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Our Cheater Restaurant Style Refried Beans taste exactly like what you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant! Creamy, flavorful, and easy to make, this is a perfect side for any homemade Mexican dishes.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“The best refried beans I’ve ever had! Easy, quick and always loved by everyone! I’ve also made these with refried black beans and they are just as yummy!” – Stacy
“We made these tonight as a change, using a can of spicy jalapeno refried beans. Incredible with how just 4 ingredients, these beans turned out soooo amazing. This is our forever go to side dish now for Texmex night. Awesome recipe!!!!” – Suzanne
“Love these beans! I always get so many compliments when I make them too. So easy and so delicious! Thanks for a great recipe!” – Patty
The Easiest and Tastiest Refried Beans
I have to tell you—I am absolutely obsessed with these “cheater” restaurant-style refried beans! Why are they “cheater,” you ask? Well, because we’re starting with canned refried beans. Yep, no need to spend hours in the kitchen soaking and simmering dried beans. This recipe lets you whip up a creamy, flavorful side dish in just minutes. I always pair these with my favorite Restaurant Style Mexican Rice when making Mexican Dishes. Bonus: these beans are naturally gluten-free, so everyone can enjoy them!
I love how easy these beans are to make, and trust me, they taste so much better than anything you’ll find in a can. They’re perfect for dipping chips, spreading on tacos, or serving alongside all your favorite Mexican dishes. Have you ever noticed how the beans at restaurants are creamy and smooth, but the canned stuff is so thick it breaks your chips? Well, this is my no-fail method for turning the canned stuff into something even better than what you’d get at a restaurant.
Have a little more time on your hands and want to try a more authentic recipe? Try our easy guide on How to Make Refried Beans. Either way, whether you stick with this “cheater” recipe or go the more authentic route, you can’t go wrong!
🩷 Emily
Key Ingredients
Just four simple ingredients to make these flavorful beans.
1. Canned Refried Beans
- Why use it? Canned refried beans are the foundation of this recipe, offering convenience and a good base flavor to build upon. They save time compared to starting from dried beans, which require soaking, cooking, and mashing.
- Pro tip: Choose a high-quality brand with simple ingredients like beans, salt, and minimal additives for the best flavor.
2. Sour Cream
- Why use it? Sour cream adds creaminess and a slight tanginess, giving the beans a smooth texture and balancing the richness of the dish. It also helps achieve that restaurant-style consistency that’s perfect for dipping or spreading.
- Substitutes: Greek yogurt (for a lighter option), cream cheese (for extra richness), or plant-based alternatives if dairy-free.
3. Hot Sauce
- Why use it? Hot sauce brings a subtle kick and depth of flavor to the beans, enhancing their overall taste without overpowering the dish.
- Which type to use: A Mexican-style hot sauce like Cholula, Tapatío, or Valentina works best, but you can adjust based on your preferred heat level.
- Customizations: If you prefer milder beans, use less hot sauce, or try smoky flavors like chipotle for variation.
4. Monterey Jack Cheese (Optional)
- Why use it? Monterey Jack is a mild, creamy, and melty cheese that complements the flavors of the beans while adding a satisfying gooey texture.
- Alternatives: Cheddar, cheddar-jack blend, pepper jack (for added spice), or dairy-free cheese if avoiding dairy.
- Optional toppings: Instead of melty cheese, try crumbled cotija or queso fresco for a fresher, saltier finish.
How to Make Restaurant-Style Refried Beans
- Combine ingredients – Combine all the ingredients and place the mixture in an oven-safe baking dish. This can be anything from a cast-iron skillet to a 9×13 glass baking dish.
- Bake – Bake for 10 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
- Stir and Bake Again – Remove the beans from the oven and give it a good stir. Top with cheese and then bake again until the cheese melts. If you prefer to not have cheese over the top, you can always just stop after the first bake and serve.
- Garnish and Serve – When beans are done, garnish with cotija cheese, queso fresco, and/or chopped cilantro.
Tips and Suggestions
- Adjust the sour cream – To get a better flavor and creamy consistency from canned refried beans, adding sour cream and cheese is the answer! You can add more or less sour cream, depending on your desired consistency.
- Kick up the heat – These cheater Restaurant Style Refried Beans have a little more intensity and kick, which I love. They aren’t too spicy, but definitely have a little more spice than a regular can of refried beans. You can amp up the spice by adding more hot sauce, or tone it down by adding less — whatever your family prefers!
- Try some onion – Dice green, yellow, or even red onion and add to the refried beans for more flavor.
- Add some seasonings – Try adding a dash of cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt.
- Top with cilantro – Garnish with cilantro to improve refried beans taste.
