These Crispy Baked Tacos make the easiest lunch or dinner ever! With just four ingredients – corn tortillas, olive oil, cheddar cheese, and refried beans – and only about 5 minutes to put them together, they’re super simple and quick. We love them!
The Story Behind the Recipe
We recently moved to the next city over, and quite honestly, the move totally kicked our butts. Life has been in upheaval mode for a solid two months, and I think it’s still going to be awhile before we really settle in.
There has been hardly any time to cook (SOOOO tired of take-out!) but when I do, I keep it super simple. Enter: Crispy Baked Refried Bean Tacos! These simple little tacos have saved us more than a few times through this crazy life phase.
They’re not just easy, they’re super tasty. We’re talking crisp, golden corn tortillas stuffed with refried beans and melty cheese that goes crisp around the edges. Served with Avocado Lime Crema for dipping, these baked refried bean tacos are perfectly dippable and totally hearty.
Why You’ll Love Crispy Baked Bean & Cheese Tacos
- SUPER easy – Make a batch of homemade refried beans or use canned. Then it’s just a matter of softening the tortillas, filling them with beans and cheese, and baking!
- Crowd pleasers – I can’t wait to make these crispy baked tacos for game day.
- Great for leftovers – If you have half a can or a cup of refried beans left over, perfect! Make crispy baked tacos.
- Very versatile – Sometimes I’ll add some cooked ground beef to my guy’s (mixed with a little taco seasoning) or shredded chicken. A few cooked peppers and onions are great, too. You can’t stuff them too full, but a few swaps/small additions work well.
Ingredients
- Tortillas – I make these Crispy Baked Vegetarian Tacos with small corn tortillas in the standard 6-inch size. Corn tortillas help achieve the perfect mix of crunchy/crispy and chewy. But I bet they would also work well with street-taco sized flour tortillas. Once I try them that way, I will report back!
- Olive oil – This is for the tortillas, both to make them nice and golden-crisp and also to help keep them from sticking to the baking sheet.
- Refried beans – Grab a can of your favorite brand of refried beans or make refried beans yourself!
- Cheddar cheese – A good amount of shredded cheddar makes these cheesy-delicious. You can use mild, medium, or sharp, whichever you prefer. Feel free to swap in another type of cheese if you’d rather. Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, or a Mexican blend are all great too.
Adaptations/Variations
- Vegan/Dairy-Free Refried Bean Baked Tacos: Swap in your favorite vegan cheese or leave it out entirely. They’re still delicious either way.
- Meat optional: I’m a vegetarian my guy is a carnivore. This is a great meal to make one dish two ways style, with just beans and cheese on mine and a bit of taco-seasoned ground beef or chicken added to his.
How to Make Crispy Baked Bean Burritos
- First, you want to be sure to warm your corn tortillas. This will help keep them from cracking when you fold them. You can either put the tortillas in a damp kitchen towel and put in a lightly warm oven for about 10 minutes, or wrap in damp paper towels and microwave for a few seconds.
- Next, grab a large baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil onto the baking sheet.
- Add the tortillas one at a time, really coating the backside of each one in olive oil, then add beans and cheese to half.
- Fold over the tortilla and press a bit so it stays.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 8-10 minutes until crispy and golden. Yum!
Tips for Success
- Don’t skip warming the tortillas! This is important so they don’t just crack in half when you fold them.
- Expect imperfection. Sometimes, even after warming them, the corn tortillas will crack. They’ll still taste great! And you can expect that some of the filling may leak out here and there. Still delicious!
I hope these Crispy Baked Refried Bean & Cheese Tacos will save a dinnertime or two (or three!) for you, too! They’re fast, easy, hearty, and crispy-good. Basically the quadfecta of perfection when it comes to easy dinner (or lunch) recipes. And no, I’m pretty sure “quadfecta” isn’t a word, but I’m using it anyway!
Crispy Baked Refried Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas (standard 6-inch size)
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups refried beans (one 14-ounce can)
- 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Warm the corn tortillas in a damp towel. You can either place tortillas in a damp kitchen towel and place them in a warm 250°F oven for about 10 minutes, or wrap in damp paper towels and microwave for 15-30 seconds.
- Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil onto a large baking sheet or divide between two smaller baking sheets. Place the tortillas on the baking sheet a couple at a time and rub them around in the olive oil to cover one side of the tortillas. Add another tablespoon of olive oil if needed to cover all of the tortillas.
- Add 2 tablespoons refried beans to unoiled, bottom half of each tortilla. Spread the beans to the edge so that they fill out the half. Divide the cheese between all 12 tacos.
- Fold the tortilla over. Bake for 10 minutes, then use tongs to flip them over and bake for 8-10 more minutes until crisp and golden brown. Some of the filling may leak out here and there. Worth it!
- Serve with avocado crema or salsa and sour cream for dipping.
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real recipes. No A.I. here! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
