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You are here: Home » Recipes » Basic Recipes

Frijoles Refritos (Chinitos)

Published: Nov 3, 2009 · Updated: Mar 11, 2021 by Mely Martínez

JUMP TO RECIPE

Make frijoles refritos also known as frijoles chinitos(refried beans) at home in a matter of minutes. Beans, along with rice and corn, are one of the trilogies of Mexican cuisine. This creamy and tasty recipe is the perfect side dish, appetizer, taco, and burrito filling.

Refried Beans Recipe | Frijoles Refritos Recipe

Frijoles refritos (Black refried beans) topped with jalapeños, queso fresco and tortilla chips.

Refried beans have a smooth, creamy texture. I think of refried beans more like a Sunday treat in my breakfast brunch. A special occasion or as an ingredient of a dish like “Huevos rancheros” or "Molletes'. Even though I have lived in the North, South, and central states of my country, I have rarely seen refried beans being served as a dip like the ones you find here at the grocery stores sold in a jar next to the tortilla chips.

Finding refried beans in a jar is a great idea, but it’s much better if you make them at home without the added chemicals found in the store-bought versions. You will enjoy a greater difference in taste and an opportunity to add your own seasonings.

Frequently Asked Questions About Frijoles Refritos

Here, I will share a few questions and answers about homemade refried beans.

What makes refried beans refried?

The Spanish word “refried” means to cook | or saute the food really well. Most of the time, it is sauteed in oil or lard with onions, garlic, cumin, and other spices. Traditionally in Mexico, beans are often just fried after they have been cooked. What do I mean by that? After the beans are cooked with a piece of onion-garlic cloves, a jalapeño pepper, and some Epazote leaves, they are lightly fried in a frying pan with chopped onions. 

Are Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans) Healthy?

Refried beans are a healthy dish when prepared without too much fat or salt. Both black beans and pinto beans provide a great source of fiber and protein and a great alternative to animal products. 

What is the Point of Refried Beans?

In Mexican cuisine, many recipes incorporate refried beans. Most of these dishes use the refried beans as a spread or base to hold other ingredients like tostadas, molletes, bean enchiladas, and even sandwiches. Plus, refried beans are great to eat as a bean dip with tortilla chips.  

What are the Best Beans for Refried Beans?

Traditionally black beans are the most popular for this dish in most of Mexico. However, pinto beans make for a creamier texture. At the end of the day, the best beans are the ones you have on hand, even if they are whole canned beans.  

How to make Frijoles Refritos Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Cooked beans, with some of the cooking liquid
  • White onion, finely chopped
  • Lard, vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon fat, or chorizo drippings
  • To garnish: Mexican Crumbling Cheese, fresh cilantro,  and Tortilla chips.
  • Salt to taste

JUMP TO FULL INSTRUCTIONS

Note: if you want to learn how to cook your beans from scratch, check my recipe  Beans from the pot or instant pot black beans to get the list of the ingredients and directions. Using your high pressure to cook your beans only takes 30 minutes, and no soaking is needed! 

DIRECTIONS:

  • Heat the oil or teaspoons of lard in a frying pan over medium-low heat. (Please check the ingredients list below)
  • Sauté the onions until they simmer and become transparent, and start to brown.
Sautéing white onions on a frying pan.
  • Add the beans and mash down until they become a paste  or your desired consistency. Stir and taste to check if they need salt.
  • Tilt the frying pan sideways and form a roll with the bean paste.
Smashing beans on a frying pan.

To serve, place them on a plate. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with fresh cilantro and tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Frijoles refritos (refried beans) topped with jalapeños, queso fresco and tortilla chips.

How To Store Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans) 

Once made, let them cool off and store them in an air-tight container. The beans will last about 5 days in the fridge. Just add more water and heat them up on the stovetop to reheat them. 

To freeze your refried beans, let them cool to room temperature, then put them in quart-size freezer bags or air-tight containers.

What to Serve with Refried Beans 

These delicious and full-of-flavor frijoles refritos (refried beans) are great as an appetizer with tortillas chips. Or as a side dish with scrambled eggs, as a layer on a black bean tostadas or molletes.   

More Authentic Mexican Recipes

If you enjoyed this recipe for refried beans, take a look at some of these other authentic Mexican recipes:

Black bean soup

Beans and chorizo soup

Mexican breakfast Migas 

I hope you make these refried beans! If this recipe was of any help to you, come back to let me know your experience. Please leave us a comment below and tell us all about it!

¡Buen provecho!

Mely,

If you are on Pinterest, check our boards with hundreds of delicious ideas I'm pinning for you! Or, if you are on Instagram, check out the meal pictures or story ideas.

📖 Recipe

Authentic Mexican refried black beans

Frijoles Refritos Recipe

Mely Martínez
Beans, along with rice and corn, are one of the trilogies of Mexican cuisine. This creamy recipe is the perfect appetizer, side dish, and layer to many dishes like tostadas, molletes, or just topped with cheese and corn chips. 
5 from 10 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
0 mins
Total Time 22 mins
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 167 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups cooked beans, with some of the cooking liquid
  • ⅓ cup white onion, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoon lard vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon or chorizo drippings
  • To garnish: Mexican Crumbling Cheese and Tortilla chips.
  • Salt to taste

Instructions
 

  • Heat the oil or teaspoons of lard in a frying pan over medium-low heat.
  • Sauté the onions until they simmer and become transparent, and start to brown.
  • Add the beans and mash down using a potato masher until they become a paste. Blend to a smooth puree and then add them to the frying pan where the onions are being browned. "They will become a thick puree; keep scrapping from the edges and bottom of the pan. If you prefer to add a little more oil, this is the time".
  • Tilt the frying pan sideways and form a roll with the bean paste. I like to flip them like pancakes a little bit. Taste to check if it needs salt.

