Tlacoyos Recipe

Tlacoyos use blue corn masa to make a soft dough that is filled with a delicious bean filling and cooked to tender perfection. Top this homemade, vegan spin on Mexican street food with all your favorite toppings!

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 128

Author Jessica Hylton

Ingredients

For the masa:

2 cups blue corn masa harina 250g
2 cups hot water 475ml
½ teaspoon salt 2.5g

For the filling:

2 cups canned black beans 400g
½ cup bean’s cooking liquid or water, 120ml
¼ small onion
3-4 dried chiles de árbol
salt to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil 30ml

For the toppings:

vegan sour cream
salsa Try my restaurant-style salsa!
vegan shredded cheese
diced onion
diced tomato
sliced avocado

Instructions

To Make the Masa:

Whisk the blue corn masa-harina and salt. Add the water and mix until a loose dough forms.
Use your hands to knead the dough until it’s nice and smooth. If it’s too dry, add 1 tsp of water at a time until it becomes manageable. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll them into balls.
Cover the pieces of dough with a damp kitchen towel. Giving them a light spray of cooking oil can also help prevent them from drying out. Set them aside until your filling is ready.

To Make the Filling:

Cook the beans. Add the oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and dried chile de árbol. Stir for 2 minutes. Add the beans and their cooking liquid into the pan. Mix well and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Remove the chiles and onion from the pan. Lower the heat and use a potato masher to mash the beans until they’re creamy. If they dry out too much, add a bit more cooking liquid. Cook for another 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt to taste.
Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

To Make the Tlacoyos:

Use your hands to carefully flatten the dough into a medium-sized oval, about the size of your hand or a little bit bigger. Repeat this for every piece of dough.
Scoop 1-3 tbsp of refried beans into the center. Fold the sides of the dough in (enclosing the beans) and pinch the seams. Repeat for all the tlacoyos.
Use your hands to shape the filled tlacoyos into a flattened diamond or oval with pointy tips. They should be about 1/4″ thick. Set them aside and cover with a damp kitchen towel.
Grease a large pan or griddle with a little bit of cooking spray over medium-low heat. Cook for 3 minutes on each side. Cooking time will depend on their actual thickness, so cut a piece off one and taste it. If the masa is still raw, let them cook for another 1-2 minutes.
Remove them from the heat and set them aside to cool.

To Serve the Tlacoyos:

Place the cooked tlacoyos on a plate and top them with vegan sour cream, salsa, vegan shredded cheese, onion, tomato and avocado to taste. Enjoy!

Notes

Store in the fridge: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

To reheat: Sprinkle them with 1/2 teaspoon of water and then microwave them for up to a minute or until warm. You can also reheat them in a comal or griddle over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Can I freeze these? Yes, but they’ll need to be cooked first because raw masa doesn’t freeze well. Once they’re fully cooled, wrap each tlacoyo in plastic wrap twice. Transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag or container and store for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as directed above.

Nutrition

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