How to Make Bean Tlacoyos (Mexican Street Food Recipe)
Tlacoyos are small oval shape masa pockets filled with either refried beans or mashed fava beans. They are popular street food across Central Mexico but you can easily make them at home and fall in love with them. These tasty treats are perfect for the whole family and are also budget friendly.
What Are Tlacoyos
A tlacoyo is a traditional Mexican dish made from fresh corn masa and shaped into an oval or torpedo-like form. The masa dough can be blue corn masa, fresh corn masa or even masa harina may be used.
They are typically stuffed with refried beans, fava beans or even just cheese, and a hot comal or griddle. The most traditional tlacoyo toppings are nopales, salsa, sour cream and fresh cheese or queso fresco
Tlacoyos are such a delicious and hearty food. If you love foods like sopes and gorditas and the flavor of Mexican masa then you’re going to really enjoy tlacoyos.
Why You’ll Love Tlacoyos
• This delicious Mexican dish is very budget friendly.
• It’s a perfect meal for the whole family no matter what diet they follow.
• This Mexican antojito is traditionally vegetarian but can easily be made 100% plant-based!
• Tlacoyos are a great way to use up that bag of masa harina in your cupboard.
• You can make a big batch and reheat or even freeze for later.
Tlacoyo Ingredients
Masa: You can use either fresh tortilla masa from your local tortilleria or Mexican food market. Now if you don’t have either near you then you can use a bag of masa harina. Either white masa or blue corn masa may be used, just make sure it’s the one for making corn tortillas not the tamales one. I use whatever I have on hand.
Dry Ingredients: You’ll need some salt for flavor and baking powder to help make the masa fluffy.
Liquid Ingredients: You’ll need water to hydrate the masa harina and a little oil to add to the masa (if you’d like) and also to cook the tlacoyos in.
🫘Tlacoyo Filling Ingredients
The most common filling is refried beans, and I’ve typically seen people use black beans but you could use pintos if you’d like.
Another filling option is mashed fava beans (or broad beans) and you’ll see this more often in places like Mexico City or Estado de Mexico.
If you’re a big cheese lover you can use a piece of queso fresco for the filling – you could even combine the refried beans with the cheese too.
🌿Tlacoyo Topping Options
For the toppings, and perhaps the most popular, cooked nopales or ensalada de nopales are commonly used.
A drizzle of homemade salsa roja or salsa verde is a must, as is a good sprinkle of crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese. Additionally a good splash of Mexican crema rounds up the dish quite nicely.
Are Tlacoyos Vegetarian or Vegan?
Tlacoyos are traditionally vegetarian if the beans are made with oil instead of lard. Additionally typically dairy cheese and sour cream are used, making them vegetarian.
BUT, you can easily make them vegan by using dairy-free queso (like my cotija cheese) and diary-free sour cream (like my vegan crema).
How to Make Tlacoyos de Frijol
For this recipe I will show you how to make tlacoyos using masa harina. I know fresh masa isn’t something that’s available to everyone.
I highly suggest watching the video for a full visual demonstration.
Step 1: Prepare The Fillings and Toppings
Make sure to have the refried beans ready to go. If you’re doing homemade they need to be cooled to room temperature and if using store-bought use right out of the package.
Prepare the ensalada de nopales or sauteed nopales and salsa of your choice.
Step 2: Prepare The Masa
Add the masa harina in a medium bowl then mix in the baking powder and salt, mixing until well combined.
Pour in some of the oil and half of the warm water and use your hands to mix the mixture. Add the rest of the oil and slowly mix in water as needed.
You’ll know the masa is ready when it comes together and doesn’t stick to your hands. It will be a smooth dough that when you make a small ball and press it together, it shouldn’t crack. Now if the edges crack then you’ll need to add additional water to the masa.
Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes.
Step 3: Shape and Fill The Tlacoyos
Heat a large pan or comal over medium heat.
Grab enough masa to be about the same size as a golf ball and roll into a smooth ball. Keep the rest of the masa covered, just make sure to create equal portions for each tlacoyo.
Use your hands and palms to begin flattening the masa ball into a small disk then into a bowl, making sure it’s evenly thick throughout.
Take about two Tablespoons of the cooled refried beans and place them in the center of the masa.
Bring the two sides of the masa together to form a half pocket like an empanada.
Holding the small filled masa pocket, take your top palm and press it down to flatten the pocket into an oblong shape something similar like a flat football shape.
Use the palms of your hands to flatten the tlacoyo to an even-sized tlacoyo that’s no thicker than a quarter of an inch. Continue to shape the sides of the tlacoyo and if any filling comes out help smooth out the dough to contain it.
