Tostadas
intro
Crispy baked corn tortillas piled high with seasoned black beans, fresh produce, zesty crema, and tangy cheese for a fast, customizable, flavor-packed family meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Bake crisp tortilla bases
Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Brush both sides of all 8 corn tortillas with 1 tablespoon (15ml) of the olive oil, arrange them in a single, non-overlapping layer across two parchment-lined baking sheets, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon (1.25g) of the fine sea salt. Bake for 8–10 minutes, flipping each tortilla halfway through cooking, until they are fully rigid and light golden brown at the edges.
Cook seasoned black beans
While the tortillas bake, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat (stovetop setting 4/10). Add the rinsed, drained black beans, 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning, and remaining 3/4 teaspoon (3.75g) of sea salt, stirring to fully coat the beans. Cook for 5 minutes, gently mashing half the beans with a fork to create a thick, spreadable consistency, then remove the pan from heat.
Prep fresh toppings
While the beans cook, portion all fresh toppings into small individual prep bowls: shredded iceberg lettuce, diced Roma tomatoes, finely diced red onion, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, crumbled cotija cheese, and Mexican crema. Squeeze 1 teaspoon (5ml) of fresh lime juice over the avocado slices to prevent browning while you assemble the rest of the dish.
Spread bean base layer
Once tortillas are done baking, let them cool for 2 minutes until they are safe to handle, then spread 2 tablespoons of the warm seasoned black bean mixture evenly across the top of each tortilla, leaving a 1/4-inch (6mm) crisp, uncovered edge around the perimeter of each tostada.
Layer fresh vegetables
Top each bean-covered tostada with 2 tablespoons of shredded lettuce, 1.5 tablespoons of diced tomato, 1 teaspoon of diced red onion, and 2–3 thin slices of avocado, distributing toppings evenly so every bite has a mix of crisp, juicy, and creamy textures.
Add final garnishes
Drizzle each tostada with 1 tablespoon of Mexican crema in a thin zig-zag pattern, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of crumbled cotija cheese over the crema, then top with a pinch of chopped cilantro. Serve immediately alongside the remaining lime wedges for diners to squeeze over their tostadas to taste.
Tips
2.Customize toppings to suit your taste: add pickled jalapeños for heat, seasoned ground beef or shredded chicken for extra protein, or pickled red onion for bright tang.
3.For an even faster meal, use store-bought pre-baked crispy tostada shells to cut total cook time down to 10 minutes.
OMG these were SO good! Threw these together last night for our weekly Taco Tuesday and my whole family devoured them in 10 minutes flat. The crispy shell trick with baking them in the oven for a few minutes? Total game changer, no more soggy tostadas for us! 10/10 will be on repeat all month.
Super easy recipe that took me exactly 22 minutes start to finish, perfect for a weeknight when I’m running late from soccer practice drop off. Only thing I swapped was using ground turkey instead of ground beef and it still slapped. My 7 year old asked for seconds before he even finished his first!
Has anyone tried prepping the components ahead for meal prep? I’m trying to plan lunches for the week and wondering if the shells stay crispy if I store them separately?
Brought these to my neighborhood block party potluck this past weekend and people were coming up to me asking for the recipe all night! I set out a little toppings bar so people could load them up how they wanted—guac, pickled jalapeños, cotija, lime wedges, the works. Total hit, zero leftovers.
I added a handful of pickled red onions and a drizzle of hot honey on top and oh my GOD, the flavor combo is unreal. Sweet, spicy, salty, crispy? Literally perfect. Can’t believe how quick these come together.
Wait, do I have to fry the shells? I don’t have a big enough pan for frying and my dorm doesn’t let us have hot oil stuff lmao. Is there a way to get them crispy in the toaster oven?
So excited to try these! Can I use corn tortillas for the shells to make these gluten free? All the other ingredients look naturally GF which is such a win for my family.
Made these on the Blackstone for the game last Sunday and they came out insane. Crisped the tortillas right on the flat top, loaded em up with carne asada instead of ground beef, and my buddies wouldn’t stop raving. Who needs takeout when you can make these at home?
Made these fully vegetarian with black beans, roasted corn, and sautéed bell peppers instead of meat and they were SO flavorful. Even my meat-obsessed boyfriend admitted they were better than the beef version we got at our local taqueria last week. Will be making the veggie version on repeat!
My three boys are SO picky and they all ate two of these last night without complaining. I didn’t even have to bribe them with dessert? That’s basically a miracle in my house. Thank you for a kid-approved quick dinner!
How much does this recipe roughly cost to make? I’m trying to stick to a tight grocery budget this month and these look way cheaper than getting takeout for the family.
These were great, but my shells got a little burnt when I baked them. Any tips for getting that perfect golden crisp without charring the edges?
Loaded these up with extra grilled chicken, black beans, avocado, and a squeeze of lime for a post-gym dinner and it hit so hard. High protein, super satisfying, and didn’t leave me feeling bloated like fast food does. 10/10 for fitness folks looking for a tasty macro-friendly meal.
Wait a second, is there a reason the recipe doesn’t call for adding refried beans as a base layer? I always spread a thin layer of refried beans on my tostadas to help the toppings stick, it’s a total game changer.
Made these at 1am after a night out with friends and I swear they were the best thing I’ve ever eaten. So easy to throw together even when you’re half asleep, and the crunch is chef’s kiss. No more sad late night frozen pizza for me.
Can I make the crispy shells in the air fryer? I use my air fryer for everything these days and hate turning on the big oven if I don’t have to.
I’m literally the worst cook ever, I burn toast 90% of the time, and I was able to pull these off without a single mishap! The instructions are so straightforward and easy to follow, I felt like a real chef serving these to my roommate. We both loved them, will definitely be making them again.
Used leftover taco meat from earlier in the week to make these for lunch today and it was the best leftover upgrade ever. I always get bored of just eating tacos two nights in a row, so turning them into tostadas was such a fun switch up.