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Tacos de frijoles

From WikiTacos, the taco encyclopedia · Taco type
Also known as: Tacos de frijol, Bean tacos

Tacos de frijoles are tacos filled with beans, most often refried beans, sometimes combined with chorizo, cheese, green salsa or potato. They are one of the four classic fillings of the basket taco and among the most basic everyday tacos in Mexico.

Contents
  1. Beans in Mexico
  2. In tacos
  3. Variations
  4. Recipe
  5. Where to try it
  6. Reviews
  7. See also
  8. References

Beans in Mexico

The common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, is native to the Americas. The Larousse encyclopedic dictionary of Mexican gastronomy states that it was domesticated in Mesoamerica about seven thousand years ago, was a key pre-Hispanic food and formed part of the tribute paid to the Mexica. Larousse counts some 470 races, hybrids and varieties grown in Mexico. Preferences are strongly regional: bayo or flor de mayo beans are common in central Mexico, while black beans dominate along the Gulf coast and in the south, including Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, Yucatán and Oaxaca.

Beans are cooked whole in their broth, fried, refried, or prepared as frijoles charros and borrachos, and Larousse lists them as a key ingredient of tlacoyos, gorditas, sopes, enfrijoladas, tostadas, tortas and tamales.

In tacos

Refried beans are one of the four foundational fillings of the taco de canasta, together with potato, chicharrón and adobo. Excélsior explains that basket-taco makers use black or bayo refried beans dried out slightly so the tortilla does not turn soggy during steaming, and México Desconocido mentions the variants of beans with chorizo and beans with green salsa, with the beans sometimes mashed with chipotle. Bean-and-potato tacos are also described in accounts of the miners' tacos from which steamed tacos developed, and refried beans are spread inside the fried tacos envenenados of Zacatecas.

In homes, a taco of warm refried beans with crumbled cheese and salsa is a common quick meal, and beans spread under another filling help anchor it to the tortilla.

Variations

Bean tacos are endlessly adaptable. Refried beans may be fried with chorizo, so the sausage fat flavors the purée, or loosened with green salsa for a tangy filling, both versions described by México Desconocido for basket tacos. In the fried tacos envenenados of Zacatecas, refried beans are spread under potato and chorizo before the tortilla is folded and fried in lard. Whole beans in their broth, frijoles de la olla, can also be spooned into a tortilla with cheese and chile, and black beans mashed with avocado leaf are typical in Oaxaca and the Gulf states. Because beans are cheap, filling and keep well, they remain one of the most economical taco fillings and a frequent base layer under other ingredients, from scrambled egg to chicharrón.

Recipe

Makes 12 tacos · Time: 2 hours (beans from dry); 20 minutes with cooked beans

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked black or bayo beans with some of their broth
  • 3 tablespoons lard or oil
  • 1/4 white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 chipotle in adobo, minced (optional)
  • Salt
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • Crumbled queso fresco and salsa verde for serving

Steps

  1. Heat the lard in a wide skillet and cook the onion until golden.
  2. Add the beans with a splash of broth and the chipotle; mash with a bean masher or potato masher as they heat.
  3. Keep cooking, stirring, until the purée is thick and pulls away from the pan, adding broth if it gets too stiff. Season with salt.
  4. Warm the tortillas, spread each with beans, and add cheese and salsa.
  5. Fold and serve.

For basket-style tacos, cook the beans until quite dry, fill and fold the tortillas, brush with hot chile oil and steam them covered in a towel-lined pot for 20 minutes.

Where to try it

Reviews

Reviews and tips open at launch. Readers will be able to share where they found the best version of this and how they make it at home.

See also

References

  1. "Frijol". Larousse Cocina. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  2. "De Tlaxcala para el mundo: La verdadera historia de los tacos de canasta". Excélsior. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  3. "Tacos de canasta, todo lo que necesitas saber sobre esta delicia popular mexicana". México Desconocido. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
  4. "What's in a name? Terrible-sounding tacos that taste great". Mexico News Daily. Retrieved 2026-10-10.
Categories: Bean dishes Street food Taco types Vegetarian tacos