Homemade "re-fried" Beans--Cheapest Meal on Earth

What you need to do:

Never buy cans of refried beans ever again.


Buy a really big bag of pinto beans at a wholesale store. Keep it sealed up tight, and stored in a cool, dry place. It might set you back about $5.00.

Are you ready? You will not believe how easy this is!

At night:

1. Pour 2 cups of pinto beans into a collander and rinse well. As you rinse, look for anything black and discard it. That is a funky bean, and you don't want it.

2. Put the rinsed beans into your crock pot and cover them with water (I use filtered water at this point since I live in CA and tap water is yucky). Add 1 Tbsp salt and stir. Put the lid on and walk away.

In the morning:

3. If anything floated overnight, discard it. Drain the beans and get rid of that water.

4. Put the beans back into the crockpot and cover with water (filtered for me) to about an inch above the beans.

5. Add:
One onion, peeled and cut into fourths
5 cloves of garlic, peeled, or 3 Tbsp garlic Powder
1 heaping Tbsp cumin
2 tsp corriander


I do not add any more salt than the salt from the soaking water. Some people do. You can add salt at any point if you like them saltier.

6. Cook all day on high.

7. About an hour before you are ready to serve them (can be more or less though), drain the beans but KEEP THE LIQUID. Put the drained beans back into the crockpot, and turn it on warm or low. Pick out the onion and the garlic cloves (or you can leave the garlic if you want). Mash with a potato masher, adding a little liquid at a time, until you get nice creamy beans.

Keep warm in the crockpot until you are ready to serve. In fact, for large groups I serve them right out of the crockpot, next to a crockpot of salsa chicken. I have 2 crockpots for this very reason. 

If you refrigerate and reheat your beans, that is where the rest of the liquid comes in. Use it to re-hydrate them, water makes them taste bland at this point.

Optional Additions:

-Chili powder and/or cilantro added in step 5 for Spicier Beans.
-Chorizo (a little goes a long way) cooked and added at the end.
-Cook them in chicken stock instead of water. I have not tried it, because it costs more, but I am sure the flavor would be rich and delicious.

-Some people heat some lard up and "re-fry" these the authentic way. I do not. But I won't judge you if you do.

Serving Suggestions:
-On the plate with enchiladas and rice, or any other Mexican dish. Add Cheddar, or even better Queso Fresco (that crumbly white cheese in Mexican restaurants), and cilantro on top.
-In Burritos, with or without meat and cheese.
-On chips with cheese for nachos.
-With Scrambled Eggs and salsa for breakfast.
-The possibilities are endless!


These Freeze really well. Make a BIG batch and freeze half in a tightly sealed container. The trick is to fill the container up so that there is very little air space. The other trick is to add some of the cooking water back into them before you freeze them, so that they seem a little runny. When you heat them back up they will be perfect.