These vegan tostadas are super quick to make and one of my go-to, easy weeknight meals. You can assemble the whole thing while the oven preheats!
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Are these baked, vegan tostadas super authentic? No. What they are is an even quicker and easier take on the popular Mexican dish.
If you want to take the extra time to make truly authentic Mexican tostadas, I recommend My Latina Table's recipe. Just substitute vegan ground beef and use vegan cheese and crema, and you're all good. You could even use my cashew cream sauce in place of the crema, if you want!
For my vegan tostadas, I use pre-shredded coleslaw, which usually includes green cabbage and carrots. These shredded veggies cook up quickly, so you don't need to do any separate sauté. Feel free to top your vegan tostadas with your veggies of choice or omit if you want to keep things simpler with just beans and cheese.
I'm also using canned refried beans in this recipe. You are, of course, welcome to make your refried beans from scratch or season the canned ones to your liking. This recipe is meant to be a very quick prep, so we are using prepared ingredients to save time!
The great thing about tostadas is that they're versatile, so use what you have to save time and money.
If you love easy, budget-friendly, Mexican-inspired vegan meals, also check out my Mexican-inspired crispy tofu bowls and my vegan taco casserole!
✓ Ingredients and substitutions
- tortillas - Use small corn or flour tortillas. Choose whichever you like best!
- refried beans - Black or pinto, homemade or canned - use what works for you based on what you like and what you have on hand. Choose fat free or vegetarian refried beans, because conventional ones tend to contain lard.
- veggies - I use shredded cabbage and chopped onions, but feel free to use your veggies of choice or omit for plain, bean and cheese vegan tostadas instead.
- cheese - I like to use vegan cheddar or a mix of cheddar and mozzarella. If you want to go more whole food about it, you can use my cashew queso instead.
- other toppings - You can serve these as-is or add toppings of choice, like shredded lettuce, chopped tomato, vegan sour cream, hot sauce, cilantro, etc. See what's in your fridge and pantry, and have fun with it!
🔪 How to make vegan tostadas
Preheat the oven to 350° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread 3 tablespoons of the refried beans onto each tortilla, and arrange them onto your baking sheets.
Sprinkle on the cabbage.
Sprinkle on the cheese, then top with the onion. We want the onions on top so they will roast and get sweet!
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until your cheese has melted.
Sprinkle on your additional toppings of choice, and serve.
💡 Helpful tips
- Choose fat free or vegetarian refried beans, because conventional ones tend to contain lard, which is animal fat.
- The best way I've found to spread the refried beans is to use the back of a soup spoon. I don't know why this works so well. It just does!
- Feel free to mix and match toppings to make this dish your own! Be sure to chop whatever veggies you choose finely, so they'll cook in the time it takes to melt the cheese.
🫙 Storage directions
Leftovers will keep in a closed container in the fridge for three to four days. You can warm them back up in the oven, air fryer, or microwaves.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Tostadas
Ingredients
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- 15 ounce can of refried beans or 1 ½ cups homemade refried beans
- 2 cups shredded cabbage or finely-chopped veggies of choice, optional
- 1 cup vegan cheese cheddar, mozzarella, or a mix of both
- ½ cup sliced onion optional
- shredded lettuce, diced tomato, vegan sour cream, hot sauce, cilantro or your toppings of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Spread about 3 tablespoons of the refried beans onto each tortilla, and arrange them onto your baking sheets. Sprinkle on the cabbage, then the cheese, then the onion. We want the onions on top, so they will roast and get sweet!
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until your cheese has melted. Sprinkle on your additional toppings of choice, and serve.
Got a question? Tried this recipe? Leave a reply!