Mexican Refried Bean Tostadas

Mexican refried bean tostadas are delicious and easy to make at home. The homemade Mexican refried beans are made by using canned pinto beans and it is so delicious. Use any Mexican toppings or your favorite veggies or protein to top these tostadas for an easy dinner during the week.

Homemade Mexican refried beans are surprisingly easy to make and even better when added to tostadas. They are actually not fried!

The process is just taking cooked pinto beans, mashing them down, and adding a little liquid and seasoning until you have a somewhat smooth texture.

I actually never knew how simple refried beans were to make until a Mexican friend of mine showed me how to make them. She said now that you see how easy this is, why do people buy the canned refried beans?

Good question! I never bought those canned refried beans but I will say this version of refried beans tastes so much better than what they serve at the Mexican restaurants.

The ingredients you will need

• Canned pinto beans (or Mayocoba beans). You can also use dried beans and just cook them until soft.
• Corn tostadas (you can find these in the International section of your grocery store).
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Bacon fat (this really adds a lot of flavor). You can use vegetable oil if you do not have bacon fat.
• Seasonings (salt, pepper cumin)
• Toppings: pico de gallo, peppers, onions, cheese, avocado or whatever you have on hand.
• Water

Very simple ingredients.

Best beans for this recipe

The beans I use in this refried bean recipe are pinto beans because they are traditional and I also prefer to use canned beans that everyone has access to. I have also purchased dried Mayocoba beans which is a Peruvian bean and cooked those up for this recipe and it was amazing.

Use whatever you have on hand and can find in your local grocery store.

How to make refried bean tostadas

This recipe is about easy and that goes for the ingredients in the tostadas and the toppings as well (full recipe below):

• Make the refried beans: Pre-heat a medium saute pan then add your bacon fat, cook your diced shallots and garlic then add beans until warm then mash them up until the mixture starts to look smooth.
• Prepare your tostada toppings: I love making cumin and lime coleslaw for the topping. We also saute up red peppers, and onions or slice up fresh avocado if we have them. The toppings I mention are all starting points for what you can use. Use what you have on hand or you can use my suggestions 🙂
• Warm your tostadas shells in the oven: Place the shells on a sheet pan in a warm 170-degree to crisp them up.
• Assemble your tostadas: start with a thin layer of the refried beans then pile on your favorite toppings.

This is a really easy refried bean recipe and one that you will want to add to your meal rotation. Most of these ingredients are already in your pantry and it uses up those leftover veggies from your fridge.

Variations

If you would like to make these bean tostadas with meat that tastes amazing too. You can season up some ground beef and add that on top of the refried beans. Grilled chicken or steak would work too.

You can change up the beans and use any canned beans you have on hand. Make this your own and remember to use what you have.

Storing and reheating

If you have extra of these bean tostadas, you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to store all of the parts separately (the beans, toppings, and tostada shells).

You can reheat the toppings in the microwave on medium heat for about 1 minute or until warmed through. To crisp up the tostada shells, place them in a warm 170-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until crisp.

More Mexican recipes

If you love these refried bean tostadas, you may also love these traditional Mexican recipes: