Refried Beans substitute

Best substitute

Canned pinto beans, mashed and fried

One 15-ounce can pinto beans replaces one 16-ounce can refried beans

Best for burritos and tacos

Close match

Not really a substitute so much as the original recipe, and the result is noticeably better than the can: fresher tasting, less pasty, and seasoned the way you want it. Heat a tablespoon or two of oil, lard or bacon drippings, soften half a chopped onion and a clove of garlic, tip in the drained beans, mash with a spoon or a potato masher and loosen with the reserved bean liquid a splash at a time. Season with salt and a pinch of cumin. It will be a little chunkier and lighter in color than canned refried beans, which most people prefer.

Other refried beans substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Canned black beans, mashed and fried
Different taste
One 15-ounce can replaces one 16-ounce can refried beans
The same method with a different bean, and the version many restaurants serve.
What changes
The paste comes out dark gray-purple rather than beige, and it tastes slightly sweeter, earthier and more assertive than pinto, with a firmer skin that leaves a little more texture even after mashing. In a burrito or a seven-layer dip that difference is only visual. In something pale, like a bean dip served with white tortilla chips, the color is striking rather than wrong.
Best for
burritos and burrito bowls, nachos, dips, quesadillas
Black beans mash less smoothly. If you want them silky, blend half the beans with the bean liquid and stir them back into the pan.
3Canned white beans, mashed and fried
Different taste
One 15-ounce can replaces one 16-ounce can refried beans
Cannellini, navy or great northern beans mash more smoothly than any other bean and go genuinely creamy, so the texture is excellent, arguably better.
What changes
The flavor is milder and blander, without the mineral earthiness pinto beans have, so it needs more seasoning than you would expect: extra salt, a good pinch of cumin, a little chilli powder and a squeeze of lime. Colour is pale ivory, so a layered dip looks quite different.
Best for
burritos and wraps, spreads, quesadillas, dips
Because they are so mild, taste twice and season twice. Under-seasoned white bean mash is the most common failure here and reads as bland paste.
4Hummus
Different taste
Use the same amount by volume
The no-cooking option and better than it sounds, because it does the same structural job: it is a thick, savory, fatty bean paste that holds a wrap together.
What changes
It tastes clearly of tahini and lemon, so a burrito made with it drifts toward the Mediterranean, which is fine in a wrap with grilled vegetables and odd in a plate of enchiladas. A teaspoon of cumin and a pinch of chilli powder stirred in pulls it much closer.
Best for
burritos and wraps, quick layered dips, spread on tostadas, sandwiches
Plain hummus works far better than a flavored one. Roasted red pepper hummus is the next best; anything with dill or beetroot in it will taste out of place.
5Mashed avocado or guacamole
Different taste
Use the same amount by volume
Only worth using where the refried beans were a soft creamy layer rather than a savory base, which is precisely what they are in a seven-layer dip or a loaded nacho tray.
What changes
You get the creaminess and the binding, and a much fresher, brighter, fattier flavor. What you lose is the earthy savory depth and the protein bulk, so a burrito made with only avocado tastes rich but insubstantial, and it browns within an hour or two.
Best for
layered dips, nachos, tacos, tostadas
Do not heat it. If the dish is going in the oven, put the avocado on afterwards, because warm avocado turns bitter and gray.
6Cooked lentils, mashed with cumin
Taste and texture differ
Use 1.5 cups cooked brown lentils for every 16-ounce can
The pantry option when there is not a bean in the house.
What changes
Cook brown or green lentils until very soft, drain most of the liquid, then fry and mash them in oil with onion, garlic, cumin and chilli powder. They mash into something genuinely spreadable, though grainier and looser than refried beans, and the flavor is earthier and more distinctly lentil. In a burrito it works well; in a plain side of refried beans with cheese on top, it reads as a different dish.
Best for
burritos and wraps, taco fillings, casserole layers
Red lentils are even better here, because they collapse completely into a smooth paste in twenty minutes, though the color is orange-gold rather than brown.
7Canned baked beans (the last resort, and it is a compromise)
Different taste
Use the same amount drained and rinsed hard
Worth including because they are in a lot of cupboards, and worth being honest about: baked beans are cooked in a sweet tomato sauce, so they taste of sugar and tomato rather than of salt and fat.
What changes
Rinse them thoroughly under hot water, drain well, then fry and mash them with onion, garlic, cumin and a decent pinch of salt, and taste before you serve. Expect something sweeter and more tomato-forward than refried beans; usable in a burrito, distinctly odd as a side.
Best for
burritos in an emergency, casserole layers where other flavors dominate
Rinsing is essential rather than optional here, and even then a splash of lime juice helps cut the residual sweetness.

