Get ready to have a new favorite taco. These black bean tacos are just cheesy enough, seasoned with so much flavor, and so easy to make thanks to the oven. I highly recommend making the avocado cream sauce and (if you’re up for it) the pickled onion. The combination is incredible!

A metal sheet pan with crispy bean and cheese tacos. There is a metallic bowl with a bright green, creamy, avocado sauce. Some of the tacos are topped with a dollop of green sauce and a couple slices of pink pickled onions and flaky sea salt.

Table of Contents

This recipe is…

GFGluten FreeVGVegetarian

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These black bean tacos are impossibly easy and delicious. Canned black beans are generously seasoned with my favorite taco blend, then they’re layered in a corn tortilla with shredded cheese and baked until melty and even a little crispy.

If you’re into avocado and dips for your tacos, don’t skip the avocado sauce. It’s a little tangy, creamy, and goes SO well with these tacos. I also highly recommend a generous sprinkle of either pickled or fresh red onion.

Looking for more taco recipes? Check out our beef birria tacos, crispy ground beef tacos, ground chicken tacos, and shredded chicken tacos!

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Below, you’ll find everything you’ll need for these black bean tacos, along with any possible ingredient substitutions. All ingredient amounts can be found in the recipe card.

Ingredients for crispy black bean tacos sit in a variety of bowls on a marble countertop.

For the Tacos

For the Sauce

Optional Garnish

How to Make

These black bean tacos are incredibly easy to pull together. Here’s how you’ll do it:

A hand pouring black beans into a white bowl on a grey and white marble surface with a white background.
Hand holding a light pink, silicone brush brushing olive oil on 6 tortillas on a metal sheet pan on a grey and white marble surface.
A hand scooping a tablespoon of shredded cheese over top of black beans and shredded cheese on a metal sheet pan.
A hand pouring a small plate full of spices into a white bowl sitting on a grey and white marble surface with a white background.
Hand scooping a tablespoon of shredded cheese onto a corn tortilla. The corn tortilla is on a metal sheet pan with 5 other corn tortillas.
Top down of a metal sheet pan with 12 tortillas filled with beans and cheese folded in half.
One hand holding a white bowl with black bean and spice mixture and the other stirring with a wooden spoon. The bowl is on a black and white marble surface.
A hand scooping a tablespoon of black beans over top of shredded cheese on a corn tortilla on a metal sheet pan.
Top down of a metal sheet pan with 12 tortillas filled with beans and cheese folded in half, crisped, and baked.
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Mix together the beans, spice, and lime juice – in a medium bowl, mix together the beans, spices, and lime juice.
  3. Heat the tortillas – wrap the tortillas in a towel and microwave on high for 60 seconds.
  4. Brush (or spray) the tortillas with olive oil – spray or brush 1 side of the tortillas with olive oil, then flip them over and place them on a sheet pan. If your sheet pan is not large enough to hold all of the tortillas, you can work in batches.
  5. Assemble the tacos – sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese on half of the tortilla. Top the cheese with 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture. Then, finish with another tablespoon of cheese. Fold the tortillas in half. Repeat for each of the tortillas.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes.
  7. Make the sauce – while the tacos bake, make the avocado cream sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blending together until smooth.
  8. Garnish and serve – serve alongside the avocado cream sauce and garnish with cilantro and a quick pickled onion.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

Use white corn tortillas – we found that these are more pliable than yellow corn tortillas and do not break when baking.

Heat the tortillas – don’t skip this step! Heating the tortillas in the microwave before assembling the tacos makes them more pliable and less prone to cracking.

Taco Topping Ideas

GIVE ME ALL THE TACO TOPPINGS! In addition to the avocado lime cream sauce, we added cilantro and pickled red onions to the tacos to really make the flavor pop. If you’re looking for other delicious topping ideas, though, we’ve got you! Here are some of our favorites:

  • Spicy ranch (instead of the avocado lime sauce)
  • Sour cream
  • Regular diced onions (vs. pickled)
  • Sliced Avocado
  • Guacamole
  • Pico de gallo
A hand holding a black bean and cheese taco topped with a dollop of a creamy, green sauce and a couple pink pickled onions held over a teal surface with a green linen draped in the background.

How to Store and Reheat

Store leftover black bean tacos in an airtight container in the fridge. Stored this way, they’ll keep for up to 5 days.

When it comes to reheating, you’ve got a couple of options:

  • Microwave (quickest method, but results in less crispy tacos) – place the tacos on a microwave-safe plate and pop into the microwave for 1-2 minutes, until heated through.
  • Air fryer (pretty quick, and results in crispy reheated tacos) – place leftover tacos in the air fryer basket and air fry at 350°F for about 7 minutes, until heated through.
  • Oven (not as quick, but results in crispy tacos) – place the tacos on a sheet pan and then into a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes, until heated through.
Can I meal prep these black bean tacos?

You can absolutely meal prep these tacos! To do this, you can either…

Make the black bean filling, avocado cream sauce, and pickled onions ahead of time to make the day-of assembly a breeze, OR…

Fully assemble the tacos and reheat them on the night of, using either the oven or air-fryer methods above.

Should you rinse black beans for tacos?

Yes, this recipe calls for rinsing the black beans before mixing them with the spices and lime juice.

Which tortillas are best for tacos?

Glad you asked! Interestingly enough, throughout the development of this recipe, we actually discovered that white corn tortillas are more pliable and don’t crack nearly as easily as yellow corn tortillas. For that reason, we recommend white corn tortillas if you can find them.

A metal sheet pan with crispy bean and cheese tacos. There is a metallic bowl with a bright green, creamy, avocado sauce and a wooden bowl with pink pickled onions. There is a green linen draped to the side. Some of the tacos are topped with a dollop of green sauce and a couple slices of pink pickled onions. All are sitting on a teal surface.

