Black Bean Tostadas featuring crispy tortillas, seasoned black beans, and a mountain of tasty toppings. These tasty tostadas are vegetarian and gluten-free and so easy to customize!
Tostadas are what happens when an open faced sandwich and a taco get it on.
Or something like that.
You’ll find tostadas all throughout Mexican and Latin American cuisine and they can be made so many different ways!
The one thing they all have in common is their crispy tortilla base, but aside from that all bets are off — you can make them with a zillion different protein and topping combinations and they can be anything from vegan to vegetarian to t-rex in preparation.
You can basically turn any taco recipe on my blog into a tostada so feel free to have fun with your food and get creative with your toppings!
Tostada Toppings
When it comes to topping your tasty tostadas, the options are nearly endless!
Here are some of my favorite mix-and-match options for topping your crispy flat tacos.
- guacamole
- sour cream or greek yogurt
- tomatillo salsa verde
- avocado salsa verde
- sliced black olives
- pickled jalapeño peppers or regular jalapeños
- pickled red onion
- shredded cabbage or slaw
- hot sauce
- fresh cilantro or scallions
- shredded lettuce
- chopped tomato
- white or red onion
- sautéed or grilled vegetables
- black bean salsa
- cheese (shredded or crumbled)
- pico de gallo
- jarred or homemade salsa
- sliced avocado
I topped my black bean tostadas with shredded romaine lettuce, chopped tomato, chopped white onion, sliced jalapeño, grated cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and sour cream. I also threw in some crispy tortilla strips for extra crunch. The combination was oh so good!
One time I even had some leftover queso from making Sheet Pan Nachos and drizzled that over the tostadas too. It was nothing short of amazing!
I typically love adding guacamole to mine as well but my 8 year old ate all the avocados as per usual, haha! That kid is a guacamole machine.
For the tostada shell itself, you can buy them pre-crisped at the grocery store in the tortilla aisle or make your own using soft yellow corn tortillas. For mini tostadas, those little street taco sized corn tortillas are super fun!
I made my own this time around (woot) by pan frying them in some avocado oil until nice and crispy. You can also brush each side with oil and bake until crispy in the oven.
Crispy Black Bean Tostadas
The recipe below makes 4 tasty tostadas.
Feel free to double, triple, or quadruple the recipe as needed to make as many tostadas as you need to feed your crew! The recipe is more of a guideline to get you started, as anything goes when it comes to tostadas.
You can even set up a little black bean tostada bar for your family/friends with all the toppings in assorted bowls with spoons so everyone can create their own edible masterpiece.
Black Bean Tostadas
Ingredients
- 4 thin corn tortillas (I use Mission's Extra Thin Yellow Tortillas)
- avocado oil as needed for baking or frying
- 1 can black beans
- ¼ cup salsa
- ¼-½ tsp ground cumin
- ⅛ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ cup finely chopped romaine lettuce
- ½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup chopped tomato
- 2 TBSP diced onion (red, white, or chopped scallions)
- 1 small jalapeño , thinly sliced
- 1-2 TBSP sour cream and sriracha ranch for topping, to taste
- tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips for an optional extra crunch
Instructions
- First choose your tostada cooking method below. You can also go the shortcut route and purchase crispy tostada shells from the grocery store, usually found in the tortilla aisle towards the top shelf.
- If you're using premade you can get them even crispier by baking for a few minutes on the center rack of the oven.
OVEN BAKED TOSTADA SHELLS
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly spray or brush both sides of the tortillas with oil and place them in a single layer on a baking sheet spritzed with a teeny bit of oil.
- Sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and bake for 10 minutes, flipping them over at the 5-minute mark to nicely crisp both sides.
CRISPY FRIED TOSTADA SHELLS
- Heat a small 8-inch cast iron skillet to medium-high heat with approx 1/4 inch of of oil. I use avocado oil.
- Once the oil is shimmering, use tongs to add your corn tortilla to the skillet. It should sizzle right away. Fry each side until lightly golden and crisp, approx. 30 seconds per side. Remove using tongs and allow to cool on a stack of folded paper towels, bloting gently as needed. Season with a little salt if desired.
READY TO GET YOUR TOSTADA ON?
- Drain and rinse black beans. Add to a sauce pot with salsa (any variety you love – spicy or mild), minced garlic, lime juice, cumin, and salt. Cook on medium-high heat until beans are warmed through, stirring often. Mash beans with potato masher, immersion blender, or pop them in a blender/processor to puree into a bean dip consistency. You can make them as chunky or as smooth as you'd like!
- Spread the warm beans on your crispy cooked tostada shells and top with lettuce, cheese, tomato, onion, jalapeno, and optional tortilla strips/crumbles.
- Drizzle with sour cream and sriracha ranch (ranch dressing with some sriracha mixed in) or try it with jarred salsa, hot sauce, or any of your favorite sauces!
- For a full list of toppping ideas check out the blog post and feel free to get creative with your tostadas. You can even set up a tostada bar for your family with bowls of toppings to let everyone customize their own.
Notes
Nutrition
More Tasty Tostada Recipes
- White Bean Tostadas
- Breakfast Tostadas
- Shrimp Tostadas
- Beef Tostadas
- Vegetarian Bean Tostadas
- Copycat Tijuana Flats Tostadas
If you get a chance to try these baller black bean tostadas, let me know!
Leave some love in the comment form below or tag your photos with @peasandcrayons on Instagram so I can happy dance over your creation. I can’t wait to see what you whip up!
Questions & Reviews
Putting together my shopping list to make these for dinner. The directions tell us to put the black beans, salsa, garlic, lime juice, cumin, and salt in a saucepan. I don’t see in the Ingredient List how much garlic or lime juice to use. Could you tell me how much of each of these to use?
Jenn, your Ingredient List includes grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese. The amount is “1/2” Question: One-half of the cheese block? Could it be 1/2 cup? Could you please clarify?
Eek just saw this! Apologies for the delay. 1/2 cup cheese
Soooo good!!! I made tonight for dinner with plantains will definitely be making again.
I love how everyone can top their own for dinner! Thanks Gina!
These were SO delicious! Loved the crispy tortilla and being able to pile high with all my favorite toppings. Easy to make and perfect for Meatless Monday!
Yay!!! Thanks Taylor! So glad they were a hit.