Crockpot Refried Beans

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.

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

• You can add refried beans to Mexican casseroles like this Crock Pot Mexican Taco Casserole Recipe.
• Serve the delicious beans as a side dish with Easy Crock Pot Street Tacos Recipe, Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken Recipe, Ground Beef Enchiladas, Taco Rice Casserole, Fajitas, Street Tacos or The Best Crockpot Chicken Tacos Recipe . I like to top the refried beans with shredded cheese and sour cream when serving as a side dish.
• You can make bean burritos. We love Beef Burritos with rice and beans.
• Taco Dip.– This is such an easy appetizer or snack. The refried beans are delicious in this. We even like to use these refried beans in this 7 Layer refried bean Dip.

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.