Easy Black Bean Tostadas
There is a lot to love about these black bean tostadas! Not only is it an incredibly satisfying, delicious, and nutritious meal, but it’s easy to make, AND, it’s also my favorite type of meal for families – DIY and totally customizable. Spread a thick layer of flavorful black beans on a crispy tostada shell and pile it high with cool and crunchy fresh vegetables, a sprinkle of cheese, and a splash of fresh lime juice. This has been a favorite meal at our house and it continues to be requested on a regular rotation. I hope you love it as much as we do!
This is the most-requested meal at our house. 🫘
Fancy? No. Satisfying, easy, and nutritious? Yes. It’s why it’s one of our go-to meals when we need something ready in 15 minutes!
While the beans are cooking, prep any toppings and gather the toppings that don’t require any prep and put on the table. Then let everyone build their own tostada. Dinner is done.
😋 Seriously delicious: Crisp shell, creamy beans, fresh toppings… there’s a lot to love about these bean tostadas.
🛒 Made with simple ingredients: This meal is budget-friendly as it’s made with pantry staples and some fresh toppings.
🌮 Fun and family-friendly: Everyone builds their own with this DIY meal, which IMHO, is the best way to serve family meals.
💡 High in fiber & protein: Plant-based and nourishing, this meal is as nutritious as it is delicious!
⚡ Ready in 30 minutes: This weeknight dinner is quick, easy, and on the table in less than 30 minutes.
🥑 Totally customizable: Use what you have on hand, this is a great meal to keep super simple or add extras if you have them.
🥗 Naturally vegetarian: Easy meatless meal win, and so satisfying that you won’t miss the meat.
You’ll also want to try chicken tostadas, bean & cheese burritos, and black bean quesadillas.
Love this recipe, it’s become a staple in my household! –Johanna
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring this dinner to the table: black beans, onion, garlic, olive oil, tostada shells, and any fresh toppings that you’ll want.
- Refried black beans: Use canned black beans as a nice shortcut to make these homemade refried beans. You can also use homemade cooked black beans; just be sure to save the cooking liquid, as you’ll need both. If you don’t have the 15 minutes to make them, you can use canned refried black beans, but these homemade ones are better!
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Shortcuts: Use canned refried beans if you want an easy shortcut!
- Feeding kids without pressure: Serve this meal DIY, family-style and let everyone build their own tostada. If it’s a new (or iffy) food, serve with a few sides you know your kids will eat, like milk, fruit, and bread and butter if they don’t do tostada shells.
- Additions: There are so many topping ideas you can add to these tostadas! At a minimum, I like to include shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, lime wedges, and salsa. Here are extra ideas: corn salsa, radish, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, jalapeño peppers, creamy quesadilla sauce, and avocado.
Best Black Bean Tostadas Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings (3 tostadas) 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These easy black bean tostadas are a fast, high-protein vegetarian dinner made with pantry staples and fresh toppings. Ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For Tostadas:
- 12 tostada shells
- shredded iceberg lettuce (or romaine)
- diced tomatoes
- cotija cheese (or shredded cheddar)
- lime wedges
- any other toppings (see list above)
For Refried Black Beans:
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 15–oz. cans of black beans (DO NOT DRAIN)
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Instructions
- Make refried black beans. Heat olive oil in a large stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add garlic to pan and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add beans and liquid (don’t drain beans!) to the skillet and stir together with onions. Bring to a simmer and then turn heat to low and cook at a low simmer for about 9-14 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Mash beans to desired consistency and season with sea salt to taste.
- While beans are cooking, prep any toppings. Shred lettuce, dice tomatoes, etc.
- Assemble tostadas. Top tostada shell with refried beans, lettuce, tomato, and cotijia cheese. Squeeze lime over the top OR put out toppings and let everyone build their own tostadas.
Notes
- Pickled red onions: Thinly slice 1/2 red onion and place into a jar. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar and cover with 1/2 cup vinegar (white, apple cider, red wine) and 1/2 cup hot water. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Store leftover tostada components in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat beans in the microwave or a hot skillet until warmed through.
- Ingredient notes: Use your favorite taco toppings, anything goes!
- Prep ahead: Prep the refried beans ahead (they’ll last 3-4 days in the refrigerator), and you’ll just need to reheat them.
- Serve with: Elote in a cup, corn salsa, rice, a simple green salad.
Serving Suggestions
All this black bean tostadas recipe needs is a variety of toppings or a few sides:
More Black Bean Recipes
If you like If you love black beans as much as we do, be sure to check these recipes out next time. Can you tell we are slightly obsessed?! 🙂
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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Delicious, thank you!
Fixed the black bean tostadas last night and made a big mistake! Since there’s only two of us, I used 2 rather than the 3 cans of black beans in the recipe….they were so good we ate tostatdas again today and now all the beans are gone. Wish there were more, won’t make that mistake again.
So glad you enjoyed them, don’t skimp on the beans!!!
Love this recipe, it’s become a staple in my household!
YAY! Love hearing this, thanks Johanna! 🙂