Raise your hands if you love a good Tostada! Plant-Based Tostadas are an easy and family friendly recipe you need to add to your meal plan!
Plant-Based Tostadas
I rediscovered the Tostada when we learned my son had a wheat/gluten allergy. Tostadas are made with corn tortillas (but always read your labels) so they were safe for him.
Tostadas are:
- Easy to make
- Customizable
- Allergy-friendly
- Inexpensive
- Delicious
- Kid’s love them
We are always changing up our Plant-Based Tostadas! Sure we need a crispy tortilla and beans but sometimes we used Instant Pot Refried Beans and other times we use Refried Black Beans. Lettuce and tomatoes are usual staples but sometimes we add Pico de Gallo, when the garden is growing we will make Oven Roasted Salsa. A fun addition is Mango Salsa!
Basically, anything goes and you can use what you have!
Plant-Based Tostadas
Ingredients
- Soft Corn Tortillas (or buy the crispy tostada tortillas)
- Unfried Pinto or Unfried Black Beans (store-bought refried beans can be used but read the label)
- Shredded Lettuce
- Dice Tomato
- Salsa (optional)
Do
- If using soft corn tortillas, preheat oven to 350° and place tortillas on cookie sheet (I use parchment paper on my cookie sheet).
- Bake tortillas for 15 minutes then remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes until you can handle them. They may not feel crisp but they will get crispier as they cool. Leftover tortillas can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Spread beans onto tortillas. I prefer the Unfried Black Beans. Top with lettuce, tomato and any other toppings you prefer.
Serve
These are great as an afternoon snack but also good for lunch or dinner. If serving as a meal I highly recommend making Mexican Rice. Tostadas are so simple that many kids could assemble them without much help and would be a fun party food.
How do you top your tostadas?
Plant-Based Tostadas

Plant-Based Tostadas are an easy and family-friendly recipe you need to add to your plant-based meal plan!
Ingredients
- Soft Corn Tortillas (or buy the crispy tostada tortillas)
- Oil-Free Refried Beans
- Shredded Lettuce
- Diced Tomato
- Salsa, peppers, your favorite toppings (optional)
Instructions
- If using soft corn tortillas, preheat oven to 350° and place tortillas on cookie sheet (I use parchment paper on my cookie sheet).
- Bake tortillas for 15 minutes then remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes until you can handle them. They may not feel crisp but they will get crispier as they cool. Leftover tortillas can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Spread beans onto tortillas in a thick layer.
- Add lettuce, tomato, and any other topping you will enjoy.
Notes
You can use canned beans to save time. One 15 ounce can of fat free refried beans is enough for about 4 people or 8 tostadas. You may been to add some water to the canned beans to get them smooth enough to spread.
We love tostadas. We just started eating plant based and this is one food that we can still eat. The more toppings the better.
Agreed Rita! Tostadas are the same and we love them. Sometimes I just like food with a little crunch!
mmmm… gotta have some avocado on there! PS – love your new website design! 😉
You know I love avocado. I wont but it specifically for toastadas though unless it is on sale.
Thanks, I’m still tweaking the site here and there. I wish I had more time for design.
Love tostadas and love the crunch and simplicity of them!
I agree Brandi! Tostadas are super simple, I love how quick they are to throw together. Washing and cutting the lettuce is the “hardest” part. 🙂
I recently decided to switch my family to whole foods plant based protein diet after reading The China Study. Looking forward to trying your recipes on my 2 year old twins. Thanks!
Congrats on making the switch! We just celebrated birthday’s so mine are now 3 and 5 but I know what its like trying to get kids to eat healthy. I’m so impressed with the changes my kids have made since we changed our diet. They went from burgers and nuggets to broccoli and beans.