
Refried beans are a staple Mexican food. its made from a mixture of mashed and cooked beans. They are mostly eaten on the side with several Mexican dishes
Refried beans are high in carbs, a 100-gram serving contains about 9.85g of net carbs and is therefore not keto-friendly. should be consumed in moderation to remain within the keto-recommended daily 20-30 grams carb limit. They also contain 2g of fats, 5g of proteins, and 90 calories per 100-gram serving.
The refried beans are high in carbs and low in fat while keto recommends the exact opposite. The ketogenic diet works by switching your metabolism from burning carbs for fuel to burning fat. Therefore the keto diet is normally made up of 75 % fat 20% proteins and 5% carbs. You can add any cheese of your choice to refried beans if you need to increase fat content to meet your daily macros.
What are Refried Beans?
Beans are part of the legume family one of the oldest foods on earth. Beans are a non-meaty, great source of protein and fiber. Refried beans are commonly made with mashed pinto beans. You can find this delicacy being served as a side dish in almost any Mexican restaurant. They are mostly eaten with chips, burritos, or a tostada or you can simply get a spoon and dive in.
How Are Refried Beans Made?
Dried beans are first soaked overnight before being boiled until soft. The excess water is drained from the beans. The next step is to mash the beans with a potato masher into a paste-like consistency. This paste is then fried with cooking oil or baked under medium heat. The last step is to add seasoning and spices. Some of the commonly used are chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and green onions.
How to Make Low Carb Refried Beans
You can make your own Refried beans at home. if you wish to lower the total carbs content, modify an existing great recipe. Traditional refried beans are made from pinto beans which are high in carbs. You can use other bean alternatives such as black soybeans, black beans, kidney beans, lupini beans, green beans, and lima beans. Just be sure to read the beans’ nutritional information to determine grams of net carbs for the different types of beans.
Once you have chosen the type of beans, Add a cup of dry beans to a heavy pot and soak them overnight or boil them in a pressure cooker to reduce cooking time. After the beans are well-cooked drain away any extra water and mash the beans in a food processor or an immersion blender until it forms a smooth paste with a creamy consistency. I like to use organic black soybeans for my low-carb refried beans recipe. Black soybeans are lower in carbs as compared to pinto beans. However, don’t have much taste or flavor.
Put the mashed soybean paste in a medium saucepan and set the power setting to a medium-high heat setting. Add a tbsp bacon fat or olive oil and saute the onions, mince garlic, and fry the Soy beans.
Carbs in Refried Beans
There are 40 grams of carbs, 14g of fiber, and 14 grams of protein in a single cup of beans. Beans are a great addition to any meal they are a good source of protein with high amino acids needed by the body to build and repair muscles. They have many health benefits and can be a good source of vitamins but the high carbohydrate content if eaten in excess can spike blood sugar
How To Eat Refried Beans On A Keto Diet
We’ve seen that Refried beans are too high in carbs to be considered keto-friendly. They contain more than the recommended carb limit of 1.5g per 100g serving to be classified as keto-friendly. this is because traditional refried beans are made from pinto beans. To enjoy refried beans without breaking the keto diet consider making your refried beans with these lower-carb beans alternatives.
Black Soybean

Black soy beans are slightly lower in carbohydrates as compared to pinto beans, they contain 3.8g of carbs per 100g serving. This is still over the recommended keto carb limit of 1.5g per 100g of food but is lower enough to enjoy without breaking the keto diet.
Lupini Beans
Lupin beans are a popular legume from the seeds of the lupin albus plant. they are high in proteins and low in carbs about 5g per 100g serving, making them keto-friendly.
Beanless Refried Beans
You can also make refried beans substitute without beans by combining garlic, onion, eggplant, and traditional Tex-Mex seasonings
.