5 Minute Refried Beans Recipe - Build Your Bite (2024)

FAQs

How do restaurants make refried beans taste so good? ›

If you're wondering what is the secret ingredient for restaurant-quality refried beans, the answer is fat. Restaurant-made refried beans honor traditional Mexican culinary practices by adding a hearty helping of lard or bacon fat drippings to their recipe.

May raise cholesterol

Refried beans made with lard contain saturated fat. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends reducing your saturated fat intake to less than 10% of your daily calorie intake to reduce your risk of heart disease ( 26 ).

I like to sprinkle in some taco seasoning, but you could add whatever spices you like — garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder are all good calls. Then, you mash the beans up directly in the pan and add just a little bit of vinegar at the end to really make the beans sing.

If you prefer thicker beans, there's a simple solution to boost flavor, add moisture, and thicken refried beans. Cream cheese is the not-so-secret weapon for making refried beans a yummy side dish to accompany rice, or a versatile taco or nacho topping.

Fat and seasoning: Refried beans typically start with cooking beans in fat, such as lard, bacon fat, or vegetable oil. This fat adds richness and flavor to the beans.

Fat and Oil: Refried beans are traditionally cooked with fat or oil to create a creamy and flavorful texture. Restaurants may use ingredients like lard, bacon fat, or vegetable oil to a.

'rehashed or warmed-over beans') is a dish of cooked and mashed beans that is a traditional staple of Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine, although each cuisine has a different approach when making the dish. Refried beans are also popular in many other Latin American countries.

perfringens is an entertoxin-secreting bacteria most often found in inadequately heated or reheated meats, meat pies, stews, gravy, sauces, and refried beans. The incubation period averages 8-12 hours, after which diarrhea and abdominal cramps begin. C. perfringens symptoms usually persist for one day.

Authentic refried beans have plentiful amounts of lard in them, making Mexican rice a healthier alternative. I also like a little carb-on-carb action. That is, rice scooped up on a tortilla chip.

If you don't like bacon flavor in your refried beans (which I don't, but some do), you can simply add chili powder, garlic powder, cumin and some oregano to those beans. An alternate addition is adding a bit of your favorite salsa to them.

Why do people add milk to refried beans? ›

Milk makes refried beans creamy

This liquid can help make your beans smoother and taste richer. Once the beans are tender, it's time to fry them. Garlic is cooked in the oil and then the beans are added. The beans are mashed, and this is where the milk comes in.

Add a few drops or more of your favorite hot sauce, diced peppers or maybe even a pinto bean spice mix. I happen to have one on my site (isn't that handy?) my Homemade Mexican Pinto Bean Spice. Start out with 1/2 a teaspoon or so and add more if you'd like.

For that reason, most of our Test Kitchen recipes call for draining and rinsing canned beans, which can also help remove the metallic flavor sometimes found in cans. It's an added step that takes less than a minute but improves the flavor and texture of your finished dish.

The white cheese traditionally used on refried beans is called queso fresco. It is a crumbly, fresh cheese that is popular in Mexican cuisine. Queso fresco has a mild, slightly salty flavor and a soft texture, making it a perfect complement to the creamy beans.

While lard has been replaced with vegetable oil or shortening in many households, the distinct richness and velvety texture it imparts to a skillet of refried beans is hard to beat. The closest substitute for lard is bacon grease, which is another form of rendered pork fat that's arguably even more flavorful.

The secret to creating beans that taste like they're from a restaurant is a long simmering time. This softens the beans and brings out all the flavor as well as marries the flavor from the add-ins into the beans. Mixing with a hand mixer softens the beans and gives them an authentic texture.