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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!
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:
- Flavor explosion. Just 3 ingredients to easily amp up your canned refried beans for serving with your favorite Mexican dinners!
- A classic side. Refried beans are a staple Mexican side dish along with Homemade Spanish Rice and Baked Tortilla Chips with Homemade Salsa!
- So quick! Adding extra flavor does not mean adding extra time, these beans are still ready to enjoy in only 10 minutes.
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
- 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.
- SERVE! Enjoy with warm Tortillas or Tortilla Chips.
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.
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.
For More Mexican Recipes:
Bean Burrito Recipe
30 mins
Flour Tortilla Recipe
45 mins
Homemade Tortilla Chips
30 mins
Bean Dip Recipe
30 mins
Canned Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 (30-ounce) can refried beans, canned
- ¼ cup crisco shortening
- ⅔ 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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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.
You are so welcome! Bacon grease would be perfect! Just makes them so creamy!
Love this recipe. I use lard in place of shortening (like my mom). Thanks for the memories. 😉
Can I use sour cream instead of milk?
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.
Can I make this several hours ahead? Like at 7am for a 1pm party.
Would this work for molletes? Or are they too creamy (runny?) ?
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!
Tastes great! You don’t even miss the meat.
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.
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.
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!
What is the serving size that goes along with the 262 calories?
It’s about a 1/2 cup.
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!
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!
I am reluctant to put crisco into the bean. Seems a bit high on the grease/fat side. Can i leave it out?
You definitely can 🙂
I’ve never been able to make good refried beans, so I appreciate this recipe so much!
So glad you like the recipe! These are our favorite!! Thank you 🙂
Perfection and ease in these beans! Nothing hard and qUick to come together.
I love these refried beans. Especially on tostadas.
These look so easy and delicious! can’t wait to try!
This is my kind of recipe! This will be perfect to serve with our tacos tonight; looks amazing!
LOVE this recipe!
We love beans! This recipe is AMAZING!
I’ve never been able to make good refried beans, so I appreciate this recipe so much!
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!
Super good! Hadn’t tried adding shortening before, but won’t be fogetting to add it any time soon!
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.)
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.
Have you made this WIth not canned BEans before? I just can’t make Myself buy canned beans…
I have not, but you totally could.
Do you have a RECIPE of Homemade refried beans, not canned?
I am sorry, I do not. Have you looked on Pinterest?
Good morning..do you use shortening or oil ?..Love your spanish rice…
I use shortening 🙂
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.
Thank you so much for sharing that!! I am so glad he liked them & thank you for the comment 🙂
Do u have to use shortening.. can u Just use butter?
I have not tried using butter, so not sure what that would do.
instead of crisco, maybe use coconut oil.
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…
Wow, these look amazing as well as easy! I’ve never seen refried beans that creamy before. Yum.
Thanks Kristyn – easy peasy. Happy New Year!
What kind of cheese?