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Refried beans

Refried beans are cooked beans that are mashed and fried or reheated with fat, commonly served as a side dish or filling.

Refried beans — illustrative ingredient image

About Refried beans

Refried beans are cooked beans that are mashed or puréed and cooked again with fat and seasonings. Pinto beans are traditional and common, though black, red, or other beans may be used. The finished preparation serves as a side dish, dip, spread, topping, or filling for tacos, burritos, tostadas, and other meals.

Their texture ranges from smooth and creamy to thick, coarse, and visibly chunky. Flavor depends on the bean, cooking liquid, fat, and seasonings, often combining earthy beans with onion, garlic, chilli, cumin, or salt. Color may be tan, pinkish, brown, or nearly black according to the beans and additions.

Refried beans can be made from freshly cooked beans or leftovers, mashed by hand or blended. They are also sold in cans, pouches, and ready-to-heat containers. Heating loosens the mixture, while further cooking thickens it; oil, lard, broth, or water can adjust richness and consistency.

Ingredient type
compound ingredient

Forms & related ingredients

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Where refried beans appears

16 linked foods

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Street food

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for refried beans

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Refried beans

English

Refried beans, canned, fat-free

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Refried beans, canned, traditional style

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Refried beans, canned, traditional, reduced sodium

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Refried beans, canned, vegetarian

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Refried beans, from canned, reduced sodium

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Refried beans, from fast food / restaurant

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Refried beans nutrition & diet

Refried beans nutritional value

Reference: Re-fried beans

Per 100 g of the edible portion of the stated reference food.

Calories
169kcal
Protein
7.1g
Carbs
15.0g
Fat
8.6g

Reference example for the named food and preparation, per 100 g edible portion. This is not a universal value for every recipe or brand; packaged products should be compared with their own label. CoFID 2021 food code 15-854. Carbohydrate follows the dataset’s available-carbohydrate convention. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/.

Portions & preparation

Identify the bean species and record the prepared edible portion, including whether beans are whole or mashed. Frying or reheating may use oil, lard, butter, broth, salt, or cheese; homemade and canned versions therefore require separate recipe and serving references.

Compare the right form: Match references to the exact bean species and preparation, specifying mashed texture, cooking liquid, added fat, salt, dairy, meat, and serving form.

Diet considerations

Refried beans are plant-based only when prepared without lard, meat broth, cheese, or other animal additions. Recipe and brand determine compatibility. Plain beans differ from seasoned fillings; tortilla, bread, or other cereal accompaniments can alter carbohydrate patterns, while added fat and portion size change the overall context.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Depends on the version
  • Vegetarian
    Depends on the version
  • Pescatarian
    Depends on the version
  • Keto
    Not established
  • Paleo
    Typically incompatible
  • Low-carb
    Not established
  • Halal
    Depends on the version
  • Kosher
    Depends on the version
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Rendered Pork Fat. The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative. Recipes and products can differ.
Vegetarian · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Rendered Pork Fat. The profile identifies animal flesh, seafood or a derivative excluded by a vegetarian diet. Recipes and products can differ.
Pescatarian · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Rendered Pork Fat. The profile identifies land-animal meat or a derivative, which is excluded by this pescatarian definition. Recipes and products can differ.
Keto · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Paleo · Typically incompatible
Recorded common ingredients: Beans. This profile falls outside the conventional paleo pattern used here (grains and pseudograins, legumes, dairy or refined sugar). Recipes and products can differ.
Low-carb · Not established
A defined serving and sourced carbohydrate data are needed before assessing this dietary pattern.
Halal · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Rendered Pork Fat. This profile identifies pork or a pork-derived ingredient. Recipes and products can differ.
Kosher · Depends on the version
Optional or variable recorded ingredients: Rendered Pork Fat. This profile identifies pork or a pork-derived ingredient. Recipes and products can differ.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: UK Composition of Foods Integrated Dataset (CoFID), 2021 — Re-fried beans ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .