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Creamy, smoky and salty…I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! These Instant Pot refried beans taste so much like the real deal. They’re packed with flavor and are also low fat, CHEAP and take virtually no hands on time! And best yet? They freeze super well for all of your emergency refried beans needs.
I’ve been making homemade refried beans for a long time and it’s taken me quite a few tries to get them to taste right. The beans always just tasted too…healthy, watery and DIY if you know what I mean. Most instant pot refried bean recipes I’ve seen call for either bacon strips or lard.
In the interest of keeping this recipe as oil free as possible, I skipped trying to replicate the lard and focused on the smokiness and flavor of the bacon. And this is where my AHA! moment came in: using a variation of the marinade from my smoked tempeh maple bacon bits. It worked so well!
preparing the beans
Firstly, mix together your “bacon marinade.” Then, add a diced onion and jalapeno to the Instant Pot and sauté for about 10 minutes or until translucent and fragrant.
Last, add in the rinsed pinto beans and vegetable broth and screw on the lid. That’s it! Most of the hard work is done! Now for the hard part…
Wait an hour and a half for the beans to cook and the Instant Pot to fully depressurize on it’s own.
During this time you could prepare the rest of dinner, watch a movie, walk around the block, run errands (Instant Pots don’t need babysitting!), read your current favorite book, or my current favorite: speed clean your house. There is nothing more satisfying than having a sparkling clean home BEFORE dinner is ready. Talk about feeling like you have your stuff together!
I recently discovered a blog called Clean Mama and honestly, I’m feeling inspired. I wouldn’t say my house has ever been completely awful but there have certainly been times where I wouldn’t want an unannounced guest to stop by and want to take a home tour.
Clean Mama’s blog has this weekly cleaning schedule that has you tackle one thing one day at a time and it makes keeping your home clean at all times pretty dang attainable! Not only that, but spending the weekends cleaning is no longer a thing. I was hooked from that alone.
So, I know the cook time feels long and too much, but it’s all hands free and you could mop the floors and clean the kitchen before they’re ready. I might be alone in this, but I love getting stuff done while dinner cooks! Multi-taskers unite!
After cooking, your beans should still have some liquid left and look pretty close to the photo above.
blending the beans
Now, using an immersion blender or if necessary, a high speed blender, blend the beans in the remaining liquid until they resemble refried beans. I like to leave a few whole beans intact in mine for some texture, but you can blend them completely smooth if you prefer.
They will look pretty runny at first, but after they cool they thicken up quite a bit and they are still just as delicious and flavorful right away.
And now’s the time to eat them however you like! Tacos, burritos, nachos, 7 layer dip, enchiladas, the sky is the limit. I personally think you can’t go wrong with a simple tortilla, lime and avocado combo.
May I suggest pairing this recipe with our Classic Mint Mojio ? And if you like this recipe, you may enjoy our Instant Pot Black Beans!
If you like this recipe, please leave me a comment! It helps other readers know if you made any substitutions or how it worked for you. I love to hear when you guys try my recipes and as always, don’t forget to tag us on social media!
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Creamy, smoky and salty…These refried beans taste so much like the real deal. They’re packed with flavor and are also low fat, CHEAP and take virtually no hands on time! And best yet? They freeze super well for all of your emergency refried beans needs.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rinsed, uncooked pinto beans (not soaked)
- 4 cups water
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, diced and deseeded
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other neutral oil)
BACON MARINADE
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (I prefer this brand)
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Using the sauté function on your Instant Pot, sauté the onion, jalapeno and bacon marinade ingredients in the avocado oil for 10 minutes or until fragrant and translucent.
- Next, turn off the Instant Pot to stop the sauté and add in the pinto beans and water. Stir to combine and add the lid. Make sure the valve is set to SEAL. Cook for 40 minutes on high pressure.
- After 40 minutes, allow the Instant Pot to depressurize naturally. This will take about 25 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot has depressurized, remove the lid. There should be some liquid remaining. Blend the beans with your immersion blender until you have reached your preferred texture. I like to leave a few beans whole.
- Enjoy within 5 days or freeze for several months.
Notes
- These beans will be runny at first, but they firm up quite a bit after cooling and refrigeration.
- If you don’t have an immersion blender, you could blend together in a blender or food processor. You may need to do this in batches and be careful not to overfill – heat expands!
- This recipe is written for unsoaked beans. If you soak your beans ahead of time you will have different results.
Keywords: easy vegan beans, homemade beans, refried beans, vegetarian refried beans, instant pot beans, how to make homemade beans, traditional refried beans, instant pot recipe, vegan instant pot recipe
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