Get perfectly creamy restaurant-style beans by adding just THREE extra ingredients to your canned refried beans!
Amp up your canned refried beans to serve with your favorite Mexican recipes! Refried beans are perfect served as a dip, side, or filling for burritos and tacos!
only 3 additional ingredients
Our family uses beans for dipping, as a side dish, and for adding to all sorts of recipes—from our Tostadas to our Bean Burritos.
Yes, I know you can serve refried beans from the can, but this upgraded canned refried beans recipe calls for canned beans as well as a few other ingredients that will take the canned stuff to the next level!
My mom and aunt make beans COMPLETELY homemade by smashing up beans and such, but we’ve found that this recipe is just as good and SO much easier.
Mind you, my family is Hispanic and we have Mexican dishes all the time, so you better believe we make these pretty often. The next time you’re enjoying a Mexican meal, make this refried beans recipe and I promise they’ll be a hit!
How to make refried beans
This canned refried beans recipe only requires THREE additional ingredients besides the can of beans:
- Crisco (vegetable shortening)
- Milk
- Cheese
MIX. Combine Beans, shortening, and milk in a pot over medium heat. Stir vigorously with a fork or wire whisk until silky smooth. Add cheese and let melt before serving.
SERVE! Enjoy with warm Tortillas or Tortilla Chips.
Other Serving Ideas
As we mentioned before, these beans aren’t good for just dipping. We love to use these beans in other recipes, such as:
Variations
I like using the Rosarita can of refried beans which have already combined cooked beans (usually pinto beans) with water and less than 2 percent lard, salt, vinegar, chili pepper, onion powder, and other spices.
That is just not enough flavor! This recipe elevates the taste by adding shortening, milk, and delicious cheese.
Some other variations on how to make canned refried beans better include:
- Substitute the vegetable shortening with lard, butter, bacon grease, or coconut cream. Each one of these uses more natural ingredients than vegetable shortening however they WILL change the flavor and texture of the original recipe. Play around with the ingredient and amount until the desired result is reached.
- Leave out the shortening and reduce the amount of milk to about ⅓ cup or until you get a creamy consistency.
- Spice it up with extra seasonings like garlic salt, paprika, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce. Mix in some diced jalapenos or chopped onions.
Recipe and Storage Tips
Cheese. I personally use either shredded cheddar cheese, Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese, or a Mexican blend. Any variety that melts well will do, and it melts best if it’s shredded/grated.
Ways to use refried beans. There are unlimited ways to use this yummy refried beans recipe. Use them on the side of your favorite Mexican dish, as a dip for your Homemade Tortillas, or as a filling for your Burrito!
STORE. Keep homemade refried beans in an airtight container, or in a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
FREEZE. To keep them longer, store them in the freezer for several months. To reheat, thaw if applicable, put in a saucepan over low heat, and stir until heated through.
Recipe FAQ
This recipe elevates the taste by adding just 3 ingredients: shortening, milk, and cheese.
The canned beans have already been seasoned with a small amount of chili pepper, onion powder, and other spices. You can add more of those same seasonings, or add different seasonings such as: cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. Even try a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce!
These shouldn’t be left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, otherwise harmful bacteria can start to grow. Either reheat them or store them in the fridge to avoid bacteria.
For more Mexican Dip recipes, try:
Canned Refried Beans Recipe
Ingredients
- 30 oz Refried Beans canned
- 1/4 cup crisco shortening
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1-2 cups cheese
Instructions
- Combine Beans, shortening, and milk in a pot over medium heat. Stir vigorously with a fork or wire whisk until silky smooth. Add cheese and let melt before serving. Enjoy with warm tortillas or tortilla chips.
Made exactly as recipe stated…turned out very smooth and delicious… ..
worth the short amount of time to make a canned product taste even better.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
Satisfied. Really good and creamy 😋
Yay!! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the beans!
Sorry when I try to view your videos. I can’t view them. Even when it states jump to video. Please advise
Thanks
Hi Patrice! If you scroll down the page just a bit to the heading “Only 3 Additional Ingredients” the video is embedded in the post right there and should pop up for you. It sometimes takes a second to load depending on your internet connection, but it should show up!
What is the serving size that goes along with the 262 calories?
It’s about a 1/2 cup.
1st time making these and they were so easy. This reminds me of a bean dip I used to get at my local childhood restaurant. So creamy and so so good.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed the bean dip!
This recipe is quick, so good and we all love them for any Mexican style meal. Multiple times this has been requested from my family for me to make for them. I use them on tacos, quesadillas, many types of burritos, tostadas and just plain straight up with a little cheese on top. Thank you.
This recipe is quick, so good and we all love them for any Mexican style meal. Multiple times this has been requested from my family for me to make for them. I use them on tacos, quesadillas, many types of burritos, tostadas and just plain straight up with a little cheese on top. Dips too. Thank you.