11 Canned Refried Bean Brands, Ranked

When it comes to canned refried beans, there's a wide range in quality. If you don't think there's that big of a difference between the different brands, it's time for an education. After testing several brands, I realized there were vast differences. The worst ones exist on a completely different plane than the best ones. In fact, the top three are ones you could eat all on their own without any accompaniments if you were so inclined, whereas the worst ones aren't very appetizing at all, in my opinion. Of course, you can always add extra flavor to refried beans, but it's best to start out with quality ones if you can help it.

I chose to rank only refried beans made with pinto beans. While I noted their cost, nutrition, ingredients, and texture, the most important thing was taste. However, for the ones that I rated similar in taste, cost was the deciding factor in their ranking. Now that I've ranked 11 bean brands from worst to best, I will no longer make a blind grab off the shelf when I need refried beans, as there are some real standouts. Hopefully, you won't either.

La Costeña Refried Pinto Beans were clearly the worst brand of canned beans I tried. I was hopeful since they came in a larger size (20.5 ounces) and they were shelved with the Mexican food rather than the other refried beans. But, alas, it just isn't good to my palate.

At $1.73 for 20.5 ounces at Walmart, it's the third cheapest per ounce. It also ties for having the second most calories on the list at 140 per serving. In addition to lard, La Costeña also contains soybean oil, bringing the fat content higher than any other: 7 grams. While only 1 gram is saturated, it's still twice as much fat as any of the other refried beans. The added salt helps bring the sodium content up to 530 milligrams, which is the second highest on the list. Plus, it contains jalapeño peppers and garlic for seasoning. So, it's not winning any awards for nutrition.

The flavor is also off-putting. There are plenty of whole beans and visible pieces of jalapeño to make it hearty. Unfortunately, the primary flavor for La Costeña beans is chlorinated water and soybean oil. My reaction was a visceral, instant dislike. It is slightly better warmed, but the overwhelming flavor is still chlorine. Despite not listing vinegar in the ingredient list, it has a slightly acidic taste like vinegar, which I suppose is a minor positive.

365 Whole Foods Market food items vary in rating, and I didn't find the refried beans to be very good. On the positive side, at only $1.49 for a 16-ounce can at Whole Foods, it's among the cheaper cans of refried beans on my list. However, the flavor wasn't very appetizing.

A quick read of the label for 365 Whole Foods Organic Refried Pinto Beans was promising. It's not only organic, but non-GMO and vegan. The version I found was fat free, so it doesn't contain lard. The pinto beans and all the spices are organic. The spices looked promising, too, since they included sea salt, onion powder, chili pepper, cumin, and garlic powder. Plus, they have an ingredient none of the others do: oregano. The nutrition is decent, too. It manages to only be 100 calories for every half-cup serving. The sea salt helps bring the sodium content up to 480 milligrams.

Once I opened up the can, it was a whole other story. I didn't experience instant repulsion to it like La Costeña, but it wasn't very appetizing. It had lots of whole beans and was chunky, but watery throughout the beans. The flavor reminded me of paper and old dried oregano. It was just as unappetizing warm as cold. Not every type of vegetarian refried beans are bad, but these are.

Great Value Traditional Refried Beans taste better than the worst two, but not by much. At only $1.00 for a 16-ounce can at Walmart, it's the cheapest on the list. While Walmart's store brand can sometimes be as good as the leading brand, you unfortunately get what you pay for in this case.

The nutrition content and ingredients don't give many hints about how it tastes. It's 120 calories per serving. Plus, it contains lard. So, it has 2.5 grams of fat, of which 1 gram is saturated. The salt in it takes the sodium content up to 510 milligrams, which is the third highest on the list — not the greatest stat. Distilled vinegar helps with preservation and adds flavor to refried beans. It also contains onion powder, chili pepper, cumin, and garlic powder for seasoning.

The first thing I noticed when I opened up the can was that it was extremely chunky and had a smell reminiscent of dog food. The flavor wasn't much better, since it reminded me of canned soup. Still, when tasted side by side, it was better than the 365 brand. The vinegar provided brightness, but the seasonings don't really help the flavor. It is one that's slightly better warmed, although it does become more bitter.

Best Choice is a store brand you see in plenty of grocery stores, and it can be hit or miss. In the case of refried beans, it's a miss. I found Best Choice Traditional Refried Beans available at Harp's for $1.49, which is one of the lower prices on my list. Unfortunately, the flavor was underwhelming.

