Creamy Healthy Slow-Cooker Refried Beans

Pssst! Put down that can opener. Your family’s going to LOVE these Creamy Healthy Slow Cooker Refried Beans.

I’ve officially broken up with canned refried beans, and I’m pretty sure you will too once you try these Creamy Healthy Slow Cooker Refried Beans. To clarify, there’s no refrying involved at all. The “refried” anything about these beans is the flavor. In fact, everything goes into one pot, cook for about 6 hours, blend until smooth and that’s it!

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner, friends. Is your menu ready?

Making Slow Cooker Refried Beans is that easy! All it takes is a little planning, about 5 minutes of prep, and you’re ready for your 5 de Mayo Mexican Fiesta! Just add some tortillas, salsa, cheese, cilantro, guacamole and any of your other favorite taco toppings.

Creamy Delicious Refried Beans are perfect for:

• tacos
• burritos
• nachos
• bean dip
• or as a taco party side dish

It’s time to give canned refried beans the boot, friends. Get yourself a bag of dried pinto beans, pull out your trusty slow cooker and start making the creamiest, most delicious re-fried beans you’ve ever tasted. And stay tuned for my husband’s famous margarita recipe coming to you soon!

Creamy Healthy Slow-Cooker Refried Beans

Once you realize how easy it is to make these Creamy Healthy Slow-Cooker Refried Beans, you’ll never go for the canned version ever again. The creamy texture is phenomenal and the flavor is as good or better than any restaurant version, and probably much healthier (no lard in this version, and no actual refrying involved).

• Author: Jackelin
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5-6 hours
• Total Time: -25533562.1 minute
• Yield: 8 - 10 servings
• Category: entree, side dish
• Method: slow-cooker

Ingredients

• 3 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed, broken beans and debris removed
• 9 cups water
• 1 large onion, sliced in fourths
• 5-6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1/2 to a whole jalapeño sliced in half lengthwise (remove seeds for a milder flavor, or keep them if you like heat)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 large bayleaf
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (optional)

Once the beans are finished cooking:

• 2-3 teaspoons of kosher salt (or to taste)

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a large slow-cooker and cook on high for about 5-6 hours, or until beans are tender (smash a few against the side of the slow cooker to test for doneness). Once the beans are cooked, remove any excess water and set aside. Remove the bay leaf, add the salt and blend all ingredients with an immersion blender or mash with a potato masher to desired consistency. Add reserved liquid as needed to achieve desired thickness.

Notes

Cooking time is dependent on your brand of slow cooker. Check at the 5 hour mark and proceed from there.