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A spoonful of refried beans in front of a copper pot

Homestead Refried Beans (Plus, Canning Tips!)

In this recipe, I’ll share how to properly soak beans and make the BEST refried beans you’ll ever have. As a bonus, I’ll also give you instructions on canning refried beans so you can enjoy a tasty treat later on in the season with MUCH less prep work!
5 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 10 hours 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 10 people
Calories 245 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb dried pinto beans organic
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 4 strips bacon organic, pasture-raised
  • 2 onions chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tsp italian seasoning blend
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 2 cups beef stock organic, grass-fed
  • ½ cup salsa
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (for topping) from organic, grass-fed cows

Instructions
 

Pre-Soaking Dried Beans

  • Rinse the dried beans, then add to a large bowl. Add enough water to cover the beans by 2" and then add 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar.
  • Let soak at room temperature for 12 hours, or overnight.
  • Drain and rinse beans well. Set aside.

Cooking Homestead Refried Beans

  • Cook bacon in a cast-iron skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel or tea cloth. Once cooled, chop bacon and set aside.
  • Transfer bacon grease from the skillet to a large pot and heat over medium. Add chopped onions and cook until golden (~5 minutes).
  • Add the minced garlic and spices. Cook for 1 more minute until aromatic.
  • Add the soaked and rinsed beans into the pot along with 2 cups of beef stock 
  • Add enough water to cover the beans by 1-2”  (~2 cups of water is ideal for the pot I use)
  • Cover and let simmer for 1.5-2 hours until the beans are soft, checking the water level occasionally.
  • Once soft, mash the beans slightly with a potato masher, add the reserved chopped bacon and stir in ½ cup of salsa.
  • Top with cheddar cheese and enjoy!

Pressure Canning Beans

  • Start by soaking the beans for 12 hours (with 1 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar), and then drain and rinse the beans as outlined in the refried beans recipe above.
  • Add ONLY the drained beans to a pot (don't add the other refried bean ingredients), cover with water, and boil for 30 minutes.
  • Fill jars (pint or quart) with the hot beans and cooking water, leaving 1" of headspace.
  • Secure jars with a fresh canning lid and ring, and process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts (Source: NCHFP). *Remember to adjust if you're at altitude!
  • When you want to make a batch of homestead refried beans, start at the step where you fry up the bacon. Once you reach the point of adding the beans to the mixture, simply open a can of your canned beans, drain out the liquid, and add it to the pot! Since the pressure canned beans will be softer than the beans used in the original recipe, you can shorten the cooking time from 1.5-2 hours to just 1 hour.

Notes

I wish I could tell you that you can simply pressure can my homestead refried beans as a finished product, but I cannot. It's NOT safe to can very thick foods because the heat will have a hard time penetrating the mixture effectively. 
However, you can safely pressure can whole pinto beans, and then it's really easy to transform that into my homestead refried beans later on when you need an easy side dish to whip together. 
But first, I want to reiterate that dried beans absolutely need to be pressure canned. They are a low-acid food, so please do not attempt to water bath can these. If you aren't familiar with the difference between the two, check out my guide, Water Bath Canning vs Pressure Canning vs Steam Canning, and if you're a first-timer, Pressure Canning: A Step-By-Step Guide will help you out as well.
If you don't own a pressure canner yet or prefer to preserve the finished product, you still have options! You can absolutely freeze the homestead refried beans in mason jars or in vacuum-seal bags. Just be sure to avoid the 7 common mistakes when freezing in mason jars!

Nutrition

Serving: 280gCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 23gProtein: 12gFat: 11gFiber: 6g
Keyword bacon, beans, canning, homestead, lard, soaking
Did you try my recipe?Let me know how it was!