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Get perfectly creamy restaurant-style beans by adding just THREE extra ingredients to your canned refried beans!

Refried beans are perfect served as a dip, side, or filling for Bean Burritos and Chicken Tacos!

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Canned refried beans topped with extra cheese.

Gotta Love Cheesy Beans!

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. Mind you, my family is Hispanic and we have Mexican dishes all the time, so you better believe we make these pretty often.

Yes, refried beans can be served from the can, but these upgraded canned refried beans add a few extra ingredients that will take the canned stuff to the next level! 

Why we love them:

Refried beans, crisco, cheese, and milk on a kitchen counter.

Few Ingredients

  • can of refried beans – we use pinto beans, but refried black beans may be used as well
  • Crisco vegetable shortening instead of shortening use lard, butter, bacon grease/bacon fat, or coconut cream. Each of these uses more natural ingredients, however they WILL change the flavor and texture of the original recipe.
  • milk
  • cheese I use either shredded cheddar cheese, Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend. 

How to make refried beans Creamy

  1. MIX. Combine beans, milk, and crisco in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir vigorously with a fork or wire whisk until silky smooth. Add cheese and let it melt before serving.
  2. SERVE! Enjoy with warm Tortillas or Tortilla Chips.
Adding milk and crisco to a pan of refried beans.

Recipe Tips

  • Serving suggestions. Wrap these beans in a homemade Flour Tortilla, or use them in any Mexican meal from 7 Layer Bean Dip, Tostadas, Burrito Recipe, Bean Chimichangas, or Homemade Taco Pizza.
  • More variations to enhance the taste of canned beans:
    • Leave out the shortening and reduce the amount of milk to about ⅓ cup or until you get a creamy consistency.
    • Spices. Add extra seasonings like garlic salt, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper, or hot sauce. Mix in some diced jalapeños, chili pepper, or chopped white onion, or top with chopped cilantro.
    • Add brightness with a squeeze of lime juice. 
Heating and combining ingredients for canned refried beans even better.

Storage Tips

  • STORE. Keep the refried bean recipe in an airtight container in the fridge, or a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap for 3-4 days.
  • FREEZE. For longer storage, freeze for several months. To reheat, thaw, put in a saucepan, set the stove to low heat, and stir until heated through.
Canned refried beans served in a white bowl and topped with shredded cheese.

For More Mexican Recipes:

5 from 49 votes

Canned Refried Beans

Get perfectly creamy restaurant-style beans by adding just THREE extra ingredients to your canned refried beans!
Servings: 6
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 10 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 (30-ounce) can refried beans, canned
  • ¼ cup crisco shortening
  • 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 it melt before serving. Enjoy with warm tortillas or tortilla chips.

Video

Notes

STORE. Keep these best refried beans in an airtight container in the fridge, or a bowl covered tightly with plastic wrap for 3-4 days.
FREEZE. For longer storage, freeze for several months. To reheat, thaw, put in a saucepan, set the stove to low heat, and stir until heated through.

Nutrition

Calories: 262kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 22mg, Sodium: 944mg, Potassium: 54mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 350IU, Calcium: 213mg, Iron: 1.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

About Kristyn

Kristyn Merkley is a published cookbook author, wife, mom of six, and major food enthusiast! For the past 15 years, she has been sharing foolproof, family-friendly recipes—each one tested in her kitchen—that anyone can master. As a seasoned recipe creator, she loves making cooking simple, stress-free, and totally doable for everyone!

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5 from 49 votes (30 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




51 Comments

  1. Kathi says:

    5 stars
    Love your recipe about making the canned refried beans creamier. Never thought to add milk or Crisco shortening, which I don’t have but I do have bacon grease. I love making encha-ritos like a fast food restaurant makes but I can eat because of the MSG they use in their beef. Thanks again for posting this recipe.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      You are so welcome! Bacon grease would be perfect! Just makes them so creamy!

  2. Dawn says:

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. I use lard in place of shortening (like my mom). Thanks for the memories. 😉

  3. Marilyn F Flaten says:

    Can I use sour cream instead of milk?

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      You could try. It may be a bit thicker using sour cream instead of milk, but I imagine it would taste delicious still. You’ll have to let us know how they turn out.

  4. Chris says:

    5 stars
    Can I make this several hours ahead? Like at 7am for a 1pm party.