To serve, place them on a plate. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with tortilla chips.

    Notes

    • I can add chop bacon before the onions; you could also use chorizo
    • Use your immersion blender if you find that you prefer a creamier texture.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.33cupCalories: 167kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 8gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 90mgPotassium: 320mgFiber: 8gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 180IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Lacos93

      February 21, 2023 at 12:47 pm

      Hi! I was wondering how long can you leave them in the fridge? And if you can freeze the refried beans? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        February 21, 2023 at 6:23 pm

        Hello,
        You can leave it in the fridge for 3 days, and for a month in the freezer.

        Reply
    2. Anne22

      August 23, 2022 at 10:04 pm

      Hello, what is the best way to reheat the beans? Thanks.

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        August 25, 2022 at 2:25 pm

        Hello Anne,

        The best way to reheat them is on a frying pan. Medium-low heat.

        Reply
    3. IA

      May 28, 2021 at 10:23 am

      5 stars
      So, so, SO tasty! Thank you so much for sharing this ❤️

      Reply
    4. Retsuko

      May 06, 2021 at 7:43 am

      5 stars
      These are so good as a side to eggs or on tostadas.

      Reply
    5. James Gilboy

      April 24, 2021 at 9:34 am

      5 stars
      So simple, but still easily the best refried beans I've ever had, even though I substituted shortening for lard. I'll have to make this again when I have some on hand.

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        April 24, 2021 at 12:23 pm

        Hello James,
        You can also use bacon drippings or even cook chorizo, and use the rendered fat with some of the chorizos to make them.

        Reply
    6. Lai-Sin Ley

      December 10, 2020 at 12:53 pm

      Hi - quick question, would you be able to do this with canned black beans?

      Reply
      • Mely Martínez

        December 11, 2020 at 8:33 pm

        Hello,
        Yes, you can. But first, rinse the beans to remove the flavor from the tin.

        Reply
    7. Jae

      April 29, 2019 at 5:02 pm

      5 stars
      what tools were used traditionally?
      love those deep heavy duty bowl used to mash things in but thinking originally a wooden spoon or fork or was there a version of potato masher carved from wood?

      Thank you for sharing your experience and look forward to you reply!

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        April 29, 2019 at 5:37 pm

        Hello Jae,
        Yes, we still use a wooden masher. I'll need to update this post to add a picture of my wooden masher making the refried beans.
        There are two posts here in the blog that talk about Mexican cooking utensils. http://bit.ly/2J8hA3T

        Reply
    8. Will A.

      February 07, 2019 at 10:16 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for sharing this recipe. Now I know how to make them like they do in Mexico City. Thanks to you!

      Reply
    9. Korey

      August 10, 2017 at 9:47 pm

      Which recipe should I used for the cooked beans?

      Reply
      • mmartinez

        August 11, 2017 at 4:20 pm

        Hello Korey,

        Here is the link for the beans: Mexican Beans Recipe

        Reply
        • Janell

          June 15, 2019 at 8:29 am

          Thank you! My newbie self was wondering this as well.

    10. Mexico in my kitchen

      September 10, 2011 at 4:53 pm

      Hi iSavortheWeekend,

      Maybe she cooked pinto beans, and the creamy version is delicious. Just add some of the cooking broth from the beans pot when you fry them and do not let them get dry. They will look like a thick gravy in consistency. The beans aren't completely mashed, they still have some of their shape when making as you mention.

      I hope this helps.

      Thanks for visiting.

      Mely

      Reply
    11. iSavortheWeekend

      September 10, 2011 at 4:23 pm

      I don't make re-fried beans and my gringo hubby has been asking me. My mom used to make them but she never taught us how to make them. Hers were a little lighter looking and creamier, do you know why? I will definitely have to try these next time we have frijoles - my hubby will be very happy 🙂

      Reply
    12. Lori

      April 26, 2010 at 2:00 am

      Those beans sure look delicious. I need to make these!

      Reply
    13. NORA

      January 24, 2010 at 2:35 am

      Mely contestando tu pregunta, nosotros casi no comemos los frijoles refritos, ni cuando hacemos antojitos solo los machacamos o los molemos, ya que tratamos de evitar la grasa, pero como se me antojan así "chinitos" y con chorizo o como los haz preparado en esta entrada!

      Saludos!

      Reply
    14. Angela

      January 06, 2010 at 1:41 am

      I LOVED the refried beans I used to eat in Mexico. Yours looks delicious; and it has less lard than I expected!

      Reply
    15. Nina's Recipes

      December 31, 2009 at 12:27 am

      May all your dreams come true and may you be blessed with all the best things in life! Happy New Year 2010! XO

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Mely Martinez, a former Mexican school teacher, home cook, and food blogger. I moved to the United States about ten years ago, after living in Mexico my whole life. Now I love to share home-style recipes for authentic Mexican food.
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