Last Updated: Oct 13, 2022 @ 3:27 pm.

What are the best dehydrated refried beans? Great for travel, camping and emergency food supplies, dehydrated refried beans are a great way to get fiber without taking up as much space/weight as the canned variety. We tried out 9 brands to find the best bets. Which had the best taste? Best bang for the buck? Here are the ones we think are best.

FYI: We've been reviewing and rating products for the home and families since 1994. We don't take money or freebies from the brands we review. Our work is 100% reader-supported!


Finding the Best Dehydrated Refried Beans: Our Tests!

Let’s talk beans!

We took nine brands of dehydrated (also called instant) refried beans and did blind taste tests with the refried bean enthusiasts among our staff. Why blind? That way the results aren’t influenced by brand names or fancy packaging.

Quite popular in Mexico, dehydrated refried beans are a favorite among backpackers and RV’ers. Another plus: dehydrated beans take up much less space than canned refried beans—that’s great if you don’t have much storage room in your kitchen. 

Rehydrating the beans couldn’t have been simpler.  Total prep time for most of these brands is about five minutes, which is fantastic if you are camping.

Here are the winners from our taste tests!

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Best For Backpacking

Long shelf life
These packs are perfect for hiking and camping—and the taste is excellent. Tip: try adjusting the amount of water added to get to desired thickeness.
$21.51 ($16.39 / lb)

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Best For Emergency Food Supply

Super fast to prepare
This three pound bag is perfect for a hurricane survival kit—and the taste is most impressive. Just as good as your favorite Mexican restaurant, in our opinion.

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Best Restaurant-Style

Tasty and convenient
Love the taste of these beans, which come in small enough packages that are perfect for backpacking.
$25.99 ($0.90 / Ounce)

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Best Quick Prep

Good bang for the buck
We added boiling water to these beans and in five minutes we had refried beans that rivaled that of the best Mexican restaurant—so yummy!

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About the Authors

Denise & Alan Fields are consumer advocates and best-selling authors. The Fields have authored 12 books with three million copies in print, including the best-selling guide to baby gear, Baby Bargains.

The Fields have been featured and quoted in the New York TimesWall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times.

As consumer products experts, the Fields have been guests on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and ABC’s 20/20.

How We Pick Products To Recommend

We often turn to our readers (3 million strong!) to find products to recommend. We ask our parent readers for their favorites and consider their real-world experiences in our recommendations.

When we test a product, we always purchase it with our own monies. We do not take free samples, as we believe that compromises our independence.

We also fact check manufacturer information with our own measurements. If a maker claims a product weighs X pounds, we will weigh it to make sure. If the battery life is supposed to be six hours, we will see how it stands up in the real world.

In some cases, we will do interviews with experts in the field to get additional feedback on products.

To get hands-on time with products, we regularly meet one-on-one with gear companies and even tour manufacturing facilities. (When we do this, we pay our own travel expenses).

Why Trust Us

We’ve been rating and reviewing products for the home and families since 1994. We do extensive research, evaluating products with an eye toward quality, ease of use and affordability.

We make our living from affiliate commissions, but we always recommend what we think are the best bets for our readers (not the ones that are the most expensive). We are always looking for products that offer the best bang for the buck.

Our independence is a key reason why we have been doing this so long. As we mentioned above, when we purchase a product for hands-on testing, we do so with our own money.

Here’s another key point: we don’t take money from the brands we review. No free samples, no sponsors, no “partnerships.” Our work is 100% reader-supported!

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