Avocado Black Bean Tacos

Name: Avocado Black Bean Tacos
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 red onion, sliced thin; 4 tablespoons lime juice; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon sugar; 480 g cooked black beans (two 400 g tins, drained); 1 tablespoon oil; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 1½ teaspoons ground cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; ½ teaspoon chilli powder; ½ teaspoon fine salt; 80 ml water; 12 small corn tortillas; 2 ripe avocados (about 400 g), sliced; 150 g red cabbage, shredded; 1 handful coriander leaves; Lime wedges, to serve

The beans take ten minutes and the pickle five, so this is a genuine weeknight dinner rather than a project.

Slice the avocado rather than mashing it — you want distinct cool slices against the hot spiced beans, not another layer of paste.

MyAvocadoTree Editorial TeamPublished 4 September 2026Updated 4 September 2026

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Three soft corn tacos with black beans, avocado slices, red cabbage and coriander

Prep

10 min

Cook

10 min

Total

20 min

Servings

Difficulty

Easy

Cuisine

Mexican

Vegan
Vegetarian
High protein

Ingredients

Instructions

1
Mix the onion with the lime juice, salt and sugar and set aside. It will turn pink and soften in about 5 minutes.
2
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the cumin, paprika and chilli powder and stir for 20 seconds until fragrant.
3
Add the beans, salt and water. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, mashing about a third of them against the pan so the mixture holds together.
4
Warm the tortillas one at a time in a dry pan, 20 seconds a side, and stack them under a cloth.
5
Build each taco with beans, cabbage, avocado slices, pickled onion and coriander, with a lime wedge on the side.

Recipe tips

Toast the spices in the oil for twenty seconds before the beans go in. Stirring them into liquid gives you a raw, dusty taste.
Mashing a third of the beans is what stops the filling falling out of the tortilla.
Warm the tortillas properly. Cold corn tortillas crack the moment you fold them.
The pickled onion keeps a week in the fridge and is worth making a double batch of.

Nutrition (approximate)

Estimated per serving from the ingredient quantities above. Treat these as a guide, not a measurement — ripeness, brands and portioning all shift the numbers.

Calories: 520 kcal
Protein: 17 g
Carbs: 68 g
Fat: 21 g
Fibre: 20 g

Storage

The bean mixture keeps three days refrigerated and freezes for a month. Assemble tacos to order — a built taco does not keep.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use rajma instead of black beans?

Yes. Rajma is softer and mashes more readily, so mash a little less of it.

Should the avocado be mashed?

Sliced is better here — cool slices against hot spiced beans is the contrast that makes the taco. Guacamole is a separate, also good, option.

How do I make this for a crowd?

The beans and pickle scale easily and can both be made ahead. Set everything out and let people build their own.

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