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This Refried Black Beans recipe is a flavorful and easy vegan recipe with pantry staple dried beans, no soaking required. These bold and flavorful beans can be made on the stove top or Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker – recipes for both below!

These refried beans make a great side dish with rice, or you can add them as a filler to tacos or burrito bowls. You can use canned or dried beans for this recipe – they come out perfect every time.

black refried beans recipe vegan gluten free high protein refried black beans recipes healthy ways to cook black beans

We are all about easy flavorful recipes on our homestead- and these black refried beans are a fantastic way to get some major flavor onto your plate. I added a big scoop of these to our burrito bowls this week, loaded with my favorite homemade guacamole and yellow rice.

I have recipes for both stove top or pressure cooker beans below. I use my Instant Pot weekly for meal prepping and cooking ahead, but the Instant Pot really shines for beans! I can have a delicious pot of beans ready in under an hour, no soaking required.

These Black Refried Beans are:

Earthy
Spicy (but can be less spicy if desired)
Warming
Filling
High Protein
Vegan & Gluten Free
High in Plant Based Protein

Easy Refried Black Beans are Best From Scratch!

I used to buy canned beans all the time because I loved the convenience of just opening a can and having them pre-cooked for me. The downside was really the sodium content. Canned beans are loaded with salt and sodium as a preservative. You can buy no salt added refried beans, but I found that making your own beans from scratch tastes way better. You can cook beans in the Instant Pot or Pressure cooker with spices and vegetables to get that flavor in the beans from the start. I made a list of our favorite low sodium recipes here on The Herbeevore for some inspiration – but make sure you check the sodium content of all your ingredients as well. Most of these recipes enjoy on a weekly basis without the salt!

What’s In These Refried Beans with Black Beans?

Onion, Jalapeno, Cilantro – I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every other week and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here!
If you think organic produce is too expensive… think again, and give Misfits Market a look!

Black Beans: Use no salt added or low sodium beans for better flavor and control of the salt in this dish. I only use low or no sodium beans in my recipes. You can always add salt in, but it’s impossible to take out.
Adobo Seasoning: a really fantastic blend of salt, pepper, garlic, and spice! I like to get one that doesn’t have a lot of salt it in, so I can control the amount of salt going into the dish.
Chili Powder: for a really nice flavor in this dip – the chili powder isn’t spicy but will give you a rich and bright flavor.
Paprika – for a hint of spice and great flavor!
Bay Leaves: I always add bay leaves to every bean soup I make… it gives the soup a je ne sais quoi which is savory and delicious! When I lived in California I had laurel bay trees in my backyard, and I used to pick the dried leaves… now I buy these online 🙂
Red Chili Pepper Flakes: for a little heat! I like to add a few shakes to this recipe to give this dish a nice complex depth of flavor.

One of the BEST Pantry Beans Recipes

This easy black refried beans recipe is a fantastic pantry-staple meal! It uses almost all ingredients you would have in your dry pantry or cupboards – most of which you probably have on hand. Keeping a well-stocked pantry makes it easy to come up with delicious and healthy meals using a few staples you can rotate. I made a list of my Top 125 Plant-Based Pantry Staples that always keep stocked. And you can check out all my favorite pantry staple ingredients in my Amazon shop here. By stocking up on healthy whole ingredients you can cook delicious recipes without a trip to the store!

How Do I Make These Vegetarian Black Refried Beans?

You can make these beans using canned black beans on the stove top, or dried black beans in the Instant Pot/pressure cooker.

Stove Top Directions

In a large pot, add the Olive oil and onions and cook over low heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the canned beans and the rest of the ingredients, and stir well to combine. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
Using an immersion blender or a potato masher, blend the rest of the beans until they are a creamy consistency. Garnish with extra cilantro and chili flakes and enjoy.

Instant Pot Directions

Set the Instant Pot to sauté mode, add Olive oil and onions and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, and set to Manual/Pressure Cook mode for 45 minutes.
Allow the beans to naturally release for 20 minutes or so. Then release any remaining pressure. Using an immersion blender or a potato masher, blend the rest of the beans until they are a creamy consistency. Garnish with extra cilantro and chili flakes and enjoy.

vegetarian refried black beans with red onion cilantro canned or dried beans no soak and chili powder and spices

Canned Beans Versus Homemade

While I love the convenience of canned beans, I also love cooking dry beans from scratch in my Instant Pot. I use the 8-Quart Instant Pot Ultra, which is larger than standard models (which are only 6 quart) so I have extra room to meal prep and batch cook more meals for the week. The Instant Pot works wonders for cooking dried beans fast, no soaking required! While canned beans are super convenient, they are often loaded with sodium. If you buy canned beans, I always recommend using a no salt added variety so you can control the amount of salt in your dish. Next time you reach for the canned beans, think about a pressure cooker instead! Homemade beans are incredibly cost efficient, and you can add seasonings and spices to the beans while they cook for extra flavor.

More Healthy Instant Pot Bean Recipes You’ll Love!

Instant Pot Chili Beans Recipe (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)

Pressure Cooker Oil Free Hummus Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Instant Pot Oil Free Lentil Soup Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Instant Pot Vegetarian Cowboy Beans Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Vegetarian Instant Pot Succotash Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Get the Same Ingredients for this Black Bean Mash Recipe!

I get all the fresh produce for my recipes from my garden and from Misfits Market – they sell all organic produce at a super discounted price, and it’s purchased direct from the farmers. We get Misfit Market boxes every other week and love picking out our favorite seasonal produce for delivery. You can get $10 off your first $30 box by clicking here!

If you think organic produce is too expensive… think again, and give Misfits Market a look!

As always, if you make this black refried beans recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

Let’s keep in touch – make sure to sign up for my newsletter to get fresh recipes weekly. And don’t forget to follow over on Pinterest, Instagram , & Twitter– I’d love to connect with you there!

healthy black beans for tacox burritos or black beans and rice plates smashed black beans blended

Black Refried Beans

The Herbeevore

This Refried Black Beans recipe is a flavorful and easy vegan recipe with pantry staple dried beans, no soaking required. These bold and flavorful beans can be made on the stove top or Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker - recipes for both below!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin

Cook Time 45

Total Time 45

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings servings

Calories 220 kcal

Equipment

Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

1 lb dried black beans about 2 1/4 cups dried beans (or 2 14-ounces of canned beans)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion diced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon adobo seasoning
5 cups water
1 lime juiced
Toppings I used red onion, chili flakes, cilantro, and extra lime juice