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Beginner
American
Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes
Source: Home cook
25 min4350 kcal
Vegetarian
Frijoles Refritos (Refried Beans)
The creamy bean spread that anchors the Mexican plate: soft-cooked pinto beans fried in a little onion and lard, then mashed to a smooth, savoury purée that crisps at the edges.
Source
Recipe by Mexican home kitchens · 🏺 Traditional · An everyday staple across Mexico and the wider region
Mexican staple side — Frijoles refritos — from 'refritos', literally 'well-fried' rather than 'twice-fried' — are cooked beans mashed and fried in fat, a daily staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cooking. Pinto beans are usual in the north, black beans in the south and along the Gulf.
Watch it being made · 3 videos
⏱ 25 min🍽 3 servings🔥 210 kcal🇲🇽 Mexico
VegetarianGluten-free
Steps
Warm the lard or oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook 3–4 minutes until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more, just until fragrant.
Tip in the drained beans and a splash of the cooking liquid, and let it all heat through and bubble.
Mash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a spoon (or a bean masher) right in the pan, adding more liquid a little at a time, until you reach the texture you like — from rustic and chunky to completely smooth.
💡 Mash them looser than you think you want — refried beans firm up a lot as they cool, and a stiff pan of beans turns pasty and dry on the plate.
Keep frying and stirring for 4–5 minutes as the purée thickens and starts to pull away from the pan and catch a little at the edges.
💡 That light catching at the edges (the 'refried' part) is where the toasty flavour comes from — but stir often so it colours without scorching.
Season with salt to taste.
Serve warm, topped with crumbled cotija, with totopos or warm tortillas — or as a side to eggs, tacos and rice.
💡 Tips
- Beginner's mistake: mashing to a stiff paste in the pan. They set much firmer as they cool — keep them a touch looser and looser still if making ahead, loosening with a little water when you reheat.
- Lard gives the most authentic, rounded flavour, but oil (or a spoon of butter) makes an excellent vegetarian version. Bacon fat is a delicious non-traditional shortcut.
- Use black beans instead of pinto for frijoles negros refritos — common in southern and Gulf Mexico — and mash in a charred chile or a little cumin for extra depth.
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