Slow cooker refried beans are a family favorite recipe. I love to pair it with my favorite Mexican dishes. It is a great slow cooker recipe that you can start before heading out for work and then finish it up after work! Enjoy the benefits of the slow cooker along with all the flavors that develop while you are doing other things.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our slow cooker refried beans, you need the following ingredients:
- Onion
- Dry pinto beans, rinsed
- Jalapeno pepper
- Minced garlic
- Salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- Ground cumin
- Water
- Chicken broth
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make This Slow Cooker Refried Beans Recipe
- Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeño, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker.
- Pour in the water and chicken broth and stir to combine.
- Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
- Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid.
- Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.
Recipe Notes
You can freeze these crockpot refried beans. This recipe makes a lot so if you do not think you will be able to eat it all in about 3-4 days, I suggest putting it in an airtight container and freeze the rest. When you want to eat it, just pull it out about 30-48 hours ahead of time for them to thaw in the fridge.
Chicken broth is one of those things that you do not always think to make since you can quick grab it at the store. However, do not underestimate the amazing flavor you can get from homemade chicken broth! The homemade chicken broth recipe from Taste of Home is a fantastic one, full of great flavor and easy to follow.
Enjoy More Delicious Bean Side Dishes
Need the perfect compliment to your main dish? You’ll want to try these delicious side dishes. Browse our comprehensive collection of simple side dish recipes.
Slow Cooker Refried Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 onion, peeled and halved
- 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
- ¼-½ jalapeno pepper, fresh, seeded and chopped (I used about 1/4 because I wanted my kids to eat it and not think it was too hot)
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 3 teaspoons salt
- 1 ¾ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoons ground cumin, optional
- 5 cups water
- 4 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Place the onion, rinsed beans, jalapeño, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a slow cooker.
- Pour in the water and chicken broth and stir to combine.
- Cook on High for 8 hours, adding more water as needed. Note: if more than 1 cup of water has evaporated during cooking, then the temperature is too high.
- Once the beans have cooked, strain them, and reserve the liquid.
- Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding the reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Oh this tastes FABULOUS! I have tried homemade refried beans once and it was great, it freezes really well too!
My girls love bean burritos and would eat them everyday if I let them. I have been using canned beans, but I can’t wait to try this recipe for homemade.
Can you cook it on low all day or just high? I’m new to crock pot cooking
Hi Anonymous! Every time that I have made these, I have cooked them on high for 8 hours. I think that if you cooked them on low, I would probably do it for 12-15 hours, just to make sure they are cooked all the way. 🙂 Good luck with slow cooking! I would die without my crockpot! 🙂
Made these tonight for dinner after seeing them on Pinterest. Wonderful! No more canned beans for us.
I have been making these for months and I love this recipe! Not only is it so simple, it is delicious.
This recipe sounds great! I haven’t been successful in making good refried beans. This is going to be my next attempt.
Can you sub vegetable stock for the chicken stock?
Recipe sounds wonderful!! What is the proper way to freeze them?
you don’t have to soak the beans? amazing!
I’ve tried only one other attempt at making homemade refrained beans and they didn’t come out very well. I plan to try this recipe soon ~ my son could eat them 3x a day and the cans are gross (and expensive!).
Tried this today with a substitution of vegetable stock instead of chicken broth, turned out fantastic! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Thanks for the recipe – I made it on the weekend, and it was delicious. best I have ever had. So easy too.
So excited to try this recipe! I think I will try cooking them overnight on low and see how that goes, and also sub veggie stock. Thanks!
Kristina, Did they come out okay by cooking them overnight on low?
These are the only refried beans we eat now. I made them for my in-laws and they turned out blah instead of amazing as they usually are but I used dried onions & garlic. Lesson learned, use FRESH garlic & onions…it’s worth the work.
I made these last night. I put them in my crock pot on low around 1am. After lunch today, I strained off the water and “refried” them. Twelve hours was just fine. I could smell the beans all the way upstairs when I woke up this morning. I don’t have a potato masher, so I used an immersion blender instead. It took a little longer, since I had to keep scraping it out, but it turned out well. Next time I think I might make these with black beans.
I don’t like chunks of onions or peppers or garlic in my beans, do you think they could go in a cheesecloth packet and thrown out after cooking the beans? or could I substitute powdered versions?
Hi! I have never tried the powdered versions, however we have had a couple of people tell us that it doesn’t work- the flavors are off. The high heat and long amount of cooking make the onions, peppers, and garlic completely disintegrate and when you mash the beans, they mash right along with them. There are never any chunks of onions or peppers left. I think that you could put them in a cheesecloth, but I don’t know if the beans would taste the same. Let us know if you try it!
Tried these this week– Wonderful and smells sooo good cooking– I will never buy canned again- Thanks so much for the recipe!
thanks so much for this, looks easy and way less fat than refried beans with all the oil and stuff!
I have made these several times now and will NEVER go back to canned! These are now a staple in my freezer. Thanks for a great recipe!!!!!!!!
Want to make these tomorrow night! I was going to cut the recipe in half, would that change how long you cook them? thanks!
Everyone always says “soak your beans overnight” Is that not the case with the crock pot method? It sounds like you just rinse them and let them dry? I am exited to make this for dinner next week!
just put these in the crock pot now for dinner tomorrow. did i read the recipe right and i only had to halve the onion? not dice or chop? do i need to remove the onion after cooking??
it already smells yummy and only 5 minutes in….
Yep! No soaking required! Just quick and easy . . . that’s how we roll. 🙂
Yep! You read it right . . . just halve the onion and be done. The onion seriously disintegrates into the beans when you mash them up. You could remove it if you wanted to, but you definitely don’t have to. 🙂
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? But shouldn’t you soak them for a few hours jus to get all the junk out? (and you know, like when the skin comes off the beans as they sit?)
