Cranberry beans creamy rich flavor make for the perfect refried beans, giving a boost to any Mexican dish. Add it to your tacos, as a base for your breakfast tostada, or as a side to accompany Spanish rice. Making refried beans from dried beans is far easier than you would think! Soaked in water for 8 hours, then steamed like rice until soft and easily mashed with the back of a spoon.
Knowing how to prepare dried beans can come in handy. The dried beans are easier to store and have a long shelf life. After re-hydrating the beans and cooking them, they can also be used in salads, or homemade chili instead of being mashed.

Refried Beans
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 Cup Cranberry beans Or Pinto Beans
- 4 Cups Water Additional 3 Cups For Soaking
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- 2 Tablespoons Bacon Grease Or Olive/Avocado Oil (For a healthier alternative)
Instructions
- Submerge 1 1/4 cup beans in 3 cups water. Soak the beans for 8 hours.
- Strain off excess water after 8 hours of soaking.
- Pour the pre-soaked beans in a pan with 4 cups of water. Cover with a lid bring to a boil and cook on low for 2 hours.
- After two hours remove from heat, and add 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, cumin and 2 tablespoon oil to the beans.
- If you have a blender, pour the contents of the pan into the blender, and blend until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the pan, and cook on low without the lid until you reach the desired thickness. This process should take about 20-30 minutes.
- The beans can be mashed by hand, run through a food mill, or a hand emulsifier to blend the beans if you don't want to mash by hand.
- Cooking the additional 20-30 minutes will reduce the liquid, and infuse the cumin with the beans.
- Serve warm. Store in a sealed container with a lid for up to a week.