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Pressure Cooker Refried Beans

Yield: 24 Servings (Makes 12-13 cups)
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 jalapeño, cored, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1 ½ pounds dry pinto beans, rinsed
  • 8 cups water
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar

Instructions 

  • In the insert of an electric pressure cooker (or in a stovetop pressure cooker), heat the oil (using the Sauté function on the InstantPot) and add the jalapeño, onion, and garlic, and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
  • Add the rinsed and drained beans, water, broth, salt and vinegar.
  • Secure the lid on the pressure cooker and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes (stovetop) and 35 minutes (electric).
  • Let the pressure naturally release. Reserve two cups of the liquid in a separate bowl.
  • Drain the rest of the liquid off the beans. Using an immersion blender, potato masher (or spooning the beans into a blender), process/mash to the desired consistency, adding reserved cooking water, if needed for a smoother/softer consistency.
  • Refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for several months.

Notes

Broth: you can definitely sub in water for the 4 cups broth, but I like the added flavor of the broth.
Fat-Free: if you want the beans fat-free, eliminate the oil and first step of sautéing the jalapeño, onions and garlic. Again, the flavor might be a little different, but this recipe is pretty adaptable.
Jalapeño: even though the recipe calls for a jalapeño, the beans are not spicy at all (but the heat will increase if you leave in the seeds of the jalapeño).
Freezable: the refried beans can be refrigerated for a week and they also freeze great (I usually spoon them into freezer-safe ziploc bags or foodsaver bags and freeze; they defrost quickly in the refrigerator or at room temperature).