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Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw (So Easy!)

This Crispy Black Bean Tacos recipe features spiced black beans with a crunchy cilantro lime slaw, crumbled cheese, and creamy chipotle lime taco sauce. Enjoy it all stuffed inside a crispy corn tortilla. The best thing about these black bean tacos is that the recipe is so simple to prepare! Black Bean Tacos make great addition to your healthy eating meal plan if you’re trying to eat more meatless recipes

overhead photo of black bean tacos on a cutting board

Making this Black Bean Tacos Recipe

Sometimes you are hungry for dinner and you want it fast. Or maybe you don’t want a big mess to clean up, lots of pots and pans to wash, lots of ingredients to buy.

Whatever the case may be, these tacos are great. It’s been a while since I’ve made tacos for dinner. Having a bit of a craving for Mexican food, but something different, I thought I’d give these a try.

I picked up a purple cabbage instead of prepackaged coleslaw mix. I thought it would be prettier, more colorful, and apparently very nutritious.

And, cabbage is so cheap. Packaged salad mixes are not so cheap in comparison. I added a bit of grated carrot, and in just a few minutes I had my own “coleslaw mix.”

I thought the coleslaw part of the tacos could make an excellent salad as well. Just toss the veggies with the beans, the lime juice and olive oil, and serve the dressing on the side.

It is fabulously crunchy and fresh tasting and would be great to go with something off the grill in the summertime.

overhead photo of ingredients to make black bean tacos

Why I Loved these Easy Black Bean Tacos

I enjoyed this meal so much, and not just because it was fast and easy. The textures and flavors were unique, it turned out so pretty with all the brightly colored vegetables.

These crispy black bean tacos were different and interesting, but in the best way possible. Sometimes simple ingredients can be combined in a way that wows, and that’s always a nice surprise.

Hubby’s first question after taking a a bite was: what is this dressing? Apparently, he liked it too!

And you know what? The variations of these are limitless. A few days later we still had most of the ingredients for the slaw, but I had used the last can of black beans.

So, I threw the slaw together, added sliced yellow and orange bell pepper (carrot was gone) and made the tacos for lunch using shredded chicken mixed with salsa I had in the freezer leftover from enchiladas.

photo of black bean tacos being prepared

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Ingredients these Crunchy Black Bean Tacos

Here’s a quick ingredient checklist of what’s required to make the different elements for this easy recipe for black bean tacos:

For the Black Bean Filling

  • Black Beans
  • Ground Cumin

For the Cilantro Lime Slaw

  • Olive Oil
  • Lime Juice
  • Purple Cabbage
  • Carrot
  • Green Onion
  • Fresh Cilantro

For the Creamy Chipotle Lime Taco Sauce

  • Sour Cream
  • Lime Zest
  • Chipotle Hot Sauce

For Taco Assembly

  • Corn Tortillas
  • Crumbled Feta Cheese, Queso Fresco, or Cotija

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

photo of cilantro lime slaw in a bowl

How to Make these Healthy Black Bean Tacos

First, place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Then, mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl. After that, add cabbage, carrot, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat.

Next, season slaw to taste with salt and pepper. Then, for the dressing, mix sour cream, lime zest and chipotle hot sauce in a small bowl, set aside.

After that, heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (I found that using a griddle like pan was best because I could fit several at once) Then, add tortillas in single layer.

Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Then, fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side.

Lastly, fill tacos with feta and slaw. Serve, passing the creamy chipotle lime sauce alongside.

The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.

photo of woman squeezing lime into a bowl of cilantro lime slaw

Time Saving Tips for Making Simple Black Bean Tacos

Here are a few of my time saving tips that make preparing this easy meatless taco recipe even easier:

  • Try store bought crunchy taco shells if you don’t have time to cook the corn tortillas
  • Look for already seasoned refried beans (they even make refried black beans) if you don’t have time to prepare the black bean mixture
  • Steam flour tortillas in a microwave tortilla seamer instead of frying the tortillas
  • The slaw can be made a day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

What to Serve with these Vegetarian Bean Tacos

Here are some great recipe ideas to serve alongside these yummy black bean tacos:

photo of woman dipping black bean tacos into crema

Recipe Substitutes

If you prefer your black bean tacos to have meat, then add the black bean taco filling to some Crock-Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken or Ground Beef cooked and seasoned with Spicy Taco Seasoning.

You could also substitute the cans of black beans for another bean, like pinto beans, if you like if you don’t have black beans on hand.

