Chuy's Tasty Tex Mex Refried Beans Recipe (Copycat) (2024)

I must admit that Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines and Chuy’s Tasty Tex Mex Refried Beans are up there at the top!

I love the smoky flavor of chipotle peppers, the bite of green chilies, tacos, fajitas, and of course refried beans!

We all have our favorite dish from our favorite Mexican restaurant. For me, Chuy’s Tex Mex restaurant has the best refried beans! Simple yet creamy and flavorful.

If you haven’t heard of Chuy’s and you are a fan of Mexican cuisine, you are missing out on a tasty treat.

Chuy’s is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The first location opened in 1982 and there are close to 100 restaurants in 17 states with most of them in Texas.

I don’t live near a Chuy’s so I had to try and copy their refried beans recipe. It’s taken me a few tries but I think I have it down and I know you’re going to love them!

Why We Love Refried Beans

• It is such a simple recipe with only a handful of ingredients. The main ingredient is pinto beans flavored with onion, garlic, jalapeno peppers, ground cumin, fresh black pepper, and salt.

• You can customize the beans by adding other ingredients. Add a dash of cayenne, extra cumin or green chile sauce for some heat.
• A dollop of sour cream, chopped red bell peppers, pico de gallo, green onions, and tortilla strips all make great toppings for the Mexican pinto beans.

• Beans are full of fiber so they can be a healthy side dish and often are on a vegan menu.

These Mexican beans can be served as an appetizer! Pair them up with my Torchys Tacos queso, your favorite salsa, and blue corn tortillas or tortilla chips.

There’s nothing better to me for supper than a large dinner salad with cilantro vinaigrette, carne asada, Mexican rice, and refried beans. They make the perfect side dish! I’m getting hungry right now!

I recently topped some store bought tostadas with these tasty refried beans, chopped lettuce, tomato, onion, and shredded cheese. Talk about delicious!

I like this recipe because it’s vegetarian and I love to have vegan options but if you’re making a dish that has fajita beef or ground beef in it, add some refried beans to it to make a great hearty meat lover’s meal!

Ingredients For Tex Mex Style Refried Beans

• 1 pound dried pinto beans

• 5 cups of water

• 1 medium white onion – chopped

• 3 garlic cloves – minced

• 1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper – minced

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• Salt to taste

Useful Tools

• Crock pot / slow cooker

• Immersion hand blender

• Food chopper

• Garlic press

• Large sharp knife

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between slow cooker refried beans and slow cooker charro beans?

Typically refried beans are made with very few simple ingredients.

Charro beans are flavored with meat (bacon, chorizo, or ham), garlic, tomatoes, chili powder, chili peppers, or Serrano peppers. It’s often served as a main dish.

Charro beans are also known as frijoles charros or cowboy beans.

Do The Pinto Beans Need To Be Soaked Before Cooking?

Technically you don’t have to soak the beans before you cook them, however it does seem to improve the texture and consistency.

If you want to soak the beans before cooking them, here are the three main methods of soaking:

The Overnight Soak: Rinse and dry the pinto beans. Place them in a large bowl and cover them with water. Soak 8 – 10 hours or overnight.

The Fast Soak: Rinse the pinto beans and place them in a large pot on the stovetop. Cover the beans with water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans soak for 2 hours. Rinse and cook.

The No Soak (My favorite method for this recipe): Rinse and cook. That’s it! I usually follow this method when the beans are being cooked in a slow cooker.

How To Make Chuy’s Tasty Tex Mex Style Refried Beans

1. Rinse and drain beans.
2. Place beans and the remaining ingredients except the salt in a slow cooker.
3. Cover with water.
4. Cook beans on HIGH for 9 hours. Yes, that seems like a long time but remember there is no pre soaking!
5. Use an immersion hand blender and puree the beans. Add salt to taste.

Helpful Tips

• Pick through the dry beans for any rocks, debris, or bad ones. Then rinse and drain.

• Use an immersion hand blender for this recipe. They start at $20.00 and higher. I use my immersion blender when I’m making soups and sauces. It’s a good investment.

• You can use a standard blender and run small batches through it but this can be time consuming and messy.

• When you are puree the beans be careful not to over puree. You want a smooth creamy texture but not a soup consistency.

• You can add some hot water to the beans while you are blending them if they start to become too thick.

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