Someone replied a few posts above saying not to substitute.
When I let my beans soak, a lot of skins come off. What about that? I’d love to not have to soak them! Time saver!
I have never, ever soaked them! After cooking so long at such a high temperature, everything just kinda mashes together, skins included!! I do rinse them before adding them to the slow cooker . . . they are delicious!
I just made a batch a few days ago! We like a little more cumin and use veggie stock/broth. I freeze them in 2 cup containers. You need to thaw them in the fridge for about a dsy, but they’re still amazing. I start mine at 10 pm (just before I go to bed) and they are ready at 6 am when we get up. You do want to sort and rinse them well, as sometimes there are small rocks.
When jalapeños aren’t available, I add in a large can of diced green chile peppers.
These are fabulous! I also added cumin. I will never go back to canned refried beans!!
The purpose of soaking beans overnight (and then pouring off the soak water and replacing it) has nothing to do with cooking technique and everything to do with the intestinal comfort of those who eat LOL I tried going without soaking them ONCE and my guts paid dearly for the omission. So just be aware 😉
My 6 year old wanted nachos for his b-day. So I decided to try this recipe! So delish!!!!!
I am doing these tonight. Canned beans are so expensive!
I’ve been making these for the past few months and they are AWESOME!!! A single batch is divided into about 3 dinner servings for the four of us. I freeze them flat and line them up in my freezer door. I’ve defrosted them in the fridge overnight as well as defrosted them in the microwave – both work well.
I can’t tell you how awesome it is to hear my boys get all excited for homemade beans. 🙂 Thank you!!
Made these yesterday, they are yummy! Much better and cheaper than store bought re-fried beans. I did use canned green chilies as our jalapenos in the garden aren’t ready yet. Can’t wait to make another batch with jalapenos!
I read somewhere once that you’re not supposed to salt the beans until after they cook…Can anyone confirm that or explain reasoning behind it? Thanks.
These are SOOOO delicious!! I’ve tried other crockpot “refried” bean recipes before and they were just so-so. I think the difference is the jalapeno, fresh garlic, and chicken stock. I made this super easy on myself by mashing them in my electric mixer. I just threw them in straight from the crockpot (I used a slotted spoon so I didn’t get too much liquid in too) and mixed with the paddle attachment until I had the perfect “refried” bean consistency. Couldn’t be easier! NEVER buying canned beans again!!
These taste fresh and authentic and are so easy to make. Never going back to canned! We live in Switzerland, and a can of refried beans costs more here than it costs me to make a whole batch in the slow cooker. Thanks for sharing this great money-saving, tasty recipe; I’m really glad I discovered it.
Just made these today, fantastic! Don’t have a slow cooker so baked them in a dutch oven for about 4 hours @350. Added a pinch of smoked paprika for bacony flavor. So good and easy.
Hi,I was just wondering how you reheat them after they are thawed from being frozen?
You can microwave them or cover them and stick them in the oven until heated through.
I make these about twice a month. They are great, and freeze well, too. I had bean-resistant kids, but when I whizzed the beans in the blender, they gobbled them up. There is something about the ‘skin’ on beans that my kids do not like 🙁
The best beans I have ever cooked. I first found the receipe for a potluck we were having at church, but had to turn the water off and did not get to cook them. Last week I decided we needed some beans, cooked them by recipe I put in a poblano pepper, because I did not have a jalapeno, wow, it was too hot. The beans were so good, we did not mash them, just ate them with cornbread. I will keep this recipe for all my pinto beans.
Thanks for the recipe! Quick question– it says that the recipe makes 12 servings. About how big are the servings? Thanks!
We got about 12 servings, but some were kids and some were adults. If you are feeding just adults, it may only feed 8-10 people. It just depends on how big of servings they take.
I just cut the onion in half, place it cut side down in the water and then scoop them out (and throw them.out) before mashing the beans. I love these beans so much more than canned ones!!
Looks good, all I have is canned pinto, but using dry pinto beans next time. Will it cook for the same amount of time?
These are the best beans and when my neighbor found out I was making them she wanted to taste them before I turned them into the dip. She said they were the best “refried” beans she’s ever had. The dip is outstanding as well. Making more today. I use a half of a jalapeño. Was amazed that the onion did break down. If you haven’t tried this it’s so easy and soooo good.
Hi Susan. Thanks for your sweet comment. You made our day! We are so glad you like the refried beans!! Have a terrific week.
I tried this, following the IP instructions and ended up with nearly 4 cups of extra water to drain out so they didn’t end up very flavorful BUT they cooked to perfection. Will use much less water next time. But this was a good guideline to work off of (have had bad luck with other IP bean recipes).
As someone who has been cooking pinto beans for decades a couple of hints. If you want the beans to cook a little quicker soak them until they plumb up and are no longer wrinkly any more. This reduces cooking time because they don’t need to reconstitute while cooking. I think bring them to a rolling boil and then turn them down to simmer will also help them cook a bit quicker.
If you have digestive problems 1. Eat beans more often so your digestive system is used to them they’re very healthy. 2. Pour off the soaking water and used fresh water to add to the pot. 3. Try using about 1/4 t for 2lbs of beans. – to much baking soda affects the taste and makes them taste saltier.
To make refritos or refried beans put a little oil in a pan then put the beans in and cook until heated, traditionally lard is use and adds to the taste.
I have always added the spices after the beans cooked – can’t wait to try this – I know they will be amazing!!!
Thanks for the recipe!!!!
Can these be canned?
We have not tried canning this, so not sure how it would turn out.