Instant Pot Loaded Refried Beans

Kick your good old Mexican Refried Beans Recipe up a notch with this gloriously Loaded Instant Pot Refried Beans! 😀

This Instant Pot Loaded Refried Beans (Spanish: frijoles refritos) is a creamy smooth, hearty rich mashed pinto beans spread, loaded with spicy-savory-umami-smoky satisfying mouthfeel.

No Canned Beans . No Soaking . No Standing by the Stove

How to Serve Instant Pot Refried Beans:

• Hearty side dish for your next Mexican meal
• Deliciously creamy rich dip for your next party
• Gratifying topping for your nachos
• Spread them in burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, tostadas…and more!

Time to learn how to make refried beans in Instant Pot Pressure Cooker!

How to Make Instant Pot Loaded Refried Beans Step-by-Step Guide

Prepare Ingredients for Instant Pot Loaded Refried Beans.

Pick, rinse and drain the pinto beans.

*Pro Tip 1: You don’t have to pre-soak the pinto beans for this recipe. Although beans have a relatively long shelf life, older beans may take a much longer cooking time to be softened. So, it’s best to use fresh dry beans if possible!

*Pro Tip 2: We like to freshly ground our cumin seeds with a mortar + pestle, as the flavor is more intense and fresh. However, you can use store-bought ground cumin seeds.

Crisp Chopped Bacon

Crisp chopped bacon by adding the bacon in Instant Pot, then heat up Instant Pot using Sauté More function.

*Pro Tip: You don’t need to add oil as the bacon already has a lot of fat.

Stir occasionally and allow the bacon to crisp. It will take roughly 7 – 9 minutes.

Remove bacon from Instant Pot, then place them on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat.

*Pro Tips for Crisp Bacon:

• In order to cook the meat and fat evenly, crispy and not burnt, place the bacon in the cold pot before turning on the heat. Then, let the heat slowly render out the pork fat.
• It’s also important to absorb the bacon’s excess fat with a paper towel after sauteing – this helps crisp up the umami bacon bits! 😀

Saute Onion, Spices, and Garlic

Add roughly diced onion into the bacon fat and cook until softened (~3 minutes). The bacon fat will give the overall dish a much-needed smokiness flavor 😀 Yum!

Then add ½ – 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, and minced garlic to the Instant Pot. Cook for another minute until fragrant.

*Spicy Tip:  ½ tsp chili powder will give it a hint of spiciness, and 1 tsp chili powder will make the dish mildly spicy.

Deglaze Instant Pot

Pour roughly ½ cup unsalted chicken stock in Instant Pot and deglaze by scrubbing all the flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.

Give it a quick mix.

Pressure Cook Refried Beans in Instant Pot

Add the well-drained pinto beans in Instant Pot, then pour in the remaining 3 ½ cups unsalted chicken stock.

Close the lid. Turn the Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Pressure Cooking Methods:

• For Tender with a Bite Result: High Pressure 40 mins + 25 mins Natural Release
• For Silky Smooth + Tender Result: High Pressure 50 mins + 25 mins Natural Release

After 25 minutes of Natural Releasing, carefully turn the Venting Knob to Venting Position to release the remaining pressure.

*Pro Tip: As the Instant Pot is natural releasing, it’s a good time to grate the cheddar cheese and thinly slice the green onions.

Drain Beans Liquid

Once the Floating Valve drops, carefully take off the lid.

Strain the beans liquid with a strainer. Place the beans back in the Instant Pot.

Then, reserve the beans liquid in a mixing bowl.

Mash Beans

Create Instant Pot Refried Beans by mashing the beans with a potato masher or immersion blender until desired consistency.

*Pro Tip: From our experiments, potato masher yields a coarser, chunky paste while the immersion blender creates a thick & creamy smooth paste (see below photo for comparison).

Taste and season with salt (for reference: we used 4 pinches of salt).

Add drained beans liquid back to the mashed beans until desired consistency.

*Pro Tip: Adjust the thickness of the bean paste according to your preference and what you’re serving it with (i.e. rice vs. inside a burrito).

Load Instant Pot Refried Beans

Here comes the good part. Load up your gorgeous refried beans with umami bacon bits! ohhh yaass~~

Add refreshing thinly sliced green onions on top of the Instant Pot Refried Beans.

And finally, add in the grated cheddar cheese. oh my~

The end result looks deliciously colorful! And I will let you be the judge on the taste factor 😉

Enjoy your Instant Pot Loaded Refried Beans!~ 🙂

Tips for Instant Pot Loaded Refried Beans

1. No Need to Pre-Soak Pinto Beans

2. Use Fresh Dry Beans

Although beans have a relatively long shelf life, older beans may take a much longer cooking time to be softened. So, it’s best to use fresh dry beans if possible!

3. No Need to Use Oil

You don’t need to add oil when crisping the bacon in Instant Pot because the bacon already has a lot of fat.

4. Crisp Bacon Tips

• In order to cook the meat and fat evenly, crispy and not burnt, place the bacon in the cold pot before turning on the heat. Then, let the heat slowly render out the pork fat.
• It’s also important to absorb the bacon’s excess fat with a paper towel after sauteing.

4. Potato Mashed vs. Immersion Blender

From our experiments, potato masher yields a coarser, chunky paste while the immersion blender creates a thick & creamy smooth paste.

Tools for Instant Pot Loaded Refried Beans

• Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
• Mortar and Pestle
• Wooden Spoon
• Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
• Fine Mesh Strainer
• Potato Masher or Immersion Hand Blender
• Stainless Steel Grater

More Instant Pot Mexican Recipes You’ll Love

Instant Pot Carnitas

Instant Pot Chicken Tacos