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Delicious!! And shockingly filling! I doubled the recipe for my big eaters and had leftovers! We are all so full!!
Sally
In This Post
- What’s In These Black Bean Tacos
- Extras for Tacos
- How to Freeze This Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions About These Tacos
- VIDEO showing how to make them!
Well HELLO there, you little black bean tacos!
I will keep it quick so you can get to frying these up but mostly, FYI, bottom line, these are so-super-yummy. Also, pro-tip, you can call them crispy black bean tacos if you want – it’s technically what they are – but it’s a little more fun to call them black bean crispies which is what we’ve lovingly come to refer to them in our house.
Aside from the obvious reasons (golden crispy tortilla, super-satisfying black bean filling, brought together with a cool and creamy dipping sauce, gahh), this is one of my all-time favorite easy recipes because, well, it’s EASY. Like, stupid easy.
They’re fun, they’re crispy, they’re seriously easy, and they’re a favorite weeknight dinner.
Ingredients In Black Bean Tacos
These black bean tacos are a TRUE pantry hero. Besides the sauce, the tacos themselves can be made by just a few essentials lurking in your cabinet:
- Tortillas
- Black Beans
- Salsa
- Taco Seasoning
That’s it! And if you want to be extra, a creamy cilantro lime sauce for dipping.
Variations and Add-Ins
Of course, you have options if you want to go above and beyond!
- Cheese: Would a handful of delicious Mexican cheese tucked into that little black bean crispy be real nice? Yes, it would.
- Veggies: Fajita veggies like peppers and onions would be excellent here.
- Meat: Add some shredded chicken or cooked ground beef.
- Dips and Sauces: If you want to make the cilantro lime dipping sauce, it is very doable and I included the directions for you and it will take you all of five minutes. But, you could also go with sour cream or storebought guacamole and be in business!
But if you’re short on… everything (and believe me, I pretty much LIVE in that house), I pinky promise that you can skip the suggestions aboe. Black bean filling is super satisfying as-is, and it’s how I always eat these! Just plain.
Pro Tip: If time is tight, in place of the cilantro lime sauce, you can just mix some additional taco seasoning in with a little bowl of sour cream, and voilà. You have “seasoned sour cream” which, at least in my house, always goes over VERY well with the family dinner crowd.
Storage and Freezing (Meal Prep!)
I have one more piece of good news that I would like to shout from the rooftops which is that YOU CAN FREEZE THESE!
One of my best black bean taco decisions ever was making a double batch, folding the black bean mixture in tortillas, and sticking a few of them into a bag in the freezer – and look at that! Fry those babies up when you’re ready to eat them, and you have a quick and easy lunch, dinner, or – yes – even a snack. This is the life I want to live.
These tacos will keep in the freezer for up to six months. Amazing!
Watch How To Make These Tacos
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Source notes: I saw the idea for this recipe from a community member recipe on Tasty – thanks, Mitch and Justine Chapman, wherever you are in the world! ♡ What a fun idea. And the cilantro lime sauce is borrowed from one of my favorite ever shrimp taco recipes because I look for excuses to re-make that sauce whenever possible.
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Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
These vegetarian tacos have a deliciously satisfying black bean filling with fresh salsa and seasonings all tucked into a golden crispy tortilla and served alongside a cool and creamy cilantro lime sauce. YUM!
Ingredients
Crispy Black Bean Tacos
- 1 (14-ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup of your favorite salsa
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 6–8 small flour tortillas
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup olive oil or butter for frying
Cilantro Lime Sauce:
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- juice of 2 limes
- 1/2 cup sour cream (sub avocado to keep it dairy free / vegan)
Instructions
- Make Sauce: Blend all ingredients in the cilantro lime sauce until smooth-ish. Set aside.
- Make Filling: In a food processor or chopper, blend the beans, salsa, and taco seasoning. Transfer to a skillet with a drizzle of oil and cook it up long enough to soften the flavors of the garlic and / or onions in the salsa. About 5 minutes is fine.
- Fill Tacos: Spread a few tablespoons of black bean filling into a flour tortilla. Fold in half. Repeat until the filling is used up (about 6-8 tacos).
- Cook Tacos: Heat some oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Fry in a skillet over medium heat, until crispy and golden brown. Dip in cilantro lime sauce. Serve with chips and salsa and a mid-week margarita. You’re welcome.
Equipment
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Buy Now → Notes
Air Fryer Instructions: Fill the tacos, then spray with avocado oil and air fry at 375 degrees for 7 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: black bean tacos, vegetarian taco recipe, cilantro lime sauce
Crispy Black Bean Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions
Sauce leftovers do best in the fridge for 3-4 days.
A neutral-tasting oil, something like canola oil, works well here. But usually I have olive oil on hand so that’s what I often use as well!
Sure! Make the filling and just keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. When you’re ready to eat the tacos, spread that filling into the tortillas and fry them up! Easy. OR, alternatively, you can freeze these little cuties! Spread the black bean filling into the tacos, fold them, and then freeze them BEFORE frying. When you’re ready to eat them, bring to room temp (15-30 seconds in the microwave will do it) and pop ’em back in your skillet till hot, golden, and crispy!
This taco seasoning (from Amazon!) is next-level. However I also love the Siete seasoning from Target. (affiliate links)
My all-time favorite salsa is Mateo’s! (affiliate link)
Yep! Spray both sides of the taco and air fry at 375 degrees for 7 minutes, flipping once halfway through.
