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Crispy Baked Tostadas are one of my favorite weeknight dinner hacks, because they are ready in just 10 minutes and everyone can customize their own. Whether it’s taco night with a twist or a “use up the fridge” kind of meal, these tostadas have saved dinner more times than I can count.

Baked tostadas are proof that quick meals don’t have to be boring. Crispy, satisfying, and endlessly adaptable – you’ll want to keep corn tortillas stocked in your pantry all the time!

For more Mexican-inspired recipes, try my Mini Bean and Cheese Quesadillas or Turkey Taco Stuffed Peppers next.

Baked tostada shell with beans, cheese and sour cream toppings.
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Why I Love This Recipe

  • Ready in 10 minutes – Faster than takeout and much healthier too!
  • Super customizable – Everyone builds their own with the toppings they love.
  • Crispy without the grease – Since these tostadas are baked, you get all the crunch without the mess of frying.
  • Perfect for picky eaters – Lay out toppings taco-bar style and let the kids build their own.

RECIPE WALK-THROUGH

How To Make Baked Tostadas

See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions

6 corn tortillas on a foil lined baking sheet with a pastry brush.
Baked tortillas on a foil lined baking sheet.

Brush Corn Tortillas with Oil – Start with corn tortillas, spread out on foil-lined sheet pans. Brush lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt. You could also spray them generously with nonstick cooking spray.

Bake – Bake the tortillas in a preheated 400°F oven for approximately 4 minutes per side, or until they are crispy and golden on each side. Remember that they will continue to brown and crisp as they cool.

How To Assemble Baked Tostadas

  • Start with refried beans – This will help your toppings stick and provide a good base (and a little extra fiber too!)
  • Pick your protein – This step is optional, but if you want to jazz it up, you can add my ground beef taco filling, crockpot chicken taco filling, salsa verde chicken, or slow cooker carnitas. Other options are ground turkey, steak, rotisserie chicken, or keep it vegetarian for a lighter meal.
  • Add your toppings – This is the fun part! Load them up with cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa, jalapenos, sour cream, olives, onions, and more! See below for some of our favorite toppings.
Tostada shells stacked.
Tostadas with beans, lettuce, cheese and sour cream.

Baked Tostada Toppings

We love to load up our tostadas! Here are some of our favorite toppings.

  • Refried Beans I like to use my homemade refried beans recipe, but you can easily grab a can at the grocery store. Use whichever kind you like best. You can always doctor it up with a little taco seasoning or salsa.
  • Shredded Cheese – Pepper Jack gives a bit of spice, while Monterey Jack or cheddar are more kid-friendly picks. Try Queso Fresco for more authentic Mexican flavor.
  • Shredded Lettuce – You can also use shredded cabbage for extra crunch.
  • Diced Tomatoes
  • Guacamole Homemade guac is my pick, but you can also use store-bought or sliced avocado.
  • Pico de Gallo This has the best flavor! It is so simple to make and has just 5 ingredients.
  • Fresh Corn Kernels – Or try my Corn Salsa.
  • Jalapenos – Fresh or canned, perfect for extra spice.

Serving Suggestions

Make these Baked Tostadas part of a full Mexican spread. Serve alongside my Authentic Mexican Rice, Slow Cooker Charro Beans, 3-Ingredient Rotel Dip, and Mexican Shrimp Cocktail. Mix up a couple of Spicy Margaritas for the adults.

Loaded tostada with a bite taken out of it.

Storage Tips

The Best Way to Store Leftovers

When I bake the tortillas, I almost always bake up a few extra so I can use them later in the week. Break them up into small pieces and add them to salads or on top of a bowl of refried beans. Or break them into larger pieces for chips and salsa or nachos.

Store leftover shells in a sealed airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I usually just toss them into a Ziploc bag and leave them on the counter. They don’t often make it through the night, though (because we end up snacking on them!).

Recipe Tips

  • Use a wire rack on top of the baking sheet to skip flipping and get evenly crispy results.
  • It’s ok if they’re slightly soft as long as they’re browned. They will crisp up as they cool.
  • Watch the oven closely – they can go from golden to too-dark quickly.
  • Make extra and store for up to 6-7 days for easy lunches.
  • Use leftover taco meat, rotisserie chicken, or beans for super quick toppings.
  • Let the kids assemble their own. It’s dinner and a fun activity all in one.
Baked tortilla shells stacked, with topping on the top one.

More Mexican Recipes


Recipe

10 Minute Oven Baked Tostadas

4.54 from 39 votes
Homemade Tostadas with Baked Tostada Shells take minutes to make and are so much better for you than frying. Just add your favorite toppings!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 13 minutes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 Corn tortillas
  • 1 tablespoon Canola oil or any neutral oil, or cooking spray
  • pinch Salt
  • Your favorite tostada toppings: refried beans, chicken, beef, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, etc.
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
  • Arrange as many tortillas as will fit on the baking sheet without overlapping. (I can get 6 on mine – if you need more than that, bake in batches or bake two sheets at a time, rotating halfway through).
  • Brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil and sprinkle with salt.
  • Bake for about 8 minutes, flipping the tortillas over about halfway through. You could also use a wire rack and omit the flipping.
  • Remove from the oven and transfer to a paper towel lined tray to cool.
  • Serve immediately with your favorite toppings, or cool completely and store in a tightly sealed contained for 3-4 days.

Notes

  • It’s ok if they’re slightly soft as long as they’re browned. They will crisp up even more as they cool.
  • Nutritional calculations are estimates, and include only the tortillas, oil and salt. Toppings will vary. 
  • Store leftover shells in a sealed airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I usually just toss them into a Ziploc bag and leave them on the counter. They don’t often make it through the night (because we eat them!).
Keyword oven baked toastadas

Nutrition

Serving: 1tortillaCalories: 77kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gSodium: 12mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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4.54 from 39 votes (30 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Chris says:

    Hi. You said: “Remove from the oven and transfer to a paper towel lined tray to cool.*” What does the asterisk mean?

    1. Kristin Maxwell says:

      Looks like just a typo It’s been fixed.

  2. Lindsay says:

    Great recipe! These are way better than store bought. I used a cookie cooling rack to cook the tortillas, no flipping needed! Cooked them for 10 minutes and they were perfect!

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Awesome feedback Lindsay, thanks for stopping by.

  3. CurlyMomto2 says:

    I’m always looking for a way to change up our weekly dinners and these were perfect. They’re in the rotation for sure! We like them crispy so I did them for about 10 minutes total. Perfect!

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Awesome feedback CurlyMomto2, thanks for stopping by.

  4. Linda says:

    A quick and easy meal. So many different items you can use

  5. Angela says:

    Thank you! I have always fried my tortillas. It takes up so much time and oil to make enough for my family. I remember trying to bake them in the past using a different recipe but it was a soggy awful mess. This way yielded perfectly crispy shells. My family loved them and I will make my shells this way from now on. Saves me so much time!
    Note: I had to bake mine for 10mins.

    1. Kristin says:

      Awesome feedback Angela! Thanks for stopping by.

  6. Melissa says:

    I will probably never buy pre-made tostada shells ever again! I had to do them for about 10 minutes total but they were great and held up so much better than the pre-made.

    1. Kristin says:

      Nice! Love the feedback Melissa! Thanks for stopping by.

  7. Aline says:

    I love this website because it has easy to make food that I can enjoy any time thankyou Kristen

  8. Margaret Sotala says:

    Im making these for sure. Thanks

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks for stopping by Margaret

    2. Aline says:

      me too they are awsome

  9. Leeann says:

    These were a quick and easy alternative to tacos, sometimes we like to change it up a bit and these were perfect.

    1. Kristin says:

      Awesome feedback Leeann! Thanks for stopping by.

  10. ColorOnMaterial Etsy says:

    Thanks for the recipe! It was super easy and a nice change from tacos.

    1. Kristin says:

      You are so welcome ColorOnMaterial! Thanks for dropping by.

  11. Kelly says:

    Kristin, this is genius! We had some leftover crockpot chicken tinga and this worked perfectly ?? thank you!

  12. Martha Bennington says:

    Great idea looking forward to doing this

    1. Kristin says:

      Thank you Martha!

  13. Anne says:

    Kristin, I have made these many times and we just love them. They are so fresh, simple and delicious. I am making the beans right now and plan on eating tostadas the next few days while the family is away. Love them that much!

    1. Kristin says:

      Hi Anne, So happy that you and your family loved this recipe!

