Perfect Pairings & Recipes for
Refried Beans

Top flavour pairings and recipes for refried beans, according to analysis of thousands of recipes.

Refried beans conjure the embrace of bean and the kiss of caramel. But look beneath its obvious umaminess and you'll discover a captivating symphony of softer notes, a whisper of glutamate, a hint of starch, and subtle accents reminiscent of garlic. These are the notes that lend it such remarkable, resonant depth. The key to finding the perfect pairing for refried beans is understanding how these notes harmonise.

To map these harmonies, we analysed thousands of ingredients, breaking each one down across 150 flavour dimensions, identifying which notes complement and contrast. Our analysis reveals, for example, how oregano's thymic tones awaken refried beans, and how molasses's liquorice notes create a surprising synergy with its starchy aroma.

An ingredient's flavour profile is determined by its core characteristics (e.g. maillard, earthy, and vegetal) enhanced by layers of subtle aroma notes (outer bars). When pairing ingredients, aim for a mix of core traits to build balance, and select complementary aroma notes to create harmony.

Flavour Pairing Method

To understand how flavour notes harmonise, we analysed more than 50,000 popular ingredient combinations. By exploring these pairings, we identified specific flavour notes that frequently occur together, indicating they share a harmonious relationship.

The Flavours That Harmonise With Bean Notes

Our analysis reveals a strong connection between bean and liquorice flavours. Since refried beans has a distinct beany flavour, try pairing it with the liquorice flavours of molasses.

The recipes below provide inspiration for pairing refried beans with molasses.

Harmonious Flavours Of Refried Beans

Just as our ingredient analysis revealed that bean and celery-like flavours often complement each other, we can identify the full profile of flavours that harmonise with each of the flavour notes present in refried beans. E.g. the caramel notes of refried beans are often used with cabbagy and rosemary notes.

The aromas associated with the various aroma notes of refried beans can be seen highlighted in the pink bars below.

Matching Flavour Profiles

The flavour profile of oregano offers many of the aroma notes complementary to refried beans, including thyme and rosemary aroma accents. Because the flavour profile of oregano has many of the of the features that are complementary to refried beans, they are likely to pair very well together.

The chart above shows the unique profile of oregano across 150 dimensions of flavour, while the recipes below offer inspiration for bringing these flavours together with refried beans.

Recipes That Pair Refried Beans With Oregano

Linked Flavour Notes

Looking at the aroma notes that are most strongly associated with the various flavours of refried beans, we can identify other ingredients that are likely to pair well.

The left side of the chart above highlights the aroma notes of refried beans, along with the complementary aromas associated with each note. While the right side shows some of the ingredients that share many of the notes complementary to refried beans.

What To Drink With Refried Beans

The rosemary notes in côtes catalanes make it a perfect pairing with refried beans. Likewise, the bay leaf flavours in carmenere create a match made in heaven. Explore a variety of ingredients below that beautifully complement the unique character of refried beans below.

Which Vegetables Go With Refried Beans?

Choose vegetables that anchor its savoryness or ground its warm sweetness. Green cabbage offers vibrant, clean counterpoints, its verdant freshness lifting the palate. Radish add a gentle, oniony brightness, while tomato introduces a sophisticated, anise-tinged elegance.

Alternatively, embrace vegetables that harmonise with refried beans's metallicity. The addition of grape tomato, with its subtle solanum notes, can complement the iron beautifully. Serrano pepper bridges earthiness and citrus zest, while poblano pepper lends a green sweetness.

How Flavonomics Works

We've pioneered a unique, data-driven approach to decode the intricate art of flavour pairing. Our goal is to move beyond intuition and uncover the science of why certain ingredients harmonise beautifully. This rigorous methodology allows us to provide you with insightful and reliable pairing recommendations.

Our analysis begins with over 50,000 carefully selected recipes from acclaimed chefs like Galton Blackiston, Marcello Tully, and Pierre Lambinon. This premium dataset ensures our model distils genuine culinary excellence and creativity.

Each ingredient from these recipes is deconstructed across 150 distinct flavour dimensions, creating a unique numerical "flavour fingerprint." This quantification allows us to apply advanced analytical methods to identify complex patterns between flavour notes.

We identify popular ingredient combinations that frequently appear in our recipe database. Regression analysis is then performed on these pairings to statistically validate and pinpoint truly harmonious flavours.

These insights drive our predictive model, which allows us to take any ingredient (e.g., Refried beans), analyse its detailed flavour profile, and accurately reveal its complementary flavours and perfect ingredient partners.