Made this for a church potluck, and it was a huge hit. As I got to the line, there was only a 3rd of them left. Not even enough for seconds. This is a recipe I will keep in my back pocket. Super easy to make, and simply delicious. I will just need to make a lot more for next time. 10/10. Thank you so much for this gem 😎
I’ve made this recipe last night. Came out beautiful! So simple to put together, and you can customize it all you want. I added ground beef and actually used large tortillas (didn’t have taco shells on hand) and turned them into quesadillas. Used avocados instead of sour cream. Took me under 30 minutes from start to finish and it was a big hit! Thank you!
Delicious! My 7yo daughter helped prepare the sauce and filling and she filled the tacos while I fried them. It took longer with her helping but they turned out so good!
Loved these! Had to double the beans for a family of 4 but all were eaten. The kids added American cheese to theirs and loved it.
I made this yesterday with a few tweaks based on food sensitivities and what I had in stock. Didn’t have salsa so added a plum tomato + garlic clove + bit of cilantro to the filling. I also did have sour cream so I used yogurt instead and subbed ½ an avocado for the green onions. The sauce is great and I can’t wait to use it for roasted sweet potatoes, raw veggies, and morning eggs.
These were great! However, I tried the air fryer option with the first two and did not like how they came out. The tortillas puffed up really bad, and some of the filling fell out. So I used a pan for the others, and they were great. I added ground beef to make more of the filling and to add more protein.
I really like the trick of reheating tacos in a pan to keep them golden and crispy. Has anyone tried freezing the tacos before frying them this way?
LOVED! First time making the cilantro lime sauce- and it is amazing. Made this meal for my family of 4, and my kids liked the tacos which is always a win. I made with sauteed zucchini and a side of tortilla chips and the sauce is amazing with all of it. Would definitely recommend and I never leave comments 🙂
Thanks for making the recipe, Taryn!
Can you do these with corn tortillas instead of flour?
It doesn’t work quite as well!
This was really tasty! I did add a slice of melted provolone inside the tortilla and then later some sautéed onions and mushrooms as well, but it doesn’t really ‘need’ it, as the SAUCE is soooo delicious!! I can’t say enough about that sauce. Thank You!
These are fantastic, budget friendly, and so delicious! I used corn/flour blend tortillas which add that toasty corn flavor while staying soft. Added a little cheese to the filling, and blended a small, seeded jalapeno into the sauce. The sauce is a little fussy to make but is amazing and very much worth it. I’m looking forward to trying to freeze some and cook in the air fryer for an easy weekday lunch.
These Black Bean Crispies jave become a staple meal in our household! Our boys love them so much that we generally make them every week. When I don’t have ingredients for the cilantro lime sauce, I make a quick and easy Sriracha Ranch dip.
Just made these…My husband keeps saying, “You can make these again!” Outstanding new recipe for our family. I made the sauce with Kite Hill dairy free sour cream and I used almond flour tortillas. They were crispy with a hot, yummy inside. Thank you!
Love, love, love!
Great basic recipe. Added corn into the pan while warming up filling and added cheese inside the tortilla before frying. My 10 yo loved these.
In my opinion, one of the hallmarks of a recipe is how far I can bend it before it breaks.
I love this recipe.
I love it exactly as it’s made. I love it when I use refried beans instead of black beans. I love it no matter which salsa I use, or if I cut up a leftover tomato into it instead. I love it with taco seasoning, and I love it when I run out and kinda wing it with cabinet spices. I love it with this sauce, and I love it with taco sauce when I don’t feel like getting fancy.
It’s just really good, and really flexible.
Thanks!
Made this tonight and it was a great hit. Was told I could even serve this to guests😀 the only thing I did was add avo to the sauce and added a red pepper and X2 onions to the beans to bulk it up.
Thank goodness this recipe came into my life! It is a very easy and VERY delicious recipe to make. My husband was skeptical that black beans would be filling enough but he enjoyed them as much as I did. I’ve made these at least 1-2 times a month since discovering the recipe.
I used corn torillas (but just found amazing flour tortillas at Trader Joes (Sonoran street taco size) and will probably use them next time. Just heat the corn tortillas in a pan or oven to get them soft before assembling and they won’t crack.
Ok I HATEEEE black beans but wowzers this was delicious!! Out of the park!! You could drink the cilantro sauce it was so good.
I made these and the tortillas puffed up so much while frying that some of the black bean mix fell out into the fry oil. Has this happened to anyone?
Wow!!! This was so delicious! Along with surprising easy to make. I cooked my tacos in the air fryer. Thank you so much for sharing!
Delish and healthy–thanks for a great and relatively quick recipe!
My 11-year-old actually said, ‘Mom, you’ve outdone yourself.’ These were so simple and delicious, and it’s almost a pantry-staple meal. I used greek yogurt in the sauce instead of sour cream and it was perfect. I also made enough sauce and filling for a 2nd meal, so it will be even easier to assemble in a couple of days. Truly a 5-star recipe for taste, ease of prep, and scalability!
I made a few before cooking the black bean mixture, and then got my family to compare and contrast the “raw” ones versus the”refried” ones. Refried won, so that step is worth it! I added cheese and shredded chicken to a few at the request of my son, but the ones that just had the black bean mix were also really tasty so I wouldn’t say those extra components are needed.
My family loved these! Perfect weeknight meal that had everyone asking, “are there like 100,000 of these?”
These were delicious! I made one batch and my husband and three kids (8,6,3) devoured them, even the kid who “doesn’t like black beans”. I had to immediately whip up another batch!