Name: Instant Pot Refried Beans
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 80 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 Cups Dried Pinto Beans ((*Note 1)); 2 tsp Olive Oil; 1/3 Cup Yellow Onion, Small Dice; 1 Jalapeno, Finely Chopped; 4 Cloves Garlic, Minced; 4 Cups Chicken Broth, Beef Broth or Vegetable Stock ((*Note 2)); 3 Cups Water; 2 Bay Leaves; 2 tsp Kosher Salt ((*Note 3)); 1 tsp Ground Cumin; 1 tsp Dried Oregano

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Making refried beans in the Instant Pot is MUCH easier and quicker than traditional methods, although we do love our slow cooker refried beans recipe . This Instant Pot Refried Beans recipe doesn’t require soaked beans so you can make creamy refried beans in the Instant Pot in no time! Use them to make our Creamy Refried Bean Dip or Smoked Baked Beans.

If you prefer making beans in the Instant Pot, check out our other Instant Pot Beans Recipe: Instant Pot Black Beans, Instant Pot Pinto Beans, Instant Pot Kidney Beans, Instant Pot Black Eyed Peas and Instant Pot Red Beans and Rice.

How to Make Refried Beans In The Instant Pot

Homemade refried beans are far superior to canned refried beans. Even the best canned pinto beans can’t hold a candle to making them from scratch.

Carve out about 90 minutes to cook pressure cooker refried beans. While that may seem lengthy, it’s ridiculously fast for beans from scratch, and you’re really only doing 15 minutes of labor. Usually beans need to soak overnight to soften. Make pressure cooker pinto beans in just 5 easy steps:

Cook the onions, jalapeños and garlic.
Add the broth, aromatics and beans and cook for 50 minutes. Natural release for 25 minutes.
Drain the cooked beans and reserve the liquid.
Smash the beans with a potato masher, or immersion blender, adding a little bit of reserved liquid back in until your preferred creamy consistency is reached.

Homemade Refried Beans

Toppings are the best part of eating refried beans. To eat them restaurant style, just mix in a little cheddar cheese and serve them with air fryer tortilla chips. Other garnish refried beans ideas:

Pickled Peppers
Pickled Banana Peppers
Pickled Red Onions
Cheese – Queso Fresco or Oaxaca
4 ingredient guacamole
Sour Cream
Salsa – Restaurant Style Salsa or pico de gallo
Chopped Fresh Cilantro
Chopped Green Onions

Recipe Variations

Vegetarian Instant Pot Refried Beans

Reach for vegetable broth vs beef stock or chicken stock to keep these instant pot pinto beans vegetarian/vegan. Check out our list of Substitute for beef broth and chicken broth substitute for all your options.

Spicy Refried Beans

Add 1 tsp of cayenne pepper or chili powder before cooking to add a bit of spice. If you like it HOT spicy, double that amount and add in an extra jalapeno. Once you taste the pureed beans, add more if desired.

Low Sodium Refried Beans

Good news! This instant pot refried beans recipe is already a low sodium bean recipe! Feel free to omit the salt altogether and add it at the end when serving. It’s why we always use our own homemade bone broth (like this beef bone broth) to control the total sodium.

Low Fat Refried Beans

While this bean recipe isn’t a fat free refried beans recipe, it sure is low fat. Most of it comes from the olive oil. To reduce even more, cook the onions, jalapeño and garlic in a non-stick pan BEFORE adding it to the instant pot.

Instant Pot Refried Beans With Bacon

Um – yes please. Bacon makes everything better. To make Instant pot refried beans with bacon, just cook a few slices in the instant pot (or your favorite method) before you add in the onions, jalapeños and garlic. When the bacon is cooked, remove the slices and add the onions directly to the bacon fat and proceed with the recipe as written. The only exception is the crumble the bacon and add in when you add the stock and beans pack in.

Instant Pot Refried Black Beans

Update! Check out our Instant Pot Black Beans recipe for details!

Recipe Tips

This dump and go Instant Pot Mexican Beans recipe is the perfect base recipe. You can add any spices or toppings you like. We love adding chopped onions, creole seasoning and more. Even a dash of BBQ Dry Rub or Jamaican Jerk Seasoning would be great.
Drizzle in some olive oil to make them a bit more like restaurant instant pot refried beans.
Pre-make beans to help make meal prep easier. Pinto beans are highly versatile so you can add them to many recipes. Cook them in the Instant Pot for shorter prep and cooking time. We use them in many soup recipes, like our Pasta e Fagioli recipe and Olive Garden Minestrone Soup recipe. This way we can control the sodium content.
Save money cooking refried beans in a bag. Cooking beans from scratch helps your wallet!
If you’re into dehydrating food, this recipe would make a great recipe to make Dehydrated Refried Beans.
How Long Do Refried Beans Last in the Fridge? Beans can be kept in the refrigerator, in an air-tight container for up to 4 days.
Can You Freeze Refried Beans? It’s easy to freeze refried beans. Just portion the healthy refried beans and seal in a Ziploc bag. Cool and transfer to a freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Thicken Refried Beans – The best way to control the thickness of the beans is to limit the amount of reserved cooking liquid you add in before mashing with an immersion blender or potato masher. Add just a little bit of liquid at a time until your desired consistency is achieved.
How to Re-heat Refried Beans – Warm the beans gently on the stove or in the microwave. The beans thicken as they cool, so if you’d like to thin them out, add a bit of water or vegetable broth.