Crispy Black Bean Tacos

Looking for the best Crispy Black Bean Tacos recipe? These easy vegetarian black bean tacos are baked until golden and crispy, then filled with seasoned black beans and melted cheese for a healthy, high-protein dinner everyone will love. Perfect for busy weeknights, Taco Tuesday, or meal prep, these homemade crispy tacos are simple to make, packed with flavor, and ready in under 30 minutes.

It’s no secret that I didn’t always have a healthy relationship with food.

It’s one of the reasons why I’m so passionate about helping you create one — I’ve been on the other side. I know how it feels to constantly stress about food. And it’s not fun.

One thing that strikes me most when I look back on that period for me was how bland the food I ate was.

I was convinced that food had to be incredibly simple and boring. No flavor, oils, dressings, salt, etc.

I would even eat salads with no dressing.

If this is you: please know, no judgment at all. Again, I’ve been there. I get how diet culture can get into your head and make you feel like you shouldn’t be eating so many different things.

So if you can relate, I really also want you to know this: food is supposed to have flavor.

From a nutrition standpoint, adding oils and dressings can often help enhance the nutrients in the food.

For example, adding an oil-based salad dressing to a salad helps your body better absorb the fat-soluble vitamins in that salad (vitamins A, D, E, and K).

Cooking many vegetables – like tomatoes – makes their nutrients more bioavailable and more easily absorbed by the body.

Scientifically, there are so many beneficial reasons to cook, flavor, and dress your food.

But even more than that, flavor makes food enjoyable. It adds that satisfaction factor.

Finding the satisfaction in food is one of principles of Intuitive Eating. 

Food has many purposes – it fills us up and nourishes us – but it’s also supposed to satisfy us.

Eating is meant to be an enjoyable experience! You should like the food you eat.

And that goes back to adding flavor to food.

When I was eating salads with no dressing, I can almost guarantee you, I wasn’t enjoying them.

Adding a delicious dressing to salads makes them so much more enjoyable for me. Which in turn means that after my meal, I often feel comfortably content, full, and not thinking about what I’m going to eat next (a common result of meals not being satisfied).

Why You’ll Love These Crispy Black Bean Tacos

And all of this brings me to these Crispy Black Bean Tacos: they are SO full of flavor.

While there’s nothing wrong with eating plain black beans, adding spices and flavor to them makes them more much more delicious.

Adding cheese and a fresh avocado yogurt sauce amps up the flavor even more.

These tacos are perfectly crispy on the outside, with a warm soft texture on the inside. They’re full of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

And – because they’re so flavorful – these Crispy Black Bean Tacos also so dang satisfying.

How to Make These Crispy Black Bean Tacos

What To Serve With These Crispy Black Bean Tacos

Fresh Peach Salsa: Tacos and salsa just go together, and this easy peach version screams summer.

15-Minute Black Bean, Corn, and Avocado Salad: A delicious, Mexican-inspired salad that pairs so nicely with these tacos.

Charred Corn & Spiced-Rubbed Chicken Salad: Entertaining or hosting guests? Try this loaded salad that pairs so well with these Crispy Black Bean Tacos.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad: One of my favorite pasta salads to make in the summer, this one is the perfect addition to your taco Tuesday.

Easy Summer Panzanella Salad with Burrata: Another hosting classic – pair this salad with your Crispy Black Bean Tacos for a dream summer meal.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Black beans: As a dietitian, I love beans because of how nutritious, versatile, and affordable they are. I always buy the cheapest option I see – just rinse and drain them before using.
• Tomato pasta: A little bit adds so much flavor to these tacos. If you don’t have any, you can use ketchup instead.
• Tortillas: I recommend using a small (6-inch) taco size tortilla. It’ll fold and hold up the best!
• Cheese: I used Mexican blend shredded cheese. You can find this in most grocery stores. If you can’t find it, try using shredded mozzarella instead.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos Tips & Variations

• Cooking tips: To make these even crispier, you can try flipping them before cooking for the last few minutes. Alternatively, you can also broil them for a minute or so once they’re done cooking.
• Storage: Store tacos in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Before eating, you can broil them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up again.