Air Fryer Black Bean Taquitos

They’re healthier than store-bought and are made with only a handful of ingredients. I love making these black bean taquitos as an after-school snack for my kids or as a platter with a few salsas for game day or parties.

this Recipe

Inspired by my crispy vegan tacos, these black bean taquitos take only minutes to assemble. Combine the filling in a food processor, spread onto tortillas, then roll and pop in the air fryer.

A delicious snack, appetizer, or dinner!

Why I love this recipe

I adore my air fryer. This is the one I purchased a few years ago, and it’s been a favorite piece of equipment in my kitchen ever since.

In fact, I recently pulled it up from the basement to sit in the corner of our kitchen counter so I can enjoy my air fryer buffalo cauliflower wings and air fryer zucchini chips more often. 

Taquitos are typically deep-fried for the crispiest texture, but using an air fryer gives them the same crunch without the mess or additional calories of deep-frying.

My kids would choose to eat tacos almost every chance they get. Like mama, like kiddos, I suppose. They both ask for my lentil tacos weekly, so I wanted to create a simple taquito recipe that I could make in minutes whenever they ask for them!

Ingredients

• Black Beans: I usually use canned black beans, but you can also use dried. The leftovers from my perfectly seasoned black beans are great here, especially if you make a batch.
• Pico de Gallo: I prefer the fresh taste of pico de gallo over cooked salsa, so I use my homemade version for these taquitos, but store-bought works, too.
• Taco Seasoning: Use whatever kind you like!
• Corn Tortillas: Corn tortillas are preferred as they are crispier than flour when placed in the air fryer. To roll them without breaking them, you will warm them slightly in the microwave first before adding your filling!

Substitutions

I have made these with canned lentils and canned pinto beans before and they work!

Canned lentils are a little more wet than canned black beans, so make sure that you drain them fully before adding to your food processor– and then you will add a little less pico de gallo so that the filling holds together but is not liquidy.

Pinto beans will be used the same way as black beans.

If you want to use flour tortillas over corn, you can. As flour tortillas are fairly soft compared to corn tortillas, you don’t need to warm them in the microwave first. You can also use a blend of corn and flour tortillas; both La Tortilla Factory and Trader Joe’s make a corn and flour tortilla that I love. It has the flavor of a corn tortilla with the pliability of a flour. 

As with almost all of my recipes, this one is customizable to what you like in your taquitos. You can completely skip the dairy-free cheese for a healthier option, or add in jalapeños or canned diced green chiles for more heat. 

How to Make Black Bean Taquitos

These black bean taquitos are a pureed filling of canned black beans, spices and salsa then rolled into warmed corn tortillas and air fry until perfectly crisp and golden.

Step 1: Make the Filling

Place the black beans, pico de gallo and taco seasoning in the base of a food processor and pulse until well combined. You can see in the photos below what the mixture is supposed to look like; it should be mostly creamy with a few pieces of whole beans remaining. 

Unlike more traditional beef or chicken taquitos, I love using beans here as they have a great meaty texture, are packed with plant-based protein, fiber and are naturally cholesterol free.

Step 2: Warm the Tortillas

Next, place the tortillas in a damp paper towel and warm in the microwave for 20-30 seconds until pliable and easy to roll. If you are using flour tortillas, then you don’t need to warm first. Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F and set for 6-9 minutes.

Step 3: Assemble the Taquitos

Spread the black bean mixture onto the tortillas. If using the shredded cheese, add a tablespoon or two onto the black bean mixture then roll up until tight. If the tortilla doesn’t “seal” on its own, make sure there is a small amount of the black bean mixture on the end to glue the tortilla ends together.

Place the rolled taquitos seam side down in the air fryer basket and lightly spray with cooking spray or oil spray. Cook for 6 minutes, then flip and cook another 3-5 minutes until crispy and golden brown. Depending on how large your air fryer basket is, you may need to cook the taquitos in batches.

Expert Tips

I like adding a little cheese to the filling before I roll them up. I usually use a little cheddar cheese, but you can use whatever cheese you’d like. If you want to keep these vegan, then my go-to dairy-free cheese brands are Violife and Chao.

Frequently Asked Questions