Bean and Cheese Tostadas are topped with refried beans, spinach, pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, vegan avocado cream sauce, and taco sauce. These vegetarian tostadas are baked and make a quick and easy weeknight meal.
★★★★★
"Must try recipe!! It was delicious!! Thank you Nisha for sharing it!!."
- Neha Wani
My husband is obsessed with tostadas... Mexican food in general. OBSESSED! He literally asks me to make him tostadas every single week and will even pick up the baked tostada shells from the grocery store on a weekly basis.
Elevate your weeknights with these easy, mouthwatering, and fully-loaded vegetarian tostadas. These tostadas are great for taco night and make a quick dinner.
More Delicious Tostada Recipes
Check out my very popular Taco Bell Spicy Tostada! If you like chicken or turkey, then give my Chicken Tostadas or Spicy Baked Turkey Tostadas a try - both recipes are made with ground meat. Lastly, if you love Indian Fusion, then give these vegetarian Baked Aloo Chaat Tostadas a chance because they taste like a healthier Papdi Chaat.
Table of Contents
What is a Tostada?
A tostada is a flat tortilla that is either baked or fried. It is usually made with corn and is essentially a flat taco.
Tostadas are pretty versatile, in other words, you can top them with any kind of protein. I personally love a vegetarian option when it comes to tostadas.
Once you add your protein, in this case, beans, I like adding veggies to my tostadas - lettuce or spinach for a healthier alternative, and pico de gallo. Then I like to top my tostada with some cheese and bake it off in the toaster oven.
Drizzle some avocado cream sauce and taco sauce and indulge. They're so good!
Ingredients
For the Beans:
Canned Refried Beans (canned): I love Trader Joe's Organic Refried Pinto Beans Salsa Style. Feel free to use refried black beans as well, but I prefer mine with pinto beans. Feel free to make homemade beans if you prefer.
Onion: Preferably red onion, chopped.
Taco Sauce: I love Taco Bell's Hot Sauce, also love Pico Pica Taco Sauce.
Taco Seasoning: I love Trader Joe's Taco Seasoning and it's a bit spicy. They're all the same so any seasoning will work.
Avocado Oil: Any flavorless oil works.
For Pico de Gallo:
Basics: Tomatoes, Red Onion, Jalapeno, Cilantro, Fresh Lime Juice, and Salt.
For Avocado Cream Sauce:
Basics: Ripe Avocado, Olive Oil, Water, Garlic, Cilantro, Cumin Powder, Salt, and Jalapeno Pepper (for more spice you can use a Serrano Pepper).
For Bean Tostadas:
Baked Tostada: I love Guerrero's Baked Tostadas.
Fresh Spinach: Baby spinach that's chopped.
Cheddar Cheese: You'll need shredded cheese. I love using sharp cheddar in this recipe.
Taco Sauce: I love Taco Bell's hot sauce, but Pico Pica works amazing and tastes just like Taco Bell.
Why You Will Love Recipe
- Quick & Easy Weeknight Meal
- Vegetarian Bean Tostadas
- Mouthwatering & Delicious
- BAKED
- Versatile
- Gluten-free
How to make Bean and Cheese Tostadas recipe?
Step 1 - Make the Refried Beans
1. Heat up a pan on medium heat, once hot, add oil, followed by red onion. Add just a pinch of salt. Saute for 3 minutes.
2. Add refried pinto beans - I like Trader Joe's Organic Refried Pinto Beans Salsa Style.
3. Add taco sauce.
4. Now add taco seasoning and a little water. Mix well.
5. Cook for a minute. Your beans are ready. Set aside.
Step 2 - Make the Pico de Gallo
1. Add the tomatoes, red onions, and jalapenos to a mixing bowl.
2. Now add fresh cilantro, juice of lime, and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
Step 3 - Make the Vegan Avocado Cream Sauce
1. Add all the ingredients of the avocado cream sauce to a mini food processor and blend.
2. This is what you should have. Taste it and adjust salt, lime juice, and spice as needed.
Step 4 - Assemble
1. Add warm refried beans all over a baked tostada (you may use fried as well).
2. Top with chopped spinach.
3. Top with pico de gallo.
4. Now top with cheddar cheese.
5. Bake in a toaster oven at 400 degrees for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Keep a close eye to make sure the tostada doesn't burn.
6. Drizzle avocado cream sauce on top and Taco Bell Hot Sauce (or any other taco sauce you like). Enjoy your crispy bean tostadas.