Recipes that use Refried Beans
Refried beans are the perfect side dish all on their own, but they are also great as an ingredient in a wide variety of recipes! Use them to add flavor, creaminess, and a protein boost to your favorite dishes, including:
- Burritos and Tacos: Spread a layer of refried beans on tortillas before adding your choice of protein, veggies, cheese, and toppings for delicious burritos or tacos.
- Enchiladas: Use refried beans as a filling for enchiladas along with shredded chicken, beef, or cheese. Top with enchilada sauce and bake until bubbly.
- Quesadillas: Spread refried beans on one tortilla, top with cheese and another tortilla, then cook until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are crispy.
- Bean Dip: Warm up refried beans and serve as a dip with tortilla chips. Add toppings like melted cheese, jalapeños, sour cream, and salsa. You can also serve cold and make a 7-Layer Bean Dip.
- Tostadas: Spread refried beans on crisp tortillas and add toppings like lettuce, diced tomatoes, cheese, and salsa for a tasty tostada.
- Navajo Tacos: Much like tostadas, you can layer the refried beans with some chili and toppings on some Indian Fry Bread for a delicious meal.
- Nachos: Layer tortilla chips with refried beans, cheese, and toppings like sliced olives, jalapeños, and guacamole for loaded nachos.
- Mexican Pizza: Use these refried beans to make your favorite taco pizza or Mexican-style pizza.
- Mexican Lasagna: Layer corn tortillas with refried beans, cheese, and a meat or veggie filling to create a Mexican-style lasagna.
- Use as a Chili Thickener: This is one of my favorite secrets for thickening chili! Add refried beans to chili for extra thickness and flavor. They work particularly well in Mexican-style chilis.
Frequently Asked Questions
These beans are called “cheater” because they use canned refried beans as a base, saving you hours of cooking while delivering restaurant-quality flavor and texture.
Absolutely! Monterey Jack is great for a melty topping, but you can also use cheddar, a cheddar-jack blend, or even crumbled cotija or queso fresco for a different flavor profile.
These beans have a mild kick from the hot sauce, but they aren’t overly spicy. You can easily adjust the spice level by adding more or less hot sauce to suit your taste.
Yes! You can prepare the beans, store them in an airtight container in the fridge, and reheat them when you’re ready to serve. If you’re adding cheese on top, add it just before reheating.
Yes! To make it dairy-free, skip the sour cream and cheese or use dairy-free alternatives like vegan sour cream and plant-based cheese.
Absolutely! You can add diced onions, garlic, or seasonings like cumin and garlic powder for extra flavor. Fresh cilantro makes a great garnish.
While baking enhances the flavor and creates a smooth, creamy texture, you can heat the mixture on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot.
Yes! Let the beans cool completely, then store them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat before serving.
More Mexican Food Recipes
I use these restaurant style refried beans and our Restaurant Style Mexican Rice for sides every time I make Mexican food at home, we honestly never make a Mexican dish without these two sides anymore. Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with our beans and rice:
Ready to elevate your next Mexican-inspired meal? Try these Cheater Refried Beans and see just how easy restaurant-quality flavor can be at home. Whether you’re dipping chips, layering tacos, or piling on nachos, this recipe is bound to become a go-to favorite. If you give it a try, leave a comment below and share how you served them. We love hearing from you! 🌮🎉
Cheater Restaurant Style Refried Beans
Video
Ingredients
- 1 can refried beans
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl combine the refried beans, sour cream, and hot sauce.
- Pour into a oven safe skillet, glass pie pan or 9×9 dish.
- Bake at 400℉ for 10 minutes, or until its hot and bubbly.
- Remove and stir well. Optional: Top with grated cheese and heat in the oven for 3 more minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips and with our Restaurant Style Mexican Rice for a complete side dish to any Mexican meals.
Notes
- You can use an immersion blender or a potato masher to get an even creamier consistency to your refried beans.
- Heat refried beans in a crock-pot or even the instant pot.
- Garnish with diced onion, cilantro or shredded cheddar cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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These beans were sooooo good. I doubled the recipe, and felt like it was a little runny, but that’s on me because I strayed from your original and I know doubling isn’t always perfect. I am going to play around with the ratios for doubling to get it dippable, but I can still eat it with a fork. Do you drain your beans? What do you blend with? I used an immersion blender. Thanks again for a fantastic refried beans recipe that can be a weeknight staple.
I usually don’t drain the beans because the beans I use aren’t really watery. If there was excess water on them I would probably drain it off though. I actually don’t blend the beans in a blender or anything. You can use a potato masher or just stir the beans with a spoon. Hope this helps!