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These open-face tostadas are topped with all of your favorite Mexican ingredients! These tasty tostadas are a frequent meal in our house.
Topped with Canned Refried Beans, cheese, and toppings, we love to serve tostadas with our Homemade Salsa and a side of Mexican Rice.
Gotta Love Fried Tortillas!
A tostada is a crunchy fried tortilla that is topped with any Mexican topping or ingredient you like. Almost like an open-faced taco!
We’ve made tostadas my entire life, and they’re a family favorite for dinner and one we have at ever Cinco de Mayo and Mexican fiesta because they’re simple, delicious and loved by all.
Get ready for one of the easiest Mexican dishes you’ll ever make!
Why we love them:
- Prep ahead for gatherings. The ability to prepare the toppings and shells in advance allows for stress-free entertaining.
- Individual assembly. Lay out all the toppings, fry some tortillas, and everyone can assemble their tostadas – easy!
- Make it your own. I love making tostadas because there are no wrong ingredients to put on top. Sometimes we do beef or chicken tostadas with rice and other toppings.
- No waste. Making tostadas is a great way to use up stale corn tortillas.
TOstada Ingredients
- refried beans
- Crisco shortening
- milk
- shredded Mexican blend – or Colby Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, cotija cheese
- vegetable oil – canola oil or olive oil labeled for frying
- corn tortillas – or skip the frying time and buy a package of store-bought tostada shells. Simply top the crispy tortilla and eat.
- salt to taste
- toppings – shredded cooked chicken, beef or pork; shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, hot sauce, salsa, avocado cream sauce, guacamole.
How to Make Tostadas
- BEANS. Combine beans, shortening, and milk in a pot over medium heat. Stir vigorously with a wire whisk until silky smooth. Add cheese and let melt, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Tortillas. You’ll need about 12 corn tortillas for this recipe, but you can easily adjust it for how many people you’re serving. Heat ½ inch oil in a medium saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat.
- Fry tortillas one at a time for 30–60 seconds on each side, until golden. Place them in a single layer on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil and sprinkle with salt.
- ENJOY! When ready to serve, top each tortilla with beans, then add any desired toppings.
Recipe Tips
- Oven-baked tortillas. Brush both sides of the tortilla with vegetable oil, or spray generously with cooking spray, and sprinkle with salt.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 5 minutes until tortillas are toasted and crisp, then flip over and bake for another 2-3 minutes.
- Serving suggestions.
- Meat. Cafe Rio Shredded Chicken, Sweet Pork Barbacoa, or shredded or ground beef mixture (or use a leftover Carne Asada)
- Cheese. shredded cheddar cheese or cotija cheese
- Sauce. Green Enchilada Sauce, Homemade Salsa, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, Black Bean and Corn Salsa, or sour cream
- Lime. spritz with lime juice to add a bright flavor
- Veggies. chopped tomatoes, queso fresco, cilantro, green onions, peppers, olives, avocados, or lettuce
Storage Tips
- Make tostadas ahead of time. Prepare all of your toppings and keep them in separate air-tight containers in the fridge. I suggest frying up the tortillas right before serving them. This tostada recipe is best when served warm!
- STORE. We like to make fresh tostada tortillas, but you can make these up to 48 hours in advance. Just store them in a Ziploc bag to keep them crunchy until serving.
For More Favorite Mexican Dishes:
Tostadas Recipe
Ingredients
Creamy Refried Beans
- 1 (30-ounce) can refried beans
- ¼ cup Crisco shortening
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1½ cups shredded Mexican blend or Colby Jack cheese
Tostadas
- ½-1 cup vegetable oil
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
- salt to taste
Toppings
- shredded cooked chicken, beef or pork; shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes
Instructions
- Combine beans, shortening, and milk in a pot over medium heat. Stir vigorously with a wire whisk until silky smooth. Add cheese and let melt, then remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat ½ inch oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Fry tortillas one at a time for 30–60 seconds on each side, until golden. Place on a paper towel–lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
- When ready to serve, top each tortilla with beans, then add any desired toppings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
skip frying tortillas and taco shells just buy fresh uncooked tortillas heat dry skillet and cook till crisp
That would work too!
I just love you’re work babbeeee! It’s so amazing I just want to be like you and make my munchkins happy and full of your delicious masterpiece. My cutie would also destroy these after a long day of hard work.
This is really flavorful! Super loved the seasonings in it! Thank you so much for sharing this amazing tostadas recipe! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Another favOrite recipe! My family loves these. I think they come together pretty quickly. I also love the salad on top. What a great combination of flavors.