For a vegan tacos, just use your favorite vegan cheese and vegan sour cream in place of conventional dairy products when making this black bean taco recipe.

How to Store Leftover Black Bean Tacos

Leftovers are best stored as individual components in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Then, reheat the black beans and assemble fresh tacos using the leftover black beans, cilantro lime slaw, and chipotle lime sauce.

Leftovers will stay fresh for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

photo of black bean tacos on a cutting board

More Easy Recipes for Taco Tuesday

Looking for more simple recipes to cook up for your Taco Tuesday meals? Here are a few of our favorite easy ideas:

This Chorizo and Eggs Scramble is a fun way to mix things up for breakfast. Traditional scrambled eggs are combined with fresh spinach, cilantro, and spicy chorizo sausage. It also tastes great inside a tortilla!

You won’t miss the meat in these Vegetarian Fajitas. They’re made with bell peppers and mushrooms, and flavored with a homemade fajita marinade!

Next time you’re craving Pork Carnitas, try this Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas Lettuce Wrap version. Top it off with some fruity Mango Salsa for a fresh burst of flavor.

This Layered Chicken Taco Salad in a Jar is a great way to experiment with this trend. I love layered salads for their ease of use as well as customization.

Homemade Spanish Rice loaded with all your favorite taco toppings for a tasty Spanish Rice Taco Salad Bowl

This Restaurant Style Salsa Recipe is a mix of tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, onion, fresh garlic, cilantro, lime, and a few other seasonings. This recipe for salsa is so easy to make, you can prepare it in a matter of minutes!

Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.

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photo of black bean tacos

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

Yield: 4 tacos
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

This Crispy Black Bean Tacos recipe features spiced black beans with a crunchy cilantro lime slaw, crumbled cheese, and creamy chipotle lime taco sauce. Enjoy it all stuffed inside a crispy corn tortilla.

Ingredients

For the Black Bean Filling

  • 15 ounce can black beans, drained
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin

For the Cilantro Lime Slaw

  • 5 tsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 Tbs fresh lime juice
  • 2 cups purple cabbage, sliced thin
  • 1/2 of a carrot, grated
  • 3 green onions, chopped
  • 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

For the Creamy Chipotle Lime Taco Sauce

  • 1/3 c sour cream
  • zest of 1 small lime
  • 2 Tbs bottled chipotle hot sauce

For Taco Assembly

  • 4 white or yellow corn tortillas
  • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

Prepare the Black Bean Taco Filling

  1. Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Then, set aside.

Prepare the Cilantro Lime Slaw

  1. Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add cabbage, carrot, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat.
  2. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Prepare the Creamy Chipotle Lime Taco Sauce

  1. For the taco sauce, mix sour cream, lime zest and chipotle hot sauce in a small bowl, set aside.

Cook the Tortillas

  1. Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (I found that using a griddle like pan was best because I could fit several at once)
  2. Add tortillas in single layer and cook until crispy on each side.

Assembling the Tacos

  1. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side.
  2. Fill tacos with feta and slaw. Serve passing the taco sauce alongside.

Notes

Black Bean Taco Recipe Substitutes

If you prefer your black bean tacos to have meat, then add the black bean taco filling to some Crock-Pot Mexican Shredded Chicken or Ground Beef cooked and seasoned with Spicy Taco Seasoning.

You could also substitute the cans of black beans for another bean, like pinto beans, if you like if you don’t have black beans on hand.

For a vegan tacos, just use your favorite vegan cheese and vegan sour cream in place of conventional dairy products when making this black bean taco recipe.

adapted from Bon Appetit

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As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 258Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 21mgSodium 731mgCarbohydrates 29gFiber 10gSugar 4gProtein 10g

GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love it if you let me know what you think! Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram at @goodlifeeats with the hashtag #goodlifeeatsrecipes so I can see what you’re cooking up in YOUR kitchen!

Chez Us

Wednesday 4th of March 2009

I recently made these as well, but did not know there was a Bon Appetite recipe. We had some in Mexico and tried to reproduce. The cabbage kind of makes it!

mieked14

Friday 20th of February 2009

love the look and how easy these are to make. I'll definitely be trying them.

Ashley

Monday 16th of February 2009

These look delicious and light at the same time. Can't wait to try them!

pickycook

Monday 16th of February 2009

totally gonna make these. love all the colors!

RecipeGirl

Monday 16th of February 2009

Sounds delicious and light!

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