  5. M says:

    Would this work for molletes? Or are they too creamy (runny?) ?

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      I think they would! If you want to make them less runny, you could add a little less milk. But I think they would still work fine!

  6. Lisa says:

    5 stars
    Tastes great! You don’t even miss the meat.

  7. Guk’s a Cook says:

    5 stars
    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.

  8. Alisa Lohse says:

    5 stars
    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.

  9. Linda B says:

    5 stars
    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.

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Yay! So glad you enjoyed the bean dip!

  10. Faith says:

    What is the serving size that goes along with the 262 calories?

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      It’s about a 1/2 cup.

  11. Irene says:

    5 stars
    Satisfied. Really good and creamy 😋

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      Yay!! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the beans!

      1. Patrice says:

        Sorry when I try to view your videos. I can’t view them. Even when it states jump to video. Please advise
        Thanks

      2. Lil'Luna Team says:

        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!

  12. J.b.hopkins says:

    5 stars
    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.

    1. LilLunaTeam says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!

  13. Mary says:

    I am reluctant to put crisco into the bean. Seems a bit high on the grease/fat side. Can i leave it out?

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      You definitely can 🙂

  14. fireboy and watergirl says:

    5 stars
    I’ve never been able to make good refried beans, so I appreciate this recipe so much!

    1. Lil'Luna Team says:

      So glad you like the recipe! These are our favorite!! Thank you 🙂

  15. Olivia says:

    5 stars
    Perfection and ease in these beans! Nothing hard and qUick to come together.

  16. Kristi says:

    5 stars
    I love these refried beans. Especially on tostadas.

  17. Katie says:

    5 stars
    These look so easy and delicious! can’t wait to try!

  18. Beth Pierce says:

    5 stars
    This is my kind of recipe! This will be perfect to serve with our tacos tonight; looks amazing!

  19. Jennifer says:

    5 stars
    LOVE this recipe!

  20. Melissa says:

    5 stars
    We love beans! This recipe is AMAZING!

  21. April says:

    5 stars
    I’ve never been able to make good refried beans, so I appreciate this recipe so much!

  22. Joy says:

    5 stars
    I will use this recipe every time from now on! SO creamy & so good! They taste like restaurant beans! My family wants these again soon!

  23. Ana Maria says:

    5 stars
    Super good! Hadn’t tried adding shortening before, but won’t be fogetting to add it any time soon!

  24. Deanna says:

    When you say Crisco, do YOu mean vegetable shortening or vegetable oil? Also, what kind of cheese? What seasonings would you recommend if plain canned pinto beans were used instead of a can of premade refried beans? (Apologies for all-caps, don’t know why it’s not letting me type in mixed case.)

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I am talking about vegetable shortening & I like to use cheddar cheese or a Mexican blend. I would just add salt & pepper for sure, maybe a little cumin or chili powder? I haven’t personally made re-fried beans from scratch, so I would need to test it out.

  25. Lisa says:

    Have you made this WIth not canned BEans before? I just can’t make Myself buy canned beans…

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I have not, but you totally could.

      1. Jhoannarose says:

        Do you have a RECIPE of Homemade refried beans, not canned?

      2. Kristyn Merkley says:

        I am sorry, I do not. Have you looked on Pinterest?

  26. Anna says:

    Good morning..do you use shortening or oil ?..Love your spanish rice…

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      I use shortening 🙂

  27. Linda says:

    Ive never written a review, but this was so good and so easy. My husBand made the comment that he had forgotten how good refrieD beans were. I then had to tell him why they were so good. Easy and good – what could be better? I will Use this recipe from now on. Try it. You wont be disappointed.

    1. Kristyn Merkley says:

      Thank you so much for sharing that!! I am so glad he liked them & thank you for the comment 🙂

    2. Rachelle says:

      Do u have to use shortening.. can u Just use butter?

      1. Kristyn Merkley says:

        I have not tried using butter, so not sure what that would do.

  28. Vickie Adizas says:

    instead of crisco, maybe use coconut oil.

  29. Erin says:

    Hi, what brand of beans do you recommend??? I have tried a couple brands that were pretty good when I seasoned them and some that were just bad…

  30. Teresa says:

    Wow, these look amazing as well as easy! I’ve never seen refried beans that creamy before. Yum.

  31. Liz says:

    Thanks Kristyn – easy peasy. Happy New Year!

  32. Elva says:

    What kind of cheese?