Crispy Black Bean Tacos
These easy vegan tacos are stuffed with a smashed black bean filling and air fried (or baked) until crispy.
Why We Love These Crispy Black Bean Tacos
- Easy to Make: These tacos come together in about 40 minutes and don’t require any fancy techniques or equipment. Just cook the black bean filling, stuff the tortillas, and bake/air fry until crispy!
- Meal-Prep Friendly: You can easily prep the filling ahead of time, or make a bigger batch for leftovers throughout the week. Just bake/air fry again to re-crisp.
- Simple and Healthy: There are three main components to these tacos (black beans, tortillas, and spices), and they aren’t too greasy while still being crispy since they are baked/air fried.
Key Ingredients
- Black Beans ⟶ You can use other beans (pinto beans would be great!) or even lentils, but I love the flavor of black beans in tacos. I cook my own with some onion, garlic, cumin, paprika, bay leaf, and vegetable bouillon – but canned works, too and is a convenient option.
- Corn Tortillas ⟶ You can use taco sized flour tortillas if that’s your thing, but personally I love corn tortillas for tacos. They do break more easily though, so be sure to read my tips to keep them pliable!
- Spices ⟶ A mix of smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, oregano, chili powder, and nutritional yeast add lots of flavor.
- I also like to add some onion, garlic, and bell pepper for extra flavor and textures.
Tips for Success
Lightly mash the beans ⟶ Mashing the beans makes the filling thicker so it doesn’t fall out so easily. They should have a texture in between whole beans and refried beans.
Heat tortillas wrapped in a damp towel ⟶ Wet one or two paper towels and wrap the corn tortillas in them. Place on a plate and microwave for 30 seconds. This makes the tortillas more pliable so they are less likely to tear. Just be sure to work quickly with them once heated and bake as soon as possible. The longer they sit the drier they will get, and the more likely they will be to tear.
Keep tortillas covered ⟶ Along those same lines, keep the heated tortillas wrapped in the damp towel while you fill and fold the tacos, or they will dry out. If they do dry out, you can re-wet the towel and microwave the tortillas again.
Crispy Black Bean Tacos FAQ
More Easy Dinner Ideas
- Meaty Vegan Chili
- Vegan White Chili
- Mushroom Walnut Chili
- Lentil and Tempeh Bolognese
- Chickpea Noodle Casserole
If you try out this recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment/rating down below and tag me in your photos on instagram @ellielikes.cooking. I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil divided
- ½ large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1½ – 2 cups cooked black beans or 1 (15 oz) can, drained and rinsed
- ⅓-½ cup vegetable broth or water + ¼ tsp vegetable bouillon
- 8-10 corn tortillas
Spices
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. If using an air fryer, you can wait to heat it while you stuff the tacos.
- Mix spices together in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat ½ tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until softened.
- Add garlic and bell peppers and cook 2-3 minutes until peppers are tender.
- Add spices and stir for 30-60 seconds to toast.
- Stir in black beans until well combined.
- Pour in ⅓ cup of broth and stir to combine. Use a potato masher to lightly mash the beans – add more broth if needed to help create a thick mixture. Remove from heat. Taste and add salt as desired.
- If using an air fryer, preheat now to 375°F (or 400°F if you know your air fryer is weaker and doesn't brown food well at 375°F).
- Wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to make them more pliable. Keep them covered while you make the tacos.
- Lightly brush the corn tortillas on both sides with the remaining olive oil.
- Spread 3-4 tablespoons of the black bean filling on one half of each tortilla. Fold the tortillas in half into a taco and gently press down to make sure it sticks. Flip over and place on a lightly greased baking sheet or air fryer basket.
- Bake 8-10 minutes on each side until golden and crisp, or 3-5 minutes each side for air fryer.
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