Can You Freeze Refried Beans: Refried beans are a very common category of Mexican cuisine and are also referred to as a part of the staple Superbowl side dishes. Refried Beans are generally made from mashed beans and are often served with melted cheese, rice, guacamole, etc.
Tastebuds watering right! But, what to do if you have some leftover refried beans? Can you freeze refined beans to keep them fresh until the next time you eat them? Well, in this article we are going walk you through the shelf life and storage techniques of frozen refried beans. So, if you are interested, let’s dive into it.
- Can You Freeze Refried Beans From A Tin?
- Can You Freeze Refried Beans Dip?
- How Long Can You Freeze Refried Beans?
- How Long Do Homemade Refried Beans Last In the Fridge?
- Tips To Store Refried Beans In The Freezer
- How Do You Defrost Frozen Refried Beans?
- Do refried beans go bad in the fridge?
- How do you know when refried beans go bad?
- How do you defrost frozen refried beans quickly?
- Are canned refried beans already cooked?
- Are refried beans good for you?
Can You Freeze Refried Beans From A Tin?
Yes, definitely. Refried beans contain a lot of water which usually expands when frozen. When you buy a tin of store-bought refried beans for yourself, you will have to transfer it to a heavy-duty container for storage. Frozen tinned refried beans can stay fresh for up to 3- 6 months to one year if you have a lower-temperature freezer. Now, let’s look at three amazing tips to store your tinned refried beans:
- Remove from the Tin/ Can – Never freeze them in the can. Make sure to transfer your refried beans from the can to a heavy-duty air-tight container before placing them inside the freezer. A glass or plastic Tupperware will do the work for you. Also, make sure you mix in a little oil or water to prevent them from thickening too much and leave some room in the container for expansion.
- Add an extra layer of protection – While keeping your refried beans in an air-tight container you must add an extra protective layer of plastic cling wrap before putting the lid. This will provide your beans with an extra layer of protection from the air.
- Reheat directly from frozen – Next time you plan to have them, thaw them inside the fridge overnight and then reheat them directly from frozen.
Can You Freeze Refried Beans Dip?
Yes, if you have a significant amount of refried beans left over you can store them in your freezer for next time use. A refried bean dip comprises cooked pinto beans, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and chili. For storing, you will need to evenly divide the leftover dip in heavy-duty ziplock bags and make sure to first squeeze out all the air from the bag in order to prevent the beans from drying out and going bad.
After removing the excess air, just zip them and place them inside the freezer. This process also helps you in defrosting the refried beans dip in as many quantities as you need rather than all at once. In case you see the consistency of the refried beans dip looks a bit watery after defrosting, just a little bit of oil and give a good stir before using.
How Long Can You Freeze Refried Beans?
You can freeze and keep your refried beans fresh for up to 12 months in order to get the best results. Several sources might tell you that refried beans might be frozen indefinitely and will not go bad, but we always recommend using it up within a year keeping the food quality and safety in mind. Refried beans are highly inexpensive and easy to prepare so it is always beneficial to use them up within the first 12 months and then make or buy a new batch once you run out.
If you do not have a freezer and store your refried beans inside the fridge in air-tight fridge-safe containers, then they can last for up to 4 days to one week. The store-bought ones with added preservatives might tend to stay good for 10 days too. But always remember to put the date as a label on the container first and use the refried beans up within the next few couples of days.
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How Long Do Homemade Refried Beans Last In the Fridge?
Homemade refried beans can be an amazing addition to your family meals. If you want to store the leftover dip inside the freezer to keep it fresh for a long time, then you can store them in the same way as tinned refried beans as already mentioned above. Always remember that store-bought refried beans do have some added preservatives to them in order to extend their shelf-life.
Hence, clearly, homemade refried beans are not expected to last as long as grocery-bought refried beans. Homemade refried beans can stay fresh for up to 3 to 6 months inside the freezer if stored properly.
Tips To Store Refried Beans In The Freezer
Homemade refried beans are generally made from pinto beans and here are the tips to store your home-cooked refried beans properly inside the freezer. They are as under
- Leave outside to cool – After cooking, let your refried beans cool down at room temperature first. Remove them from the pan and keep them on a cool countertop, this may take a couple of hours.
- Separate into equal portions- Separate your refried beans into equal portions before popping them into respective containers. If you store them all together in a batch, they will freeze altogether and will be problematic to you at the time of defrosting.
- Place portions inside containers – Depending upon the space you have inside your freezer, choose heavy-duty freezer bags or air-tight glass/ plastic containers to store your refried beans.
- Label, date and seal the containers – Also, make sure you label the storage container where you will be keeping your refried beans, with the date before putting them inside the freezer in order to help you keep track of time and thaw into them before them going bad.
How Do You Defrost Frozen Refried Beans?
Refried beans are quite easy to be used from frozen. You can take them out of the freezer, let them settle down at room temperature for about 15 to 20 mins, and toss them into a pan with a little bit of olive oil and reheat from the frozen. If you have short of time you can directly reheat them just after taking them out of the freezer too, they will give excellent results straight from the freezer.
To do this, start with low heat first and then eventually go up. This will allow your refried beans to slowly thaw from the center. In case you are comfortable with defrosting them first, take the bunch out of your freezer and let them sit to thaw inside the fridge overnight. We don’t recommend microwaving your frozen refried beans because that can coz their outer surface to thaw and burn while keeping their center still frozen and tasteless.
FAQs On Can You Freeze Refried Beans
1. Do refried beans go bad in the fridge?
Refried beans can be frozen and kept fresh inside the freezer for an indefinitely long time. But, inside the fridge, it can stay good for only a week’s time. Beyond that, it goes bad.
2. How do you know when refried beans go bad?
To find out whether your refried beans have got bad or not, you can check for any foul or putrid smell, discoloration, bitter taste, mold or aging yeast on the surface or the can bulging out in portions.
3. How do you defrost frozen refried beans quickly?
While defrosting you can shift your container of refried beans from your freezer to your fridge and let it thaw in there for overnight. If you want a quicker alternative, you can also defrost and reheat your refried beans directly from the frozen to your pan at lower heat first and then gradually increase.
4. Are canned refried beans already cooked?
Yes, some brands do send cooked refried bean cans that are ready to eat. While some companies send half-cooked ones that just need to be tossed on your pan in medium flame and olive oil for a couple of minutes.
5. Are refried beans good for you?
Yes, refried beans are healthy to be consumed because they are low in saturated fat and cholesterol along with being a great source of Protein, Vitamin C, Fibre, and Potassium.
Bottom Line
Hence, as you can see that freezing refried beans is a practical and easy solution for storing and not throwing away your leftovers. You need some heavy-duty glass or plastic containers and ziplock bags for storage along with some amazing leftover refried beans recipes and you will be sorted.
Refried beans are going to freeze extremely well as long as you follow all the guidelines mentioned in this article and enjoy them on demand whenever you and your family need them. Bookmark our site to know the latest updates on Can You Freeze Baked Beans and many other bean varieties in no time.