Learn how to make Easy Vegan Refried Bean Dip with just 6 ingredients and 15 minutes! This dip is smooth, creamy and perfect for parties like the Super Bowl and is healthy, low-fat and oil-free!
Today, I’m going to show you how to make a delicious Vegan Refried Bean Dip! When I was a kid, I ate that Frito Lays bean dip with fritos so much, it was borderline obsessive, therefore, I had to create a healthy version. I absolutely love that dip. I love all beans, but something about pinto beans is just like the best bean flavor ever to me.
Well, this vegan refried bean dip is so much healthier and totally oil-free! It’s a great way to get in your Daily Dozen too! You can eat it as is, cold, or heat it up like a true refried bean dish.
With the Super Bowl coming up soon, we all gravitate toward dips and appetizers, but we all want them to be easy and quick. Party dips and appetizers don’t have to mean greasy fried junk.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN FRITO LAY BEAN DIP?
According to the label, it contains pinto beans, vinegar, corn oil, salt, maltodextrin, dried onion, sugar, jalapeno peppers, spices and natural flavors.
Therefore, not terribly unhealthy, however I don’t want the oil, maltodextrin (food additive) or “natural flavors”, thank you very much.
For my vegan version, you will need 6 simple ingredients to make:
- pinto beans
- medium heat salsa
- pickled jalapenos
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- coconut sugar (found at any grocery store, Walmart, Target, etc. right next to regular sugar)
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN REFRIED BEAN DIP
First, you will need a food processor. Secondly, you will start out by adding the drained and rinsed pinto beans to a food processor.
Add the salsa, pickled jalapeno slices, onion powder, garlic powder, coconut sugar and salt. Blend for about 5 minutes, scraping the sides a couple of times during, until completely smooth and creamy.
Taste and add more salt if needed, which will depend on your beans. If you want it spicier, add more jalapenos. If you want it true refried bean style, you can choose to heat up the mashed bean mixture in the microwave up or bake it in a dish until hot. Honestly, I just ate it straight out of the food processor. Haha.
So easy, right?! That’s it.
Get some chips and get to dipping!
Want more easy vegan party dips?
- Best Vegan Queso
- Spicy Buffalo White Bean Hummus
- Oil-free Barbecue White Bean Hummus
- Smoky Jalapeno Black Bean Dip
- Avocado Hummus
Vegan Refried Bean Dip
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz cans of low-sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed well (see NOTE)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (150g) medium heat runny/smooth salsa (I used Trader Joe's)
- 5-10 pickled jalapeno slices (I used 8 and found it to be the perfect kick)
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspooon coconut sugar or use white but maybe half since it's sweeter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
NOTE: If you prefer to not use canned beans, then just use 3 cups cooked pinto beans, 510g.
Instructions
- Add the drained and rinsed beans, salsa, pickled jalapeno slices, onion powder, garlic powder, coconut sugar and salt. Blend for about 5 minutes, scraping the sides a couple of times during, until completely smooth and creamy.
- Taste and add more salt if needed, which will depend on your beans. If you want it spicier, add more jalapenos.
- If you want it true refried bean style, you can choose to heat up the mashed bean mixture in the microwave a couple of minutes until hot or bake it in a dish at 325°F 15-20 minutes until hot. I honestly loved it straight out of the processor so it was like the Frito Lay bean dip.
- Serve with chips and add extra jalapenos if desired.
I left out the sugar and the salt. Very yummy and easy to make.
Outstanding recipe
I made this today and put it inside a burrito with black beans, green onion, shaved lettuce and tomato and it was outstanding! This is the best refried bean recipe ever, the 8 jalapeños was just perfect. I followed the recipe exactly as you wrote it and it was just great. Hubby loved it. Thank you for creating a fabulous dip
Wonderful Lisa, so glad you loved this so much! Would you mind star rating it as well, thank you so much!
exactly as I’m planning to do tomorrow!!
I was looking for a ‘quick, cold/ready-to-serve’ Bean Dip to use as a spread in wraps…and share w/nonVegan teammates after tomorrow’s practice. I’ll have to make a milder version, but this seems perfect to go with everything I already have on-hand:
Whole wheat tortillas
**Bean Dip** schmear
Baby Spinach
Sautéed/Grilled corn (frozen)
Cucumber slices
Mini Sweet Pepper rounds
Quick-Pickled onion slices and Baby Carrot rounds
Grape Tomato halves
Mexican-Seasoned couscous (packet)
Veganaise ‘crema’ drizzle—w/ chili, cumin, coriander + garlic powders, fresh cilantro/parsley and lime/lemon juice, s+p
Thanks for the recipe✨🤘🏾
Hi Brandi, I’ve never seen pickled jalapenos. Would it work to use diced jalapenos? Recipe looks great, can’t wait to try it.
