Refried Black Beans – Instant Pot

One pot homemade Mexican refried black beans that is naturally healthy, gluten-free and dairy-free. And most importantly, tastes way better than the canned refried beans!

Being vegetarian, I always had to check the back of the cans when I used to get canned beans. Most of them have pork lard in them which is a complete no-no for vegetarians and vegans. On top of that, the canned beans also have lots of sugar, sodium and preservatives which are harmful to your health.

So why not make it at home as it is super easy to make and taste so much better than the canned ones. This one pot recipe is so easy and requires basic ingredients that you can easily find in your pantry/fridge!

These refried black beans are so versatile in terms of use. You can eat it as is like stew or soup. Serve it as dip with veggies and chips. Use them in quesadillas and enchiladas. And my favorite way of using them is in Mexican Bhel! Ahh, so yum!

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5 from 1 vote

Refried Black Beans – INSTANT POT

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 4

Equipment

• Instant Pot

Ingredients

• 1 cup Dry Black Beans OR 2 x 15.5 oz Canned Black Beans (if using canned)
• 1¼ cup water ¾ cap water if using canned black beans
• ½ cup Chopped Yellow Onions
• ½ cup Chopped Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Chopped Jalapenos
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic
• 1½ tbsp Taco Seasoning
• ½ tsp Cumin Powder
• ¼ tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• ½ cup Salsa
• ¼ cup Chopped Pickled Jalapeños
• 2 tsp Peanut Oil or Avocado Oil any oil with high smoke point works
• ¼ cup Chopped Cilantro
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1 tbsp Lime Juice optional

Instructions

If using dry black beans

• Wash and soak black beans for 8 hours or more in warm/room temperature water. Soaking is not necessary for this recipe, though soaked beans are easier to digest and cooks faster.
• Put instant pot on saute mode. Add oil to the pot along with one bay leaf.
• Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions, green chilles/jalapeno and minced garlic. Saute it till the onions become translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes, red chili powder, cumin powder and taco seasoning. Mix well and saute for 3-5 minutes or until they start to become watery.
• Get rid of water from the black beans that was being used for soaking. Wash them couple times, regardless of them being soaked or not. Add drained black beans to the pot along with 1¼ cups of water (2 cups for non-soaked beans) and salt.
• Put the lid on the instant pot and secure the valve. Cook on high pressure for 25 minutes if the beans were soaked, and for 45 minutes if the beans were not soaked.
• Once the timer on instant pot goes off, let the pressure release naturally for 20 minutes. Release rest of the pressure manually after 20 minutes.
• Open the lid carefully once the it is unlocked. Add salsa and chopped pickled jalapeños in the beans and roughly blend it with handy mixer to get desired consistency. Taste it and add more taco seasoning and/or salt if needed.
• If it is too watery, keep cooking it on saute more for 5-10 minutes stirring frequently. If it is too thick, add some water and cook it on saute more for 3-5 minutes
• Add lime juice to the beans and mix well. Garnish it with chopped cilantro. Serve it as dip, soup, with rice, tacos, inside quesadillas or enchiladas, or make some Mexican bhel with these refried black beans!

If using canned black beans

• Drain and rinse canned beans. Keep it aside.
• Add oil to a pot along with one bay leaf.
• Once the oil is hot, add chopped onions, green chilles/jalapeno and minced garlic. Saute it till the onions become translucent.
• Add chopped tomatoes, salt, red chili powder, cumin powder and taco seasoning. Mix well and saute for couple of minutes or until they start to become watery.
• Add drained canned black beans to the pot along with ½ cups of water along with salsa and chopped pickled jalapeños. Mix well, use potato masher or handy blender to mush the beans to desired consistancy.
• Mix well, bring it to simmer, add ¼ cup of more water if beans seem too thick.
• Add lime juice to the beans and mix well. Garnish it with chopped cilantro. Serve it as dip, soup, with rice, tacos, inside quesadillas or enchiladas, or make some Mexican bhel with these refried black beans!

Notes

Add lime juice to the beans for extra tanginess. Garnish it with chopped cilantro, scallions, crumbled cheese and sliced jalapeños. Serve it as dip, soup, with rice, tacos, inside quesadillas or enchiladas, or make some Mexican bhel with these refried black beans!