Air Fryer Tostadas Mexicanas (with Homemade or Canned Refried Beans)

healthy air fryer tostadas mexicanas with canned or homemade refried beans close up on cutting board

4.80 from 5 votes

Air Fryer Tostadas Mexicanas (with Homemade or Canned Refried Beans)

These Air Fryer Tostadas Mexicanas with Homemade or Canned Refried Beans are hands-down one of my favorite easy go-to meals of all time. I don't know what it is about Mexican food that we love so much in our household, but homemade frijoles refritos are a highly preferred low-budget staple for us. We always have a freezer batch ready to thaw and they are super delicious, and make a healthy 10-minute meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 219kcal

Author: Jami Powell

Equipment

Crockpot
Air Fryer
Stick blender
Knife
Cheese grater
Frying pan

Ingredients

Canned Refried Beans

1 (16 ounce) can of Refried Beans
1 tablespoon butter

Homemade Refried Beans (Optional)

3 cups refried beans
6 cups water
½ large onion
6 small vegetable bouillon cubes (or 3 large Knorr cubes)
1 stick butter

Tostadas Mexicanas

8 street corn tortillas
1 cup refried beans (about 2 tablespoon per shell)
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
1 cup lettuce shredded
2 roma tomatoes
24 olives
1 Jalapeno pepper
2 tablespooons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Instructions

Canned Refried Beans

Melt butter in a frying pan on low heat, then add refried beans and stir until warmed through.

Refried Beans (Optional)

Fill water in a crockpot about ¾ of the way to the rim.
Rinse three cups of pinto beans and toss them into the slow cooker with ½ an onion and 6 bouillon cubes.
Cook on low for 8-10 hours until the beans are completely soft.
Drain water (reserving just a little), remove onion, and add one stick of butter.
Using a hand blender, blend all ingredients to a smooth consistency.

Tostadas Mexicanas

Lightly brush street taco tortilla shells with olive oil and a little salt.
Place them in the air fryer and cook at 400 degrees F for 5 minutes.
If the tortillas need more time to crisp up, turn them over and air fry at 30 sec to one-minute intervals, being careful not to burn.
Dice up the tomato and olives, then shred the lettuce. Grate the Monterey Jack cheese and prepare any other toppings.
Starting with the refried beans, begin layering all ingredients. Serve immediately.

Notes

Storage Store tostadas separately to prevent sogginess. Refrigerate beans and toppings for up to 3 days and keep tortillas at room temp for 2 days.

Freeze Refried beans freeze well for up to 3 months.
Reheat Reheat beans on the stovetop or microwave, and crisp tortillas in the air fryer or skillet before assembling.

Substitutions

Beans: Pinto beans can be substituted for black beans.
Spice: Monterey Jack can be substituted for a less spicy cheese.

Adjustments Cooking time may need to be adjusted based on the geography of the area (high vs. low elevation), cookware (stoneware vs traditional bakeware), and outdoor temperature if grilling.

Nutrition information is only an estimate

Nutrition