Are Refried Beans Healthy? A nutrition breakdown of refried beans.
Written by Isabel Vasquez RD, LDN
Refried beans are pinto beans that have been cooked, mashed, and then fried on the stovetop. They’re a popular side dish in Mexico, served with everything from tacos to enchiladas and more.
Although the word “refried” may make you think they’re unhealthy, refried beans are actually quite nutritious. Their name is deceiving because they’re actually only fried once and they’re not high in fat.
In fact, beans are a nutrition powerhouse, so refried or not, they offer plenty of health benefits.
Keep reading to learn about the nutrition value and health benefits of refried beans.
Refried Beans Nutritional Value
Refried beans are an excellent source of nutrition because they’re made with beans! Beans are a plant-based protein with many health-promoting micronutrients.
According to the USDA, 1 cup (238 grams) of reduced-sodium refried beans has the following nutrition profile:
Carbohydrates: 32 grams (g)
Protein: 12 g
Fat: 5 g
Saturated fat: 1.5 g
Fiber: 9 g, or 31% of the daily value (DV)
Sodium: 328 milligrams (mg), or 14% of the DV
Iron: 3.4 mg, or 19% of the DV
Magnesium: 83 mg, or 20% of the DV
Phosphorus: 219 mg, or 18% of the DV
Potassium: 759 mg, or 16% of the DV
Zinc: 1.4 mg, or 13% of the DV
Refried beans are also a good source of copper, manganese, selenium, thiamin, riboflavin, and more.
Health Benefits of Refried Beans
Promote Gut Health
Refried beans are full of fiber, which is important for gut health. In fact, each cup of refried beans has over 30% of the DV of fiber!
Fiber acts as a scrub brush, per the CDC, helping clean your digestive tract to prevent issues like constipation and colon cancer.
What’s more, the fiber in beans acts as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria in your gut. Beans also have resistant starch, which gets fermented in the small intestine.
Studies—like this 2022 study in Nutrients—have found that thanks to their resistant starch and prebiotics, beans support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria and the production of short chain fatty acids that reduce inflammation and support the integrity of your gut lining.
To put it simply, they’re great for your gut!
Support Heart Health
The fiber and resistant starch in refried beans can also help lower cholesterol. This is valuable because having high cholesterol puts you at higher risk of developing heart disease or stroke, per the CDC.
A small 2007 study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that eating ½ cup of pinto beans—the kind used to make refried beans—each day was effective at lowering total and LDL cholesterol (the “bad” kind).
Furthermore, a 2021 study in Nutrients found that beans can improve overall cardiovascular health. This is not only because they can help lower cholesterol, but also because they can help reduce chronic inflammation and improve blood pressure.
Promote Healthy Blood Sugars
You may worry that the carbs in beans make them bad for blood sugars, but that’s not true. Beans are also rich in fiber and protein, which help slow digestion to prevent blood sugar spikes.
A 2023 scoping review in Nutrients that includes 28 studies found that participants’ blood sugar and insulin responses were better right after meals with pulses like beans.
Long-term, the study found that eating pulses like beans is linked with improvements in indicators of diabetes like hemoglobin A1C, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin.
Helps Prevent Iron Deficiency
Beans are also rich in numerous micronutrients, as we shared in the nutrition profile section above. One of the most notable ones is iron.
The most bioavailable iron comes from meat and seafood, but refried beans are a plant-based way to get in iron. Each cup has almost 20% of the DV of iron, per the USDA.
This is important for preventing iron-deficiency anemia—especially for menstruating folks—which can lead to fatigue, headaches, dizziness, and weakness, per MedlinePlus.
Potential Health Drawbacks of Refried Beans
Refried beans are very high in fiber. As a result, they could lead to gas and bloating if you’re not used to eating much fiber or if you have certain digestive issues, per a 2020 study in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology.
To avoid this, increase your fiber intake slowly. That might mean starting with a small portion (about ¼ cup) of refried beans to see how your body tolerates it.
Refried beans may also be high in sodium depending on how they’re prepared. Eating too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure, so being mindful of your overall sodium consumption is beneficial for heart health.
Canned beans tend to be higher in sodium than dried ones. However, you can mitigate this by purchasing low or reduced sodium beans or by rinsing them before using them to make refried beans.
If you’re purchasing pre-made refried beans, you may want to look for low or reduced sodium options. For example, according to the USDA, 1 cup of traditional refried beans has 553 mg more sodium than the same portion of reduced-sodium refried beans. That’s a big difference!
Incorporating Refried Beans to Promote Your Health
Refried beans are often served as a side dish, which can enhance the nutrition of many meals.
They have carbs, protein, fat and fiber, which are the foundation for a well-rounded meal.
However, refried beans alone aren’t enough to serve as a meal. Culturally, it’s typical to pair them with an entree like tacos or enchiladas.
These are also nutritionally well-rounded entrees that add more macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants) to the overall meal.
Final Thoughts
Although you may have heard that refried beans are “bad” because of their fat and carb content, that’s not true.
Refried beans are an excellent source of fiber, plant protein, and micronutrients. In turn, research shows they can promote gut and heart health; help manage diabetes; and prevent iron deficiency.
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