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This black bean tacos recipe takes just 15 minutes! It’s a fast and easy dinner idea that’s easy to customize and pleases everyone.

Black bean tacos
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On the lookout for those elusive recipes that are healthy, easy and delicious? Meet our new favorite: these easy Black Bean Tacos! We created this recipe to be totally customizable based on your diet and available time. It stars our 5 minute black beans, a quick taco filling idea that’s bursting with flavor in just a few minutes. Top it with all the best taco toppings: corn, avocado, pickled onions: and a sprinkling of feta cheese. If you have time, we love it with cilantro lime sauce: but taco sauce and sour cream does the trick too! There’s really something for everyone with this one.

More easy taco recipes? Try our Refried Bean Tacos, Mushroom Tacos, Vegan Street Tacos, or Egg Tacos! Or go Tex Mex with the Taco Salad, Vegan Taco Salad or Taco Soup.

How to make the easiest black bean tacos

These black bean tacos are beyond easy: and they work with whatever toppings you’d like! The secret behind them is the easy black bean filling. Here’s what to know about how to make the fastest black bean tacos there are:

  • Mince garlic, then cook 30 seconds in butter and olive oil. The combination of two cooking fats makes for the very best flavor. But you can substitute all olive oil if you’d like!
  • Add drained but not rinsed black beans and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Here’s the key: a little bit of the can liquid will remain on the beans, making a thick sauce for the tacos.
  • Note: all black bean brands are different. Some canned black beans are more tender than others. We like this best with a black bean brand that’s very tender vs a more al dente type of bean. You’ll have to experiment to find your favorite!
Black bean tacos recipe

Customize your taco toppings!

Once you’ve got the black bean filling, it’s time for toppings! We’ve listed our favorite toppings in the recipe below. You can customize based on your preferences and diet. But it is important to have a few elements. Here’s what to note about topping your black bean toppings:

  • Crunchy veggies are required! Because black beans are soft in texture, you’ll need a crunchy contrast. Here we used chopped romaine and corn. Use these if at all possible!
  • You’ll need a good sauce. A good sauce is the key to a tasty taco! Purchased taco sauce or salsa and sour cream is the fastest option. If you have 5 minutes, make our Cilantro Lime Sauce.
  • Cheese is nice, but optional. We like adding a sprinkle of feta crumbles or queso fresco: you can also use shredded cheese.
  • Add other veggies as desired! We love it with avocado and the bright tang of pickled red onions, made in advance. A few sliced jalapeno peppers are nice too. If you have lots of time, make them with roasted sweet potatoes for an even tastier taco!
Black bean tacos

Sauce options for black bean tacos!

There are lots of other sauce options for these tacos! Here are a few more great options listed in terms of timing and diet preferences:

Tip: warm your tortillas

Here’s our biggest tip for black bean tacos: warm your tortillas! There’s nothing worse than a taco with a tough, cold tortilla. Here’s how to warm tortillas like a pro:

  • Place them over the flame of a gas burner (preferred!). The best way? Place each tortilla directly on a gas burner for a few seconds per side. It lightly chars the edges and warms the tortillas. Then throw them into a tortilla warmer!
  • Or, warm them in the oven. If you don’t have a gas burner, you can warm them in the oven. Go to How to Warm Tortillas.
Black bean tacos

Make gluten free or vegan black bean tacos

It’s easy to adapt these black bean tacos for various diets! Here’s what to do:

  • For gluten free, use corn tortillas. There are also lots of gluten free tortilla options these days, like cassava, sweet potato, and more. Check your local grocery!
  • For vegan, use vegan toppings. Use all olive oil for the black beans and omit the cheese toppings. Add a vegan sauce like Cilantro Sauce.

Black beans nutrition

What makes these black bean tacos such a great healthy dinner idea? They star black beans! Black beans are:

  • Excellent source of protein. 1 cup has 15 grams of protein, about 30% of your daily protein needs.
  • Excellent source of fiber. 1 cup also has 15 grams of fiber, about 50% of your daily intake.
  • Lower glycemic index compared to many other high-carbohydrate foods, meaning they cause a smaller rise in blood sugar after a meal.
Black bean tacos

This black bean tacos recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.

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Easy Black Bean Tacos (15 Minutes!)

Black bean tacos
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4.3 from 3 reviews

This black bean tacos recipe takes just 15 minutes! It’s a fast and easy dinner idea that’s easy to customize and pleases everyone.

  • Author: Sonja Overhiser
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8 tacos (4 servings) 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Mexican inspired
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the black beans*

  • 2 15-ounce can black beans
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 tablespoon butter (or substitute more olive oil for vegan)
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • 1 scant teaspoon kosher salt

For the tacos

Instructions

  1. Make the black beans: Drain the beans, but don’t rinse them. Mince the garlic. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds until fragrant but not yet browned. Add the beans (drained but not rinsed), cumin, kosher salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until warmed through and the liquid cooks down and thickens. Taste and add additional salt if desired. 
  2. Assemble the toppings: Review the toppings above and prep them as desired.
  3. Warm the tortillas: Warm and char the tortillas by placing them on an open gas flame on medium for a few seconds per side, flipping with tongs, until they are slightly blackened and warm. (See How to Warm Tortillas.)
  4. Serve: Place the black beans in the tortillas, then top with toppings and enjoy. 

Notes

*Variation: Add Roasted sweet potatoes to make Sweet potato black bean tacos.

**If you have 5 minutes, it’s well worth it to make the Cilantro Lime Sauce! Or make the vegan Creamy Cilantro Sauce in advance.

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About the authors

Alex & Sonja

Hi! We’re Alex & Sonja Overhiser, authors of the acclaimed cookbooks A Couple Cooks and Pretty Simple Cooking—and a real life couple who cooks together. We founded the A Couple Cooks website in 2010 to share seasonal recipes and the joy of home cooking. Now, we’ve got over 3,000 well-tested recipes, including Mediterranean diet, vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, smoothies, cocktails, and more!

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6 Comments

  1. Mark says:

    I wish I’d ignored the instructions and rinsed the beans; maybe I wouldn’t be in such intestinal distress right now 😮






  2. Lauren says:

    This was so easy and just delicious! The perfect hot, summer night meal. I used the box of black beans from 365 Whole Foods brand and they were very soft.






  3. Annie says:

    These are so good! We made it with the cilantro lime sauce and they made great tacos! We also tried the feta cheese and we were surprised at how good the feta was on tacos!






    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      So glad you enjoyed them!

  4. Cindy S. says:

    I would really appreciate it if you could recommend some brands of canned black beans that are more tender. Pretty please! Am looking forward to trying this recipe! Thanks for your help!

    1. Alex Overhiser says:

      Hi! My personal favorite is the boxed beans from Whole Foods (store brand 365 Organic beans). Otherwise, I usually buy whatever organic option is available at the store I’m at.