Meow Recipes: Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

Crispy Black Bean Tacos on a platter with limes

This is a fan favorite recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.

Well HELLO there, little black bean crispies!

I will keep it quick so you can get to frying these up but mostly, FYI, bottom line, these are so-super-yummy. Also, pro-tip, you can call them crispy black bean tacos if you want – it’s technically what they are – but it’s a little more fun to call them black bean crispies which is what we’ve lovingly come to refer to them in our house.

In This Post: Everything You Need For These Tacos

What’s In These Black Bean Tacos
Extras for Tacos
How to Freeze This Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions About These Tacos
VIDEO showing how to make them!

What’s In These Black Bean Tacos

Aside from the obvious reasons (golden crispy tortilla, super-satisfying black bean filling, brought together with a cool and creamy dipping sauce, gahh), this is one of my all-time favorite easy recipes because, well, it’s EASY. Like, stupid easy. Doesn’t get any easier than this:

Tortillas
Black Beans
Salsa
Taco Seasoning

That’s it! And if you want to be extra, a creamy cilantro lime sauce for dipping.

Remember when we said the SOS recipes were not pretentious? And how we actually really celebrate short, low-key ingredient lists? That moment is now.

Can I Put Extras In My Black Bean Tacos?

Of course, you have options if you want to go above and beyond! Would a handful of delicious Mexican cheese tucked into that little black bean crispy be real nice? Yes, it would. As would some fajita veggies. As would some roasted chicken. And yes, if you want to make a cilantro lime dipping sauce, it is very doable and I included the directions for you and it will take you all of five minutes.

But if you’re short on… everything (and believe me, I pretty much LIVE in that house), I pinky promise that you can skip the add-ins. Black bean filling is super satisfying as-is, and it’s how I always eat these! Just plain.

Pro-tip: if time is tight, in place of the cilantro lime sauce, you can just mix some additional taco seasoning in with a little bowl of sour cream, and voilà. You have “seasoned sour cream” which, at least in my house, always goes over VERY well with the family dinner crowd.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos drizzled with Cilantro Lime Sauce

How To Freeze These Black Bean Tacos

I have one more piece of good news that I would like to shout from the rooftops which is that YOU CAN FREEZE THESE!

One of my best black bean taco decisions ever was making a double batch, folding the black bean mixture in tortillas, and sticking a few of them into a bag in the freezer – and look at that! Fry those babies up when you’re ready to eat them, and you have a quick and easy lunch, dinner, or – yes – even a snack. This is the life I want to live.

Crispy Black Bean Taco being dunked into Cilantro Lime Sauce

Crispy Black Bean Tacos: Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the Cilantro Lime Sauce stay good for as leftovers?

Sauce leftovers do best in the fridge for 3-4 days.

What kind of oil is best for the Cilantro Lime Sauce?

A neutral-tasting oil, something like canola oil, works well here. But usually I have olive oil on hand so that’s what I often use as well!

Can I meal prep these black bean tacos?

Sure! Make the filling and just keep it in the fridge for a couple of days. When you’re ready to eat the tacos, spread that filling into the tortillas and fry them up! Easy. OR, alternatively, you can freeze these little cuties! Spread the black bean filling into the tacos, fold them, and then freeze them BEFORE frying. When you’re ready to eat them, bring to room temp (15-30 seconds in the microwave will do it) and pop ’em back in your skillet till hot, golden, and crispy!

Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?

Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!

Source notes: I saw the idea for this recipe from a community member recipe on Tasty – thanks, Mitch and Justine Chapman, wherever you are in the world! ♡ What a fun idea. And the cilantro lime sauce is borrowed from one of my favorite ever shrimp taco recipes because I look for excuses to re-make that sauce whenever possible.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce

4.9 from 78 reviews

Author: Lindsay
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Print Recipe

Description

These vegetarian tacos have a deliciously satisfying black bean filling with fresh salsa and seasonings all tucked into a golden crispy tortilla and served alongside a cool and creamy cilantro lime sauce. YUM!

Ingredients

Units

Crispy Black Bean Tacos

1 (14 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4-ish cup of your favorite salsa
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
small flour tortillas
olive oil or butter for frying

Cilantro Lime Sauce:

1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup sour cream (sub avocado to keep it dairy free / vegan)

Instructions

Video

Blend all ingredients in the cilantro lime sauce until smooth-ish. Set aside.
In a food processor or chopper, blend the beans, salsa, and taco seasoning. Transfer to a skillet with a drizzle of oil and cook it up long enough to soften the flavors of the garlic and / or onions in the salsa. About 5 minutes is fine.
Spread a few tablespoons of black bean filling into a flour tortilla. Fold in half. Repeat until the filling is used up (about 6-8 tacos).
Heat some oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Fry in a skillet over medium heat, until crispy and golden brown. Dip in cilantro lime sauce. Serve with chips and salsa and a mid-week margarita. You’re welcome.

Equipment

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Notes

Your taco seasoning decision is an important one! They all have varying levels of salt as well as different spices that come through more or less depending on the blend. I am not too picky and will use any grocery store brand I can get my hands on, but one of my favorite next-level taco-seasoning-style blends is called Wow-a Chihuahua. It’s not salted, so you’ll just need to add salt to the recipe if you have a salt-free taco seasoning.

Same goes for the salsa – since there are so few ingredients, the brands you use really impact the end result in terms of flavor. My FAVORITE salsa is called Mateo’s – I can eat so much of this salsa (like, an unadvisable about), plus it’s great in recipes like this one. I like the medium one. I also really love all the Frontera salsas, which they sell at ALDI!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Dinner
Method: Pan Fry
Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired