Dominican-Style Tostadas
Dominican-Style Tostadas layered with creamy sofrito black beans, caramelized sweet plantains, and fresh guacamole. Packed with flavor and fiber to support your gut health.
Why You’ll Love These Dominican-Style Tostadas
- Customizable. You can adjust the heat level, swap beans, and add your favorite toppings to make them perfect for you.
- Layered to perfection. The combination of crispy tostadas, creamy beans, and sweet plantains creates an amazing mix of textures and flavors that will satisfy any craving. The homemade sofrito also adds an authentic Dominican flair that transforms these simple ingredients into something truly special.
- Packed with fiber. Flavorful, but also loaded with fiber from the inclusion of beans, veggies and plantains. A great way to help support your gut health.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Black Beans: You can feel free to use pinto beans or red kidney beans as an alternative to black beans.
- Plantains: This recipe uses ripe plantains. If not a fan, feel free to omit and top your tostada with something else. You can swap for some cabbage slaw, pickled red onions, and/or pickled jalapenos.
- Tortillas: I recommend corn tortillas, but if you are not a fan, this meal can also be served in a wrap or over rice.
- Tomatoes: I used roma tomatoes. When tomatoes are out of season, I do like using campari tomatoes instead since they have more fresh tomato flavor.
- Onion: I used red onion, but white onion can work here too.
- Jalapeno: If looking to cut down on heat Feel free to replace with a baby bell pepper instead.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: I like this vinegar best for the sofrito, but you can also use red wine vinegar if you are in a pinch.
- Cilantro: Sofrito is typically made with both cilantro and culantro (a cousin to cilantro). This recipe only uses cilantro. If you are not a fan of cilantro, I may just suggest you try a different recipe that doesn’t use cilantro. Otherwise, feel free to swap the cilantro with a combination of parsley and chives if you don’t mind these alternatives.
- Sazòn: A special blend of spices often used in Latin Caribbean cuisine. This can be found fairly commonly in the ethnic section of your grocery store sold as a seasoning packet. My favorite brand of Sazòn is from the brand Pisqueya as it has an incredible flavor.
- Lime: Fresh lime is preferred.
- Better than Bouillon: This is my prefer alternative to using sopita. Has really rich umami flavor that works really well in elevating this sofrito. Feel free to swap with the equivalent for
How to Make Dominican-Style Tostadas
Make the Tostadas & Plantains
Preheat the oven to 400F then prepare the tostadas. Place your corn tortillas on a baking tray and spray or brush both sides with oil. Bake the tortillas in the oven for 8 minutes, flipping the tortillas half way. Transfer the baked tortillas to a cooling rack then lightly sprinkle the tops with salt. Allow the tortillas to cool until fully crispy.
Increase the oven temperature to 425F. Peel and slice your plantains into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and spray both sides with oil. Place the plantains in the oven to cook for 13 minutes, then flip and roast for another 5-10 minutes until golden.
For the Sofrito Beans
To a mini food processor, add the cilantro, 1/4 cup of the onion, jalapeño, 3 mashed garlic cloves, vinegar, sazón, bouillon base, lime juice and a generous pinch of salt. Pulse the mixture together until your ingredients are finely minced together into a coarse paste. Alternatively, you can place all the ingredients in a tall jar and use an immersion blender to pulse the ingredients together (this is often my preferred method for a small batch of sofrito).
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium low heat, then when hot add half of the blended sofrito to the pan. Sauté the sofrito in the oil for about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the remaining grated garlic and continue to stir for about 1 minute.
Add in the tomatoes along with a pinch of salt and sauté them into the sofrito for about 3-4 minutes, allowing them to break down as they cook.
Pour in the beans along with the water and stir well to combine then allow the beans to heat through for 5 minutes. Use the back of your cooking spoon or spatula to gently mash the beans into a refried beans consistency. If too thick, feel free to adjust with another splash of water while stirring until the beans are to the consistency of your liking.
Make the Spread and Assemble
To a small bowl add the avocado, 3 tbsp of diced red onion, lime zest and juice, cilantro and a generous pinch of salt then use a fork to mash everything together until well combined. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.
When ready to assemble, spread 2-3 tbsp of the beans over a crispy tortilla. Top each tortilla with some of the avocado, 2-3 slices of plantains then serve with some lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce before enjoying.
The Best Workflow for Making this Recipe All in One Go
- Preheat your oven so you can start cooking your tortillas. While waiting, start on your sofrito.
- When the tortillas are done, remove from the oven then increase the temperature of the oven to 425F. When to temperature, bake the plantains.
- As the plantains bake, prepare your beans.
- Once you are about ready to serve, make your guacamole then assemble the tostadas as desired.
Expert Tips
- If you want leftovers, consider doubling this recipe. The beans can be made in advance then stored in the fridge. Then all you’ll need to do is crisp up some tortillas and plantains to enjoy this with.
- Make it more convenient. You can get pre-made tostadas. Typically they are sold in the same section that they sell tortillas. You can also buy pre-made sofrito. Saving on these steps will also help with saving time in making this recipe so do what works best for you.
- Customize the flavors to your liking. Feel free to use more sofrito or add more spice based on your preference. It’s also up to you what you choose to layer your tostadas with. This is just a blueprint, so add your own flair to make it your own.
