Can Dogs Eat Refried Beans? 4 Risks of Refried Beans for Dogs

No, dogs cannot eat refried beans. Refried beans—a dish made of mashed, twice-cooked beans flavored with herbs, spices, and other seasonings—often contain ingredients toxic to dogs (like onions and garlic) and unhealthy amounts of fat, sodium, calories, and preservatives. If your dog eats refried beans, monitor them for signs of illness and consult a veterinarian.

Other types of beans that are unsafe for dogs include fava beans (broad beans), baked beans, coffee beans, chili beans, uncooked dry beans, or canned beans. These beans can cause issues for your dog’s digestive system.

Refried beans offer no health benefits to your pooch. Avoid feeding your pet refried beans because they are:

1. 1. A high-fat food: Refried beans call for canola oil or other high-fat ingredients to make them rich and creamy. A dog’s stomach has difficulty digesting large amounts of fat, so refried beans (and other foods high in saturated fats) can lead to an upset stomach, bloat, and other digestive problems like pancreatitis, or swelling of the pancreas.
2. 2. Dense in calories: Refried beans are a high-calorie food, which can be dangerous for your dog’s diet, as these snacks can lead to rapid weight gain and long-term health issues.
3. 3. High in sodium: Refried bean recipes call for salt to achieve their traditional savory flavor. However, if your dog eats foods with too much salt, it can dehydrate them, and in severe cases, it can lead to kidney damage and sodium ion poisoning (also called “salt poisoning”). Symptoms of too much sodium in your dog’s diet include excessive thirst, little to no urination, loss of appetite, dry gums, vomiting, and diarrhea.
4. 4. Likely to contain toxic ingredients: Refried beans are likely to contain ingredients harmful for dogs even in small amounts, such as onion and garlic. In addition, many refried beans recipes call for spicy additives like paprika, cayenne, cumin, chili powder, and jalapeños. If your furry friend ingests any of these foods, they can experience significant stomach upset, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or vomiting.

While refried beans are unsafe for dogs, many other varieties of beans can make a healthy addition to your dog’s diet—whether as snacks or as an addition to homemade dog food. Beans that are safe for dogs include fresh, cooked lima beans (butter beans), garbanzo beans (chickpeas), green beans, kidney beans, lentils, soybeans, navy beans, pinto beans, edamame, and black beans. These legumes add carbohydrates, protein, fiber, magnesium, potassium, antioxidants, vitamin C, and other nutrients to contribute to a healthy diet for your pet.

Certain human foods can cause adverse reactions in canines, so always consult your veterinarian to determine whether it is safe to add these foods to your pet’s diet. This article is for educational and informational purposes and is not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.