Low Carb & Keto Refried Beans

If you’re on a low carb or keto diet and have been missing refried beans on taco night, then you should check out this recipe! 

In this post I will provide step by step instructions so you too can make refried beans for your next taco night. 

These refried beans are so delicious and made with really surprising and inexpensive ingredients. 

I am so excited for you and your family to try this dish out. My own family (17 month old daughter included) loves this recipe. This dish really tastes like refried beans. It’s crazy!

This post is all about creating a delicious low carb and keto friendly refried bean dish that you and your family will love.

Low Carb & Keto Refried Beans

My low carb and keto refried bean recipe uses barely any ingredients and a few spices that I’m sure are already in your pantry. That means a couple of things: Super budget friendly and EASY! In this recipe we’ll be using onion, eggplant, zucchini, garlic and chorizo.  

I know this sounds super weird, but I promise it is really good. Because we are using really delicious and strong seasonings to flavor our veggies it really does give you that refried beans taste. If you do not like eggplant you can use zucchini exclusively and vise versa. However, all of those seasonings will completely mask any sort of taste from the eggplant or zucchini that you may find off-putting.

The spices used in this recipe do a beautiful job in helping the eggplant and zucchini take on a traditional refried bean flavor.  I know there are a few recipes out there that use either the eggplant or zucchini, but I like to add both.  I add zucchini because it’s a lot cheaper than eggplant. Therefore I can make a really large budget friendly batch and freeze for any future “refried bean needs”.

You may also note that I am using chorizo. There are a lot of recipes out there that call for bacon which is absolutely delicious.  However, I like to use chorizo because it has a TON of flavor and again… it’s budget friendly.

I feel that this recipe can be easily customized to the flavors you enjoy. Experiment with different flavors and make your beans more spicy, smoky, citrusy, or extra cheesy. You can even omit the chorizo and make this dish vegetarian!

Now let’s get started and make this amazing Low Carb & Keto Refried Beans!

Prepping Your “Beans”

Before chopping up all your veggies, make sure you wash them well. I use my salad spinner, fill it up with cold water and a dash of vinegar. Don’t worry, vinegar will not change the taste of your vegetables.

The salad spinner I use is the OXO-Good Grips. I wash all my vegetables and fruit in this thing and I love it!

Click here to buy on Amazon 

Once all your eggplant and zucchini are clean you’ll dice them. The smaller you cut your vegetables the quicker they will cook.

1. Cut off the eggplant stem (top) and bottom
2. Cut eggplant in half vertically
3. Next cut the eggplant half into 3rds
4. Cut into chunks/dice

After you’ve diced up the eggplant, go ahead and place in a bowl. Remember we are just prepping our veg, not cooking just yet. 

Now that your cutting board is clear you’ll need to dice up the zucchini. Zucchini preparation is the same as the eggplant.

1. Cut off the zucchini stem and bottom 
2. Cut zucchini in half vertically
3. Next cut the zucchini half into 3rds
4. Cut into chunks/dice

Once you’re done dicing your zucchini move on to the onion.

Now that we have our veggies prepped we’ll move onto getting all of them in a pot to cook.

Cooking Up Our Beans

Alright, now that we’ve prepped the eggplant, zucchini and onion we can start adding everything to our Dutch oven. If you do not have a Dutch oven, use a regular stock pot.  First step is to add chorizo.  In all seriousness I could NOT get a picture of the unwrapped chorizo where it didn’t look exactly like poo. Err.. Not very appealing. Haha

After you add the chorizo add the eggplant, zucchini, onion and garlic. 

Mix the chorizo, eggplant, zucchini and onion together. While mixing be sure to break up your chorizo.

Once mixed add the following seasonings:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Cumin
• Chili Powder
• Smoked Paprika 
• Chipotle Chili Powder
• Garlic Powder

Now that we’ve added all the seasonings, mix again to guarantee all ingredients are incorporated. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes uncovered. Once the 15 minutes are up, turn heat all the way down and cover with lid. 

While the “beans” are slowly cooking away be certain you’re checking on them about every 10 min and give it a quick stir. This is just to make sure nothing is sticking to your pot. I cooked our beans for 45 minutes. 

Once the 45 minutes are up, your beans should have a beautiful rich color.  Remove your Dutch oven from the heat. At this time we’ll want to use our immersion blender to acquire that creamy consistency that refried beans have.  If you do not have an immersion blender feel free to use your blender. Be careful doing this since it will be very hot. You may also use a regular potato masher. The choice is yours and the texture will depend on your preference.

Blitzing up the vegetables should take no time at all. I was able to get a really creamy and smooth texture in about 2 minutes. Once you’ve reached your desired texture, taste your beans.  If you want more salt, pepper, or other spices this will be the time to make those additions. 

If you prefer a looser refried bean consistency you can add water, chicken broth or beef broth. Once water or broth is added taste your beans again as you may need to add more salt or other seasoning. 

Low Carb & Keto Refried Beans- Oh The Possibilities

We’re so excited that we can now have refried beans regularly. And we’re thankful that there is another option other than black soy beans as I cannot have soy. There are a ton of different ways you can serve these up.  Not only are refried beans a side dish, but you can incorporate into your main dishes or serve alone as a main dish.

We’ve had refried beans for breakfast too! Breakfast is super fast, add refried beans to a bowl and top with cheese and a fried or poached egg.  

These refried beans can be used for tacos, beef and cheese burritos, breakfast burritos, taco pie, taco salad, tostadas, quesadillas, and as a side dish for enchiladas or taquitos. You can make homemade low carb chips or use pork rinds for 7 layer dips or regular bean dip. 

Toppings For Low Carb Refried Beans

There are a ton of delicious toppings you can add too! Some of our favorites are:

• Cheese
• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Onion
• Squeeze of lime
• Cilantro
• Sour cream
• Salsa or hot sauce
• Pickled Jalapeños
• Fried or poached egg

I really hope you enjoy these Low Carb & Keto Refried Beans.  Let me know if you’ve tried it and if you changed up the spices and made it your own!

Low Carb & Keto Refried Beans

Yield: 6 ¼ cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Additional Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This deliciously creamy and smoky low carb & keto refried beans are amazing. Not only do they have a short list of ingredients but are super easy to make too! Enjoy on its own or as a side to your favorite Mexican inspired dish!

Print

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants- about 10 cups
• 2 zucchini- about 6 cups
• 1 ¼ cups onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Prewash all your vegetables. Then dice and set to the side.
2. Preheat Dutch oven or stock pot on medium high. Once hot add chorizo.
3. Now add eggplant, zucchini, onion, and garlic cloves.
4. Mix all ingredients well and add seasoning and spices. Mix again and simmer on medium high for 15 minutes.
5. Cover Dutch oven with lid and turn heat to lowest setting. Cook covered for 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
6. After 45 minutes remove Dutch oven from heat and remove lid. Using your immersion blender, regular blender or potato masher, blitz or mash to desired consistency.
7. Once done make sure you taste your beans and add seasoning if needed. If you enjoy a "looser" refried bean you can add water, chicken broth or beef broth. If you're adding any liquid taste again and add any seasoning if needed.
8. Enjoy as a side dish or main and top with your favorite refried bean toppings.

Notes

This recipe is a base recipe that you can make into your own. Increase the amount of seasonings or maybe add some jalapeño or your favorite chilis for a spicy dish.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Servings Serving Size: 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 77Total Fat: 3.3gSaturated Fat: .9gCholesterol: 63.8mgSodium: 253mgCarbohydrates: 8gNet Carbohydrates: 4.9gFiber: 3.1gSugar: 3.1gProtein: 5.2g