The Best Canned Refried Beans for Nachos, Enchiladas, and More

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Photograph by Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Prop Styling by Alex Massillon, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht

Until recently, whenever I would buy refried beans at the grocery store, I'd simply scan the price rail, grab the cheapest can, and toss it into my cart. But the truth is, one brand can taste vastly different from the next. If you, like me, are not making refried beans from scratch, it's worth seeking out the next best thing. We deserve it.

That’s why the Bon Appétit team recently indulged in a refried bean taste-off to determine the most delicious brand on the market. Our test kitchen knows that the ideal refried beans require balance. A dollop might anchor dishes like spiced beef tostadas or cauliflower nachos, or simply provide a nest for a fried egg and some pickled red onions. The beans should be well-spiced, with some character, but they shouldn’t overpower a dish. They should be structured but not starchy, fatty but not oily.

The term refried is actually a mistranslation from the Spanish frijoles refrito. Refrito translates more accurately to “well-fried,” which is truer to the cooking process. Refried beans are a staple of cuisines across Mexico, Latin America, and their diasporas, but ingredients and techniques vary from region to region. Recipes may call for black, pinto, or some variety of heirloom bean. The beans are usually boiled, drained, then cooked in some kind of fat (like lard, vegetable oil, or bacon) with aromatics, such as onions, garlic, or peppers. That cooked mixture gets mashed into a paste.

That’s a lot of variables for a taste test, but as ever, our test kitchen was up to the challenge. For our latest blind taste test, we tried 11 brands of refried beans to find the ultimate winner.

How we picked the products

We started our search by polling the Bon Appétit staff, asking if anyone had a preferred brand of refried beans. Several staffers praised Amy’s, and there was one nod to Old El Paso. Next, we scoured the internet to see which brands had been extensively covered, and which had been ignored.

Once we had our master list, we whittled it down, sticking to what each brand deems its “traditional” offering. We eliminated lower-sodium varieties and cans marked with a specific flavor, such as “green chile” (though some on our final roster do include green chiles among their ingredients). One notable exception is Trader Joe’s refried beans, which are marked “fat-free,” as this variety is the only TJ’s refried bean available in our area at the time of publishing.

The refried beans offered at any store likely include a mix of vegan, vegetarian, and meaty options—so our taste test mirrored that. We wanted to see how plant-based options measured up to their omnivorous competitors.

How we set up our blind taste test

No one likes stodgy, room-temperature refried beans, so our first order of business was to scoop the contents of each can into bowls and pop them into a microwave (nothing is too good for our editors). We then swooped the warmed beans in the bowls to test their spreadability before presenting them to the tasting panel.

It was important for our tasters to sample each contender on its own and in situ, which, in this context, meant on a tortilla chip. We asked our panel to first try straight on a spoon, then dip our favorite salted tortilla chips into each bowl of beans to see if the combination transformed the tasting experience.

In some of our taste tests—like our boxed Mac and Cheese taste test—each product has a distinct appearance, taste, and texture. But by and large, our selection of refried beans looked identical. That’s why it was especially important to taste each contender with a clean palate. We provided bottles of sparkling water so our tasters could sip away the previous entry before moving on to the next.

How our editors evaluated

Our tasters said they were after a creamy texture with chewy traces of un-mashed bean. They also wanted a well-spiced scoop of refried beans. As senior cooking and SEO editor Joe Sevier put it, “If I’m buying a canned product, I want it to already have some flavor.” We were looking for hints of cumin, oregano, even a bit of heat from cayenne or other chiles. The beans should be balanced with a good level of richness that didn’t overwhelm the spice or earthy legume flavor.

Lastly, refried beans should be properly seasoned. A distinct saltiness in each bite is ideal, but since refried beans are often used in dishes that are already salty, our tasters said the premade product must be careful about not going overboard.

The all-purpose player: Taco Bell Original Refried Beans

The retail division of Taco Bell has been thriving since the mid-90s, and there have been a few iterations of their refried beans since then. The current offering is made with a combination of pink beans (a.k.a. habichuelas rosadas) and pinto beans. It’s worth noting the beans that bear The Bell’s logo in stores are not the same beans you’ll find on your next Crunchwrap. (The refried beans used in Taco Bell franchises are made using dehydrated pinto bean powder.). In the canned version, you’ll find water, natural flavor, soybean oil, and soy lecithin, a soy-based emulsifier.