More Favorite Taco Recipes

Sheet pan with cooked shredded chicken tacos topped with chopped cilantro, quarters of fresh lime, and a small, wooden bowl with creamy dipping sauce.Shredded Chicken Taco RecipeTop down view of three chicken Tinga tacos on a teal plate. The tacos are topped with cilantro, avocado, a drizzle of crema, with a side of lime. There is an avocado cut in half on the table as well as charred corn tortillas, a plate of purple cabbage slaw, a bowl of chopped cilantro, and a sheet pan with chicken Tinga. All are sitting on a teal surface.Easy Chicken Tinga Tacosthe side view of a platter of shrimp tacos (filled with seared shrimp, sliced avocado, red cabbage, and a creamy green yogurt sauce) sitting next to a bowl filled with more sauce all sitting on a marble surfaceEasy Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Citrus SauceGrey tabletop with three salmon tacos on charred corn tortillas garnished with pineapple salsa, jalapeno, and cilantro.How to Make Salmon TacosInstant Pot Tacos Al PastorTacos Al Pastor RecipeTwo plates of blackened fish tacos on round plates garnished with cilantro and a lime wedge. The plates are on a teal surface with glasses of ice water and a light blue linen draped in the top right corner. There is a white bowl with avocado cream with a bronze spoon.Blackened Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slawthree instant pot bbq chicken tacos topped with black bean and corn salsa on a wooden plate on a marble surfaceBBQ Chicken Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsabeef carne asada on top of kale and slaw in a corn tortilla on a marble boardCarne Asada Tacos Recipe with Adobo-Lime Marinade

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Avocado Cream Sauce Recipe

4.77 — Votes 17 votes
By Cassy Joy Garcia
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
Servings: 12 Tacos
A metal sheet pan with crispy bean and cheese tacos. There is a metallic bowl with a bright green, creamy, avocado sauce and a wooden bowl with pink pickled onions. There is a green linen draped to the side. Some of the tacos are topped with a dollop of green sauce and a couple slices of pink pickled onions.
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These black bean tacos are just cheesy enough, seasoned with so much flavor, and so easy to make thanks to the oven.

Ingredients  

For the Tacos

  • 1 15.5-ounce can black beans rinsed
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1½ cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
  • 12 white corn tortillas
  • Olive oil for brushing on tortillas (about ½ teaspoon per tortilla)

For the Sauce

  • 1 avocado
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • 1 lime juiced
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

Optional Garnish

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together the beans, spices, and lime juice.
  • Wrap the tortillas in a towel and microwave on high for 60 seconds.
  • Spray or brush 1 side of the tortillas with olive oil, then flip them over and place them on top of a sheet pan. If your sheet pan is not large enough to hold all of the tortillas, you can work in batches.
  • Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese on half of the tortilla. Top the cheese with 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture. Then, finish with another tablespoon of cheese. Fold the tortillas in half. Repeat for each of the tortillas.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • While the tacos bake, make the avocado cream sauce by adding all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
  • Serve alongside the avocado cream sauce and garnish with cilantro and quick pickled onions.

Recipe Notes

Recipe Tips and Tricks
  • Use white corn tortillas – we found that these are more pliable than yellow corn tortillas and do not break when baking.
  • Heat the tortillas – don’t skip this step! Heating the tortillas in the microwave before assembling the tacos makes them more pliable and less prone to cracking.

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 426mg | Potassium: 211mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 566IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 195mg | Iron: 1mg

Additional Info

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Tex Mex
Servings: 12 Tacos
Calories: 150
Keyword: black beans, oven baked tacos

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Brandi Schilhab

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14 Comments

  2. This was so simple and so delicious! The amount of flavor impressed me SO much! Will be making this on repeat.

    Reply

    1. We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Kimmy! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!

  3. 5 stars
    I have a couple things to say. I LOVE this website, it is my go to several times a week for family friendly, easy, healthy recipes. Thank you to Cassy and the team for all that you do. I made these crispy tacos tonight and they were a hit! The sauce is so delicious, I could eat it with a spoon. I used flour tortillas because that’s what we had on hand and they turned out great. I also finely chopped up a bit of fresh spinach to sneak in extra veg for the kids and it was tasty in the tacos and a bit in the sauce. Super yum, so quick and easy!!

    Reply

    1. Rachel! Thank you so much for sharing this with us – it means more than you know! We’re so glad you loved this recipe <3!

    1. We’re so glad you loved these, Nicole! Thanks so much for sharing this with us!

  5. 5 stars
    I made these tacos for lunch, and ate them again for dinner! And I might’ve even had them again the next day. These are SO easy to make, and make a fabulous meatless meal.

    Reply

    1. We’re so glad you loved these, Monica! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us!

  6. 5 stars
    My husband asked after his first bite last night if I had followed the recipe instructions. I said yes but subbed smoked paprika for regular paprika because I didn’t have any. He was thankful because he can now recreate these for his crew at the fire station. I’m also horrible about reading all the steps so next time I’ll rinse my black beans. I didn’t do it this time and found the side on the sheet pan to be a little soggy so I flipped them halfway through and made both sides crunchy. definitely going into our meal rotation!!

    Reply

    1. Aw, Jill! That is so sweet. We hope the crew loves the tacos as much as he did!

  7. Questin: Can fresh parsley be substituted for cilantro? I absolutely do not like the taste of cilantro. Without it or having a substitute for it will be wonderful. I do want to make this recipe when the family comes to visit.

    Have a wonderful spring.

    Mary

    Reply

    1. We’d recommend using a green onion, Mary! I hope that helps!