These Easy Black Bean Tostadas are topped with homemade refried beans and fresh pico de Gallo and avocado. They’re fresh, flavorful and perfect for lunch or dinner!
Back Bean Tostada Ingredients and Substitutions
- Corn Tortillas – You can buy a bag of tostada shells at most grocery stores, or you can make your own by brushing the front and back of a corn tortilla with a small amount of olive oil and baking in the oven until perfectly crisp.
- Pico De Gallo – I love to make my own pico de Gallo but you can also buy pre-made pico at the store, or just use regular salsa.
- Avocado – I made these black bean tostadas vegan so I added the avocado for some extra creaminess. You can use avocado or guacamole.
- Refried Beans – I made a version of homemade refried beans that I will talk more about below. They have extra veggies and flavor in them but you can also use a can of store-bought refried beans.
I made these tostadas vegan but you can certainly add cheese, or even dairy free cheese, if you like!
How To Make Homemade Refried Beans
This is my version of refried beans, they aren’t traditional but they’re tasty!
- Start by heating a pan over medium heat and adding a small amount of olive oil. Next, add your onions and peppers and cook until softened.
- Add the garlic, cook for another minute and then add the black beans and spices. Cook until the beans are heated through and then turn the heat off.
- Let the mixture cool for a few minutes and then add to a food processor, or blender and blend until desired smoothness is reached.
- Store refried beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months.
How To Make Easy Black Bean Tostadas
These tostadas are so easy to assemble!
- Prepare your tostadas: If using store-bought you can just lay them out on the baking sheet. If making your own, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lay your corn tortillas down on a large sheetpan and brush each side with a little olive oil. Bake in the oven until nice and crispy.
- Prepare your refried beans: If using store-bought, open your can and give them a good mix to break them up a little bit. If making your own refried beans, follow the directions above.
- Prepare your pico de gallo: add all pico ingredients to a bowl and mix until combined.
- Assemble your Black Bean Tostadas: Lay your tostada onto a plate and top with your warmed refried beans. Next, top with the avocado and pico. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Is this recipe gluten free? Yes, as long as you use gluten free tortillas.
- Can I use store-bought refried beans? Yes!
- Can I add cheese? Of course!
- Can I make these black bean tostadas ahead of time? I wouldn’t recommend making them too far in advance, because even though the tostadas are crispy, the refried beans can make them soft if they sit for a while. You can, however, make all the components ahead of time and assemble when ready to eat.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Easy Vegan Mexican Inspired Recipes?
Quinoa and Black Bean BBQ Tacos
Mexican Kale Salad with Cumin Lime Dressing
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Homemade Black Bean Tostadas
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Crispy Tostadas are topped with homemade refried beans and fresh pico de Gallo!
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 Corn Tortillas
- 2 avocados, sliced
- olive oil
For the Refried Beans
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinses (save bean juice and set aside)
- 1/2 green pepper, small diced
- 1/2 red pepper, small diced*
- 1/2 small red onion, small diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon jalapeno, small diced (or more depending on how much heat you like)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
For the Pico De Gallo
- 3 large tomatoes
- 1/2 cup onion, small diced
- small handful of cilantro, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Juice of half a lime, or a whole lime depending on how juicy it is
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch more if needed
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brush both sides of the corn tortillas with a small amount of olive oil and place onto a large sheet pan. Place in the oven and bake for about ten minutes, until they are crispy. Flipping halfway. Set aside.
- While tortillas are in the oven, in a small bowl, add all pico de gallo ingredients and mix together. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Make the refried beans, heat a large pan over medium heat and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
- Then add diced peppers, onion, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Then add the black beans and spices. Cook for another 2 – 3 minutes.
- Carefully pour mixture into a food processor or blender, fitted with a metal blade, and puree on medium speed. Slowly add in the reserved black bean juice, a little at a time, until the refried beans reach desired consistency.
- Place refried beans back into the pan for a few minutes until heated through.
- Assemble the tostadas, spread a few tablespoons of refried beans onto each tortilla and then top with avocado slices and pico de gallo.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- *The red pepper will give the refried beans a little bit of a sweet flavor, so if you like, you can omit the red pepper and add more green pepper or other pepper of your choice.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Dinner, Vegan
- Method: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
I made these tonight and they are AWESOME! Your idea of mixing the pepper and the beans together into the refried beans is genius!! My boyfriend and I scarfed these down so quickly after our workout that I didn’t have a chance to take a picture of them to share with you on Insta! The only change I made was that I didn’t use any oil and I added cucumbers to the pico de gallo!! Yum! These are going to be a regular around here for sure š Thanks for the great recipe, Izzy!!
Yah!!!!! I’m so glad you made them, Ceara!! I do buy the canned refrired beans sometimes, but it is so much more fun to make my own! Ohhhh, I love cucumbers and that is such a great idea to add them to the pico! I will be doing that next time! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed them!! š
I keep using the refried beans part of this recipe. It’s super versatile and better than the canned stuff for sure. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Kaitlin! Thank you so much for commenting! It makes me so happy that you are loving these refried beans! I grew up on the canned stuff, but now that I discovered making my own I don’t think I can ever go back!
Your homemade refried beans sound amazing. Would love to make these soon! Love how fresh everything is too!
Thanks, Julie!! I’ve really been trying to take advantage of all the fresh spring produce and thankfully there as been an abundance of it lately! I hope you enjoy them š
Yum. You can make me this when I come visit…or I guess it is easy enough to make for myself š
Actually, they are really hard to make so you should probably just come and visit so I can make them for you!
I ALWAYS need a new idea for quick, yummy dinners. Looks like a fiesta!
Thanks for stopping by, Erin!! I agree, quick and yummy dinners are a must!
Wow! Send some to me ASAP!!
Thanks, Beth! Just come to Arizona and pick some up!
I love this! I’ve only ever had refried beans from a can. I didn’t realize how easy they were to make. I need to give this a try when I get some nice peppers and tomatoes in the warmer weather. And avocado is essential! I’m with you there!
Thanks, Allison!! I used to only eat refried beans from a can and then I realized how easy and much more flavorful they were to make š My husband recently told me that he didn’t really like avocados and I told him that I think he is the only person on earth that feels that way! More for me, I guess!
I love the pictures and the recipe! I will go ahead and try that next week… š Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much! I hope you love it! š
These crispy tostadas are calling my name! They look fabulous and I’m loving the sound of the re-fried beans and the avocado topping!
Thanks for stopping by, Jess!! I hope you enjoy then if you try them! Avocado and re-friend beans are the best š
These pictures are gorgeous! I love all the colors. And they look delicious, too. Even the wacked out red pepper. š
Love your kitty, too!
Thank you so much, Jess!! š I’m not sure what was going on with that pepper, but surprisingly I got one of the most normal looking ones out of the batch!
Hello,
I’m new to the avocado scene, and I’m looking for recipes to incorporate them into my diet. This recipe is so beautiful!
And I love hiking and gardening too, in case you couldn’t tell =)
Hi Laura! Thanks! Avocados are amazing, once you start using them you won’t be able to stop! One of my favorite ways to eat them is to just spread them on toast š I’m going to check out your site right now because I’m fairly new at having my own garden and can use all the tips I can get!
Hi Izzy,
Plan to make this recipe this weekend. Will think of you when we sit down to eat.
Love avocados too!! Yummy
Marjie
Hi Marjie! I can’t get enough avocados and they have been super cheap lately so I’ve been buying them like crazy! Let me know what you guys think! š