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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Gluten-free Refried Beans

Published: Mar 10, 2023 by Sara Vaughn · Leave a Comment

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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.

A pot of gluten-free refried beans topped with some more fresh jalapeno and cilantro.
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.
Overhead view of the ingredients need to make homemade gluten-free refried beans.

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Steps.

Step 1. Clean the beans.

Dried pinto beans being rinsed in a bowl of cold water.

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.
Making homemade refried beans by starting with sauteing onion, jalapeno and garlic. Then adding the beans, chicken stock, water and spices. Then letting them cook low and slow.

Step 3. Puree the cooked beans.

A pot filled with a batch of homemade gluten-free refried pinto 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.

  • Smashed Fingerling Potatoes
  • Cheesy Brussels Sprouts (gluten-free)
  • The Best Gluten-free Sweet Potato Casserole
  • Crispy Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Showing a sides plate filled with lime rice and some homemade refried beans being served with some enchiladas.

📖 Recipe

Up close look at a plate of lime rice and fresh refried beans.

Gluten-free Refried Beans

Sara Vaughn
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.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 4 hrs
Total Time 4 hrs 30 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 12
Calories 273 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Pound Dry Pinto Beans
  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion
  • 1 Medium Jalapeno
  • 2-3 Cloves Garlic 2-3 teaspoons garlic powder.
  • 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil or Lard
  • 1 ½ Teaspoons Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Pepper
  • ¾ Teaspoon Cumin
  • ½ Teaspoon Oregano
  • 2 ½ Cups Chicken Stock
  • 4 Cups Water

Instructions
 

  • Rise your beans to remove any unwanted pieces and dirt from being in the bag.
    1 Pound Dry Pinto Beans
  • Once cleaned, let your beans soak in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes or overnight.
  • White your beans soak, place a stock pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add your diced onion, jalapeno, and garlic to the pot with the avocado oil and saute the vegetables for about 2-3 minutes or until they become fragrant.
    1 Medium Yellow Onion, 1 Medium Jalapeno, 2-3 Cloves Garlic, 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil
  • Drain the soaking beans and place them along with the remaining ingredients in the pot of vegetables.
    1 ½ Teaspoons Salt, 1 Teaspoon Pepper, ¾ Teaspoon Cumin, ½ Teaspoon Oregano, 2 ½ Cups Chicken Stock, 4 Cups Water
  • Bring the beans to a boil.
  • Once the beans are boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover, and let them cook for 2-4 hours.
    Note: If you soak your beans overnight, they will be done in about 2 hours. If you choose not to soak your beans, they will take closer to 4 hours.
  • Remove the beans from the heat once they are nice and tender.
  • Puree the pinto beans to make them into creamy refried beans. You can do this with either an immersion blender or working in batches and using a blender or food processor.
  • Serve your homemade refried beans warn or store them for later.

Notes

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.
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.
Keyword gluten free refried beans, homemade refried beans, instant pot refried beans, slow cooker refried beans

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!

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  • Easy Classic Gluten-free Stuffing
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  • Gluten-free Fried Rice

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Welcome to Grain Free Table! I’m Sara- a busy wife, mom of two girls, and lover of food. Here you’ll find lots of easy and delicious gluten & allergy-friendly recipes, info about my favorite food & products, as well as little snippets of my health journey as I navigate my gluten-free way of life!

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