Easy Black Bean Tostadas with Mango Salsa
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This easy Black Bean Tostada recipe is the perfect dinner for a busy night! You’ll love the combination of crispy tortilla, creamy beans, guacamole, crunchy slaw, and fresh mango salsa!
Tostadas have become one of my family’s favorite easy dinners for busy weeknights. It helps that you can mix and match toppings to use what you have on hand, and they only take a few minutes to prepare.
That’s true even when I go all out, like these easy Black Bean Tostadas. These vegetarian tostadas combine crispy corn tortillas with flavorful black beans, guacamole, a crisp cilantro-lime slaw, and fresh mango salsa for amazing flavor.
They’ve got everything! We love the mix of bright, fresh flavors and textures. You get crispy, crunchy, creamy, savory, sweet, and juicy all in one bite! They’re a great recipe to work into your regular rotation.
Best of all, they start with simple ingredients. Here’s what you need to make this vegetarian tostada recipe…
Simple Ingredients To Start
This delicious meal is perfect for a Meatless Monday, or when you’re cooking for a group with mixed dietary needs, since everyone can build their own tostadas with their favorite toppings! Here are the main components we’ll be working with:
- CORN TOSTADA SHELLS. Honestly, I prefer store-bought corn tostada shells for this recipe. They’ve got great texture, and my kids are more likely to eat them. That said, if you prefer to make your own, it’s easy!
- REFRIED BLACK BEANS. I love black beans with mango salsa. You can buy them or make your own. For store-bought, Amy’s Organic is a good brand (I find them at Target or Sprouts), and Rosarita and El Paso also make them (they’re a little more widely available). For homemade refried beans, I like this slow cooker method, or you can make these homemade refried black beans from Isabel Eats for an authentic stovetop version (she’s also got a shortcut using canned beans).
- QUICK GUACAMOLE. Avocados are my love language, so I love to add them any chance I get. I love a good guacamole, and this one’s made from avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper!
- MY CILANTRO LIME SLAW. While you can totally go the shredded lettuce route, I love layering in my crunchy cilantro lime slaw, like I do in my favorite fish tacos. It’s fast and easy, and the flavor is AWESOME.
- FRESH MANGO SALSA. It’s tough to beat a fresh mango salsa. The colors and flavors are so bright and refreshing–the perfect pair for spiced refried beans and a flavorful slaw. In a rush? You can totally use a store-bought salsa from the grocery store. Or, if mangos aren’t your jam, you can swap out for my pico de gallo, peach salsa, or classic restaurant-style salsa.
Extra toppings To Try
The combination above is our go-to, but depending on your dietary needs and preferences, you can definitely mix it up with some of these toppings (not all of which are vegan!):
- Fresh Cilantro. I love fresh the bright note of freshness this adds!
- Green Onions. Thinly sliced green onion can be delicious.
- Tomatoes. Finely chopped!
- Crema. Try drizzling them with a little Mexican crema!
- Pickled Red Onions. For some bite!
- Cheese. Try grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, or sprinkle a little salty cotija cheese on at the end.
- Chicken. Need a little protein boost? Add some shredded chicken! Use leftover rotisserie chicken, grilled honey lime chicken, or Instant Pot Salsa Verde chicken!
- Taco Meat. Or, get your protein in with some cooked ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey made with our gluten-free taco seasoning.
How To Make Black Bean Tostadas, Step By Step
As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, step-by-step instructions and recipe notes in the recipe card below.
- First, Make The Cilantro-Lime Slaw. In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then chill slaw in the refrigerator while you prepare the other components of your meal.
- Next, Make The Mango Salsa. In a medium bowl, stir together mango, red onion, cilantro, 1 Tablespoon jalapeño, the lime juice, and the salt. Stir to combine well, then taste and add more jalapeño, lime juice or salt, as needed.
- Make the Quick Guacamole. In a small bowl, mash the avocados with cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper until you’ve reached your desired smoothness.
- Assemble Your Tostadas. Warm the tostadas in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your refried black beans on the stovetop, or in the microwave. Let everyone build their own tostadas, spreading black beans on the warm tostada shells and layering with guacamole, cilantro lime slaw, fresh mango salsa, and any other desired taco toppings. Enjoy!
FAQ + Tips For The Best Black Bean Tostadas
SWAPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS. You can use store-bought versions of just about every ingredient above for these vegan black bean tostadas. Tostada shells, salsa, beans, and guacamole can be bought from a store to save time. Or, if you want, you can use regular refried beans instead of refried black beans. (They’re great with green chile refried beans!)