Expert Tips
✓ Make Ahead Option - The refried beans, pico de gallo, and avocado cream sauce can all be made ahead of time.
✓ Grate your sharp cheddar cheese and chop the fresh spinach.
✓ Bake in the toaster oven until the cheese has melted, but stay close because these tostadas bake fast.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Simply replace cheese with a non-dairy cheese that melts well.
This recipe is already gluten-free since corn tostada shells are gluten-free.
Tostadas are a great way to use up leftover veggies. You can add sauteed zucchini, eggplant, or broccoli. Essentially, any veggie you have on hand, add it.
So here in Southern California, I am able to find Guerrero's Baked Tostadas at Smart & Final, Ralph's, and Albertson's. I have found the fried version at Target, however not the baked one.
If you're living on the East Coast, I would try looking for Guerrero's Baked Tostadas at your local grocery store - Shoprite, Acme, Wegman's, etc.
If you can't find store-bought baked tostadas, simply use a corn tortilla and brush both sides with oil. Bake it in the toaster oven at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes, flipping halfway.
Alternatively, you may use flour tortillas and do the exact same thing, they will crisp up beautifully. Note: If you use flour tortillas, this recipe is no longer gluten-free.
For this recipe, I used sharp cheddar, however you may use Mild/Medium Cheddar Cheese, Mexican Cheese Blend, Pepper Jack Cheese, or any cheese that melts well.
Other options for toppings - shredded lettuce, sour cream, cotija cheese, and queso fresco would all be great.
More Tostada Recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Bean and Cheese Tostadas
Equipment
Ingredients
for pico de gallo
- 2 cups tomatoes, chopped
- ¾ cup red onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, with seeds
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
for beans
- ½ tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ cup red onions, chopped
- pinch of salt
- 15 ounce can organic refried pinto beans, I like Trader Joe's
- ¼ cup taco sauce, I like Taco Bell's Hot Sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoon taco seasoning, I liked Trader Joe's
for avocado sauce
- 1 avocado
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 tablespoon water
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup cilantro
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 jalapeno, with seeds
- Juice of ½ to 1 lime
other condiments
- 4 cups spinach, chopped
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, shredded
to assemble each tostada, you'll need
- 1 baked tostadas, makes 12 tostadas total
- ⅓ cup spinach, chopped
- 2 spoonfuls of pico de gallo
- 2-3 tablespoon cheddar cheese, shredded, add more if needed
- bake in the toaster oven for 3-4 minutes at 400 degrees
- drizzle of avocado cream sauce
- drizzle of Taco Bell hot sauce
Instructions
Step 1 - Make the Refried Beans
- Heat up a pan on medium heat, once hot, add oil, followed by red onion. Add just a pinch of salt. Saute for 3 minutes.
- Add refried pinto beans - I like Trader Joe's Organic Refried Pinto Beans Salsa Style.
- Add taco sauce.
- Now add taco seasoning and a little water. Mix well.
- Cook for a minute. Your beans are ready. Set aside.
Step 2 - Make the Pico de Gallo
- Add the tomatoes, red onions, and jalapenos to a mixing bowl.
- Now add fresh cilantro, juice of lime, and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
Step 3 - Make the Vegan Avocado Cream Sauce
- Add all the ingredients of the avocado cream sauce to a mini food processor and blend.
- This is what you should have. Taste it and adjust salt, lime juice, and spice as needed.
Step 4 - Assemble
- Add warm refried beans all over a baked tostada (you may use fried as well).
- Top with chopped spinach.
- Top with pico de gallo.
- Now top with cheddar cheese.
- Bake in a toaster oven at 400 degrees for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Keep a close eye to make sure the tostada doesn't burn.
- Drizzle avocado cream sauce on top and Taco Bell Hot Sauce (or any other taco sauce you like). Enjoy your crispy bean tostadas.
Video
Notes
- Vegan option - use a non-dairy cheese.
- Make Ahead Option - The refried beans, pico de gallo, and avocado cream sauce can all be made ahead of time.
- Grate your sharp cheddar cheese and chop the fresh spinach.
- Bake in the toaster oven until the cheese has melted, but stay close because these tostadas bake fast.
Seema Raniga says
Looks amazing, always looking for vegan options! Thank you so much, I have some mexican Daiya cheese shreds I can use on top!!!!
honeywhatscooking says
So glad to hear that Seema. Hope you enjoy it. Do let me know! 🙂
Reshma says
Delicious 😋
Neha wani says
Must try recipe!! It was delicious!! Thank you Nisha for sharing it!!