These Crockpot Refried Beans are a vegetarian refried bean recipe that’s simple to make using dry beans. Serve as a dinner side or use in your favorite Mexican dishes.
Have you noticed those bags of dry beans sitting on the bottom shelf at your grocery store?
I used to wonder what people did with them. The price looked right, much less expensive than the canned beans I was purchasing, but I never bought them.
For years I missed out on this wonderful product – I don’t want you to do the same. Keep reading to find out just what to do with those dry beans.
Crockpot refried beans
My daughter loves refried beans and I found myself buying a lot of the canned variety. I tried lots of refried bean recipes before finally developing this one which has the perfect blend of spices and beans.
The best part is that you don’t need to soak the beans first. Check out this entertaining article, “Don’t soak your dried beans! Now even the cool kids agree” by Russ Parsons for a bit more info on that topic. I found it both funny and interesting.
This simple crock pot beans recipe uses pantry staples. Simply dump all the ingredients into your crockpot and you are good to go.
I do this while my kiddos are eating breakfast, and the beans are ready for dinner. All you need to do once cooked is mash and season to taste.
Our favorite simple dinner recipes the use refried beans include Taco Cups and Layered Taco Dip. If you’re looking for more crock pot bean recipes, my favorite is Crockpot Baked Beans.
I love my crock pot and cannot recommend it enough. It is the key to my success in feeding my family healthy meals on busy nights.
How To Make Crockpot Refried Beans
- Rinse dry beans in a colander, picking out any bad beans.
- Add all ingredients to crockpot. Stir.
- Cook on high 6 hours or until beans are easily mashed.
- Use an immersion blender to puree beans, or potato masher to mash until desired consistency is reached. Add extra water if needed for smoother consistency. Adjust salt to taste.
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Can You Freeze Crock Pot Beans
Yes! This is the best part of this recipe. It makes so much you can freeze the extras in ziplock bags for many more meals. Once cooled, divide the leftovers into freezer bags, flattening the bags so they can be easily stacked in your freezer.
Beans are one of the healthiest foods you can eat
Not only are beans high in fiber, antioxidants, and complex carbohydrates, they are also a good plant-based protein source. Beans are not, however, a complete protein. They lack in one or more of the essential amino acids you need from your diet (a complete protein has all 9 essential amino acids).
If you are vegetarian and are using beans as your protein source, make sure you get another type of plant-based protein during the day. Nuts, brown rice, oatmeal or whole grain bread are good choices. If you already eat meat, dairy or seafood, you don’t have to worry – these foods already have all the essential amino acids your body requires.
If you are watching your weight or are trying to lose weight, beans have an extra bonus.
With beans high fiber and water content, they make you feel full quicker. This helps cut calories without feeling deprived. 1 cup of beans provides 12 g of fiber which fulfills almost half of the required daily intake for women, which is 21-25 grams and men 30-38 g. To compare, meat has no fiber at all.
I encourage you to wait no longer, grab that bag of dried beans next time you are at the store and give them a try. Your own fat-free refried beans made easily at home.
If you enjoyed the recipe make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below! Then follow me on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. I love seeing what you come up with!
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PinDescription
These Crock Pot Beans turn a bag of inexpensive dried legumes into a flavorful dinner addition that saves money and freezes well. Crockpot refried beans are a plant-based protein source that is extremely versatile. Serve as a dinner side or use in your favorite Mexican dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. dried pinto beans, or favorite dry bean
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 2– 4 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 10 cups water
Instructions
- Rinse dry beans in a colander, picking out any bad beans.
- Add all ingredients to crockpot. Stir.
- Cook on high 4- 6 hours or until beans are easily mashed.
- Use an immersion blender to puree beans, or potato masher to mash until desired consistency is reached. Add extra water if needed for smoother consistency. Adjust salt to taste.
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Roxy says
July 24, 2017 at 2:48 pmHow big is your crockpot need to be?? I put it in my large crockpot and it filled it all the way to the top. And now I’m going to turn it on and cook it, and I think the beans are going to expand and the top is going to come off as it’s cooking because it’s so full!!
Create Kids Club says
July 24, 2017 at 2:52 pmIf it’s that full you could take some water out, and add it back in at the end, if needed! Mine must be bigger – I have an oval one. Let me know how it goes! They are delicious, but do take a long time to cook! 🙂
Melissa says
June 14, 2018 at 12:17 pmI love how simple this recipe is to make and that it freezes so well.
★★★★★