KEEP IT GLUTEN-FREE! If you’re using store-bought tostada shells, make sure you’re buying gluten-free tostadas made from corn tortillas. Some brands use flour tortillas or tortillas made from a mix of flour and corn, which are NOT gluten-free.
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVERS. I recommend storing leftover guacamole in a small bowl or lidded container with plastic wrap or food wrap pressed to the surface. The less air exposure, the less oxidation (browning) will occur. The salsa will keep 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The slaw will continue to soften, so it works best eaten in 2-3 days.
MAKE THEM MORE OR LESS SPICY. The mango salsa runs in the mild to medium category, depending on how spicy your jalapeños are. You really can’t tell how hot a jalapeño will be until you taste it, so I alway suggest starting small and adding from there. If your kids (or you!) don’t tolerate a lot of spice, skip the jalapeño and add a small pinch of chili powder or ground cumin to the salsa instead of minced jalapeño.
NOT VEGAN? This meal works great for serving a crowd with all different dietary needs. If you’re serving meat eaters and vegetarians or vegans at the same table, you can can totally add another protein as an option, like honey lime chicken, sweet & spicy pork, beef carnitas, or shredded chicken.
⭐ Don’t forget to leave a star rating below when you make our Vegetarian Black Bean Tostada recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!
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Vegan Black Bean Tostadas with Mango Salsa
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 Generous servings. 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan Black Beans Tostadas with Mango Salsa – This family friendly vegetarian dinner is done in 20 minutes or less. Such a fun twist on taco night! (Gluten free)
Ingredients
For the Tostadas:
- 12 Tostada shells (store-bought, or homemade)
- 2 cans Refried black beans (3–4 cups)
- Lime Cilantro Slaw (recipe below)
- Mango Salsa (recipe below)
- Guacamole (recipe below)
- Your favorite taco toppings–diced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, etc.
For Cilantro Lime Slaw:
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage or coleslaw mix
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage (or more coleslaw mix)
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice (from about 1 lime)
- 1/2 Tablespoon agave (vegan) or honey (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the Mango Salsa:
- 2 cups diced fresh mango (I like yellow/Atulfo mangos)
- 1/4 cup finely minced red onion
- 1/4 cup minced cilantro
- 1–2 Tablespoons finely minced jalapeño* (or more, to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
For Quick Guacamole:
- 2 avocados, peeled and pits removed
- 2 Tablespoons minced cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice (1/2 lime)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (more or less, to taste)
Instructions
- First, Make The Cilantro-Lime Slaw. In a large bowl, combine shredded cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, agave/honey, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, then chill slaw in the refrigerator while you prepare the other components of your meal.
- Next, Make The Mango Salsa. In a medium bowl, stir together mango, red onion, cilantro, 1 Tablespoon jalapeño, the lime juice, and the salt. Stir to combine well, then taste and add more jalapeño, lime juice or salt, as needed.
- Make the Quick Guacamole. In a small bowl, mash the avocados with cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper until you’ve reached your desired smoothness.
- Assemble Your Tostadas. Warm the tostadas in a single layer on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat your refried black beans on the stovetop, or in the microwave. Let everyone build their own tostadas, spreading black beans on the warm tostada shells and layering with guacamole, cilantro lime slaw, fresh mango salsa, and any other desired taco toppings. Enjoy!
Notes
- Tostadas. For gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free corn tostada shells. (Some brands use flour tortillas made with wheat flour which are NOT celiac safe)
- Jalapeño. It’s nearly impossible to tell how spicy a jalapeño will be from the outside. I recommend starting small in your salsa, as you can always add more! If you don’t like jalapeños, or want a mild version, omit jalapeño and add 1/4-1/2 tsp chili powder to your salsa instead.
- Black Beans. If your black beans are still tricky to spread after heating them, you can thin them out with a little water. I start small, with just 1/2 teaspoon at a time, until I reach a spreadable consistency.
- Optional Extras. Feel free to add more toppings, like extra cilantro, sliced green onion, diced tomatoes, pickled red onions, etc. For a non-vegan crowd, you can add Mexican crema, grated cheese or crumbled cotija cheese, or extra proteins, like chicken, ground beef, etc.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Recipe originally shared April 2019. Updated April 2024.
Your meals are a favorite in our house! Love all the veggies and the ease of the recipes! Thank you.
This dish is so incredibly delicious. I ate 3, the flavor had me wanting to eat more. My gut just can NOT handle beans. But it won’t stop me from making it again just next time will eat it with ground beef. I love the flavors! Thank you