21 Recipes With Canned Refried Beans  - Megan vs Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to canned refried beans to make them better? ›

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

You can amp up the spice by adding more hot sauce, or tone it down by adding less — whatever your family prefers! Dice onion and add to the refried beans for more flavor. Add a dash of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt. Garnish with cilantro to improve refried beans taste.

If you're wondering what is the secret ingredient for restaurant-quality refried beans, the answer is fat. Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.

Try bacon grease, chili powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chicken broth, chili pepper, lime juice, cream cheese, taco seasoning, and more to make the best refried beans to serve with your next Mexican meal.

You can add crushed whole seeds (coriander, cumin, fennel, mustard, etc.), woodsy herbs (thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage), red pepper flakes, crushed garlic cloves, and of course salt and pepper.

Lower the heat and add the beans and—here's the kicker—their liquid. Many recipes ask you to drain and rinse canned beans, but in this case, that liquid sort of replicates the starchy cooking broth you'd get if you had boiled the beans from dry. It helps make the final product thick, creamy, and luscious.

Refried beans are a good source of protein, a vital macronutrient that forms the building blocks of your body's organs and tissues. This food also provides a large serving of dietary fiber, a nondigestible carbohydrate that helps regulate blood sugar and reduces appetite.

Uses for Refried Beans

They're so good that I like to eat them with tortilla chips as a bean dip. You can also use these protein-rich, vegan refried beans inside tacos, enchiladas and burritos. Spread them on the inside of a quesadilla or on top of a tostada. You can't go wrong!

Milk makes refried beans creamy

In terms of ingredients, it's usually beans, onions, garlic, chiles (or chili powder to add color and flavor), and some type of fat. Lard or vegetable oil would work well for this dish, but few recipes ever mention milk, which is a missed opportunity.

Refried beans make the perfect side dish for Mexican food. Serve the beans warm and you could sprinkle some cheese on top. Other uses include, as a filling for burritos, spread over tostadas, dolloped on top of nachos, or simply as a dip on their own.

Why are refried beans fried twice? ›

Refried beans are not cooked twice; they are only cooked once. According to the book "American Regional Cuisine" by The Art Institutes, this misnomer results from the fact that that the prefix "re-" means "very" in Spanish, but Americans misunderstand it to mean "again".

While queso fresco is the traditional choice, you can certainly use other types of cheese on refried beans if you prefer. Some popular alternatives include shredded Monterey Jack, crumbled feta, or even a sprinkle of cotija cheese for a tangy kick.

If you want to season your own, start with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, garlic. If you want more, dice up and cook some onion, tomato, jalapeño peppers, and bacon, then add the beans and let them cook for a bit. Add olive oil or a bit of lard, some diced onion, cumin, chili powder and cayenne.

To thicken the juice of the beans take 2 tablespoons of flour in cold water and stir until its smooth. Then pour it in the pot while the water is hot.

Milk makes refried beans creamy

This liquid can help make your beans smoother and taste richer. Once the beans are tender, it's time to fry them. Garlic is cooked in the oil and then the beans are added. The beans are mashed, and this is where the milk comes in.

Those aromatics in the pot will revolutionize the beans' final flavor. The aromatics I tend to use are onions, carrots, garlic, and celery, and then heartier, woodsy herbs, like rosemary, sage, and thyme, which marry beautifully with the earthy-sweet flavor of beans.

While not every recipe calls for soaking beans before cooking them, if beans give you gas, soaking can help. Soaking overnight and then discarding the soaking water leaches out sugars in beans that are responsible for gas production.