There's nothing outstanding about its nutrition or ingredients. For each half-ounce serving, Best Choice only has 100 calories. It's another brand that contains lard, which provides it with 1.5 grams of fat. However, there's no saturated fat, and this brand ties for having the second least amount of fat. The salt in these refried beans raises the sodium content to 480 milligrams. It also has several spices to make it more flavorful, including onion powder, chili pepper, garlic powder, and undisclosed spices.

When I opened it, it had water on the top and was another that smelled like dog food — plus cumin. Luckily, the flavor isn't as canned tasting as Great Value. It's smooth and has an extreme amount of cumin flavor. The onion and garlic flavors work together nicely, and it has a good level of salt. Unfortunately, it also has a slightly bitter cardboard aftertaste, which makes the overall experience negative. This is also one that's better cold than warmed because warming increases the negative aftertaste.

Amy's Organic doesn't always rate high when it comes to canned products with bean. Here, I consider Amy's Organic Vegetarian Refried Beans the best of the worst. While it's not horrible, it's still not one I'd buy on purpose, especially because it's the most expensive on my list. I found it at Whole Foods for $3.99 for a 16-ounce can.

The ingredient list was interesting since it's vegetarian and doesn't contain lard. Instead of lard, it contains high oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil, which brings the fat content higher than most to 3.5 grams. However, there's no saturated fat. The oil choice seems to also bring the calorie count higher than all the others on the list, too, at 160 per serving. In addition to all the ingredients being organic, the label makes sure to mention that the water used to make it is filtered. Along with sea salt, the seasonings include garlic and other unspecified spices. Also, the sodium comes out to 450 milligrams.

Unfortunately, it tastes canned rather than fresh. It has a few bean chunks throughout, and the main flavor note is cumin. It also has a bright flavor like vinegar, although vinegar isn't an ingredient. I did find that it was somewhat better warmed, as warming it brings out more umami and salt. While it tastes better than the previous two store brands, it's still not something I'd buy on purpose, especially for the price.

With all the worst refried bean brands behind us, it's time to venture into mediocre territory. I'd say that Siete Vegan Refried Pinto Beans isn't bad overall, but the flavor is boring. It was also $2.48 for a 16-ounce can at Walmart, making it the third most expensive on my list.

If it's not the main event on your plate, the ingredients might win you over. While it's not completely organic, it's organic-ish. The pinto beans and the two main seasonings besides sea salt (paprika and onion powder) are organic. Also, since it's vegetarian, it contains avocado oil instead of lard. Even without the lard, this 100-calorie can of refried beans contains 4 grams of fat, of which 1 gram is saturated.

It has a slightly watery top, which is why it's surprising that it's more dense and thick with less moisture than the others I tried. It's also chunky with a few bean pieces. However, it tastes like plain mashed beans and nothing special. It'd rank its flavor close to Old El Paso, but being more expensive drops it lower on my list.

When I first saw the ingredient list for Old El Paso Traditional Refried Beans, I thought I'd end up liking it best. However, it wasn't nearly as exciting as what I was expecting. However, it's still decent and ranks far better than the brand's tortillas. It's also cheap, since I was able to find it at Walmart for $1.88 for a 16-ounce can.

At 90 calories per half-cup serving, it has the lowest calorie count of the refried beans on the list. However, lard and hydrogenated lard provide it with 1.5 grams of fat, where 0.5 of those grams are saturated. Even with the hydrogenated lard, this can of refried beans ties for the second-lowest amount of fat on the list. It has two ingredients that aren't in any of the other refried bean brands I tried: tomato paste and sugar. However, the amount of sugar is still under a gram per serving. It contains salt, which brings the sodium content up to 450 milligrams. Plus, there's cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and chili pepper.

In the past, having a watery top seemed to be a negative, but it doesn't seem to be in this case. The refried beans are chunky, and they're extremely flavorful. The flavor is overwhelmingly cumin, but the onion, garlic, and tomato paste improve the flavor, too. I found it better cold, though, since they get a bitter aftertaste when warmed

While Rosarita is a top-tier option, it doesn't quite have the standout qualities of the top three. It's the brand my family usually has in the cupboard because we can get it in bulk at Sam's Club cheaply. However, in this case, I found it at Walmart for $1.48 for a 16-ounce can. While it's still fairly good, it doesn't stand out like the top three do.

Rosarita Traditional Refried Beans has 100 calories per half-cup serving. Lard is an ingredient, which provides Rosarita with 2.5 grams of fat, 1 gram saturated. Plus, it contains salt and vinegar, which both help preserve and flavor it, as well as chili pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and unlisted other spices and flavors. Altogether, the sodium content comes up to 580 milligrams, which helps it tie for having the most sodium of any on the list.