Why it won us over: Our tasters said this was one of the few brands in our lineup that actually tasted like beans. Earthy, creamy, nourishing beans. Associate director of drinks Joseph Hernandez called them “salty” in the best way, while Joe described their texture as “buttery.” He also enjoyed the “nice chunk of real bean,” while other tasters appreciated their spreadability. Staff photographer and visuals editor Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. called it the perfect “chip bean,” due to the spread’s hefty texture. Other panelists were pleased with the mellow flavors in each bite—spiced but not overbearing; the perfect supporting player for seven-layer dip, migas, and tostadas. Perhaps commerce writer Alaina Chou put it best when she described Taco Bell’s refried beans as “a good all around-er.”

We’d love it in: Throw them on Lunch Nachos for the kids and midnight-snack nachos for yourself.

Taco Bell Original Refried Beans, 16-oz. (Pack of 12); $67 at Walmart

The light-as-air legumes: Old El Paso Traditional Refried Beans

While past entries in Old El Paso’s catalog have come up short (see our flour tortilla taste test), the brand’s Tex-Mex staples remain on our radar for good reason: they are hugely accessible. Scanning through the ingredient list for Old El Paso’s refried beans, one word stands out: lard (rendered pork fat). Lard is a common player in at-home recipes for refried beans and has a distinct savory flavor; using it as the fat component could also affect the texture of the final product. In addition, while many brands simply print “spices” or a similar catch-all among their ingredients, Old El Paso lists many of its flavoring components. These include tomato paste, cumin, onion and garlic powders, and chile pepper.

Why it won us over: When eating refried beans, we want big flavor on the first bite. That’s why tasters were over the moon for Old El Paso’s dusty-rose-colored refried beans. Joseph praised the robust notes of “cumin and green pepper.” Joe gave high marks for texture, which he called “creamier,” and “softer.” Other tasters agreed that these beans were lighter than other contenders—almost as if they’d been whipped—which the panelists enjoyed.

We’d love it in: An open-face Mollette, where the beans would add a soufflé-like counterpoint to the runny egg and silky avocado; or in Huevos Rancheros, where it would do much the same.

Old El Paso Traditional Canned Refried Beans, 16 oz (Pack of 12); $16 at Amazon

The queen bean: Amy’s Kitchen Organic Vegetarian Traditional Refried Beans

Amy’s is known for its wide range of heat-and-eat vegetarian foods, from burritos to pizzas to pasta dishes. The brand’s refried beans are likewise made without animal products, substituting “organic high oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil,” according to its ingredients list. The beans are flavored with organic onions, organic garlic, salt, and “organic spices.”

Why it won us over: Our very particular tasters had nothing but compliments for Amy’s refried beans. Where other beans we sampled were grainy and dry or oily and loose, Amy’s expertly toed the line with a consistent “creaminess,” as Joe described it. A balanced salt level kept us coming back for second bites with our tortilla chips. Tasters noted an inviting mix of cumin, onion, and subtle sweetness. Per Joseph, “I’m ready to eat this without doing too much to it.”

We’d love it in: Add Amy’s delectable refried beans to cookbook author Pati Jinich’s Plantain and Refried Bean Empanadas, former BA staffer Rick Martinez’s bean and cheese Pupusas, or let them take center stage in a Vegan Street Taco.

Amy's Traditional Refried Beans, 15.4 Oz (12 Pack); $45 at Amazon

Honorable mention!

La Consteña Refried Pinto Beans: Tasters liked the garlicky flavor of these beans, but ultimately, other brands stole the show.

We also tried…

• 365 Organic Refried Pinto Beans: Tasters found these beans to be slightly soupy and too peppery.

• Good & Gather Refried Beans: The texture of these beans was gelatinous and pasty—not what we were looking for.

• Goya Traditional Refried Beans: These beans were too salty for our tasting panel.

• La Preferida Organic Authentic Refried Beans: Some panelists liked the earthy flavor; others said the beans’ bitter finish ruled them out.

• Ortega Traditional Refried Beans: An unspreadable texture and an unremarkable flavor kept these beans from the top of our list.

• Siete Vegan Refried Pinto Beans: Our panel thought these beans tasted strongly floral, a departure from the herbs and spices we expected.

• Trader Joe’s Traditional Style Fat Free Refried Beans: Tasters found these beans under-salted with an overwhelming taste of sweet pepper.

Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit