These Slow Cooker Smoky Refried Black Beans are super versatile! Serve them up on tostatas with some tasty toppings for a full meal.
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Refried beans may not be the most attractive foodstuff on the planet, but when they are done well, taste firmly trumps looks. They're often made with lard, but as a vegetarian, that's a no-go. So these lard-free refried beans cooked in the Crock Pot are basically my best friend.
The version I'm sharing here, Slow Cooker Smoky Refried Black Beans, is a twist on that base recipe. It turns a plain ol' bag of dried black beans and a few smoky spices into pure bean bliss. All you need is your slow cooker, an immersion blender, and 15 minutes of hands-on time!
With tostadas and these easy refried black beans, the possibilities are endless! Try setting out a tostada spread, inviting over all your friends, and doing tostada night, DIY style?
How to Make Slow Cooker Smoky Refried Black Beans
- Cook dry beans overnight.
- Rinse beans.
- Add spices.
- Cook beans again.
- Check liquid level and puree beans.
- Cook beans a bit longer and adjust consistency.
- Season and serve beans.
Full directions for how to make Slow Cooker Smoky Refried Black Beans are in the printable recipe card below.
Slow Cooker Smoky Refried Black Beans FAQs
How should I serve these refried beans?
So what can you do with your brand spankin' new batch of refried black beans after you've slow-cooked them up? You can top a scoop with melty cheddar cheese for an instant lunch, mix them with rice and salsa for an easy burrito filling, or spoon them onto tortilla chips and sprinkle with cheese for simple nachos. Serve your refried beans smeared onto crisp corn tortillas and topped with whatever toppings you prefer. This list should get you started:
- shredded lettuce or other fresh greens
- sautéed veggies, I like onions, bell peppers, and zucchini sautéed with a bit of oregano
- sweet corn
- roasted squash or other hearty veggies
- diced avocado or guacamole
- diced tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes
- fresh cilantro leaves
- salsa
- pico de gallo
- shredded cheddar cheese, or pepper jack
- crumbled queso fresco, or cotija or feta
Can you freeze these refried beans?
You can easily bag up your extra beans and freeze them for later. I suggest freezing them into serving sizes so you can easily thaw one serving without thawing all of them.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry black beans
- 3 cups vegetable broth, plus a little more for thinning as needed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus additional salt to taste
- lime juice, freshly squeezed, for serving; optional
Instructions
- Rinse the beans and pick through them, discarding any debris. Place the beans in a 3-quart or larger slow cooker and fill it with water to about 2-3 inches above the beans. Cover and let sit overnight, or for 8-12 hours.
- Pour the beans into a colander to discard the soaking water. Rinse and return the beans to the slow cooker.
- Add the vegetable broth, olive oil, garlic, onion powder, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and salt. Stir.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the beans are cooked through.
- Turn the slow cooker off and remove the lid to allow the beans to cool slightly.
- Before pureeing, check the liquid level. Slow cookers can vary, so if you find that the liquid is still above the level of the beans when it comes time to puree them, you may want to skim a little of the liquid and reserve it for thinning later on.
- With an immersion blender or by working in batches with a high-powered blender or food processor, carefully puree beans until your desired consistency is reached (you might like your beans to be 100% smooth, or chunky with a few beans still left whole).
- Turn the slow cooker back on the low setting and let beans cook for another 30 minutes to thicken.
- Check the consistency; if the beans are too thick, add additional vegetable broth and stir. If they're too thin, let them sit and cook for a little longer.
- Taste and add additional salt if needed and squeeze half a lime over the beans right before serving, if desired.
Anna says
sounds perfect to make smoothier fajitas!! so delicious
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Jen says
Mmmmmm! Smoky paprika! Thanks for introducing me to this spice, Kar! I put it on everything now!
Joanne says
You somehow made refried beans look goooorrrgeeeooouss!! AKA you are my hero.
Emma says
I was just about to write the exact same comment as Joanne above! How stunning are these pictures?! And I love refried beans. Great idea to make up a big batch and freeze in portions. I'm always on the lookout for packed lunch ideas and these would be a great addition to my repertoire.
Asa says
These were excellent. Sorry if this offends vegetarian readers but I used the skimmed off liquid after cooking in the slow cooker to cook some ground turkey with taco seasoning. Served the turkey and beans on tortillas with an avocado and roasted corn salsa. It was an awesome meal. And then then next night (since this made a LOT of beans) we made nachos and used the beans as a dip. So yummy! The beans came out kind of runny, so I think I'll have to play with the recipe a bit to get thicker beans, but oeverall I love this concept of healthy refried beans.
Melissa says
I LOVE YOU! I love to make refried black beans, but I always end up throwing away half of a batch before they get eaten. I have never thought to freeze the remaining beans. THANKS!!!
BTW, when I make tacos, sometimes I'll use a can of pureed black beans to make the meat go a bit further, but now I'll just be able to pull some out of the freezer instead of opening a can. I typically use organic whole milk to thin, which tastes great, but shortens the edible life of the beans. From now on, I think I'll stick to broth. 🙂