Creamy homemade refried pinto beans

Name: Creamy homemade refried pinto beans
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion, finely diced; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp smoked paprika; 2 tins pinto beans, 400 g tins, drained, liquid kept; 1 lime, juiced; 100ml water

Soft pinto beans mashed with onion, garlic and cumin into a thick, savoury spread for tacos and burritos.

Time25 min
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.36 a head

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

4 servings

Ingredients

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2 tbspolive oil
1onionfinely diced
3garlic clovescrushed
1 tspground cumin
½ tspsmoked paprika
2tins pinto beans400 g tins, drained, liquid kept
1limejuiced
100 mlwater

Method

1
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 7 minutes until golden, then add the garlic, cumin and paprika for 1 minute.
8 min
2
Add the beans and the water. Cook for 5 minutes, until hot and soft.
5 min
3
Mash with a potato masher, adding splashes of the bean liquid until you have a thick, spreadable texture.
4
Cook for 3 more minutes, stirring, so it thickens and the edges crisp slightly.
3 min
5
Stir in the lime juice and season. Serve warm.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.