Hi Karen! You can find pickled jalapeños in the jar down the isle of condiments or olives. Walmart or any grocery store will have them. They are spicy and acidic so they do add a different depth of flavor than fresh but you could try fresh I guess, but add more salt or maybe a pinch of distilled vinegar. I always have a jar of the jalapeños in my fridge since they last awhile 🙂
Wonderful dip! I served this to my family with no comment. They loved it. Then my husband paused and said, ” You know that bean dip in the can- this taste like that.” You nailed it Brandi!! Thank you for another fabulous and easy recipe!!!
Now THAT is the best review since that is exactly what I was trying to recreate, yay!!
I found the pickled jalapeños, but the only size jar they had was 21 oz!! I told my husband he’d better get busy; I can’t eat those out of the jar, ha ha. I used the 8 in the recipe and it was just right. I loved the taste and it may even be better as it gets cold and the spices blend. One reason I like this recipe is that I am very aware that I need to have some beans every day, even just a few spoons. I usually don’t. So having this on hand I can easily get the beans I need into my diet without having to make a meal of them. Thank you.
So glad you loved it! Wow, that is a huge jar!!
Goofy question….when do I add the beans? Not mentioned in instructions 🙂
Just add it to the food processor after draining them, add the remaining ingredients and blend it all together. I’ll fix it!
This recipe was fantastic! My grandson and I had fun making this together and we made it without any sugar at all even though I have some readily available coconut sugar. I’m just choosing to omit sugar at this time. But like all Brandi’s recipes, this one is a true winner!
I’m so glad y’all loved it Rafaella, yay!!
I made this today to snack on while watching sports and it was fantastic! My husband loved it and kept saying between bites “this is really, really good!” I love that there are no crazy ingredients. It’s safe to say I will be making this again, and often! Thank you for another tasty recipe!
That is awesome, thank you Peggy for making it!
Just made this. Excellent! I had coconut sugar on hand but pretty sure cane sugar would have worked well, too. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for making it Aimee, so glad it was a hit!
Is there any way to print the recipe with the picture? When I opt to “print” all I get is text…would love to have the visual as well. Is there some adjustment you can make or do I need to do something? Thanks a bunch! Love your recipes!!
Hi Kay! I use to have that feature on but the problem is readers were having trouble with it cutting off the recipe and not printing well. Also causing it to print several pages. I’m actually switching to a new recipe plugin this month so hopefully that will solve it.
5 freakin stars!!
Its creamy, but tangy and a little spicy. I thought I was going to heat this up but I was tasting it right out of the food processor and before I knew it I had ate a whole bunch of it! Highly recomend!
Where can I find the plant based chips please? What kind are they? Thanks
What are the chips?
I get them at my local HEB but if you want to make your own chips, it’s super easy, because I know how hard it is to find oil-free chips. Here is how I make them on this post!
https://thevegan8.com/2016/01/21/big-time-vegan-mexican-burrito-bowl/
So easy, healthy and yummy!
Wonderful Julie, so glad you enjoyed it!
Would it be a big difference in taste and how it turns out, to not add any sugar to this recipe? I am avoiding all sugar at this time so I would want to make it without that ingredient.
You can leave it out. It’ll still be good. The tiny bit of sugar just improves the overall flavor and makes it tastes like the Frito Lay bean dip, but it’s still yummy without it.
Thanks for all your WFPB recipes, it is hard to find yummy vegan recipes without processed stuff and no oil.
Every recipe I have made from Brandi’s cookbooks have been wonderful and easy to make with ingredients I can readily get. In fact, I enjoyed them so much, my three girls found Brandi’s new cookbook under their Christmas trees! Thank you Brandi for helping to make our meals easy, fast and healthy.
Aww thank you so much Karen!!
WooHoo! Fantastic recipe Brandi. Luckily I had all of the ‘easy-to-find” ingredients and whipped up a batch in no time. Never mind using chips or crackers, I ate it by the spoonful. Your recipes may look simple but your ingredients create layers and depth to the dishes. Thank you for all that you do.
Yay, thank you for making it so quickly! Super easy and fast, right? I’m so glad you loved the depth of flavor and the dip, thank you for the review Deb!
You had pickled jalapeños on hand? Don’t know where to begin with those.
Hi! You can find pickled jalapeños in the jar down the isle of condiments or olives. Walmart or any grocery store will have them. They are spicy and acidic. I always have a jar in my fridge since they last awhile 🙂
Haven’t tried it yet, but it looks and sounds great 5 ⭐️
For me. With online amazon shopping no ingredient is hard to find. Usually comes to the door quicker than I can get to the store
Thank you Sandy, I agree, Amazon is the best!
