The 4 Best Refried Canned Beans You Can Buy, According to Chefs

Growing up in a family of chefs, I quickly learned that there are some things that are best made from scratch — salad dressings, chicken stock, and bolognese, to name a few. Others are just as good when you buy them. Refried beans are one of those special exceptions, because while making them at-home can be pretty easy (especially if you have 30 minutes to spare), there are so many great store-bought varieties out that require little more than heating before you’re headed toward bean bliss. 

Just ask chefs! Which is exactly what I did. I chatted with some of my favorite chefs — including two I grew up with — to learn which canned refried beans they stock in their pantries. As it turns out, there are more than a few great options out there that have the same creamy, heartiness of a batch of the freshly made stuff.

“I really like Siete Ranchero Refried Beans, not only because they’re woman owned and from South Texas (where my mom’s family is from and where I learned to make tortillas and so much more), but because they get the flavors correct,” says KC Hysmith, food historian and baker. KC appreciates the particular fat-to-spice ratio that can be hard to find in canned options, “on busy mornings when I’m missing Texas and just want a proper breakfast taco. I can open a can of Siete and do very minimal work to cure my homesickness.”

Buy: Siete Ranchero Refried Beans, $3.29 for 16 ounces at Target

My dad and grandmother, who’ve been running our family’s restaurant for the past 40-something years, buy no brand other than Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans. We’ve been buying and eating Rosarita’s beans for over 15 years — all because of our old neighbor, Carlos, in South Florida, who was also a fantastic chef-owner of a Mexican restaurant around the block. It’s what he ate at home, so we did, too. “It’s not only great in burrito bowls and smeared on fresh tortillas,” my dad says, “but it’s big enough to last our family of five for more than one meal.” He’s right. It’s huge; at 30 ounces, this can is almost double the size of other varieties and so incredibly good. 

Buy: Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans, $2.64 for 30 ounces at Amazon

If you’re looking for a refried beans brand that chefs don’t only eat at home, but also serve in their restaurant, you’ve gotta go with the classics: La Preferida Refried Beans. As Brian Downing, chef-owner of The Silver Dollar in Kentucky simply puts it: “La Preferida is the overwhelming favorite of our team.” It’s so loved that it’s “used in several on-menu dishes including our famous huevos rancheros!” You clearly can’t go wrong with this classic. 

Buy: La Preferida Refried Beans, $2.99 for 16 ounces at Instacart

If there’s one cookbook that I can’t stop making recipes from, it’s Khushbu Shah’s debut cookbook, Amrikan. And if there’s one recipe that I especially love, it’s her Mexican Pizza that’s saucy and cheesy, and features a dreamy refried bean spread at the base. The recipe itself calls for any brand, but I had to know what brand she uses, and to my surprise, she “really likes the Trader Joe’s Refried Beans!” These beans are slow-cooked for hours and honestly a frequent rebuy in my own kitchen; I’ll happily keep a can (or two) in my kitchen knowing one of my favorite chef’s has given them her seal of approval.

Find it in stores: Trader Joe’s Refried Beans, $1.19 for 16 ounces at Trader Joe’s

Do you agree with these chefs? Tell us about it in the comments below.

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: The 4 Best Refried Canned Beans You Can Buy, According to Chefs