I teased this recipe in yesterday’s Chipotle Tahini Sauce blog post and as promised, here is the PERFECT thing to pair with that delicious sauce.
These crispy baked black bean tacos might just be your family’s new favorite meatless dinner. Trust me when I say you won’t even miss the meat in these. They’re easy to make, packed with protein and great for meal prep. Plus, they’re budget-friendly, vegetarian, and you can customize what you add to them: pickled red onions, lettuce, jalapeños, and of course don’t forget a yummy sauce for dipping. While I highly recommend serving it with my new sauce, I included tons of other sauces and toppings so that you can really make these your own.
OH and did I mention they take just 30 minutes from start to finish? It’s a weeknight dinner miracle.
Everything you’ll need to make these crispy black bean tacos
Veggies, spices, and black beans — that’s essentially all you’ll need to make the filling for these wonderfully easy baked black bean tacos! Here’s the full list:
- Black beans: get plenty of protein and fiber from a can of black beans! You’ll blend some and leave some whole to create the perfect texture.
- Produce: the filling has onion, orange bell pepper, garlic, and cilantro mixed right in.
- Spices: these tacos are flavor-packed thanks to chili powder, cumin, dried oregano, paprika, and salt.
- Salsa: feel free to use medium or mild salsa in the filling for flavor and a little moisture.
- Tortillas: I like to use flour tortillas for these tacos, but corn tortillas will also work.
- Cheese: add some shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese before baking to get melty, cheesy goodness in every bite.
Customize your tacos
There are a few simple ways to make these baked black bean tacos your own:
- Make them gluten-free: use corn tortillas or your favorite gluten-free tortillas in place of the flour tortillas.
- Go dairy-free or vegan: omit the cheese, use your favorite vegan/dairy-free cheese shreds, or dip them in my Vegan Jalapeño Butternut Squash Queso. You can also serve the tacos with plain, dairy-free Greek yogurt on its own or in the suggested sauces.
- Add a kick of heat: like spice? Use a medium (or hot!) salsa in the filling mixture, and/or stuff regular or pickled jalapeños into the tacos.
Delicious ways to serve these baked black bean tacos
What are tacos without fun topping and sauces? Try serving them with:
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Pickled red onions or pickled jalapeños stuffed into them
- My new Chipotle Tahini Sauce
- A zesty Spicy Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
- The Best Homemade Guacamole
- Extra jarred salsa, my favorite Corn Salsa, or Tony’s Ridiculously Easy Homemade Salsa
- Fresh Cucumber Jalapeño Cilantro Cabbage Slaw
How to make the best black bean tacos
- Cook the vegetables. You’ll start by cooking down the onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a skillet until soft and fragrant.
- Make the filling. Pulse a cup of the black beans, spices, sautéed veggies in a food processor until combined, then pulse again with the salsa and cilantro. Fold in the rest of the whole black beans.
- Prep the tacos. Brush each tortilla with olive oil or spray with cooking spray, and place oil-side down on a baking sheet. Add a few tablespoons of the filling and cheese to each tortilla, fold into a taco, and press down to shut the taco.
- Bake & serve. Bake the tacos up until nice and golden brown, then serve them up with your favorite toppings and sauces!
Tools you’ll need to make these tacos
Get all of my kitchen essentials here!
Storing tips
Store any leftover tacos in an airtight glass container or reusable silicone bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes until crispy heated through.
You can absolutely freeze these tacos, too! They’ll stay good for up to 3 months in an airtight bag or container. Once ready to heat you can simply thaw and then pan-fry them to perfection with a little oil, or bake them at 400 degrees F until crispy and warm, about 10 to 15 minutes.
More tacos & enchiladas you’ll love
- Sheet Pan Roasted Veggie Tacos (with yummy sauce options!)
- Amazing Easy Turkey Tacos (with a slow cooker option!)
- Chipotle Black Bean Roasted Veggie Enchilada Casserole
- Vegan Butternut Squash Black Bean Enchiladas with Jalapeño Cashew Crema
- Smashed Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Herby Ranch Slaw
Get all of my taco and enchilada recipes here!
I hope you love these crispy black bean tacos! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
30-Minute Baked Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- Filling
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ white onion, diced
- 1 orange or red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 heaping handful fresh cilantro
- 1/4 cup mild or medium salsa
- Tacos
- Olive oil, or nonstick cooking spray, for brushing
- 10 to 12 flour tortillas (8-inch)
- 1 ½ cups shredded pepper jack or cheddar cheese
- For serving
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Pickled red onions and/or pickled jalapeños
- Chipotle Tahini Sauce
- or Cilantro Lime Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large or two baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cook the veggies: Warm olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add in the onion and bell pepper and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until tender and soft. Add in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and paprika, and cook until fragrant, 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Make the filling: In a food processor, add only 1 cup of the black beans (reserve remaining for later), the sauteed veggies, and salt. Pulse on high for 30 seconds until beans are well combined and bell pepper and onion are small, but still slightly chunky to your liking. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the food processor and pulse/process again. Add cilantro and salsa and pulse for 15 seconds until just combined into the mixture. Stir in the remaining whole beans with a spoon to add some nice texture.
- Make the tacos: Lightly brush each tortilla with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, or spray one side with non-stick cooking spray and place oil-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the black bean mixture on one side of the tortilla, then top with 2 to 3 tablespoons shredded cheese and fold/shut the tortilla pushing to adhere shut and make a taco. Repeat with remaining tortillas, filling and cheese.
- Bake the tacos: Bake the tacos until nice and crispy and slightly golden brown in places, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the tacos to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Serve: Enjoy tacos with sour cream or greek yogurt for dipping, pickled red onions and/or pickled jalapeños stuffed into the tacos, and my chipotle sauce or cilantro lime sauce for dipping.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
So darn good! I didn’t have black beans or salsa so I substituted with refried pinto beans and fresh cherry tomatoes. Kid approved which makes me wish a 10 star rating was possible. Thanks for making an easily modifiable vegan recipe
The perfect dinner for kiddos!!
Rave review from my husband! He told me three or four times how tasty they are. These come together easily. I thought the filling was a bit salty, which could have been from the ingredients I used. Next time, I won’t add salt or I’ll use low sodium beans and will taste before adding more salt. I served them with your Cilantro Yogurt Sauce. Non nom nom!
So glad they were a hit! And yes, great tip on the salt.
Turned out great I used Maria’s low carb tortillas and added some rotisserie chicken for extra protein will definitely make it again. Even my picky kiddos liked them
Perfect! Glad they were a hit!
This filling makes a great taco on its own or a delicious, spicy addition to a meat taco!
Absolutely! So many great ways to use it 🙂
I cannot get enough of these black bean tacos! The filling is so easy to whip up and the flavors are incredible. My family eats a lot of meat so it’s rare I go for a vegetarian meal but these do not disappoint! I also just recently rolled these into bean and cheese burritos instead and froze a bunch for postpartum.
So happy to hear that!!
First made this tacos for a group event a few months ago. Doubled the recipe and made some without cheese for our vegan friends. They were a big hit with everyone, even the picky eaters! The extra step of using the processor felt unnecessary at first, but I think the texture is what ended up making them palatable to all the kids who were eating them. Very easy to make and then heat up when everyone arrived.
Made them again last night and my kids gobbled them up again! Delicious!!
Amazing! Happy to hear that everyone loves them!
Simple, satisfying and perfectly delicious – thank you!
Absolutely! Glad you enjoyed!