Refried black beans or
Can you use canned beans?
Yes, you can totally use canned black beans. In fact, that is my favorite way. I’ve told this a million times in this blog: canned beans are a great shortcut. Most canned beans are canned in salted water, and that’s it. You can check the ingredients in your favorite canned beans brand and check that there is only water and salt.
How to cook black beans from scratch?
But, I know that many of my readers prefer to cook the black beans from scratch. The basic thing you need to know is that beans need to be soaked for at least 1 hour. It’s preferable that they are soaked overnight. This process will help to soften the beans while cooking.
Then, just boil the black beans for 1- 2 hours until they are soft. It’s important to keep checking on them to see if they need more water — don’t let evaporate more than 40% of the water. Taste 3-5 beans to confirm that they are soft. Sometimes one bean is soft and the others are still a bit hard. I would say that for 400 gr of black beans, 1 and a half-hour should be good enough.
How to make refried black beans
After you have your beans ready —canned or from scratch—, you can refry them.
In Spanish, it would mean like they are two times fried. But it’s not quite that.
I’ve already had a recipe where I show how to cook black beans traditionally. You can check my gallo pinto recipe to see the method.
When you refry any type of beans the key is to remove extra liquid and smash a bit the beans to give that paste-like consistency. Also, it needs more oil to make a “sofrito”. This will add that smoky flavor that makes refried black beans so special.
The seasoning is a little bit different. You only need garlic and onion as a base, plus a bouillon cube and a few sprigs of cilantro (leaves and stems).
First, I like to make a “sofrito” with oil, onion, and garlic. Cook until fragrant and then add the beans.
If you used canned or regular beans, remember to get rid of most of the liquid — about 70% of liquid).
Smash the beans according to your taste. I like to smash less than half of the bean. I just don’t like the texture of a soft paste.
Finally, add the bouillon cube and the cilantro sprig and let it cook for 8-10 min until you get the right consistency.
How to serve the beans
They are usually known as a vegetarian option for tacos. They are so delicious and you won’t miss the meat in your tacos.
If you want a Mexican dinner that is not necessarily tacos, you can make
For me, the best use I can think for this refried black beans is as a filling for my arepas. They are the ultimate breakfast with a bit of shredded cheese: the best arepas ever!
Also, you can serve them as a side dish for a themed Mexican dinner.
Can you freeze refried black beans?
Absolutely yes.
They can last up to 7 days u the fridge, and up to 3 months in the freeze.
Beans are one of those foods that can resist freezing with no problem.
In my opinion, they even taste better the day after.
The time in the recipe card is 25 minutes if you use canned black beans. Remember, in case you use dry beans you need to soak them overnight and cook for 1 1/2 hour.
