Instant Pot Refried Beans
Instant Pot Refried Beans; a no-fail recipe of beans with aromatics. This creates a rich, creamy, and deeply flavorful base that can be mashed into a restaurant-quality side dish in a fraction of the traditional time.
Servings: 6
Calories: 116kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup pinto beans (dry)
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ onion
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil (divided)
- 2½ cups vegetable stock
Instructions
- Clean the beans of any dry impurity. Wash well with water and drain. It is optional to soak the beans for 8-10 hours.1 cup pinto beans
- Set the instant pot mode to 'sauté'. Add 2 tablespoons oil and let it heat.3 tablespoon Olive oil
- Once the display reads Hot, add minced garlic and chopped onion. Mix well and sauté for a minute.4 cloves garlic, ½ onion
- Next add the dried spices, pepper powder and salt.½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Sauté for a few seconds and deglaze with a tablespoon of vegetable stock or water.
- Then add the drained beans and remaining stock.2½ cups vegetable stock
- Close the lid, press cancel and press pressure cook/manual. Adjust time to 45 minutes, pressure to high and move the pin to sealing. Now let the beans cook. (set time to 20 minutes for soaked beans).
- Once the timer beeps; let all the pressure release naturally and open the lid.
- Drain the beans and set the cooking liquid aside. I like to transfer to a colander rather than scoop the liquid out.
- Rinse out the inner pot and dry it. Then set it back and set the mode to 'sauté'. Add the remaining oil and let it heat up.
- Add back the drained beans and ½ cup of the cooking liquid.
- Mash the beans using a potato masher. If you would like the beans smooth, use an immersion blender and blend well. Add more liquid as required.
- Turn down the instant pot and remove the inner pot to prevent the beans from sticking.
- Transfer to a bowl and serve topped with chopped onions, tomatoes, cheese, cilantro and jalapeño. Serve or use in a recipe of your choice.
Notes
- Use a different bean: Substitute pinto beans with a bean of your choice. Black beans and kidney beans are popular for the recipe. The cook time remains same for this category of beans.
- Start with dry or soaked pinto beans: The recipe works perfectly with dry beans. The instant pot handles these like a charm; tightly sealed pot will cook everything to a perfect smooth consistency. However, if you have soaked beans, use them with a shorter cooking time.
- Use Mexican oregano and cumin: For the perfect flavor and taste, try and stick to Mexican oregano and cumin powder. These have a distinct flavor and works well. However, if not available; use regular ingredients.
- Do not dump the cooking liquid: The liquid we use to cook the beans in is packed with starch and flavor from the beans, aromatics and seasonings. Save it to add back a part to the beans and use the remaining for making broths and soups.
- Immersion blender vs masher: Use a potato masher for grainy texture in your instant pot refried beans and an immersion blender for smooth. It is a great option to set some beans aside before blending the remaining and adding back the whole beans.
- Using the leftover liquid: As we use broth and then cook the beans and aromatics in it, the resultant liquid is rich and full of starch. Use it to cook rice, add in stews or as a soup base.
- Instant Pot: Remember to always account for the time needed for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. The cook time listed does not account for this.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 781mg | Potassium: 155mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg