These crispy Bean and Cheese Tacos are the perfect quick and easy meal! Made with just a handful of ingredients, these simple vegetarian tacos are ready in no time and are sure to become a family favorite.
I call these "tidy tacos" for a reason
I have to admit, the first time I saw bean and cheese tacos, I thought, "Wait—aren't these quesadillas?" And, hey, maybe they are! But they're actually pretty ingenious. Tuck regular beans into a tortilla and you've got beans spilling out all over the place when you try to eat.
Fold your refried beans into tortillas and seal them shut, and now you've got yourself a delicious solution to these taco problems—tidy tacos! Fry them in a skillet until they're crispy, and you're never going to want a regular taco again. (Okay, I take that back. I still love Tempeh Tacos.)
When it's time to serve your tidy tacos, instead of adding the toppings inside as you would with a typical taco, you either add them on top or dip the tacos into them. We love this Spicy Coleslaw on the side!
As a busy working mom, I love that these tacos are a cinch to make. They're the kind of dinner recipe even the pickiest eaters in the house will devour. As a nutritionist, I love that they're loaded with satisfying, plant-based protein. Now that's a win, right?
Each of these bean and cheese tacos is filled with melty cheese, salsa, refried beans, and seasonings. While I used these homemade refried beans, (you can make refried black bean tacos instead if you prefer), you can absolutely just crack a can of store-bought refried beans instead.
Whatever gets dinner on the table fastest, right?!
Let's make Bean and Cheese Tacos together!
You'll find detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. For now here's a step-by-step overview, complete with photos!
Step 1: season your beans
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, then add the onion. Once it's browned, stir in the paprika, oregano, and chili powder. When this mixture is fragrant, stir in the refried beans. Remove from the stovetop and season to taste.
Note! If you're starting with homemade refried beans, you can skip this step and simply warm the beans up. We're seasoning canned refried beans to add flavor, but the homemade version is already well seasoned!
Step 2: fill your tacos
Warm the tortillas for 20 to 30 seconds on each side in a dry skillet set over medium-high heat.
Spread the salsa over the top, then sprinkle on the shredded cheese and add the refried beans.
Step 1: sauté
Fold the tacos in half, gently pressing on the beans to push them all the way to the edges. This ensures you get beans in every bite!
At this point, you can eat the bean and cheese tacos as-is or you can fry them.
Step 3: pan fry
To fry the tacos, brush both sides with oil. Cook them in a heavy skillet preheated over medium-high heat; it will take 2 to 3 minutes to get each side nicely browned and crispy.
Serve your bean and cheese tacos with your favorite toppings, sauces, a squeeze of lime juice—whatever you like!
Sheet Pan Option
If you want your bean and cheese tacos crispy, but you don't have the patience to fry them one at a time (or you want them all to be finished cooking at the same time), you can bake them on a sheet pan.
Simply follow the instructions for making the tacos, but instead of frying them in a skillet, lightly brush both sides with oil and bake at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
Tips for the Best Tacos
Don't overfill your tacos. Yes, it's tempting, but if you overfill them, they'll be harder to fold, harder to cook, and harder to eat. That’s not what we want—I mean, the whole point of this recipe is that it’s an easy dinner!
Shred your own cheese if you have time. And let’s be honest: there’s not always time. But when I do have a few extra minutes, I like to shred the cheese off the block instead of using store-bought shreds. It melts much more smoothly because it doesn’t have that powdery white anti-caking agent added to it.
Don't skip warming the tortillas! Whether you use corn or flour tortillas, both benefit from that quick heating in a dry skillet. But for corn tortillas, you really do need to take that step. Without it, your tortillas are likely to break when you attempt to fold them.
Adjust the heat as needed. If you’re frying the bean and cheese tacos and notice the bottoms of the tortillas browning too quickly, lower the heat. If they're not browning fast enough, increase the heat slightly. I’ve found that when I’m cooking things in a skillet, there’s usually a little finessing involved as the pan gets hotter.
Storing + Reheating Leftover Tacos
If you have leftover bean and cheese tacos, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat them, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes until heated through, or warm them up in a skillet set over medium heat. In a pinch, the microwave works too, but they’re likely to be a bit soggy.
Bean and Cheese Tacos
Ingredients
- 12 small tortillas wheat or corn are both fine
- ½ cup salsa
- ½ cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese
- 1 14- ounce can refried beans or 1 ½ cups homemade refried beans
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup finely minced onion*
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika*
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano*
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder*
- salt to taste*
- Avocado sour cream, salsa, and cilantro for serving
Instructions
Season Refried Beans
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Add the onion, and sauté until they are beginning to brown.¼ cup finely minced onion*
- Add the smoked paprika, oregano, and chili powder.½ teaspoon smoked paprika*, ½ teaspoon dried oregano*, ¼ teaspoon chili powder*, salt
- Add the refried beans, and stir to combine well.1 14- ounce can refried beans
- Taste the bean mixture, and adjust the seasonings if necessary.
To Make the Tacos
- Place a dry skillet over medium-high heat.
- One at a time, warm the tortillas in the skillet for about 20-30 seconds on each side, until they are soft and pliable.12 small tortillas
- Spread each tortilla with about a teaspoon of salsa.½ cup salsa
- Scatter with 2 Tablespoons of shredded cheese.½ cups shredded cheddar or jack cheese
- Place a scant 2 Tablespoons of refried beans in the center, and fold the tortilla over to form a taco, pressing the beans out to the sides.1 14- ounce can refried beans
- You can enjoy these tacos as is for soft tacos, or fry them if you prefer crispy tacos.
For Fried Tacos
- Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- Lightly brush both sides of the tacos with oil and fry until they are browned and crisp - about 2-3 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately with toppings of your choice.Avocado
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- Ingredients marked with an asterisk (*) are optional and are only required if you would like to season canned refried beans. If you're starting with our homemade refried beans recipe, this isn't necessary as they are already seasoned.
- To bulk-prep bean and cheese tacos, you can brush them with oil and bake them rather than frying.
- Bean and cheese tacos can be frozen for up to 3 months. To re-heat simply bake them for 10-15 minutes.
Maggie Hinders says
These look amazing! I will try them. It's always a problem getting all the tacos heated at the same time. This fixes it!
Katie Trant says
I know, right? It's especially tough when you're feeding a crowd, so I always love to call in the sheetpan whenever possible. Hope you enjoy them!
Jack says
Love the crispiness on these! We doubled the recipe and froze half for quick meals on busy soccer nights. YUM!
Katie Trant says
Doubling and freezing is a great idea! Glad you liked these as much as we do, Jack!
Frances says
Great, easy to do, I use a low carb flour tortilla, and often add eggs and make it for breakfast. Make it a lot.