These crispy Bean Tostadas are crazy simple to make and loaded with flavor! They start with crispy tostada shells, and are loaded with smashed avocado, saucy spiced pinto beans, veggies, and a quick cilantro-lime sauce.
Bean Tostadas
Pinto Bean Tostadas are part of my second mini-series “cook once & enjoy all week long” with these homemade Pinto Beans. A quick run-down: Prepare dried pinto beans (I promise, they’re simple!) in the slow cooker or pressure cooker (AKA Instant Pot®) at the beginning of the week. Enjoy those beans as a side dish that day for dinner and then use the leftovers in recipes throughout the week. (Or freeze the leftovers and use them in place of canned pinto beans for future recipes.)
These tostadas whip together in twenty minutes or less with pre-made pinto beans… and those pinto beans have only gotten more flavorful as they’ve sat overnight!
Beyond these Pinto Bean Tostadas, I also share how to use those homemade Pinto Beans in these Bean and Cheese Burritos and these Pinto Bean Tacos. Cook once and enjoy some kitchen shortcuts for the remaining meal preparation throughout the week!
Quick Tip
Did you miss the first mini-series? We did another series using these homemade Black Beans in this very recipe you’re ready, these Southwest Egg Rolls, this Chipotle Chicken Salad, and these Black Bean Bowls
Ingredients In Bean Tostadas
- Tortilla: Bake the tortillas until they’re crispy but not too brown. This makes them strong enough to hold the toppings without getting too tough.
- Pinto Beans: Homemade pinto beans are amazing in this, but canned ones work just as well. If using canned, be sure to rinse.
- Toppings: The sky is the limit for topping your tostada. My favorites are romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cotija cheese, and lots of cilantro-cashew sauce.
- Cilantro-Cashew Sauce: Use a powerful blender & soak your cashews before to get an ultra-smooth consistency.
What is a tostada?
A tostada is basically a taco, but it’s flat! It’s usually made with a fried corn tortilla and topped with refried beans and a myriad of toppings (anything you’d find on a taco could go on a tostada!) In this recipe, we’re using baked corn tortillas instead (Don’t worry– they still get super crispy and crunchy!) and adding just a few simple toppings.
Bean Tostada Base (Baked instead of Fried!)
While you can buy pre-made tostada shells, making your own is so simple and I think it tastes a lot better. While either will work, I’ll share a few notes about homemade tostadas:
- Use thin corn tortillas (Not sure where to start? Here’s an article breaking down the major brands of corn tortillas so you can better navigate what brand you’d enjoy). My family enjoys Mission’s® extra-thin corn tortillas with these bean tostadas (not sponsored).
- Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. I use an olive oil-based spray (canola works as well) and give each side a good spritz.
- Don’t forget the salt. Add a sprinkle of salt to each side.
- Bake the tortillas, spaced out. Give each tortilla plenty of space (I like using a 15×21-inch baking sheet for plenty of room). Bake, flip, and bake again,
- Watch closely. Different brands of corn tortillas will vary in bake time and not every oven is the same. Watch the tortillas carefully to avoid burning.
Bean Tostada Toppings
I use crunchy romaine lettuce, fresh cherry tomatoes, cotija cheese, and lots of cilantro-cashew sauce (more on this below).
Here are some other options:
- If you’re making the Pinto Bean Tostadas in this mini-series, use leftover cabbage instead of romaine. I’d recommend very thinly slicing the cabbage and tossing it in sauce first.
- Iceberg lettuce (or pre-chopped “taco” lettuce in the produce section of the store) is also a great option for topping these tostadas.
- We loved adding some leftover pickled red onions (see how to make quick-pickled onions in this Chicken Tinga Tacos post)
- Fresh herbs like cilantro or green onions
- Pico de gallo or salsa
- Sour cream or Mexican crema (we like to use lite sour cream on these!)
Cilantro-Cashew Sauce
This sauce is packed with good ingredients but without the typical inclusions of mayo or sour cream! What do we use instead? Cashews! We’re so hooked on this sauce and we’ve used it in a few recent recipes. And also, as I mentioned earlier, this is intentional so you can prep the sauce early in the week with the beans and use it on recipes throughout the week. A few quick sauce notes:
- Soak the cashews to ensure they’re softened enough. Since I usually forget to soak the cashews overnight, I’ve found a short-cut: pour boiling water over the cashews and let them stand for 45 minutes to an hour. Soft cashews in a fraction of the time!
- Use roasted and salted cashews. The cashews can make or break this sauce! Be sure to get whole cashews that have been roasted and salted for maximum flavor.
Other Delicious Recipes
- Shrimp Tacos with a creamy cilantro-lime sauce
- Taco Bowl with seasoned ground beef
- Mexican Zucchini Boats low-carb, mega-flavor meal
- Healthy Tacos with black beans and corn
- Loaded Sweet Potatoes Inspired by Mexican Street Corn
Bean Tostadas
Equipment
- Sheet pan
Ingredients
Sauce
Tostadas
- 2 avocados very ripe, pitted and peeled
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 extra-thin corn tortillas
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1-1/2 cups pinto beans or 1 can refried beans, see note 1
- 3/4 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 cups thinly shredded romaine lettuce or iceberg lettuce
- 1/4 cup queso fresco cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. Zest limes with a zester to get 1/2 teaspoon zest. Juice limes using a citrus juicer to get 5 tablespoons lime juice. Set aside. Heat pinto beans (see note 1).
- To make the sauce, place cashews in a heatproof bowl. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the cashews. Let stand for 45 minutes to an hour and then thoroughly drain. Add the drained cashews, cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, zest, water, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to a small powerful blender. Blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate so the flavors intensify and meld. The sauce can be made ahead of time; simply stir before serving (see note 2).
- Halve the avocados and use a spoon to scoop the flesh into a medium-sized bowl. Mash the avocado with a fork, add in the 2 tablespoons lime juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mash again to combine the ingredients.
- Spray both sides of each tortilla generously with olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides lightly with salt. Place the tortillas on a sheet pan with plenty of space, don't overlap. Bake for 4 minutes and then use tongs to flip the tortillas to the other side. Bake for another 3-6 minutes or until the tortillas are crispy. Remove from oven and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
- Divide mashed avocado mixture evenly among the 6 crispy tortillas. Spread beans over each tortilla, about 1/4 cup per tostada. Top each tostada with equal amounts of lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese. Drizzle the sauce over tostadas to taste.
Video
Recipe Notes
- If you don't have time to make homemade beans, canned refried beans work too. Gently warm them in a small pot on the stove or microwave before adding to the tostadas.
- If you do make the homemade pinto beans, which I highly recommend, wait until the next day so the beans are thick enough to use in this recipe. Right after being made, they're a bit thin. They thicken a lot overnight. Warm them in a small pot or in the microwave before adding them to the tostadas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
