These flavorful tostadas are made with chipotle roasted sweet potatoes and creamy black beans slathered on crispy shells. Everything gets topped off with a drizzle of avocado-lime dressing for an irresistible Mexican-inspired meal!
Most of my favorite recipes on this site are older ones. Not that the new stuff isn't as good, but after 7 years I've accumulated a few recipes that make it into my repeat file. These tostadas are one of those recipes!
I first shared this recipe back in 2015. I tested it out on my family, and it was a big hit that ended up being served at a several gatherings afterwards.
The problem is that most of my older recipes, even the awesome ones that I love, get overshadowed by newer content, so they don't get nearly enough reader love. That's one of the reasons I remake and reshare a dish from time to time, giving the post a little update in the process. I hope a few of you guys find you love these tostadas as much as my family does.
What You'll Need
- Sweet potato
- Olive oil
- Chipotle chile powder
- Salt & pepper
- Onion
- Garlic
- Canned black beans
- Ground cumin
- Avocado
- Unsweetened non-dairy milk
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime juice
- Tostada shells or corn tortillas
- Lettuce
How to Make Sweet Potato Tostadas
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
This step takes the longest, so start here. You can work on the other components while the sweet potatoes roast.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Optionally peel your sweet potatoes (I never bother), or scrub them, then dice them up and spread them on your baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle them with chipotle powder and salt, and give them a good toss to distribute the seasonings.
Pop them into the oven and bake them until they're soft on the inside and slightly crispy on the outside.
Cook the Beans
Next, start on your refried black beans. This process will be familiar if you've tried my refried pinto beans.
First heat up some oil in a skillet, then add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, until it begins to soften up. Now add cumin and garlic. Cook everything for about a minute, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
Stir in the beans and some water. Bring the water up to a simmer and let the beans cook for about 10 minutes, giving them a stir every so often, until they begin to soften up. You can add more water while they cook if it dries up too much.
Take the beans off of the burner and mash them with a potato masher. Stir in some lime juice, along with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the Dressing
This part is easy! Grab your ingredients: avocado, non-dairy milk, cilantro, and lime juice. Blend everything until smooth and creamy, then season the mixture with salt to taste. You can also thin it with some extra non-dairy milk if you'd like.
Assemble!
You can use store bought tostadas shells, or make your own by brushing some corn tortillas with oil and baking them until they're crispy.
Either way, slather your shells with some black beans, then sprinkle some shredded lettuce on top, followed by sweet potatoes. Drizzle everything with avocado dressing and dig in!
Sweet Potato Tostada Tips & FAQ
- Are these tostadas gluten-free? They are!
- Shelf-life and storage: Store tostada shells in a sealed bag at room temperature. Everything else can be stored in sealed containers in the fridge. Sweet potatoes and black beans will last about 3 days. The dressing might start to brown after a day or two, depending on how fresh your avocado was. Whip up a new batch, or store it in the freezer to keep it fresh longer.
- Are these tostadas spicy? The chipotle chile powder does give them a little kick. For a milder version, substitute some or all of it with smoked paprika.
- Not into tostadas? Stuff the toppings into a taco shell or burrito instead. Or serve them over greens for a super satisfying salad.
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📖 Recipe
Black Bean Sweet Potato Tostadas
Ingredients
For the Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 1 large sweet potato, scrubbed or peeled and diced (½ inch)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- Salt, to taste
For the Refried Black Beans
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup water, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Salt, to taste
For the Dressing
- 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
- ¼ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Salt, to taste
For Serving
- 6 tostada shells*
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Arrange the diced sweet potato on the baking sheet. Drizzle it with olive oil, then sprinkle it with the chile powder and a generous pinch of salt.
- Toss the sweet potato gently with your hands to distribute the oil and seasonings.
- Place the baking sheet into the oven and roast the potatoes for about 25 minutes, flipping halfway through, until soft on the insides and crispy on the outsides.
- Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with salt to taste when they're finished cooking.
Make the Refried Black Beans
- While the sweet potatoes roast, coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.
- When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cumin. Continue cooking and stirring for about 1 minute, until the garlic is very fragrant.
- Stir in the beans and ¼ cup of water. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and simmer the beans for about 10 minutes, until softened slightly. Add water as needed if it dries up while cooking.
- Remove the skillet from heat and mash the beans with a potato masher.
- Season the beans with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.
To Make the Dressing
- Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
- Thin with additional milk if needed and season the dressing with salt to taste.
To Assemble the Tostadas
- Slather each shell with refried beans, then top with lettuce and sweet potatoes. Drizzle with the dressing.
- Serve.
Notes
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Another five star recipe! I love that I can serve each component in separate bowls to allow everyone to build their own. I served it with a dish of sliced avocados and cheated by using bottle dressing. Easy to prepare and lots of great flavor. What more can we ask for?! Love your recipes.
Absolutely yummy. Loved the dressing. I used vegetarian canned refried black beans which made it super simple, we made out own corn tostada shells. Even my carnivores enjoyed it.
I saw your post on google plus, and I had to learn how to make this dish, it looks very tasty.
Thanks Bella!
Oh man, this looks AMAZING. I will be trying asap!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy them!
This recipe is totally out of control amazing and genius. My sister and I made it the other night and subbed in whole wheat tortillas to make wraps...so good! We just sat there in total silence while we ate, speechless in the presence of such deliciousness. This is definitely going to be part of my rotation!
And btw, I just have to say how much I love this blog - every recipe is fantastic and it has really opened up the world of vegan cooking to me! Thanks Alissa!
Awesome! I am so happy to hear all of that. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment - this totally made my day! :)
This is beyond mega yum! Thank you so much Alissa! Love your recipes! Love your photography too!