Do you want to make taquitos with bold flavors and crisp, crunchy shells? Then this is the recipe for you! These delicious taquitos are vegetarian, gluten free, and egg free. They are a great option for any vegetarian who is looking for a protein packed meal.
The best thing about this recipe for taquitos is that it is easy to make and does not produce many dirty dishes. All you need to make this recipe is a pot of our flavor-packed vegetarian refried beans, some cheese, and a few corn tortillas!
How to roll taquitos without breaking tortillas
Cold, dry corn tortillas are prone to crumbling and breakage. I learned this the hard way years ago when I first tried making taquitos. I thought to myself ‘How on earth do people do this?’ as one tortilla after the other crumbled in along the edges.
What I didn’t know is that it is easy to roll taquitos without breaking the tortillas as long as you properly prepare the tortillas. In order to prepare corn tortillas for rolling, you need to heat and rehydrate the tortillas. The easiest way to do this is to wrap a stack of tortillas in a wet paper towel and microwave them for 30-45 seconds. If you are making a large batch of taquitos I would recommend preparing the tortillas in batches and heating up about 10 tortillas at a time. This will prevent the tortillas from cooking down before you are able to use them.
If you are looking for any more tips, we discuss preparing corn tortillas for folding in our recipe for pineapple veggie quesadillas.
How to seal taquitos
I often get asked how to seal taquitos, or how to make sure that the tortilla remains tightly wrapped around the filling of the taquito. If you are making taquitos with refried beans then it is pretty easy to seal the taquitos. You can simply take a small dollop of refried beans and put it under the outer edge of the tortilla. The refried beans will act as a glue to keep the tortilla tightly wrapped around the filling of the taquito.
Another tip is to make sure that you put the outer edge of the taquito on the bottom of the taquito when you place it on a pan or a baking sheet. If the very outer edge is on the bottom under the weight of the rest of the taquito it will not unravel. If you are careful about using this method, you do not even have to seal the taquitos with refried beans.
How to prevent toppings from falling out of taquitos
Another question I get asked frequently is how to prevent toppings from falling out of the side of taquitos as they cook. This is more of an issue when the filling of the taquitos is made of foods that melt when they are warmed such as beans and cheese.
I have two tips for preventing the filling from falling out of your taquitos. The first is to build a little barrier toward the outer edge of the taquito by placing one of the more solid filling components there. When I am making taquitos with refried pinto beans that are only partially mashed I usually take one or two whole pinto beans and put them at the outer edge of each taquito.
The second tip is to put the filling that is most prone to melting in the very middle of the taquito. In this case, the cheese is the component of the filling that is most likely to melt so the cheese should be concentrated more in the middle of the taquito. I do not always use this method as the first method is generally enough to keep the fillings in my taquitos, but if you are having issues with fillings falling out of your taquitos this is another handy trick.
What sides go with taquitos?
Taquitos are heavy so I prefer to serve them with lots of fresh vegetables. As you can see in the pictures accompanying this recipe, I serve my taquitos with a salad made of lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, chopped white onion, and queso fresco.
I also love to serve these taquitos with fried sweet plantains. The sweetness of the plantains serves as a nice contrast to the bold flavor of the taquitos.
How to reheat taquitos
I prefer to reheat my taquitos in the oven so that the shells remain crispy. You should cook the taquitos for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. If you are looking for a quicker option, you can also reheat the taquitos on the broiler. Broiling the taquitos on high for 1 1/2 – 2 minutes should do the trick.
You can also reheat the taquitos in the microwave but the shells will not be as crispy. If you want to reheat your taquitos in the microwave you should microwave them at full power for 1 – 1 1/2 minutes.
Can you freeze homemade taquitos
Can you freeze homemade taquitos? The answer is yes! Taquitos freeze well whether they are store bought or homemade. Simply line up you taquitos in a freezer safe bag or food storage container and freeze the taquitos for up to 6 months.
Vegetarian bean and cheese taquitos
Ingredients
- 10 corn tortillas
- 1 cup Monterey jack cheese
Vegetarian refried beans
- 1 can pinto beans (drain the liquid)
- 1 cup gluten free vegetable broth
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 roma tomato
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
Instructions
Vegetarian refried beans
- Chop the tomato, garlic, jalapeno, and onion.
- Warm the vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat and cook the onions for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes add the garlic and tomato to the pot. Cook the garlic and tomato for 5 minutes.
- Add all of the refried bean ingredients other than the heavy cream to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the heavy cream to the refried beans and mash the beans with a fork.
Bean and cheese taquitos
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Wrap your stack of corn tortillas in a wet paper towel and microwave them for 30-45 seconds.
- Lay a line of beans and cheese out about one third of the way into a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla starting with the edge that is closest to the filling. When the taquito is fully rolled, place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure to put the outer edge of the tortilla on the bottom. This will prevent the taquito from unrolling.
- Bake the taquitos for 15-20 minutes or until they start to brown.
Tips for making refried beans
If you are looking for tips on how to perfect your refried beans check out our dedicated recipe for the vegetarian refried beans we use in this recipe. This recipe for refried beans contains a bunch of ideas for substitutions and additions you can make when cooking the refried beans.
Other recipes you might like
Are you looking for a tasty side to eat with these crunchy taquitos? Check out our recipe for fried sweet plantains, also known as maduros.
We absolutely love to top these bean cheese and taquitos with poblano crema. The smooth, creamy flavor of this poblano crema compliments the bold, spicy flavor of the refried beans.
If you are in the mood for Mexican but want to try something new, check out this recipe for homemade vegetarian chalupas! We even have a dedicated post on how to make your own chalupa shells.
Looking for another protein packed Mexican recipe? Check out our recipe for lentil tacos with cheese shells. If your family loves cheese as much as mine does then these are sure to be a hit.
