These homemade Jamaican refried beans are a fusion spin of the traditional Mexican dish. My version is made with gungo peas (pigeon peas), completely vegan friendly and so much better than the canned stuff. With stove top and instant pot instructions.

Refried gungo peas with garnish and plantain chips

Here is one of my fusion recipes that I made on a whim. I used the Mexican version of refried beans as my inspiration and pretty much hit the drawing board with ideas on how to make it more Jamaican and vegan, in other words vegan refried beans.

As we already know refried beans are not Jamaican at all, I just want to make that clear as I know at least someone is going to highlight the obvious! (yup, I said it already for you).

Anyway, have you ever tried refried beans before? I have! I first tried them when I went to Mexico and really enjoyed it with nachos.

I then had it again when I visited the states, a sort of Tex-Mex style, this was the canned stuff though and immediately hated it.

Ever since I had that bad experience with refried beans in America, I decided to make my own homemade version instead, plus being the UK refried beans just aren't that popular here anyway.

What are refried beans?

Refried beans are a Mexican and Tex-Mex staple dish. This dish consists of dried legumes (usually pinto, black or red kidney beans).

That are soaked overnight then boiled until they soften, once the beans are soft, most of the liquid is drained off and then a potato masher is used to turn the beans into a paste.

Once a paste has been formed, the beans are fried with additional ingredients such as onion, garlic, seasoning, lard etc...

The truth be told, the beans aren't refried twice, instead they are fried, one time only meaning the name is somewhat misleading.

Let's talk about the recipe

Onto the most important aspect, the recipe! In true island style I used dried beans/peas.

To make it more Jamaican, I used gungo peas, you may have seen gungo peas pop up before in the following recipes

Even though dried peas take longer to cook, they are cheaper, naturally salt free and easy to obtain.

As you can see, I'm showing you two ways to make this recipe using your instant pot or the stove top.

You can use the instant pot just to pressure cook the peas then move onto finishing the recipe on the stove top (that's what I prefer to do).

Having tested it both ways, I have given you two sets of instructions so you can do what works for you!

When it comes to pureeing the beans, I highly recommend using an immersion stick. Using one of these yields a super smooth/creamy consistency.

A potato masher doesn't yield smooth results, I find the peas are still chunky, but again, it does depend on what you prefer.

I also find it better to mince the onions, garlic and ginger (I do them all at the same time) in my spice grinder (mine has a wet and dry container).

If you don't want to mince these ingredients then do chop them up very very finely instead.

Once the peas/beans are broken down that's when you add the rest of the ingredients, meaning the seasoning and so fourth.

I added the pink salt and hot sauce last so I can control this aspect better. I find that heat and salt are 2 things that vary according to taste/preference.

The steps - instant pot version

steps1-6 soaking the gungo peas and mashing them

Rinse the gungo peas several times and then place them in a large bowl.
Pour enough water to cover the peas, cover and leave to soak overnight or several hours.
Discard the water and rinse the peas again.
Place the peas in your inner pot and fill ¾ of the pot with water
Switch the unit on then press "pressure cook" on "high" and adjust the "+/-" to 20 minutes.
Place the lid on and turn the knob to "sealing".
Allow the instant pot to come to pressure (this may take several minutes).
Once the peas have cooked allow the unit to perform a nature release (should take 10 minutes).
Once the peas have cooked, drain off the water and reserve it (you won't need it all, but don't throw it away). Leave the peas in the inner pot (switched off).
Use your immersion stick to puree the peas, using some of the reserved water to achieve the desired texture.

steps7-12 mashing and refrying the gungo peas

Once the peas have turned into mash, scoop it out and set aside and clean out the inner pot, ready to re-use.
Switch on your unit and select the "saute" button.
Once the inner pot heats up add 2 tablespoon of olive oil along with the minced onion/scallion/ginger and garlic and saute for about 1 minute.
Add the mashed gungo peas to the instant pot, along with 2 tablespoon of olive oil and stir for about 30 seconds.
Immediately switch off the saute function by pressing "cancel" while continuing to fry using the residential heat, now add your seasoning -thyme, black pepper, pimento, all purpose seasoning and coconut cream (creamed coconut).
Add more water from the peas if you need to adjust the texture.
Stir for about another minute before finally adding your hot sauce and pink salt (according to taste).

Stove top version

Steps 1-4 soaking and cooking the gungo peas

Rinse the gungo peas several times and then place them in a large bowl.
Pour enough water to cover the peas, cover and leave to soak overnight or several hours.
Discard the water and rinse the peas again.
Add the beans to a large pot with about 6 cups of water (I used my IP instead and pressure cooked on high for 20 minutes).
Bring the pot to a boil, cover then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 1 hour until the gungo peas are soft (test the readiness with a fork, they should mash with ease when done) add more water if the levels begin to drop.
Once the peas have cooked, drain off the water and reserve it (you won't need it all, but don't throw it away).

steps 5-10 refrying the beans with seasoning

Place the peas in a large bowl and use your immersion stick to puree the peas, adding some of the reserved water until a smooth texture is achieved. Then set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a skillet/frying pan on medium heat with 2 tablespoon of olive oil.
Saute the onion/scallion and ginger mixture for about 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the mashed gungo peas along with 2 tablespoon of olive oil, then start to season with the pimento, black pepper, all purpose seasoning, thyme and coconut cream (creamed coconut) and continue to cook for a few minutes (add more water from the peas, if you need to thin out the puree some more).
Finally add some pink salt and hot sauce (according to your taste/preference).

Notes and tips

You can buy gungo peas from most Caribbean/Asian/Latino grocery stores. They are also known as "pigeon peas" but you will want to buy the BROWN ones NOT green!
Keep in mind the cooking time will take much longer then what is stated if you are cooking the peas via stovetop.
If you cannot get hold of any creamed coconut then use FULL FAT coconut milk instead about ⅓ cup.
Coconut cream is known as creamed coconut/coconut butter. You will find it dirt cheap if you purchase it from a Caribbean grocery store.
Before soaking the peas, inspect them, discarding peas that are broken/flawed along with any debris.
This the recipe for the All Purpose Seasoning which I used.
If you want to fast track the whole process then use canned beans, make sure they are in water only NOT SALT WATER. You will need roughly 3-4 cans to be the equivalent to what the recipe calls for.
If you are using canned gungo peas, start the recipe from step 7 (stove top version)
As always do a taste test before serving, to adjust seasoning further if needed.

Refried beans, plantain chips and gungo peas all together

What to serve refried gungo peas with

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