  14. Esther says:

    Hi Kristen,
    Thank you for being so kind and willing to share your yummy recipes..You are talented, creative, and selfless
    with your talents, experience and knowledge. All the recipes look appetizing so I will be trying many of them soon.
    Esther

    1. Kristin says:

      Such a sweet comment, Esther, thank you!

  15. Raylene says:

    Will they stay crisp for a few days in an airtight container? Thanks!

    1. Kristin says:

      We haven’t ever had leftovers! They should, though.

  16. Dad says:

    Why do you say these are “healthier than fried”? Either you put some oil in a pan, heat, then add tortilla (fried), or oil tortillas, then heat in over (baked), same ingredients, different heat source. Also wrapping your sheet pan with foil is wasteful.

    1. Kristin says:

      They are healthier than fried because you’re not soaking them in oil which makes them come out very greasy. Brushing them with a little bit of oil uses a lot less oil then frying them. Wrapping a sheet pan in foil holds the drippings. If you think it’s wasteful, don’t do it.

      1. lcblue says:

        Also, the foil can be recycled. Just wash it in dish soap and water and toss it with your aluminum recyclables.

  17. Lise Cummings says:

    Great idea! I used canola spray and cooked about 5:30 per side (they were chewy at 4 minutes). Hubby says he likes these better than store-bought – they are crispy but don’t fall apart. Will look at the rest of your site!

  18. Irene says:

    I have fixed mine this way for 25 years except I use Pam Spray or any other canned oil spray…had to change it up to cut down on fat because of health reasons. ?

    1. Kristin says:

      That’s definitely a great way to do it! I’ve done it that way too.

  19. Samantha says:

    The directions aren’t clear- oil both sides?

    1. Kristin says:

      Yes, both sides. Sorry it’s not clear. It’s an older post that is much in need of updating!

  20. Irene says:

    Wow! My family loved ’em. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe.

  21. Anonymous says:

    Can you make this with flour tortillas?

    1. Kristin says:

      I haven’t tried it…but I’m pretty sure it would be just as delicious!

  22. Amy Price says:

    These tostadas were perfect! I was at the store and all the store brand tostadas were gone! I found this site! These freshly baked corn tortillas tasted so much better with our braised pork that we had been cooking for a couple of hours! Thanks!

    1. Kristin says:

      So glad you loved them! They are a family favorite!!

  23. Stacy Cyphers says:

    I’m so glad I found your site! I’m making these healthy tostadas tonight.Thanks,Kristin.

    1. Kristin says:

      Thanks Stacy! Let me know how you like them!

  24. Jenny says:

    Perfect recipe. Thank you for sharing. It worked wonderfully for me last night.

  25. Bethy says:

    Double your cooking time and youve got tostada shells

    1. Kristin says:

      Are you saying that it didn’t work for you? Because we made them just the other night and it took about 4 minutes per side for perfect shells.

      1. Deana says:

        I just made them (literally… I’m in the middle of eating one!) and I wish I would have baked them longer. I did 4 minutes on each side. I didn’t really check them too closely because i was STARTVING… they could’ve gone a few minutes longer on each side. Even still. I used the refried beans I made from your recipe yesterday – SO. FLIPPING. GOOD!!! 🙂

  26. Angie says:

    I just made these tonight for tostadas and they were absolutely wonderful! We usually fry our shells but I am trying to be a bit healthier so I wanted to bake them. They were actually crispier than frying them so I was very surprised and happy! I did have to bake them for about 12-16 minutes though, even at 400, but I’m okay with that! Thanks!

  27. Laura J says:

    This was great for dinner tonight. I sprayed liberally with cooking oil, and salted. I was prepared to flip the tortillas, but didn’t need to. Both sides crisped very well!

  28. Heather @ My Overflowing Cup says:

    Thanks so much for this method of baking tostada shells! I’m going to try it tonight for dinner. Pinning, too!

  29. Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage says:

    I made your tostadas for dinner tonight and they were delicious!!!

  30. Anonymous says:

    Where would I get your recipe for homemade refried beans?

    1. MAL says:

      Just click on the link above in this recipe…

  31. Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage says:

    Looks so yummy! I’m going to try it! Do you eat them w/ a knife and fork or just pick them up like a piece of pizza?

    1. Anonymous says:

      You just eat them with your hands and anything that falls off usually gets scooped up with a fork at my house. 🙂

  32. Vanessa says:

    Quick dinners are always nice. Those look yummy!