Best Homemade Tostadas

Homemade tostadas are easy to make and are a nice alternative to a standard taco. This simple recipe is so good, you’ll never make them any other way again!

For a fun flavor twist on this classic tostada recipe, be sure to try our Honey Lime Chicken Toastadas!

These homemade tostadas are the perfect Cinco de Mayo celebration food! You may be thinking that you don’t need a recipe for tostadas, but you do. And this is it.

There is nothing tricky or fancy in this tostada recipe, just basic ingredients done right. The two elevating ingredients for this tostada recipe are homemade refried beans with a hint of garlic and bacon, and a delicious red sauce that will knock your socks off! 

Refried Beans

These refried beans are super simple to make! They require just a little more work than cracking open a can and a little more of your time, but most of the time is spent waiting, not slaving over a hot stove. (And the flavors of these beans are worth the effort – FOR SURE!)

Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

This lovely red homemade enchilada sauce will become your new best friend when you are crafting tostadas, enchiladas, burritos, carnitas, or taquitos. It gives your dish a fancy, gourmet touch that is sure to get five-star reviews! (Please refrain from drinking it straight from the food processor!)

I have such confidence in this tostada recipe’s ability to please that I even made them for my sister-in-law’s family the night before she married my brother. I was cooking for strangers, soon-to-be family, that I had to impress, so I fell back on one of my absolute favorites!

Here is how to make them –

Homemade Tostadas

INGREDIENTS –

• for the beans:
  • dry pinto beans
  • vegetable oil
  • onion
  • salt
  • bacon drippings or vegetable oil
  • garlic
• for the sauce:
  • garlic
  • jalapeño
  • can of fire-roasted tomatoes
  • vegetable oil
• for the tostadas:
  • tostada shells or corn tortillas – I always use storebought shells, but you can make your own tostada shells if you’d like! (I’ve made homemade tortillas, but never homemade tostada shells – I should try it!)
  • toppings:
    • meat – you could use ground beef or ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning, but I prefer the shredded chicken or shredded pork shoulder
    • vegetables –
      • shredded lettuce (romaine or iceberg lettuce)
      • white onion
      • bell peppers
      • cilantro
    • sauces –
      • sour cream
      • guacamole
      • lime juice
      • salsa/ pico de gallo
      • hot sauce
      • queso fresco
    • other toppings –
      • Spanish rice
      • shredded cheddar cheese or grated cotija cheese

INSTRUCTIONS –

Make your refried beans.

• Lay the beans on a large baking sheet to check for stones and rocks.
• Rinse the beans in a colander and then dump them into a large pot.
• Add two quarts of water, the onion, and two tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring the water to a boil.
• Transfer the beans and water into your slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours. When the beans are tender, stir in 1½ tablespoons salt.
• At this point, you can smash them and just have smashed beans, or you can fry them up in a bit of garlic and bacon grease and have heaven here on earth. (If you need, you can refrigerate the beans after they have cooked in the crock-pot and save the frying and smashing for day two.)
• To fry them, heat vegetable oil or bacon drippings over medium heat in a large skillet or pan. Add the garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute.
• Add the beans and enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and start to smash the beans with a potato masher. Continue to smash and stir for 5-10 minutes until the beans are the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Don’t overcook or the beans will get dried out. Salt to taste.
• Remove from the heat and enjoy.

Make your enchilada sauce.

• Turn on your blender or food processor running. Drop in the garlic, one clove at a time, and the jalapeño one quarter at a time, letting each piece get finely chopped before adding the next.
• Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and juice and continue to process until the mixture is smooth.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a pan to medium and then add the sauce.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened just a little.
• Keep warm until ready to serve.

Build Your Tostada

• Heat your tostada shells by placing them on a baking sheet a putting them in the oven for a few minutes. You can brush them with olive oil or cooking spray before baking for the perfect crispness, or sprinkle some cheese for some melty goodness! Just be sure to watch them carefully as they will start to burn FAST!
• Cover the shells with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel until you are ready to add the toppings to them.
• Build upon your tostada shell with a single layer of your favorite toppings, starting with a layer of refried beans + sauce, then the meat, lettuce, guacamole or diced avocado, sour cream, salsa, a sprinkle of cheese, etc.
• Eat and enjoy!

LEFTOVER CHICKEN TOSTADAS – Any extra beans and sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can freeze your enchilada sauce if you put it in a freezer bag. It will last up to 6 months.

Here are a few more recipes we think you’ll love – 

• Honey and Lime Chicken Enchiladas
• Deconstructed Enchiladas
• Build Your Own Burrito Bar

Here is a printable recipe card for your convenience –

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Easy Homemade Tostadas

Servings: 1 Tostada

These homemade tostadas are the perfect Cinco de Mayo celebration food! You may be thinking that you don’t need a recipe for tostadas, but you do. And this is it.

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:6 hrs

Total Time:6 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients

for the refried beans

• 1 pound dry pinto beans
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into large segments
• salt
• 2 tablespoons bacon drippings or vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

for the red sauce

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 jalapeño chili, stemmed and cut into quarters
• 1- 28 ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil

you will also need

• one package tostada shells
• cooked, shredded chicken or shredded pork shoulder
• iceberg or romaine lettuce, sliced in thin ribbons
• sour cream
• guacamole
• white onion, sliced thin
• cilantro, chopped
• cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

for the refried beans

• Lay the beans on a large baking sheet to check for stones and rocks.
• Rinse the beans in a colander and then dump into a large pot.
• Add two quarts of water, the onion and two tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring the water to a boil.
• Transfer the beans and water into your slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours. When the beans are tender, stir in 1½ tablespoons salt.
• At this point you can smash them and just have smashed beans, or you can fry them up in a bit of garlic and bacon grease and have heaven here on earth. (If you need, you can refrigerate the beans after they have cooked in the crock-pot and save the frying and smashing for day two.)
• To fry them, heat vegetable oil or bacon drippings over medium heat in a large pan. Add the garlic and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute.
• Add the beans and enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a simmer and start to smash the beans with a potato masher. Continue to smash and stir for 5-10 minutes until the beans are the consistency of soft mashed potatoes. Don’t over cook or the beans will get dried out. Salt to taste.
• Remove from the heat and enjoy.

for the red sauce

• Turn on your blender or food processor running. Drop in the garlic, one clove at a time and the jalapeño one quarter at a time, letting each piece get finely chopped before adding the next.
• Add the fire roasted tomatoes and juice and continue to process until the mixture is smooth.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a pan to medium and then add the sauce.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened just a little.
• Keep warm until ready to serve.

building the perfect tostada

• Build upon your tostada shell, layer by layer of the ingredients of your choice, starting with the beans + sauce, then the meat, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream and cheese.
• Eat and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 270 kcal

Other Notes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: dinner, slow cooker

ABOUT THE AUTHORS – Kristen and Camille are the delicious duo from Culinary Mamas. One of their goals is to help families cook up wholesome, healthy dinners that kids actually eat. The Culinary Mamas were contributors to Somewhat Simple in 2014.