Vegan Baked Taquitos
By the Gracious Vegan
Taquitos with no oil? And they’re crispy? Come on… really? Yes, really. These delicious baked taquitos bowled my husband over. He asks for them all the time. I experimented with the filling to find a combination that would stay inside (not fall in your lap) but also had some bite and texture to it.
See air fryer instructions at the end of the recipe.
Makes 4 servings for a meal (very easy to double or triple) or about 18 small taquitos for appetizers
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mash the beans in a medium bowl—don’t completely mash them. More like “smash” so that there are still some partial beans.
One (15-ounce) can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed, or 1.5 cups cooked beans
Stir the following ingredients into the beans.
1/2 cup of cooked corn, or beef crumbles, or olives, or chopped bell peppers, something with a firm texture to contrast the beans
1/4 cup chunky salsa
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast (What is Nutritional Yeast?)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
Softening the tortillas is an important step. I like to soften 5 or 6 at a time. I run both sides of each tortilla under the tap to wet them, then stack them on a plate together, then microwave them about 25-30 seconds, covered. They need to get soft. (Other people have a pot of boiling water and dip each tortilla in it.)
About ten 6” corn tortillas or eighteen 4” corn tortillas
Lay the first softened tortilla on your work surface and spread about 1 Tablespoon of bean mixture (or more if using 6” tortillas) over the bottom third. Roll it up like a cigar. Place it seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Bake at 425°F for 12 minutes, then roll the taquitos over, seam-side up. Then bake another 12 minutes or so until crisp and browned. Serve immediately. (To reheat the leftovers, bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or use a toaster oven so they will crisp up again.)
Serve with one or more of the following.
Salsa (my favorite homemade salsa is here)
Air Fryer Instructions
Place the taquitos seam side down in the air fryer (use parchment paper if you have it). Use the “air fry” setting, 400ºF, for 12 minutes, turning the taquitos over halfway through the 12 minutes. Add additional minutes if you need to in order to achieve a crispy, golden texture.
Timing: About 45 minutes
Gluten-free