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Refried Beans | Umami Girl 780
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5 from 2 votes

Vegan Refried Beans

These vegan refried beans pack tons of flavor and creamy satisfaction. Start from scratch or with canned pinto beans — you can't go wrong.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Keyword: vegan refried beans
Servings: 6
Calories: 201kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ cups cooked pinto beans see note 1
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) safflower oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion very finely diced
  • 1 poblano pepper very finely diced
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 4 garlic cloves chopped
  • 1 tablespoon (16 grams) tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder blend
  • ½ cup bean cooking water reduced-salt veggie broth, or water
  • 2 tablespoons (30 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice

Instructions

  • In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
  • Add the diced onion and pepper along with the salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about five minutes.
  • Add the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, and chili powder. Cook, stirring, for one minute.
  • Add the beans along with the bean cooking water, broth, or water.
  • Bring to a boil.
  • Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Using a potato masher, the back of a wooden spoon, or an immersion blender, mash the beans until they're as smooth as you like.
  • Stir in lime juice.

Video

Notes

  1. The 3 ½ cups beans in this recipe come from two 15.5-ounce cans, rinsed and drained, or 1 heaping cup dried beans cooked from scratch. (Here's how to make them great.) If you prefer, you can use black beans instead of pinto beans, without making any further changes to the recipe.
  2. Poblano peppers have a great combination of flavor and very mild heat. They're generally easy to find in U.S. supermarkets, but if you can't find one or would rather, you can use an Anaheim or Hatch chili, or even a green bell pepper.
  3. Safflower oil is my high-smoke-point, neutral-tasting vegetable oil of choice. You can substitute another oil that has similar properties, such as canola, sunflower, peanut, corn, or vegetable oil blend. If you're not vegan, you can swap in bacon fat for the safflower oil for an additional layer of flavor.
  4. Beans will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for a year, so feel absolutely free to make them in advance.

Nutrition

Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.7g | Protein: 8.6g | Fat: 6.9g | Fiber: 8.9g