a Dime, I share simple, budget-friendly recipes that are tested in my own kitchen and approved by my 8 kids. With millions of readers each month, I’m here to help you cook real food for real families — without the stress.

5 from 25 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Correna GHS says:

    Does the jalapeno get chopped up or do you put it in whole (deseeded) and remove when done cooking? Sorry for the dumb question – I’ve never cooked with jalapenos before!

    1. Carrie Barnard says:

      I’m so sorry for the confusion Correna. I chop up the jalapeño and adding it into the crock pot with the other ingredients.

  2. debby dye says:

    5 stars
    Oh my this was good. I am not a fan of refried pinto beans but my husband loves them so I had to make them for him. And I enjoyed them. I did not mash them. My husband liked them that way better. Thanks again Carrie. You will not be disappointed. I halved the recipe. For us two that worked better for us.

    1. Carrie Barnard says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!

  3. Jan says:

    I don’t understand the recipe. If you do 2 pounds of beans, that’s 18 cups of water. That’s a really big crockpot.

    1. Carrie says:

      Sorry for the confusion – I made this recipe and I used 6 cups of water per pound of beans so it would be 12 cups to make 2 pounds and this was about to fit into my 6 quart crock pot. I updated the recipe so that it is more clear.

  4. Lori @ RecipeGirl says:

    5 stars
    ohhhh, good idea for and easy way how to make these homemade!

  5. Aysegul Sanford says:

    5 stars
    This is such a handy recipe. Especially with all the winter cooking i have coming up. Thanks for sharing.

  6. Toni | Boulder Locavore says:

    5 stars
    I can’t wait to give this a try!

  7. Jennifer Farley says:

    5 stars
    Refried beans are such a staple for me! Love this recipe!

  8. Joanne says:

    5 stars
    The jalapeno adds such wonderful flavor here. So easy in the crockpot too!

  9. Melissa Sperka says:

    5 stars
    What a terrific technique!

  10. Mindy says:

    These are delicious. I freeze in quart size freezer bags and lay them flat in the freezer. We like to make bean dip out of them by adding sour cream and a little cheese to them while they are heating up. It’s great with tortilla chips or fritos. I also use them to make burritos.

    1. Carrie says:

      That is a great idea! I’m going to have to try that.