Recipe - Homemade Refried Beans - Slow Cooker and Canned

I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes - homemade refried beans. Now, let me start out by saying that this is NOT my recipe. I found it online, jotted it down, and then could never find it again. If someone does know of the original recipe, please tell me. I want to give that person credit here for some amazing refried beans. 

I originally searched for a homemade refried bean recipe because I wanted to reduce both the salt and the fat content for our family. This recipe is perfect! If you prefer more salt, you can always add some. 

You can do these two different ways: Slow cooker and canning. The recipe I originally found is for the slow cooker. 

Crock Pot Refried Beans
3 cups of dry pinto beans (rinsed)
9 cups of water
1 3/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp. ground cumin

• Put all of the ingredients in a large slow cooker and cook on high for 8-10 hours. You'll know they're done when the beans are super soft. You may have to test the time for your area. When we lived in North Texas, it took 8 hours. Here in West Texas, it takes 10+ hours. 
• After they are done, drain all of the liquid and save the liquid. 
• Mash the beans with a potato masher, adding back liquid a little bit at a time. Make them a little runny because they will thicken over time. Personal note here: I usually just remove half the liquid and that's more than enough. You can use the rest of the liquid when you make rice, put it in a soup, etc. Our dogs act like we're pouring liquid steak over their dog food when we give it to them. 
  

This makes a lot of refried beans. They freeze wonderfully and my family prefers them to any canned or restaurant refried beans now. 

Canning Refried Beans
We have very limited freezer space and we started canning this year. I wanted to find out if I could can refried beans. Everything I've read said that they don't can well. Instead, you would fix the beans like you would for the slow cooker and can them at that point. Then, when you want refried beans, open a jar and mash them. 

I have canned beans like this once so far. I did have to add more than the 9 cups of water, but I used the same amount of seasonings. Next time I will probably try being a little more specific with my water to seasoning ratio. Even still, they taste really good, just not quite as seasoned. 

Up until last night, we typically open a jar of those beans that I canned and eat them that way. But last night, we were in the mood for refried beans. I poured them into a bowl and mashed them like I would right out of the slow cooker. They turned out perfectly! I will probably do this from now on as opposed to the slow cooker just because it frees up some of my freezer space. 

Either way - slow cooker or canning - you can't go wrong with this recipe. If you decide to give it a try, come back and let me know what you think!