Gluten-free Refried Beans

This post may contain affiliate links. Click for complete disclosures. 

Once you make these homemade gluten-free refried beans, you'll stop worrying about what's in the canned ones, which don't even taste good.

If you've never made your own homemade refried beans with dried beans before, let me show just how easy it is to do. These gluten-free refried beans are super easy to make and have way more flavor than anything you can buy canned at the store.

Jump to:

• Are refried beans gluten-free?
• Ingredients.
• Steps.
• Tips and tricks.
• Alternate cooking methods.
• Make ahead.
• Storing and reheating.
• Serving suggestions.
• More gluten-free side dishes.
• 📖 Recipe

Are refried beans gluten-free?

While some major brands sell canned refried beans that are labeled gluten-free (Ortego, Rosarita, and Old El Paso), not all canned refried beans are gluten-free. It is always a good idea to read any brand's label to verify the ingredients before consuming them.

That said, canned refried beans are, well, just like they sound, canned beans, and there is just something about fresh homemade refried beans made from dried beans that takes this simple Mexican side dish over the top delicious. These gluten-free refried beans will have you never wanting to go back to the canned kind again.

Ingredients.

• Dried Pinto Beans - To make these homemade refried beans, you want to start with a bag of dried beans. Traditional refried beans are made with pinto beans. If, by chance, you don't like pinto beans, you can also use something like black beans. My family actually really enjoys refried black beans.
• Onion - I typically use a yellow onion, but you could also use white onion.
• Jalapeno (optional) - A jalapeno adds a bit more flavor to the finished refried beans. If you are worried about adding too much spice, don't worry, it doesn't. You can also always remove any seeds from the jalapeno before sauteing it to reduce the heat as well.
• Garlic - Garlic adds more flavor.
• Avocado Oil - I prefer avocado oil to saute the vegetables when making these gluten-free refried beans. You can use any light cooking oil you prefer. You can also use lard instead of oil.
• Chicken Stock - I prefer the flavor of chicken stock, but you could make these into completely vegetarian refried beans by using a veggie stock or just more water.
• Water - Water is essential in helping the beans cook.
• Spices - Using a combination of spices makes these gluten-free beans anything but boring.

Steps.

Step 1. Clean the beans.

Step 2. Cook the beans.

1. Saute the onions, jalapeno, and garlic.
2. Add the beans, chicken stock, water, and spices to the pot.
3. Let the beans cook low and slow until they start to fall apart.

Step 3. Puree the cooked beans.

Tips and tricks.

• Use dried beans. - We are NOT using canned beans. Canned beans will not result in the same creamy texture. You can usually find dried beans in the grocery store's Mexican food aisle. Note some dry beans do have a gluten warning for cross-contamination, so be sure to check your packaging before buying your beans.
• Do you have to soak the beans? - Personally, I never soak my beans for more than about 30 minutes, and I find it doesn't matter when cooking these refried beans on the stove. You don't need to soak the beans if you are cooking them in the crockpot.
• Add more spice. - Feel free to add more than one jalapeno or even up your spices you like more heat in your beans.

Alternate cooking methods.

This gluten-free refried beans recipe is written to be cooked on the stove. However, you can cook them in a crock pot or use an Instant pot make these refried beans.

Crockpot refried beans.

1. Rinse your beans.
2. Add the rinsed beans and all the remaining ingredients to a slow cooker.
3. Cook on high for about 8 hours.
4. Mash or puree the beans before serving.

Instant pot refried beans.

1. Rise your beans.
2. Use the saute feature and saute the jalapeno, onion, and garlic for about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add the remaining ingredients.
4. Add the lid, and turn the valve to sealed.
5. Cook on high-pressure/ manual mode for 45 minutes.
6. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 25 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and check to see if the beans are tender.
8. Once the beans are tender, puree and serve warm.

Make ahead.

These homemade refried beans take a while to make, so making them ahead of time is easy. I always make them 1-2 days ahead and reheat them as needed before serving.

Storing and reheating.

• These gluten-free refried beans will stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
• If you want to save them for longer, you can let them cool, place them into a freezer-safe container, and store them for up to three months.
• If you want to last even longer, you can also can these homemade refried beans to make them self-stable.

Serving suggestions.

You can serve refried beans with anything; I love them with some gluten-free salsa verde chicken enchiladas and some of my gluten-free Mexican rice. I'll admit gluten-free Mexican food is one of my favorites to make.

More gluten-free side dishes.

📖 Recipe

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I'd love to see what you come up with!