This vegetarian refried black beans recipe is a new take on the traditional Mexican side dish. It’s flavored with authentic spices, mashed to the perfect texture, and has added zing from creamy goat cheese.
It should come as no surprise that I came back from Mexico having food withdrawals.
The pico! The guac! The fresh-off-the-boat seafood! The abuelitas cooking for us!
I’m still dreaming about the colors and the freshness and the variety of flavors.
It’s impossible to quit cold turkey. You have to ease out of something.
And how does one do this? By rushing to the store and buying as many avocados, tomatoes, onions, limes, and bunches of cilantro as you can carry.
Then you go home, make pico de gallo and spicy grilled shrimp to celebrate your brother’s birthday in true Mexican-ish fashion. He was born on May 3rd, that’s close to Cinco de Mayo – so I say, “what do you expect, bro?” At least he had a touch of American/French/I-don’t-even-know-what-cuisine-it-was-derived-from thanks to the cake my mom made him, so he can’t complain too much, right?
Also, you buy lots of black beans. I ate my weight in refried beans and now I can’t live without them, therefore I took it upon myself to transform into a little Mexican grandma and see what I could whip up.
Black (bean) magic, I tell you. That’s what happened. Aside from the balmy sea air and clanging sounds of pans in the nearby open-air kitchen, these are exactly the same refried beans that we had so many times in Mexico. Caramelize some onion and garlic, doctor the beans up with a super-special blend of spices, mash them lovingly by hand, and then mix in the creamy, tangy goat cheese for added effect.
How to Make Best Ever Vegetarian Refried Black Beans
The Best Ever Refried Black Beans
Ingredients
Method
- Prepare garlic and onion as described above.
- In a large skillet, heat oil to medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.
- Add black beans and seasonings to skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes until heated throughout.
- Using the back of a spoon, mash black beans to desired consistency. Stir and continue cooking.
- Add vegetable broth. Stir to combine. If the beans are too dry, add more broth to reach your desired consistency.
- Add goat cheese. Stir to combine.
- Serve hot with fresh cilantro and tortillas. Enjoy.
Sorry, but this is not the last you’ll hear from our Mexican viaje. Not even close. We’ve got another dish coming your way that combines all of our favorite parts of the cuisine (including these beans) and a full-blown blog post about the trip. Needless to say, you should definitely stay tuned.
I went to Torchys Tacos, yesterday, and wanted to recreate their refried black beans. I landed on this recipe and am super glad I did; they are not quite like Torchys’ but they were damn good. I veganized them, so I skipped the cheese, used Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base with water (for the stock) and added a dash of cumin.
Shamelessly I ate it all.
Yummmmmm! I’ve never had Torchys but I’ve heard great things. I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Great easy recipe. Is the nutritional values based on a 1/4 or maybe a half cup?
Hi there! I just updated the nutritional info to be more clear. Those amounts are based on eating 1/6 of the entire recipe.
Shut your pie hole.
Success always comes with trolls. Again, thanks for the $$$ from your page view. Maybe find a more productive hobby instead of “burning” through thousands of dollars.
Absolutely spectacular! I did sub chicken broth for the vegetable broth, I did not add the cheese, I did the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and I added 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. These were absolutely amazing! Also, I use my blender. I seriously could eat this entire pot by myself right now. LOL
I love it! So, so glad you enjoyed! :)
Agree with the other comments about the salt but otherwise absolutely fantastic. A new must-have filling for my grilled burritos.
Ooooh grilled burritos! That sounds delish!
Wonderful. I am sooooooooooo glad you shared that bit of inane information with the world. My life has changed forever.
It would seem as though the 97,342 people who have viewed this recipe since it was posted do not find it “inane.” That’s some super impressive vocabulary for someone who spends all day lighting plants on fire. *Nancy Pelosi clap* I do appreciate you visiting my site, though – each view means I make money. ;)
I love these! I used just about half the salt it called for before even reading other comments. I added a little less of each spice too because I can’t handle much spice. They are a lot like the beans at Torchy’s tacos, that’s what inspired me to look up the recipe. Love the goat cheese too.
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. I’ve always wanted to try Torchy’s… jealous!
Do you drain and/or rinse the canned beans for this recipe?
Hi Jes! Yes, drain and rinse the beans. I’ll add that to the recipe notes to clarify. Thanks!
Thank you!
Way to salty for me…made it again with 1/2 t instead of 2 t of salt and added 1/2 t of cumin. Delicous!
WAY too much salt in this recipe! I should have listened to my instincts and put less salt. I cant even eat the beans even after smothering my burrito in sour cream and salsa. The saltiness still comes through. I am going to try this recipe again but add salt in as I go and see how it tastes.
Hmmm… that’s strange. Did you use regular table salt or sea salt? We used sea salt and I think the level of salt was just right. I hope you try again and like it!
I like to add some tahini, cumin and a little bit of lemon to the beans, they are a staple food at my house
Melania –
Tahini sounds so delicious in black beans! Thanks for the idea, we will have to try that. :)
Sounds wonderful. How much of each do you add?
Sounds really good. Thank you Jordan and have a great Monday!