Mains · Mexican

Crispy Black Bean Tacos

Name: Crispy Black Bean Tacos
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 red onion, thinly sliced; 100 ml cider vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; ½ tsp fine salt; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1½ tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 chipotle in adobo, chopped; 480 g cooked black beans, two 400 g cans, drained and rinsed; 60 ml water; 1 tbsp lime juice; 12 corn tortillas, about 15 cm across; 3 tbsp neutral oil, for frying; 150 g red cabbage, finely shredded; 1 ripe avocado, sliced; 15 g coriander; 1 lime, cut into wedges

Half-mashed smoky beans folded into corn tortillas and pan-fried until crisp, with quick-pickled onion and lots of lime.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 35 min
Serves: 4

Added 18 September 2026. Suitable for: Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free.

Why this version

Mashing only half the beans gives a filling that holds together but still has whole beans in it.
Pan-frying the filled tacos in a little oil makes them crisp like a hard shell but without the shattering.
Quick-pickled onion does more for these than any salsa we tried: sharp, crunchy and ready in 15 minutes.

Ingredients

Servings

4 servings

Units

For the pickled onion

1 red onion, thinly sliced
100 ml cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp fine salt

For the beans

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 chipotle in adobo, chopped
480 g cooked black beans, two 400 g cans, drained and rinsed
60 ml water
1 tbsp lime juice

To assemble

12 corn tortillas, about 15 cm across
3 tbsp neutral oil, for frying
150 g red cabbage, finely shredded
1 ripe avocado, sliced
15 g coriander
1 lime, cut into wedges

Method

Put the onion in a jar or bowl. Stir the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved, pour it over the onion and leave for at least 15 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika and chipotle and stir for 1 minute.
Add the beans and water. Mash about half of them with a potato masher, leaving the rest whole, and cook for 3–4 minutes until thick enough to hold its shape. Season with salt and the lime juice.
Warm the tortillas in a dry pan or over a gas flame for 20–30 seconds a side, until pliable, and stack them in a clean tea towel.
Spread 2 heaped tablespoons of beans over one half of each tortilla and fold it over.
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the tacos three or four at a time for 2–3 minutes a side, pressing gently with a spatula, until crisp and spotted brown. Add more oil between batches.
Open each taco and tuck in cabbage, avocado, drained pickled onion and coriander. Serve with lime wedges.

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What we tested

Soft tacos without frying: good, but the filling slid out and the tortillas tore.
Baked at 220°C on a tray, brushed with oil: crisp, but brittle at the fold. The pan won.
Flour tortillas: work, but go chewy rather than crisp. Corn is the better match.

Keeping

The bean filling keeps for 4 days and the pickled onion for 2 weeks in the fridge. Fry the tacos just before eating.

Swaps and notes

For a non-vegan version, add a little grated cheese inside before folding; it helps glue the taco shut.