5 Minute Refried Beans Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

Why do restaurant refried beans taste better? ›

If you're wondering what is the secret ingredient for restaurant-quality refried beans, the answer is fat. Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.

If you prefer thicker beans, there's a simple solution to boost flavor, add moisture, and thicken refried beans. Cream cheese is the not-so-secret weapon for making refried beans a yummy side dish to accompany rice, or a versatile taco or nacho topping.

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

Refried beans are a nutrient rich food! They provide plenty of fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals. People who are at higher risk for heart disease may want to watch for the saturated fat content, but the average person can fit them into an overall healthy diet with minimal problem.

Lard – Here's where the secret ingredient comes in. Use lard to add a rich, savory thickness to the beans, or, use bacon fat like I do. Leftover bacon fat is extremely rich in salty, savory goodness, and it adds an entirely new depth of flavor to these Mexican refried beans — I can't recommend it enough!

Milk makes refried beans creamy

This liquid can help make your beans smoother and taste richer. Once the beans are tender, it's time to fry them. Garlic is cooked in the oil and then the beans are added. The beans are mashed, and this is where the milk comes in.

The name “refried beans” is a bit of a misnomer, as the beans are only fried once. The Spanish name of the dish, frijoles refritos, translates to “well-fried beans,” which is where the English name comes from.

Learn why straining and rinsing your beans is an important step—plus other ways to make the most of your legumes. Katlyn Moncada is the associate food editor at BHG.com, sharing food news and tutorials on becoming better home cooks.

Refried beans are healthy because they are high in protein, fiber, minerals, and other nutrients and they may help you lose weight. Refried beans are a delicious and versatile dish that appears on the menus of many Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants. You can also easily make this meal at home or buy it in a can.

How do you thicken homemade refried beans? ›

The secret ingredient here is heat: without heat, the starch clumps and little thickening takes place Continue heating the beans on low while you mash them until you get the desired thickness. Add starch. If you want to keep your beans intact, use a commercial starch instead of mashing the beans.

Beans are hard to digest due to two compounds - Lectins and oligosaccharides. Most beans contain plant compounds called lectins, a family of proteins known for targeting sugars in the body. High-lectin foods can cause gas, bloating, and cramping. These can include beans, legumes, grains, and nightshade vegetables.

Beans are a nutritious food packed with essential nutrients, but they can also cause gas and bloating due to their high fiber content. In addition, beans contain oligosaccharides, which are not easily digested in the small intestine and are fermented by bacteria in the large intestine, producing gas.

Beans have several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. They're a low-cost source of fiber, protein, folic acid and minerals such as magnesium, iron, zinc and potassium.

It's just the liquid the beans were cooked in. To complete, a glug of extra virgin olive oil is poured over the beans. Since beans are pretty much fat-free, the olive oil lends necessary fat and a luxe mouthfeel that's rarely found in dishes made with canned beans.

Beans are high in minerals and fiber that may boost your digestive health and reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. Yet, since refried beans often contain added fat and salt, they may be higher in calories, saturated fat, and sodium than other beans.

If you're looking for a restaurant-quality refried beans recipe, you trust us when you say you have found it. We love to serve the beans right out of the skillet, garnish with crumbled Cojita cheese, or shredded mozzarella.