I finally got tired of looking at my instant pot sitting in the box. So, I got it out and the first thing I wanted to make was refried beans. I make a healthier version without lard. They taste authentic, and my family loves them.
But…I suck at cooking beans on the stove. First of all, I never think ahead to soak them overnight. If you don’t, they just aren’t the same.
Second of all, I burn them ALL THE TIME! I get busy and forget. It doesn’t matter if I have a timer or what. They just run out of water too fast for me.
So, I hoped and prayed the instant pot would save me from burning the dang beans. And you know what? It did! I have made them several times now, and I have not burned them once!
Plus, I don’t have to worry about soaking them ahead of time. I prepare them in the instant pot manually and then I cook them. It works every single time! These are always a family favorite for nachos, burritos, taco night, and more.
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Easy Instant Pot Healthier Refried Beans
- Prep Time: 2 min
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 16 minutes
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Description
I love making a healthier version of refried beans in my instant pot using a small amount of butter and bacon grease.
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked pinto beans, washed
- 1 teaspoon bacon grease
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- water
Instructions
Prepare Beans
- Wash the pinto beans.
- Add them to the instant pot.
- Add 8 cups of water and salt.
- Set it to “Manual” for 4 minutes.
- When it turns to “Keep Warm” use the Natural Release.
- Wait until they’ve set for 10 minutes on “Keep Warm” and then remove and drain the beans.
Cook Beans
- Add the prepared beans to the instant pot.
- Add 2 cups of water.
- Add a teaspoon of bacon grease. (If you don’t have bacon grease, add 1-2 slices of raw bacon to the pot.)
- Set the instant pot to “Manual” for 10 minutes.
- When it clicks to “Keep Warm” turn to natural release.
- When the steam is finished and the float valve is down, open the instant pot and transfer the beans to a bowl.
- Add the butter.
- Using a potato masher and smash the beans until there aren’t any more whole beans.
- If you prefer, a stick blender also works well to make a creamier texture to the beans.
- Serve immediately.
- Method: instant pot
- Cuisine: TexMex
Keywords: pinto beans, refried beans, healthier refried beans, instant pot, instant pot beans, mexican food, mexican beans, tostadas
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