Rosarita is thick and so chunky that it's almost like eating whole beans, just slightly smashed. There's an unidentifiable spice in it that reminds me of cola and gives it some brightness. It's good both warm and cold. However, it does have a super slight bitterness. The vinegar note also comes out more when warmed.

Casa Mamita Traditional Refried Beans is in a class of its own. It's the only one that tastes like eating a bowl of chili. You could easily sit down and eat it out of the can or with some tortilla chips for dipping. Casa Mamita is the only refried bean brand at Aldi, and it's the second cheapest on my list for $1.09 per 16-ounce can. 

The ingredients are mostly as expected, but it's higher in sodium. A serving is 100 calories, and it does contain lard, so it has 1.5 grams of fat. However, there's no saturated fat, which is impressive since it contains lard. Unfortunately, having 580 milligrams of sodium makes it tied for having the most sodium. In addition to salt, the extra seasonings are onion powder, chili pepper, garlic powder, and a few secret spices.

This is another one that comes floating in water, but it doesn't seem to compromise flavor or texture. It has some whole beans, and the top flavor note is chili powder. I think I detect cumin, too (perhaps a secret ingredient). And the onions and garlic really lift it. The higher sodium content is obvious since the salt shines through. There is one caveat for how good this brand is. You want to eat Casa Mamita cold, as it gets a somewhat cardboard flavor when heated. However, heating does intensify a spicy heat that doesn't seem to show up when it's cold. In a direct tasting comparison, it's a solid third place.

While refried beans usually taste better in a restaurant, Bush's Best Traditional Refried Beans rival many restaurant refried beans. As such, it was a tough call between the top two refried bean brands. The good news is that they're cheap. I found them at Walmart for $1.64 for a 16-ounce can, but had to venture out of the international aisle and into the regular beans section of the store to find them.

Each half-cup serving is 140 calories, which makes Bush's Best tie for the refried beans with the second most calories on the list. Since it contains lard, it ends up having 3 grams of fat, with 1 gram of saturated fat. Salt and vinegar provide assistance with preservation as well as flavor, and the sodium content comes out to 410 milligrams. Additional seasonings include onion powder and garlic powder.

The bean flavor is what's paramount for Bush's beans, and the flavors are very well-balanced. It tastes well salted, even though it's not among the refried beans with the highest sodium. It also has a good combo of onion and garlic. Like my top choice, Bush's is smooth and easily spreadable. While it's great cold, it's also even better warmed. You could imagine it has more fat than it has because it has such a nice mouth feel. While cheaper than my top choice and extremely tasty, it still couldn't quite hit the top spot when taste-testing them side by side.

In Spanish, "La Preferida," means "the favorite," and the name is well deserved. Once you taste it, there's no turning back. I never expected organic vegan refried beans with no lard or fat of any kind to taste this good, but here we are. Something to note is that La Preferida Organic Authentic Refried Beans is the second most expensive can on my list, since I found it at Natural Grocers for $2.99 for a 16-ounce can. However, I think the higher price is worth it considering how good they taste.

These refried beans only contains 110 calories per serving. However, without any lard, it's completely fat free. Salt is the only seasoning in this brand. With only 230 milligrams of sodium per serving, it has far less than the others.

La Preferida has a rich, homey flavor that I associate with bacon and food cooked with bacon fat. Since they have no lard, my best guess is that they're smoked, so you don't have to add in smoked paprika for a flavor boost for these. Whatever secrets La Preferida has for its cooking process, the results are amazing, especially for only being seasoned with salt. It's smooth and creamy, and I kept going back for more tastes because it was just so far above any other refried beans I've tried. It's also good warm, but I like it even better cold. If you ever manage to encounter these, you'll want to grab them without any hesitation.

When choosing refried beans to test, I had a few criteria. First, they had to come from a nearby grocery store. Secondly, they needed to be traditional pinto refried beans and not black or red beans. After all, it didn't seem right to compare the flavor of different types of beans. I tried to find the most traditional type available. So, I passed over some that advertised being lime-flavored or jalapeño flavored. Although lard is traditional for refried beans, the type of fat (or lack thereof) was not a consideration when choosing which ones to test. Therefore, some brands contain alternate types of fat or none at all.

To test the beans, I first tried them cold out of the can, like you might experience them in a bean burrito or with tortilla chips. However, I also wanted to see how they tasted warm. The easiest method was to microwave them. So, I microwaved them for about 10 seconds before taking the second taste. Then I compared flavors and ranked them.

First and foremost, I picked the best refried beans based on taste, comparing the flavor of each one directly against the next one. However, in the event that some rated similarly in taste, I considered other attributes like nutrition and price. I had a family member do a blind taste test of all of them independently, and they ranked everything the same way I did.