The Best Substitute For Lard When Making Refried Beans

The core ingredient of a pot of refried beans are the legumes, of course. You might like pinto beans or black beans, and ingredients like garlic, onion, and jalapeños can sometimes make their way into the batch for more flavor. One classic and nearly necessary ingredient to provide flavor and thickness to refried beans is lard — but if you don't keep it in your kitchen, then you'll need an acceptable substitution.

"Nothing could replace good old fashioned lard for your refried beans, that flavor is unique," explains Ronaldo Linares, a private chef and media personality who also posts recipes on TikTok. For context, lard is rendered fat, typically from the muscle of pigs. The fat adds layers of savory and meaty flavor while also thickening the consistency of refried beans.

It's not necessarily a household ingredient though. "If you want to mimic the flavor, bacon fat is always good," Linares suggests. The benefit of bacon fat is that it also adds similar flavors and is slightly more common in home kitchens. And if you don't already have some in the fridge, there's a low-and-slow method to render the most bacon fat that should work every time.

To boost the flavor and texture of your next pot of refried beans, it won't take much lard. For every 7 servings, start with 2 tablespoons of lard. You can always add more later if you find the refried beans need more flavor or need to be thickened. Use the same measurements for rendered bacon fat too. The lard comes into play after the beans are cooked. You'll heat the lard in a pan and saute the beans, perhaps with aromatics like garlic and onion to enhance the flavor before you smash into refried beans.

And while rendered bacon fat might be the best substitute for lard when it comes to flavor, according to Linares, it's certainly not the only option. For a healthier or vegetarian-friendly alternative, saute the beans in a neutral oil like vegetable or avocado oil. Other substitutes for vegetable oil, like butter, beef tallow, coconut oil, and even chicken fat, can also replace the lard in refried beans.