Agreed, coconut sugar is available everywhere! Be fair and rate on the taste of the recipe! Thanks for this Brandi, I will be making this soon!
I love your recipes. They’re healthy and with so few ingredients. I’m oil free so your recipes are perfect. I live in upstate NY, in an area that being vegan makes people look at you like you have two heads. I can find coconut sugar in both of my local grocery stores! Just because you’ve never heard of a product doesn’t mean it’s not there 🙄
So kind Trish, thank you as always for your lovely comments! So happy you enjoy my recipes 🙂
I don’t like to leave a comment unless I have tried the recipe or need additional information. But all this hullabaloo over 1 teaspoon I repeat ONE TEASPOON Of some kind of sweetener? Let’s leave it. Someone was having a bad day. We forgive her. Will come back with my stars after I make it.
Haha, thank you so much! Can’t wait to hear!
We have company coming soon, and I can’t wait to try/serve this recipe 🙂
Looking forward to it Cyd!!
It’s absolutely deelish 🙂 coconut sugar is deffo readily available. I agree and use it all the time myself
. Thanks for the great recipe ideas XO
Thank you so much Lisa!
If an ingredient is obscure or hard-to-find, it’s not a “simple ingredient.” I’ve never heard of coconut sugar nor seen it sold in the grocery stores.
Actually MJ, coconut sugar is not hard to find. It is sold at pretty much any grocery store these days right next to the regular sugar. It is even sold at Walmart, Target, etc. and a large amount of my readers prefer coconut sugar over processed white sugar and is a very common ingredient these days. I don’t think it’s fair you are rating my recipe a 1 star when you haven’t even made the recipe and are rating it just because you are unfamiliar with the ingredient.
I’ve found coconut sugar pretty easy to find. Local grocery stores and amazon carry it! One star is pretty harsh for an ingredient that IS relatively common and easily substituted. Instead of leaving a one star review, why didn’t you ask for substitutes?!?!
Do I need to use sugar in this recipe?
You can leave it out. It’ll still be good. The tiny bit of sugar just improves the overall flavor and makes it tastes like the Frito Lay bean dip, but it’s still yummy without it.
Brandi, this sounds like a fabulous recipe! I’m looking forward to making it. I’m very pleased you gave the option of using reconstituted beans, as I usually boil up dried beans – keeping the tinned ones for emergencies 🙂
MJ, I too think your giving 1 star for this recipe (without having made it and seemingly making no effort to either look for coconut sugar – or simply substitute white sugar) is rather mean spirited. I wonder if people in your life have this attitude. If so, I wish you a much cheerier 2019.
I’m currently working on reversing Type 2 Diabetes, so I automatically substitute a really good powdered Stevia extract (I use “Greeniche” which doesn’t leave that funny after taste). I don’t complain or get upset – or give bad (false) reviews to people who take the time to blog and provide recipes for those of us on the look out for great vegan food recipes. Instead, I ponder how I can make the recipe OK for me. I’m super sensitive to starchy carbs, so no bread, no pasta, no sweet potatoes, no white potatoes, no rice/grains of any kind. I’m constantly looking for alternative ingredients. Perhaps you could think of this as a food adventure!
Brandi – thank you so much for your wonderful recipes! All the best for 2019!
Yours in Gratitude
WendyHT
Thank you so much Wendy for your sweet comment!! xx
Coconut sugar is in all major grocery store chains. Very easy to find. It is in the bulk area in many stores so you can buy a small anoint of you end up npt liking it. Most people I have found like it much better than regular.
You can find coconut sugar at every Kroger, Walmart, Target and Meijer’s. Super easy to find.
Brandi gives an easy substitute. Surely you have regular sugar? And seriously, giving a one star to a recipe you haven’t even tried? Mrs. Crabby Pants! Brandi, I needed this recipe. THANKS!!!
I hope you love it and thank you!
You can find coconut sugar at every Kroger, Walmart, Target and Meijer’s. Super easy to find. This blog is a very positive, giving and friendly community. Leaving a one star rating when you haven’t tried the recipe is unfair and negative.
Thank you MB ❤️❤️
I actually bought a big bag of coconut sugar at Costco here in British Columbia.
Super cool!
How can you rate a recipe, if you haven’t made it yet? Just a respectful question.
Most stores like sprouts or whole foods will have coconut sugar. Even my Safeway has it. Where do you live?
This recipe is awesome! I tried it with and without the sugar. Don’t be such a wuss.
I find your review SO helpful, shows me so much about a person. Do you also leave negative reviews for products you’ve never used? Probably do! Do some Googling before posting your crummy opinion.