Frequently Asked Questions
You technically can. I would just note this, oil will help prevent these items from drying out when roasting, which can impact the final taste and texture of both. Essentially without the oil you will be just drying these items out, so as long as you are okay with that, feel free to do what you enjoy best. For the best results with the plantains without oil, make sure you are using a very ripe plantain. It should be more on the blacker skinned side than fully yellow. The riper the plantain, the more it will caramelize naturally, which will give you a less dry result out of the oven.
This recipe is naturally gluten-free when using corn tortillas. If you don’t like corn tortillas feel free to serve the beans, plantains and guac however you prefer.
You can make some elements of this recipe in advance. You can prepare the sofrito and beans days in advance. Once prepared the sofrito can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. As a side note, you will have a few spoons of sofrito left after using it in this recipe. Feel free to store in the fridge and use to flavor beans, vegetables, rice, stews, or soups with it as desired.The Beans can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If making the crispy tostadas in advance, allow them to cool completely then place in a resealable bag in the fridge for up to 3 days. When you want to enjoy them, place them back in the oven to crisp back up for 3-4 minutes at 350F. I do recommend making the plantains fresh.
Make It Balanced
This is a meal that can always be added to. Consider any of the following additions when making these tostadas:
- More Veggies: Top these with shredded cabbage or serve with a side of slaw. You can also add some pickled onions on top.
- More Protein: You can always make some shredded tempeh to top these tostadas with for a bit more protein.
More Wholesome Fiber Packed Plant-Based Recipes
- Pickled Jalapeño Edamame Toast
- Roasted Cauliflower Date Salad
- Spinach Artichoke White Bean Sandwich
- Chipotle Lime Black Bean Bowls
- Honeynut Squash Red Lentil Soup
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
Print
Dominican-Style Tostadas
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Dominican and Mexican Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A Dominican-Style Tostada layered with creamy sofrito black beans, caramelized sweet plantains, and fresh guacamole. Packed with flavor and fiber to support your gut health.
Ingredients
Baked Sweet Plantains & Tostadas
- 2 ripe yellow plantains
- 6 corn tortillas
- Avocado oil for roasting as needed
- Kosher salt
Black Beans
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeño, roughly chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic, 3 cloves smashed and 2 cloves grated
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sazón
- 1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or more as needed
- 2 roma tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
- 1, 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup of water
Spread
- 1 large avocado, cubed
- 1/4 cup cilantro, woody stems removed and minced
- Juice and zest of 1/2 a lime
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
For Assembling: Extra cilantro, lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce
Instructions
Make the Tostadas & Plantains
- Preheat the oven to 400F then prepare the tostadas. Place your corn tortillas on a baking tray and spray or brush both sides with oil. Bake the tortillas in the oven for 8 minutes, flipping the tortillas half way. Transfer the baked tortillas to a cooling rack then lightly sprinkle the tops with salt. Allow the tortillas to cool until fully crispy.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425F. Peel and slice your plantains into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and spray both sides with oil. Place the plantains in the oven to cook for 13 minutes, then flip and roast for another 5-10 minutes until golden.
For the Sofrito Beans
- To a mini food processor, add the cilantro, 1/4 cup of the onion, jalapeño, 3 mashed garlic cloves, vinegar, sazón, bouillon base, lime juice and a generous pinch of salt. Pulse the mixture together until your ingredients are finely minced together into a coarse paste. Alternatively, you can place all the ingredients in a tall jar and use an immersion blender to pulse the ingredients together (this is often my preferred method for a small batch of sofrito).
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium low heat, then when hot add half of the blended sofrito to the pan. Sauté the sofrito in the oil for about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the remaining grated garlic and continue to stir for about 1 minute.
- Add in the tomatoes along with a pinch of salt and sauté them into the sofrito for about 3-4 minutes, allowing them to break down as they cook.
- Pour in the beans along with the water and stir well to combine then allow the beans to heat through for 5 minutes. Use the back of your cooking spoon or spatula to gently mash the beans into a refried beans consistency. If too thick, feel free to adjust with another splash of water while stirring until the beans are to the consistency of your liking.
Make the Spread and Assemble
- To a small bowl add the avocado, 3 tbsp of diced red onion, lime zest and juice, cilantro and a generous pinch of salt then use a fork to mash everything together until well combined. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.
- When ready to assemble, spread 2-3 tbsp of the beans over a crispy tortilla. Top each tortilla with some of the avocado, 2-3 slices of plantains then serve with some lime wedges and your favorite hot sauce before enjoying.
Notes
If you want leftovers, consider doubling this recipe. The beans can be made in advance then stored in the fridge. Then all you’ll need to do is crisp up some tortillas and plantains to enjoy this with.
Make it more convenient. You can get pre-made tostadas. Typically they are sold in the same section that they sell tortillas. You can also buy pre-made sofrito. Saving on these steps will also help with saving time in making this recipe so do what works best for you.
Customize the flavors to your liking. Feel free to use more sofrito or add more spice based on your preference. It’s also up to you what you choose to layer your tostadas with. This is just a blueprint, so add your own flair to make it your own.
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