These Crispy Black Bean Tacos are a quick and easy family dinner idea that you can easily whip up with pantry ingredients and just over 30 minute.! Simple ingredients that deliver big flavor the entire family will love. This meat free filling will satisfy all of your taco cravings!
All about these black bean tacos…
Meet your new favorite weeknight family taco idea! Although Classic Ground Beef Tacos will always be a Tex Mex favorite, these Black Bean tacos have plenty to offer! Plus the fried taco texture is reminiscent of the popular Birria Tacos.
- Quick and Easy: this meal needs very little prep time and depending on the size of the skillet you use, you may be able to fry up several tacos at a time, making this a great weeknight dinner option!
- Affordable: thanks to being meat free and using mainly pantry ingredients the total cost for making this meal for a family of four will be below $10.
- Flavorful & Healthy: even without meat, we are not skimping on nutrition or flavor with this recipe! The black beans add a great source of nutrition and the crushed tomatoes and seasonings are the perfect blend of Tex Mex flavors that are sure to satisfy the most intense taco cravings.
Ingredients Needed:
Notes on Some Ingredients:
- Black Beans: a great option, you can use dried or canned for this recipe depending on what you have on hand, dried beans will need to be cooked prior to starting the recipe below. If you don’t have black beans, pinto beans are another great option for this recipe.
- Corn Tortillas: these are preferred over flour tortillas due to frying the tortillas and wanting to get a nice crispy texture.
- Cheese: use your favorite type of cheese, or whatever you have on hand. Monterey Jack is a great Tex Mex option.
- Crushed Tomatoes: these canned tomatoes have a wonderful texture. If you are using fresh tomatoes simply chop them up, cook them down and mash them into the beans.
- Oil: Avocado oil is a great option thanks to the high smoke point.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, oregano and salt are used. Feel free to adjust according to your taste preferences.
- Hot Sauce: not pictured but adds a wonderful taste and a bit of heat to the tacos when you fry them up and I highly recommend!
How to Make (step-by-step):
- Step 1: Prepare the bean mixture by adding the beans, tomatoes and seasonings to a medium size pot and cook over medium heat.
- Step 2: Mash some of the beans and the tomato mixture together to create a nice thick taco filling.
- Step 3: Fry the tortillas with a serving of the taco filling and the cheese in avocado oil (or oil of preference) until tortillas are nice and crispy and the cheese is melted.
Expert Tips:
- Serve Fresh: due to frying the tortillas these tacos are best served fresh. As they sit the tortilla will soften.
- Toppings: these tacos are fairly simple in only having bean taco filling and cheese inside. But you can definitely dress them up with some extra toppings! Have some sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, Pico de Gallo, or guacamole on the side for dipping.
- Frying: this definitely is what makes these tacos the best! They are fried up just like the Birria Tacos, if you want to add bit more flavor add a chili oil to the oil in the skillet to fry up the tacos, this will infuse more flavoring into the tortillas themselves.
FAQ’s:
Yes of course! If you have dried beans on hand, this is a great recipe to make to shop your own pantry. If you are prepping ahead soak the beans overnight and then cook them the next day until softened. Otherwise you can do a quick soak, bringing the beans to a boil, covering, removing from the heat and letting sit for an hour and then rinse, replace the water and cook until softened.
Absolutely. Pinto beans are another great option for this taco idea.
These tacos are actually filling on their own! But if you are wanting a side, this Mexican Corn Dip is a great option, or Esquites. Plus a Classic Margarita, or Frozen Margarita are always a fun option!
More Bean Recipes:
If you tried this recipe please leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below! Thank you so much!
Photography done by the talented @KJandCompany.co
