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Instant Pot refried beans served in a white shallow speckled bowl.
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Instant Pot Refried Beans Recipe

These Instant Pot refried beans are made from scratch with dried beans, aromatics, and a few spices. They are creamy, delicious, and healthier than anything you can get in a can. Learn how to make the best refried beans in your electric pressure cooker using soaked or unsoaked beans, both of which are covered in this post.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex
Keyword electric pressure cooker, pinto beans, vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Soaking time for beans 8 hours
Servings 8 people
Author Freda Dias

Equipment

  • Instant Pot 6 quart

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried pinto beans
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil/vegetable oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 4 cups of water or low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1/2 tsp Mexican dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
  • 2 bay leaves optional
  • Juice of half a lime optional

Instructions

  • Sort the beans well to remove any shriveled beans or debris. Rinse the beans in a colander under running water. Transfer the beans to a large bowl, add about 6 cups of water, soak overnight or for 8-10 hours
  • Press the ‘SAUTE’ button, and set it to ‘NORMAL’. Once its displays, ‘HOT’, then add olive oil, add chopped onion and sauté until translucent.
  • Add minced garlic, sauté until the garlic is fragrant.
  • Add the spices and sauté for another 30 seconds.
  • Add about 1/2 cup of water or broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove anything that is stuck at the bottom of the pot.
  • Press ‘CANCEL’ to switch off the “SAUTE’ mode.
  • Drain the beans and add them to the pot. Add the remaining 3.5 cups of water or broth and bay leaves (if using). Give everything a good mix.
  • Close the lid of the Instant Pot. Set the valve to ‘SEALING’. Pressure cook on high for 15 minutes. It will take some time for the pressure to build up (about 16 minutes), after which the timer will begin.
  • Once the cooking cycle is complete, let the pot depressurize naturally.
  • Press ‘CANCEL’ and switch off the IP. Once the silver pin drops, turn the knob to ‘VENTING’ and open the lid away from you.
  • Drain the beans through a colander, reserving the liquid. Discard the bay leaves.
  • Purée the beans with an immersion blender, adding the reserved liquid little at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. I used about 1.75 cups of the liquid to purée the beans. Drizzle some freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice, and mix well.
  • For chunky refried beans you may also use a potato masher to mash the beans.
  • Check for seasoning and adjust with more salt if required. I added another 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  • Dish out the refried beans, garnish with diced onions, tomatoes, crumbled cotija cheese, queso fresco, or Mexican shredded cheese, and chopped cilantro.

Notes

  • For the no-soak method: Follow step 1 of sorting and rinsing the beans, then follow the rest of the steps. Increase the liquid to 6 cups and pressure cook on high for 45-50 minutes followed by a natural pressure release.
  • Alternatively, you can make this Instant Pot creamy refried beans using another method. First, pressure-cook the soaked or unsoaked beans with the liquid.  Empty the contents from the pot, and sauté aromatics and spices. Add the cooked beans and liquid and mash or blend to your desired consistency. 
  • The beans, soaked or unsoaked should ideally be well cooked in the time specified. But, sometimes other factors like the age of dried beans or the hardness of the water might affect the cooking time of the beans. If they are not cooked, put the lid back on and pressure cook on ‘HIGH’ for another 10-15 minutes followed by a natural pressure release.
  • You can also blend the beans in a regular blender or a food processor. Make sure the beans and liquid have cooled down, and blend in batches.
  • You will have approx 1.75 cups of leftover bean stock. Do not discard it, it can be used in soups or curries.
  • This recipe is kid-friendly as the spice level is pretty low. If you’d like to increase the spice level, add 1 serrano or jalapeño pepper, diced, along with the minced garlic. You can also add 1/2 teaspoon or more of cayenne pepper.
  • Cook time includes time taken for pressure-build up and natural pressure release. 
  • Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml