Baked Crispy Corn Tacos
on Aug 23, 2025
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I roast sweet corn to make these easy baked crispy corn tacos. After I pull the golden kernels out of the oven, I combine them with mashed black beans, jalapeños, red onions and a mix of dried seasonings. I spoon the filling into corn tortillas with cabbage and a sprinkle of cheese and bake them all on a sheet pan. They turn out so crunchy that it’s almost as if you fried them. I serve the tacos with avocado crema for a vegetarian dinner or a game day appetizer.
Also, try these oven-baked chickpea tacos.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Even though these corn tacos bake in the oven, they taste fried. A hot oven and brushing the corn tortillas with olive oil helps them crisp up. They have crunch on the outside and the inside with the roasted corn kernels.
The filling has corn and black beans. After I roast the corn, I combine it with smashed black beans, red onions, jalapeños and a blend of dried spices. I put them into the tortillas with red cabbage and a little cheese.
You can serve this vegetarian taco recipe as an appetizer or a weeknight dinner. Pair them with rice and a salad for taco Tuesday or include them in your game-day spread.
If it isn’t sweet corn season, you can use frozen corn or canned corn. Make these tacos year round as long as you promise to make them with fresh corn if it is available.
The Ingredients
This is what you need:
For tacos:
- Corn: I slice off the kernels from 3 ears of corn. You can use canned corn. Just rinse it in a colander and pat off the excess water with a towel. You can also use frozen corn. Don’t thaw it. Keep in mind that it might take a few minutes longer to roast.
- Black beans: A convenient multipurpose ingredient, canned beans are one of my pantry must-haves. Just open the can, pour it into a colander and rinse the black beans.
- Corn tortillas are better than flour tortillas for this recipe because they get crunchy when you bake them in the oven. Also, they are gluten-free.
- Dried spices: I season the black beans with ground cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, kosher salt and black pepper
- Jalapeños give the black bean-corn filling some fresh heat. The recipe calls for 1 jalapeño. If you want it to be less spicy, then reduce the amount and do not use the entire pepper. If you don’t have a jalapeno, you can substitute with a 1/4 teaspoon chili powder.
- Cabbage: You can use shredded red cabbage or green cabbage. Even though it softens a little when I bakes, it still keeps some of its crispness.
- Red onions give the taco filling a pleasantly sharp accent. You can substitute with white onions or yellow onions.
- Cotija or feta cheese: I go light on the cheese to layer in another flavor. I use feta or cotija cheese taking inspiration from Mexican street corn. Leave out the cheese if you want the tacos to be vegan.
- Olive oil: You need it for roasting the corn and for stirring with the dried spices and black beans. Brushing the tortillas on both sides with oil is important for them to get crispy.
For sauce:
- Avocado: Use a ripe avocado for the most creamy sauce. It will blend better with the other ingredients.
- Greek yogurt gives the sauce a little bit of tang. Use plant-based yogurt to make it vegan.
- Lime: Always use fresh lime juice. Bottled citrus has preservatives and extra ingredients, and it does not taste as good.
- Cilantro: I know this fresh herb is a love-it or hate-it ingredient. You can substitute with sliced scallions instead for onion flavor.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: I add a pinch of each to season the sauce.
How To Make Baked Crispy Corn Tacos
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
1. Prep the corn. Toss the kernels with oil, salt and pepper on one of the sheet pans. Spread them into a single layer.
2. Roast the corn. Give it 20-25 minutes to light brown and crispy on the edges.
3. Prep the black beans. Stir them with the red onions, jalapeños, oil, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper.
4. Lightly smash the black beans with a fork and then stir in the corn.
5. Assemble the tacos. First warm the tortillas to make them foldable. Wrap them in a damp paper towel, and microwave the tortillas for 30 seconds. Brush each one with olive oil on both sides. Spoon about 1/3 cup of corn mixture onto one half of the tortilla. Top with cabbage and cheese. Fold over the tortilla and gently press it down.
6. 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.
7. Pure the sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender. That includes the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, water, cilantro, salt and pepper. You can add another tablespoons of water if you need to thin it out.
8. Garnish the tacos with chopped cilantro. Serve them with the sauce in a bowl on the side.
Serving
Enjoy these sheet pan tacos for dinner with a Mexican chopped salad, avocado corn salad or a pineapple cucumber salad. You can warm up a can of refried beans for a side dish. They’re also great for appetizers because you can assemble and bake them at the same time on a sheet pan.
Leftovers & Storage
You can keep leftover tacos in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat them on a lined sheet pan in a 400-degree F oven for 5 minutes per side. They won’t be as crispy as when you first made them, but they will still taste good. Store the avocado sauce in a mason jar in the refrigerator. Let it sit out 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 prevent them from sticking together. Then you can freeze them in the same container. Reheat the tacos in a 400-degree F oven. You don’t need to thaw them first. Frozen tacos will take longer than refrigerated leftovers to reheat. Allow 7-8 minutes per side. You can freeze them up to 1 month.
More Corn Recipes
Roasted Corn Salad
Grilled Corn Couscous
Zucchini Corn Salad
Grilled Corn Broccoli Salad
Mushroom Corn Salad
Blueberry Corn Salad
Tomato Corn Orecchiette
Sweet Corn Pesto
Zucchini Corn Fritters
Peach Corn Farro Salad
Vegan Corn Chowder
Check out my collection of easy roasted vegetable recipes organized by season with tips, go-to ingredients, and sheet pan favorites.
Baked Crispy Corn Tacos
Ingredients
For corn
- 3 ears corn, kernels sliced off (about 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For black beans
- 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onions
- 1 jalapeno, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For tacos
- 8 corn tortillas
- Olive oil for brushing tacos
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese
For avocado crema
- 1/2 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 lime, juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- Pinches of kosher salt and black pepper
For serving
- Chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
- On one sheet pan, toss the corn with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, spreading the kernels in a single layer. Roast the corn until it is crisp on the edges and lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes.
- In a large bowl, stir the black beans, red onions and jalapeños with 1 tablespoon olive oil, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Once they are coated in the spiced oil mixture, lightly mash the beans with a fork.
- Stir the corn into the black beans.
- 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.
- On the other sheet pan, brush each tortilla with olive oil on both sides. Spoon the filling (about 1/3 cup not packed) onto one half of a tortilla. Then sprinkle the filling with cabbage and feta. Fold over the taco and gently press it down. Repeat for the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Bake the tacos 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 crema, combine the avocado, yogurt, lime juice, water, cilantro and pinches of salt and 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 crema on the side or drizzled over the tacos.
Notes
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
