As prices of canned refried beans have gone up, I looked for an alternative to paying $.80-$1/can and decided to make my own. It’s so simple and doesn’t take much time or effort.
1 bag pinto beans
water
bacon grease or veg shortening (optional)
salt to taste
Soak beans overnight. Cook over low heat 3-4 hours until tender. Drain. Mash with potato masher until they resemble refried beans. Add bacon grease/shortening & salt to taste. Use ice cream scoop to make large “scoops” onto cookie sheet. Freeze. Once frozen you can place them all into a large freezer bag for easy storage. To use for meals, take one or two out of freezer and thaw on medium power in the microwave for a couple of minutes. So simple and very economical.
we do the same…IN FACT we have some dry black beans and am doing the same…found a little trick to go with this…add just a dash of tequilla…the alcohol cooks out, but leaves a lovely taste!!
I haven’t yet put these in the freezer, but when I do refried beans from scratch like this, I add a few minced cloves of garlic and I NEVER have any leftovers for later! These are great as a side with any Mexican dish, or for an appetizer or party food, use them as a bean dip with tortilla chips. Yummy!
Hi, I learned a trick back in the 70′s on how to make large 10 lb batches of refried beans that could then be stored in freezer for cheap fast food. I did this in an attempt to avoid all the fat traditional refried beans had…as well as address the fact a few of the visiting kiddies didn’t like chunky refried beans. SOOOO I used my blender…the trick being to ladle beans about halfway in container…add thin bean juices to almost the top, then cover it with lid and a towel and blend well…then pour this rather thin bean mixture into a large heavy pan on medium heat stirring occasionally. Continue till all beans and most of juice is used. Then simmer slowly uncovered till the pureed beans thicken just a bit, (they will thicken as they cool). I added only a small amount of bacon fat or lard for seasoning ONLY…then poured the still warm mixture into freezing containers, they will last up to 6 months if sealed properly. It will seem thinner than a commercial canned refried bean…but this makes the servings/dishes microwavable (thus not messing up a pan to heat it up)…and get a good spreadable paste for burittos, tacos, nachos, and dips. For camping, these frozen chunks of refried beans served double duty keeping the eggs and meat cold and about the time they thawed 2 days into trip you have the perfect meal for all the kids to line up for. I’d just let the almost thawed beans sit on a warm stone by the fire till ready to serve lunch. We handed them each a hot flour tortilla off a stone by the fire…a big spoon of perfect consistency beans, add a small bit of grated cheese and you just fed 10 kids with no plates, forks, or napkins. LOL If we had any beans left it was added to the evenings giant skillet of potato hash served again on tortillas. I never could afford to go fishing or camping unless we made it cheap and simple on the pocket book. While I really love real authentic refried beans done in a larded skillet…the way I described worked beautifully when you had ALOT of kids to feed and was much less messy to do. My kids ate anything (even leftovers) as long as you put it on a tortilla…or it had a spread of smooth beans on it and a few shreds of cheese. LOL Back then I figured it cost about 20′s a kid (1-2 burritos per) and that included the tortillas (in bulk) and cheese and beans in bulk.
Thanks HH and teegr for the recipe and tips! I enjoyed reading your comment, teegr.
I cook the pinto beans in my crockpot overnight. I just use the amount of water it says to use on the bag and dry beans. This makes it even easier to make your own refried beans.
I am never sure how much water to use when cooking the beans. I always seem to use too little. I like to do them in a crockpot.
thanks for this recipie i grew up in El Paso TX and couldn’t rember how my mom made these. and the frezzing tip is great! My boyfriend dosent like beans so i have avoided making any in a while and i love them so thanks.
This is how we make our refried beans, except we don’t drain the liquid. My grandmother always made a rue of flour and bacon grease/veg. oil and then added the beans plus all the liquid left, then mash as usual. It thickens up well and makes it all usable. Great on a tortilla and no leaks. She raised 11 kids plus nieces and nephews so nothing was thrown out. We always figured this was her way of adding to the pot to feed every last person.