These Slow Cooker Refried Black Beans are great a fun change from pinto bean refried beans.
I love pinto bean homemade refried beans but I often skip serving refried beans with a meal if my only option is canned. There is something special about homemade refried beans, they are creamier, and of course, they don’t have that tin flavor that the canned beans have.
You will see a different way I do my onions for this recipe. Years ago my mom gave me an old Mexican cookbook (which I’ve misplaced) in this old cookbook for their refried beans they said to burn onion slices in a skillet, this adds flavor to the beans.
I don’t burn my onion, but I give the slices a nice char. You won’t believe the flavor the onions give to the beans and the great aroma they put off while cooking all day in the slow cooker.
The next step after the beans have cooked is to blend up the beans. A friend of mine made pinto refried beans in her crockpot for a teacher appreciation luncheon, they had so much flavor.
She told me her secret was butter! That makes sense because smashing the beans in the crockpot instead of frying them in a pan you miss out on the added fat flavor.
When I blend up the beans with my emulsion blender, I take out half of the liquid, then add a half stick of butter, blend it up until almost smooth. I like my refried beans to have some texture still.
Can I freeze these beans?
- Yes, these beans freeze well. Put in small plastic containers with about a half-inch of room at the top, place lids on them. Freeze for up to three months.
- Thaw in fridge when ready to serve (about 24 hours before you need them).
- To reheat, cook in the microwave or on the stove-top.
Slow Cooker Refried Black Beans
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. black beans soaked overnight before starting recipe, see below
- 1 large white onion thick sliced
- 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 4 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 whole garlic cloves
- 5 cups water
- ¼ cup butter ½ a stick
Optional Toppings for Garnishes
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Cilantro
Instructions:
- Soak the beans overnight in more than enough water to cover.
- In the morning, drain the beans and add to the slow cooker.
- In a large skillet set to medium high heat, add the cooking oil. Add the thick sliced onion rounds and brown them on both sides until they are really toasty. Add the onions to the slow cooker.
- Add the cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic cloves, chicken bouillon cubes, and water. Stir.
- Cover and cook on low for 9 hours.
- When the cooking time is done, take out at least half of the juices from the beans, and set aside, you can use this if too much liquid was taken out.
- You can either put the beans in a blender, mash by hand with a potato masher, or use a emulsion blender like I did in my video. If your beans seem too stiff, add some of the reserved liquid. Add the butter into the mashed beans.
- I did not need to add any salt for my beans, but if you think they need a bit of salt this is the time to add it to taste.
- Top with the optional cheese and cilantro, if desired.
- Serve and enjoy!
These were great. Next time, I will completely drain the black beans in a colander after saving a bit of liquid. I could not get enough liquid out of the crock pot and mine were a bit runny. Also, recipe should be modified to clarify that the butter should be put in the crockpot with the onions and spices.
What would the portion/directions be if I used canned black beans?
You can easily make refried beans from canned without cooking in the slow cooker. Here is a good recipe to go by: https://www.acouplecooks.com/supremely-simple-refried-black-beans/ Add some butter to make them like this recipe 🙂
Are the nutritional values the same as your refried pinto beans?
Also, do you have a recommendation for canning these beans?
Thanks!
I believe the nutritional values are very similar. I’m unsure if they are safe to can. Though I know they will freeze well.
Have you tried this with pinto beans? I’m sure it would still be great with just that substitution
Yes! I think it would work fine!
This is perfect recipe for my chips and nachos. I am going to try it this weekend.
Are you able to can or freeze these, and if so how long would they be good for?
Can this be frozen in portions to use later?
I am vegan so I will use vegetable broth instead of the bullion and water. What can I use instead of the butter – or just omit?
Maybe a touch of earths balance vegan butter? I used to use that butter, it’s pretty good!
Do you add any water to the crockpot?
Yes! Add the 5 cups of water. I’ll fix that in a bit here when I’m home.
I kind of figured but just wanted to confirm. They look yummy. Thanks for responding.