Nothing says party food more than this gluten free and vegan tostadas recipe! Bright, fresh pineapple salsa sits atop the yummiest homemade refried white beans. Throw in some salted avocado and sprinkle with vegan cheese for the perfect comida (that's lunch:)
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I love the combination of flavors in this luscious vegan tostadas recipe. I've used my favorite Refried White Beans recipe as the foundation and topped it with my popular Pineapple Salsa. If you love Mexican food, you're going to love vegan tostadas! Let's go Tex-Mex!
So, What Exactly Are Vegan Tostadas?
Tostadas are like a flat version of a taco. They are usually made with corn tortillas, lightly fried in oil. Because the tortilla is flat, as opposed to folded (like a taco) you can pile all kinds of vegan food on top! Help yourself to avocado, tomato, beans, vegan sour cream and delicious salsas.
Tostadas also make a great party food. Line up all the fixings and pass around the tortillas, and let your guests build their own. Because they're gluten free and vegan they're perfect for a crowd, where you may being catering to different dietary needs.
Ingredients in Vegan Tostadas
- Corn Tortillas: This is for your vegan tostada shell. Corn tortillas are healthier than their flour alternative. They're 100% whole grain and provide more fiber than flour tortillas. Plus, they are gluten free! If you don't want to shallow fry the tortillas, you can brush them with a bit of olive oil and bake for 5-10 minutes in a hot oven.
- Pineapple Salsa: This is my favorite Pineapple salsa recipe! It includes pineapple (naturally), juicy tomatoes, spicy chili pepper, cumin, chipotle powder, coriander and zesty lime. It's fresh and zingy and plays a starring role in these tostadas!
- Avocado: What would a tostada be without avocado?
- White Refried Beans: My yummy white refried beans recipe stands in for the traditional black beans normally used in tostadas.
- Lime: Vibrant, bright lime adds a zesty background note.
- Olive oil: You'll be using just a touch to shallow fry your corn tortilla for your vegan tostada shell.
- Salt: Sea salt is flavor enhancer. You need it!
- Vegan Cheese (optional): Sprinkle a bit of vegan cheese over your tostada for an authentic take on this Mexican classic. If you choose not to use cheese, it will still be just as good!
Method
Time needed: 30 minutes.
Let's make gluten free and vegan tostadas!
- Cook the cannellini beans.
Drain and rinse the beans and put them in a medium sized saucepan, add salt and cover with water. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Make the flavor infusion.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan and add the minced garlic and rosemary. Saute until the aromas release, being careful not to burn the garlic. Set the pan aside while the beans finish cooking.
- Get started making your pineapple salsa!
While the beans are simmering, let's get started making your pineapple salsa. Firstly, top, tail, peel and core the pineapple. This is a handy video tutorial for peeling a pineapple if you need it. Now, dice the pineapple, tomato and red onion. Deseed and mince the chili pepper, chop the cilantro (coriander) and combine everything in a medium size bowl. Sprinkle the cumin and chipotle powder over the top and add the lime juice and zest. Mix everything gently and put in the fridge to marinate.
- Make your vegan tostada shells
We're going to shallow fry the shells in a bit of olive oil by heating the oil in a heavy -bottom pan (I like cast iron), and frying the corn tortillas one at a time for about 30 seconds on each side.
- Prepare the avocado.
Peel and core the avocado and chop into bite size pieces. Put the avocado in a small dish and squeeze the lime juice over the top.
- Mash the beans.
Drain the beans, reserving a mugful of the cooking liquid. Now return the beans to their pot, remove the sprig of rosemary from the saute pan and pour the garlic flavored oil over the beans.
Mash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the cooking liquid. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the cooking liquid has been absorbed.
Squeeze in the lemon juice, taste and season with salt and pepper. - Assemble the tostada.
Spread the white refried beans on top of the tostada and top with avocado, vegan cheese and pineapple salsa. Tuck in and enjoy!
Download My Free Vegan Grocery List
Ready to getting your next shopping trip organized? I've put together a printable vegan shopping list that will help beginner vegans navigate the grocery store aisles.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Recipe
Yes, corn tortillas contain nothing but ground up corn.
They sure are! Unlike their flour counterparts, corn tortillas are gluten free!
No, usually canned refried beans include animal fat.
If you like vegan tostadas, you might also like:
Roasted Chickpea Salad With Tahini Sauce
Quinoa Pilaf With Miso Dressing
Vegan and Gluten Free Enchiladas
Recipe
Vegan Tostadas with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
For The White Refried Beans:
- 2 cans cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoon salt divided
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup white onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
For The Pineapple Salsa:
- 2 cups pineapple diced
- 1 cup tomato diced
- ¼ cup red onion finely diced
- ½ cup cilantro (coriander) finely chopped
- 1 red chilli pepper seeds and membrane removed
- 1 lime zest and juice
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder or chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
For The Avocado Topping:
- 1 avocado chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
For The Gluten Free Tostada Shell:
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Optional Topping
- ½ cup vegan cheese
Instructions
- Put the cannellini beans in a medium sized saucepan, add salt and cover with water. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small saute pan and add the minced garlic and rosemary. Saute until the aromas release, being careful not to burn the garlic. Set the pan aside while the beans finish cooking.
- Top, tail, peel and core the pineapple. Dice the fruit into small pieces and place in a medium size bowl.
- Dice the tomato and add to the bowl with the pineapple. Finely chop the red onion and cilantro (coriander) and add to the salsa. Remove the seeds and membrane from the chili pepper and finely chop. Adjust amount used according to taste.
- Zest the lime and squeeze the juice over the salsa. Add the cumin, chipotle powder and sea salt and gently mix to combine. Allow the salsa to rest in the fridge while the beans finish cooking.
- Shallow fry the corn tortillas in the olive oil by heating the oil in a heavy -bottom pan (I like cast iron), and frying the corn tortillas one at a time for about 30 seconds on each side. Set aside on a paper towel lined plate.
- Peel and destone the avocado and chop into bite size pieces. Put it in a small bowl and squeeze the lime juice over the top.
- Drain the beans, reserving a mugful of the cooking liquid. Now return the beans to their pot, remove the sprig of rosemary from the saute pan and pour the garlic flavored oil over the beans. Mash the beans with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add the cooking liquid. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the cooking liquid has been absorbed. Squeeze in the lemon juice, taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Assemble the tortillas by layering the beans, avocado, vegan cheese and pineapple salsa. Tuck in and enjoy!
Lucy
My family loves these
dailydish
I'm so pleased they liked them. They're a favorite at our house too!