Repeat until all of the remaining masa is used up.
Step 4: Cook The Tlacoyos
Carefully splash a little bit of water onto the hot pan and if it’s hot enough the droplets will jump around and dry quickly.
Pour a tablespoon of oil onto the pan then begin placing the shaped tlacoyos onto it.
Cook for five minutes on one side, flip over cook 5 minutes on the other side, flip one last time and cook another three to four minutes. (Depending on the thickness they’ll require 10-15 minutes of cooking.)
If you use the blue corn dough the color will turn a darker and drier blue color and have deep golden brown spots. For the regular masa it will look drier and the masa will have like golden-brown freckles.
Remove from the heat and place in a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to keep warm.
How to Serve
Top your tlacoyos with sauteed nopales or cactus salad, a good drizzle of Mexican crema, homemade salsa, and some crumbled cheese.
Serve right away with some agua fresca like watermelon or cucumber agua fresca.
Taste
Homemade tlacoyos have a soft texture with little bits of crispy charred masa, the corn flavor of the masa pairs perfectly with the savory and creamy refried black beans. Then the nopales add a nice burst of citrusy flavor and tender texture, with the creaminess of the sour cream and savory flavor of the cotija cheese, followed by the spiciness of the salsa roja.
These homemade tlacoyos are such a treat – and if you’re like me and love anything made with masa then you’re in for a real treat!
How to Store and Reheat
Allow leftovers to cool down to room temperature then you can put them in a airtight container or in a resealable bag.
The tlacoyos will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to four days. They, surprisingly, freeze quite well; just don’t keep them in the freezer longer than a couple of months.
👩🏽🍳Nancy’s Tips
• I highly suggest watching my video to get a better picture of how I shape the tlacoyos.
• If you’d like to try using a tortilla press to make the tlacoyos, this video is a great visual.
• If you don’t like nopales you can top pico de gallo salsa and the other suggested topping.
• I prefer a blue corn tlacoyo but you can use regular white masa.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
More Recipes with Masa Harina
Black Bean Tlacoyos Recipe
Tlacoyos Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina either blue corn or white corn
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons oil either olive or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ to 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water adjust as needed
- 1 cup refried black beans homemade or store-bought
- 2 cups nopales sautéed or salad and optional
- 1 ½ cup salsa roja or verde
- 1 cup crumbled cheese I used my vegan cotija cheese
- 1 cup Mexican crema I used my vegan crema
Instructions
- Have all of the filling and toppings ready to use. The refried beans should be at room temperature.
- In a medium bowl combine the masa harina with the baking powder, salt, 1/2 Tablespoon of oil, and 3/4 cups of the water. Mix until well combined then add another 1/2 Tablespoon of oil, and a little more water. Continue working the masa until you have a well hydrated smooth dough that doesn’t stick to your hands and doesn’t crack when pressed together. Add as much water as needed to achieve this.
- Form a masa ball, place in the bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest 10 minutes.
- Grab a small ball of masa, about the size of a golf ball, and make a smooth ball with it. Use the palm of your hands and fingers to make a flat disk that’s evenly thick.
- Place 2 Tablespoons of the cooled refried bean paste in the center of the masa disk. Then bring together into a halfmoon or empanada shape.
- Pinch the edges together to seal the little pouch.
- Stand the little dough pouch on palm then gently use your other palm to flatten the pouch into an oblong or flat football shape. Carefully continue pressing until you tlacoyo has an even thickness throughout.
- Set aside on a cutting board and repeat the process until the masa has been used up.
- Heat a large pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Test the temperature by carefully dropping some water droplets onto it, they should jump around and evaporate rather quickly.
- Turn the temperature down to medium-low then drizzle in the remaining Tablespoon of oil, swirl it around so that the pan is evenly coated.
- Place the tlacoyos inside the hot pan, without crowding them, cook for 5 minutes then flip and cook for another 5 minutes. Flip again and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes until you see some dark golden brown spots on the tlacoyo.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately topped with cactus salad, salsa, crema, and crumbled cheese. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes & Pro Tips
Nutrition
Looking for a Barro Plate Like Mine
Amigos so many of you ask me where I get my beautiful Mexican pottery from. The answer is Mexico. I know many of you can’t travel so I’ve put together a gorgeous collection from Amazon. Click the image below to go check it out.
Nancy Lopez is a Mexican-born food writer and author of Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Raised in the U.S. and now living in Southern Mexico, she creates authentic vegan and vegetarian Mexican recipes rooted in tradition and tested for real home kitchens.Read more…
