Baked Crispy Black Bean Tacos
on Jan 31, 2026
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Game day appetizer or weeknight vegetarian dinner, these sheet pan crispy black bean tacos are an easy and tasty recipe. I smash the beans with red onions, jalapeños and taco seasonings. Then I spoon the filling into corn tortillas with shredded cabbage and a little cheese. When they’re ready, these healthy tacos have crunch that would make you think they’re fried even though they’re baked. I serve them with a zesty avocado sauce on the side.
Also, try these baked chickpea tacos.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Baking these tacos on a sheet pan in the oven is enough to get them really crispy. I brush the corn tortillas with oil before assembling them. After they bake, they have so much good crunch.
The filling is easy to make with canned black beans. I combine them with red onions, jalapeños and a mix of dried spices. Then I smash them with a fork.
You can enjoy these vegetarian tacos as a game day appetizer or a weeknight dinner. Serve them with rice and a salad for Taco Tuesday. They’re also fantastic for for Super Bowl Sunday.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
For tacos
- Black beans: The recipe calls for 2 cans of beans. Drain and rinse them before you marinate and mash them.
- Seasonings: I use a blend of cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Red onions are crisp and they add a nice sharpness to the beans. You can substitute with white onions or yellow onions.
- Jalapeños add a pleasant amount of heat to the filling. If you’re not a fan of spicy food, reduce the amount and do not use the entire pepper. You can substitute with a 1/4 teaspoon chili powder.
- Cabbage: You can use shredded red cabbage or green cabbage or both. When the tacos bake, the cabbage will soften, but it still keeps some of its crunch.
- Mexican cheese blend: I don’t go overboard with cheese to keep the attention on the black bean filling. They shouldn’t be gooey like quesadillas. These blends usually have monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese and queso blanco. A blend of just jack and cheddar will also work,.
- Corn tortillas are gluten-free, and they are a better choice than flour tortillas because when you bake them, they get crunchy. You can use white corn or yellow corn tortillas.
- Olive oil helps the seasonings coat the beans. I also brush the tortillas on both sides with oil to help them crisp up.
- Cilantro: I sprinkle the baked tacos with chopped cilantro before serving them. If you aren’t a cilantro person, then leave it out.
For sauce
- Avocado: Use a ripe avocado for the creamiest sauce that will blend very easily.
- Greek yogurt gives the avocado dipping sauce more creaminess and tang.
- Lime: Bottled citrus has preservatives and extra ingredients, so use an actual lime for the juice.
- Cilantro: Because I know this fresh herb is a love-it or hate-it ingredient, you can substitute with sliced scallions to go for mild onion flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: I include a pinch of both to season the sauce.
How To Make Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
1. Marinate the black beans. Combine them with the red onions, jalapeños, olive oil and dried spices including cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, kosher salt and black pepper.
2. Smash the beans. You can do this with a fork. Don’t use a food processor because you don’t want them to be fully mashed.
3. Assemble the tacos. First warm the tortillas. Wrapped them in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds to make them foldable. Brush each one with oil. Spoon about 1/3 cup of black bean taco filling onto one half of the tortilla. Top with cabbage and a tablespoon of shredded cheese. Fold over the tortilla and gently press it down.
4. Bake the tacos. Start with 5 minutes on one side. Then flip them over and bake for 10 minutes. Flip again and bake for 5 minutes until the tacos are golden brown and crisp.
5. Combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. That includes the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, water, cilantro, salt and pepper.
6. Puree the sauce until it’s smooth. You can add another tablespoon of water if you need to thin it out.
Serving
These tacos a great for Super Bowl appetizers because you can assemble them and bake them together on a sheet pan. Pair them with Mexican chopped salad, avocado corn salad or a pineapple cucumber salad for dinner.
Leftovers & Storage
You can keep leftover tacos in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat them on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan in a 400-degree F oven for 5 minutes per side. They won’t be quite as crispy as when you first made them, but they will still be good. Put the avocado sauce in a mason jar in the fridge to store it. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before stirring it and serving it with the tacos.
To freeze the tacos, put a piece of parchment paper or wax paper in between each one to stop them from sticking together. Then freeze them in the same container. Reheat the tacos in a 400-degree F oven. You don’t have to thaw them first. Frozen tacos will take longer than refrigerated leftovers to reheat. Give them 7-8 minutes per side. You can freeze them up to 1 month.
Recipe Tips
- You can make vegan black bean tacos. Just use a plant-based, dairy-free shredded cheese.
- If you don’t want to make the avocado sauce, you can use something store-bought. Try one or more of the following: sour cream/greek yogurt, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole or hot sauce.
More Tex-Mex Recipes
Sheet Pan Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas
Crunchy Corn Tacos
Baked Mushroom Quesadillas
Chipotle Roasted Cauliflower Tacos
Sheet Pan Pepper Mushroom Fajitas
Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Baked Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
For filling
- 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For tacos
- Olive oil for brushing tacos
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
For avocado sauce
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 lime, juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- Pinch of kosher salt and black pepper
For serving
- Chopped cilantro
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir the black beans, red onions and jalapeños with 2 tablespoons olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Once they are coated in the spiced-oil mixture, smash the beans with a fork.
- To warm the tortillas, wrap them in a damp paper towel. Microwave for 30 seconds. This steams the tortillas, so then you can fold them to assemble the tacos.
- Brush each tortilla with olive oil on both sides. Spoon the black bean filling onto one half (about 1/3 cup not packed). Then sprinkle the filling with cabbage and about 1 tablespoon cheese. Fold over the tortilla and gently press it down. Repeat for the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Bake the tacos for 5 minutes. Then flip them over. Bake for another 10 minutes. Flip them again and bake for 5 minutes until they are golden brown and crisp on the outside.
- To make the avocado sauce, combine the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, water, cilantro and pinches of salt & pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth. (You may need to add another tablespoon of water to thin it out.)
- Arrange the tacos on a serving plate. Top with chopped cilantro and serve with avocado sauce on the side or drizzled over the tacos.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
