Mexican Chorizo Beans (frijoles con chorizo)

Those refried chorizo beans are the ultimate comfort side dish for many meals. Mexican chorizo is first fried to release it’s flavor and aroma then mashed with beans to deliver a creamy, delicious dish that can be served with your favorite Mexican meals.

Why are called refried beans?

Outside Mexico, many people thinks that “refried beans” means beans that have been fried more than once, but that’s just a honest mistake due to a translation error.

In Spanish, the prefix re– is just a form of emphasis and not a form of action that undertakes more than once. Therefore, frijoles refritos (refried beans) are not beans fried twice but beans that have been fried throughly. Read here more about how refried beans got their name.

Besides from serving chorizo beans as a quick snack with totopos, molcajete salsa and queso fresco, this recipe can also be served or as a side dish for mains meals or use it as an ingredient to make burritos, tortas (sandwiches), tostadas, or sopes.

What kind of beans to use?

The most common types of Mexican beans are pinto, bayo, black. You can use the ones you prefer but I strongly suggest to cook them at home. Check out our recipe for frijoles de la olla (homemade Mexican pot beans) that features various ways for cooking them.

You can also use canned beans. I suggest to choose a good quality as this recipe is very simple and relies its flavor in only 2 ingredients. Sometimes I like to give a quick rinse to canned beans, just to get rid of the preservative flavor, but this is just a personal preference.

What chorizo to use

Just make sure you’re using Mexican chorizo and don’t get confused with Spanish chorizo because they are two different things. Mexican chorizo needs to be cooked just as the recipe calls. Here’s our recipe for homemade Mexican chorizo, in case you want to try and make your own, otherwise, look for the brands available at some supermarkets.

The easy and quick recipe

Remove the casings from chorizo. In a frying pan heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add chorizo, break it with the back of a spoon and fry for about 5 minutes or until slightly crispy.

Now add the beans. I like to add a little bit of their cooking water when I want creamy chorizo beans. Again, use homemade de la olla beans or your fav branded beans. If you using canned beans, don’t add the liquids in the can, just add water and a pinch of salt.

Using a potato masher, mash the beans. If you don’t have a potato masher, you can use the bottom of a sturdy plastic cup.

Mash until the beans are to your desired texture. For a creamy chorizo beans, do not let the mixture to dry too much. If you prefer a more spreadable texture, stir until most liquids are gone. Adjust with sal if necessary and remove from heat.

You can now use chorizo beans as suggested below or allow to cool and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

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