What is Refried Beans?

Refried Beans is a soft, savory paste of cooked pinto beans, mashed and fried in fat until it thickens, sold in cans or made from scratch and used as a spread, a burrito filling and a side; in Spanish, frijoles refritos.

Cooking tips

Save the liquid from the can. Bean liquid, or the aquafaba-like starchy broth from beans you cooked yourself, is what makes a mash creamy rather than pasty, and it does a better job than water, stock or milk because it is already thickened with bean starch.
Fry the mash longer than feels necessary. Refried beans get their flavor from actually frying: five to eight minutes in a hot pan, letting the bottom catch slightly and stirring it back in, is what separates them from cold mashed beans.
Refried beans thicken a great deal as they cool, so pull them off the heat looser than you want them. If they set too firmly, a splash of hot water and thirty seconds of stirring brings them straight back.
Traditional refried beans are made with lard, which is why restaurant versions taste richer than most home ones and why many are not vegetarian. Bacon fat is the closest substitute, oil is perfectly good, and butter works but tastes noticeably European.
For a smooth, canned-style texture, blend about half the beans with the liquid before frying and keep the rest whole. Mashing alone always leaves it rustic, which is nicer on a plate and worse as a burrito glue.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use regular canned beans instead of refried beans?

Yes, and it is the best substitute there is. Drain a can of pinto or black beans, keeping the liquid, then fry them in a couple of tablespoons of hot oil or lard with onion and garlic, mash them with the back of a spoon and loosen with the reserved liquid. Season with salt and cumin. It takes about ten minutes and one 15-ounce can replaces one 16-ounce can of refried beans.

What can I use instead of refried beans in a burrito?

Anything thick, savory and spreadable, because in a burrito the beans are structural: they glue the filling together and stop it sliding out. Mashed pinto or black beans are the direct swap; hummus works surprisingly well; mashed white beans are creamy but need heavy seasoning; well-cooked mashed lentils are a good pantry answer. Loose whole beans are the one thing to avoid, since they roll out of the tortilla.

Are refried beans vegetarian?

Not always. Traditional frijoles refritos are fried in lard, and a number of canned brands still include it, so check the label if that matters. Vegetarian and fat-free versions are widely sold, and if you are making your own, oil works perfectly well in place of lard. It will taste slightly less rich, which more cumin and a longer fry in the pan largely make up for.

Can I just leave the refried beans out?

In a nacho tray or a taco, yes, and a little extra cheese or salsa will cover for them. In a burrito or a layered dip, they are the binder as well as the bulk, and without them the filling is loose and the dip runs. Substitute something spreadable rather than omitting entirely, even if it is only mashed beans of another kind or a few spoonfuls of hummus.

How much refried beans do I need per person?

About half a cup as a side or in a burrito, so a 16-ounce can serves three or four people. A cup of dry pinto beans yields roughly two and a half cups cooked, which makes about two cups of refried beans once mashed and fried down.

Related substitutes

More legumes substitutes

Refried Beans substitute

Other refried beans substitutes

2Canned black beans, mashed and fried

3Canned white beans, mashed and fried

4Hummus

5Mashed avocado or guacamole

6Cooked lentils, mashed with cumin

7Canned baked beans (the last resort, and it is a compromise)