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!
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! 
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
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- 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
Ingredients
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- Add beans, salsa, cumin, lime juice, and water to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- 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.
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Love how super easy and delicious these refried beans are. They look great!
Thanks, Thalia! Nice to hear from you :)
I love refried beans! I gotta try this sometime!
Thank you! I hope you like them too :)
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.
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.
What a great idea and so much healthier too!
Thanks, Joanie!
Haha.. I totally agree with the lard thing! Gotta have it in refried beans! Or any Mexican food really. Mmmm.
Yes, you don’t want to skip the lard ;)
While I do love the time consuming refried beans I’m all about the cheater beans. I love being able to get that flavor in a quarter of the time. Delicious!
Thanks! Glad you like them!
I do something almost identical. I can tell you quite frankly that THIS
WORKS. It’s good and it’s quick. Everyone seems happy when they eat them. End of Story. Lol.
Thank you! Even though it’s still canned beans, I think this way tastes more homemade than canned refried beans :)
I’ve never made my own refried bean but they look super easy!
Thanks, Julie!