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Cheater Refried Beans Recipe

This cheater refried beans recipe is made with only a few ingredients in the food processor or blender. Make this tasty side dish in only 10-15 minutes!

These cheater refried beans are made with a food processor. Ready in only 10-15 minutes!
These cheater refried beans are made with a food processor. Ready in only 10-15 minutes!
These cheater refried beans are made with a food processor. Ready in only 10-15 minutes!

When I told my husband that these were cheater refried beans, he said, “They are made out of beans. I don’t think that’s cheating.” I guess he has a point. If they were made out of tofu, and I called them beans, that would be more suspicious. I still think refried beans technically require a lot more steps and ingredients than this super easy blender refried beans recipe needs, so I feel like I’m breaking some rules somewhere.. Here’s what you do: Blend canned pinto beans (drained), fresh salsa, and a little lime and cumin until smooth. Heat them up with a pat of butter, and you’ll have a pretty close approximation of the real thing! Why butter? Surely you know that really good refried beans are really good because they contain lard. If I’m buying canned refried beans, I always look for an authentic brand that uses real, live lard. In any other situation I try to avoid extra fat, but it seriously makes refried beans taste better! Even though I am willing to buy beans with lard in the ingredients, I can’t bring myself to actually but a jar of the white stuff. To add that richness to these cheater refried beans, I used butter instead, and the result was fabulous! If you need to watch your fat intake, you could leave out the butter and still have some tasty beans. I hope you love the recipe either way!

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These cheater refried beans are made with a food processor. Ready in only 10-15 minutes!

Cheater Refried Beans

★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews
Print Recipe

These shortcut refried beans only need a few ingredients and about 15 minutes to prepare!

  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 30 ounces canned pinto beans drained
  • 1/3 cup fresh salsa like you find in the refrigerator section of your grocery store
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice about 1/2 lime
  • 2 tbsp. water
  • 1 tbsp. butter
  • kosher salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Add beans, salsa, cumin, lime juice, and water to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
  2. Add butter to a medium saucepan, and heat over medium heat until melted. Add blended beans, and stir in butter. Heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking over low heat at least five minutes. Add salt to taste.
  • Author: Andi
  • Prep Time: 5
  • Cook Time: 10
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Cuisine: Mexican

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 Here are some other bean-tastic dishes you’ll love!

Slow Cooker Mexican Beans and Rice with Pork - A very easy, hearty meal!
Slow Cooker Beand and Rice with Pork
Simple Black Beans and Rice - This one-pot dish is perfect on its own or for stuffing into burritos!
Simple Black Beans and Rice

Comments

  3. Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says

    This is such a great idea! While I don’t always have a can of refried beans in the cupboard, I almost always have cans of whole beans. And I agree with you completely that refried beans are best with a little added richness and butter is perfect.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    • Andi says

      Thanks Marissa! I think I usually have refried and whole beans in the pantry. I’m a bit of a hoarder of canned goods, but who even knows what’s in the back of the cabinet because I can’t get to those cans! I need some sort of slide-out shelf or something.

      Reply

  10. Joanne says

    These ‘refried’ beans look quite tasty to me! However, I am looking at your Mocha Poke Cake, and will put that in my recipe file. :-)

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  11. Rebecca Brewer says

    I just finished eating a pile of these as I was going through my email and saw your post. Only diffence – black beans. Yummy!

    Reply

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