Easy Vegetarian Tostadas Recipe (2024)

Published: Jun 29, 2021 by Caitlyn Erhardt · This post may contain affiliate links. [feast_privacy_disclosure]

This Vegetarian Tostadas Recipe is ready in only 30 minutes and can be easily customized for everyone in the family. These are packed with veggies, mashed avocado, refried beans and a lime slaw for a tasty and healthy-ish combination!

These Vegetarian Tostadas packs a lot of Mexican inspired flavors and feature a fresh cilantro slaw, cooked veggies, avocados, refried beans and more. These are perfect for a weeknight family dinner and ready in about 30 minutes. For faster and easier prep, some elements can even be made ahead of time for dinner in a flash.

I love making these for my family, because they can be easily customized meaning everyone is happy. Add on all your favorite toppings, swap in some meat or a different vegetable to create your perfect veggie tostada.

Ingredient Notes

Tortillas: Traditionally tostadas are made with corn tortilla shells, and I recommend sticking with that. Flour tortillas do not get crispy with baked or fried and will not have the same effect or flavor.

Refried Beans: Be sure to use vegetarian refried beans with making this tostadas recipe to keep it vegetarian. You can use store bought beans and just warm them up, or make your own from scratch. Personally, I usually go the store bought route to save time.

Avocados: Ripe avocados work best for this vegetarian tostadas, because they mash easily and will have a creamy texture. If you want to save some time on prep you can use guacamole in place of the mashed avocado.

Why You'll LOVE This Recipe!
Prep Ahead Options for Less Mess & Stress at Meal Time
Versatile: Loads of Customizations Ideas and Combinations
Ready in About 30 Minutes

Instructions

Avocado Prep

1. Slice avocados in half with a sharp knife and remove the large seeds.
2. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado halves with a spoon and add to a large prep bowl.
3. Add in lime juice, salt and pepper and mash with a spoon or fork until your desired texture is reached. I like mine a little chunky. Set aside until ready to assemble the tostadas.

Leftover Storage
I recommend storing all the elements of these vegetarian tostadas separately, then assembling when ready to eat. The slaw, sautéed veggies, vegetarian refried beans and mashed avocado should be kept in airtight containers in the fridge. The homemade tostadas shells need to be stored in an airtight bag at room temperature. The shells will last a week, the mashed avocado up to 1 day and the remaining elements will stay fresh for up to 4 days.

Slaw & Tostadas Prep

1. Combine shredded green cabbage, lime juice, salt, pepper, and fresh cilantro to a medium sized prep bowl.
2. Gently toss to combine and set aside.
3. Lay corn tortillas in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Mist both sides with olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
4. Bake at 425 degrees F for 8-10 minutes flipping halfway through. The tortillas should be crispy and slightly browned. While the tortillas are baking cook the vegetables.

Time Saver Tips!
To save on prep work you can make the slaw up to 24 hours ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to use. Additionally, you can bake the tostada shells ahead of time and store at room temperature, or use a store-bought brand.

Veggie Prep

1. Slice and chop your red onion.
2. Remove the ribs and seeds and chop the orange pepper into small pieces.
3. Slice and chop the zucchini into small pieces. Make sure to salt it a big to help it release some excess moisture.
4. Add chopped vegetables, frozen corn, lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika to a large skillet. cook on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes until vegetables are soft and fragrant.

Additional Veggie Ideas
I really enjoy the veggie combination I use, but some others can be added or swapped in. You could use a different variety of pepper or onion, add some diced jalapeno for some spice, chopped tomatoes, or diced potatoes.

Assembly

Now that all the elements are completed, it is time to assemble the tostadas. I usually let every assemble there own, so they can be customized the each individuals liking.

1. Begin by gently smearing some warm refried beans on a warm tostada shells. I usually use ¼-1/3 of a cup for each tostada.
2. Next, smear on some of the mashed avocado. I usually add about 2 tablespoon per tostada.
3. Divide the cooked veggies between the 6 tostadas and add over top of the mashed avocado.
4. Finally sprinkle on some of the cilantro lime slaw over top.
5. Now, you can customize a bit more. You can add some cheese (my favorite is cotija), salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, fresh cilantro, or more.

Meat Options
If vegetarian isn't your jam, you can absolutely add in some meat in place of the cooked vegetables. Some good meat options include taco meat, carne asada, cilantro lime chicken or pork carnitas.

FAQS

Pro Tips

Don't Overload
I recommend sticking with the recipe and not adding additional element or the veggie tostadas will be super overloaded and break. You can of course make swaps and substitutions like meat or different veggies, but I recommend subtracting or cutting an element in half when adding something in.

Be Gentle
When spreading on the refried beans and the mashed avocado be careful not to spread too hard of the tostada shell can break. If that happens, no need to fret they will still taste wonderful!

You May Also Enjoy...

Thank you so much for stopping by, if you made this recipe I would love to hear from you below in the comments. If you want to keep up with what The Erhardts are Eating (and exploring) be sure to follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter & Youtube.