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Today I’m sharing a recipe for vegan double decker tacos with soft and hard shells plus refried and black beans. It’s a satisfying vegan dinner the whole family will adore.
If I could only eat one food for the rest of time, I’d go with tacos. Rife with possibilities, you can stuff them with anything.
Over the years I’ve shared recipes for tacos stuffed with chickpeas, fishless filets, sweet potatoes, and jackfruit carnitas.
I’ve made them raw, on the grill, and fried with puffy shells.
I’ve had tacos disguised as salads and pizzas.
There are so many options with tacos that the only difficult part is choosing which kind you’ll have.
Soft tortilla? Hard corn shell? Do you want refried beans slathered inside, or maybe spicy black beans?
Vegan double decker tacos
With today’s recipe for vegan double decker tacos, you don’t have to choose. You get it all in one cozy bite.
First, you spread homemade refried beans on a soft tortilla. Then you stick a hard corn shell inside. Fill it with spicy black beans, and add all of the usual suspects like lettuce, tomatoes, and guacamole.
It’s as if the wheat tortilla just has to give that hard corn shell a big hug.
Take a bite and enjoy how the pillowy softness of the soft tortilla is quickly followed by the hard crunch of the inner shell. It is one of my favorite texture combinations.
I started eating double decker tacos while I was in high school. They were sold at Taco John’s, a fast food chain, where it’s called a Taco Bravo. I’d order them with a side of potato olés, which are similar to tater tots.
In the days when I worked at the mall selling bulk candy and balloons, Taco John’s was in my regular mall food court rotation.
Now you can enjoy those flavors at home – fully veganized.
Spicy beans, crisp vegetables, and the crackling crunch of the inner taco shell makes for a fully satisfying and filling meal.
And hey, if you want to throw some tater tots in the air fryer to go with it, they would not go amiss.
In a rush? If you don’t have time to make two different bean spreads, use guacamole for the outer layer instead of refried beans. Then it’s a double guac tac.
See how easy it is to make vegan refried beans in this video!
Vegan double decker tacos with black and refried beans
Ingredients
- 4 hard corn taco shells
- 4 small wheat tortillas
- 1 cup refried beans
- 1 batch spicy black beans
- 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup green leaf lettuce chopped
- 1 batch guacamole or 1 diced avocado
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- Optional toppings Pickled jalapeños & hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 365 degrees. Put the hard corn shells on a baking sheet and warm in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until crisp.
- In a skillet, warm each wheat tortilla one at a time, flipping once. Move each warmed tortilla to its own plate.
- Slather each wheat tortilla with refried beans.
- Place one hard corn shell inside of each wheat tortilla and wrap the tortilla around it, so that the refried beans are sandwiched between each of them.
- Stuff each corn shell with a couple spoonfuls of spicy black beans, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, avocado or guacamole, cilantro, and any optional toppings. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Janae @ Bring-Joy says
We love soyrizo & scrambled tofu–a veganized version of my husband’s family favorite dish. Soyrizo tastes surprisingly very much like chorizo, minus the animal.
Cadry says
Sounds delicious! I could definitely get onboard with a breakfast like that. You’re so right that with things like sausages, it’s pretty much the spices and texture that make them distinct. My parents aren’t vegetarian, but they love soyrizo.
cookeasyvegan says
Hmmm. This is the second taco post I’ve seen recently, and I may have to make some. We used to have taco night once a week and I’m thinking it was a tradition that needs to be revived!
I’ve revamped my family’s traditional holiday potato stuffing to be animal-friendly. It was the only thing I missed from our holiday dinners and I was thrilled when I made it and the whole house smelled like Thanksgiving!
Cadry says
I love having a weekly taco night! We used to consistently do Taco Tuesdays. It’s not something that we do on a particular night anymore, but it’s certainly a regular in the rotation. Clearly the universe is telling you that you need to bring it back! 😉
Your stuffing sounds excellent! Do you have the recipe on your blog?
Andrea says
Yep. Everyone kept asking for the recipe!
Cadry says
Very cool!
Richa says
i love the sound of these tacos.. double decked! i havent eaten any double decker tacos ever.. i need to whip up more mexican food.
Thanks for the mention:) I am already stressing out for this Diwali, since my mum and sis said that they will try my recipes and be mostly vegan throughout the dairy intense festival, if i can vegan-ize some of their fave indian sweets.. lets just say,, there is a lot of experimentation going on and the compost microbes are happy.
Cadry says
I wonder if the double decker taco is more of a local favorite. Like taco pizza, perhaps it’s more common in the Midwest.
I’m so happy to hear that your mom and sister are up for a mostly vegan Diwali! Good for them! If there’s anyone who’s up for the challenge of veganizing their favorite Indian sweets, it’s you. I’m sure you’ll make recipes that they’ll love!
Kittee-Bee Berns says
Cadry, I’ve never even heard of a double decker taco before! I can’t image the texture of the soft tortilla hitting the crunchy one, but it sounds interesting!
These posts make for some terrific resources…
xo
kittee
Cadry says
You should get some soft gluten-free tortillas and try it out for yourself! You’ll never have to choose between a refried bean burrito or black bean taco ever again. You get them both at once! 🙂
Thanks for your support, Kittee!
Mel says
You have introduced me to a couple of new and exciting concepts recently, first it was black bean taco pizza, now double decker tacos! I love the thought of munching on the different textured tortillas and am interested to know if they are less messy to eat than hard shell tacos. I’ll have to give this a whirl one day!
Cadry says
I think you’ll love them, Mel! Definitely give them a go! 🙂
Kristy says
I was just thinking about double decker tacos the other day- I used to have one from Taco Bell for lunch almost every day my senior year of highschool (As a senior, we could leave campus for lunch, which I took full advantage of). And I wondered why I was a little overweight in highschool… 😉 Your new vegan version looks much tastier and much healthier than the fast food ones I remember!
Last year, I brought a vegan mushroom gravy to Thanksgiving (along with some other things) and my sister-in-law made vegan caulipots. The gravy and the caulipots were such a hit that they were requested (by the omnivores) to make a repeat appearance at Christmas, and at all future holidays.
Cadry says
Your mushroom gravy sounds delicious over caulipots! It always feels good when vegan items are a hit. I’ve made the caulipots from Appetite for Reduction, and they’re very tasty indeed!
Nikki @ The Tolerant Vegan says
How is it that I’ve gone my entire life without eating a taco shell wrapped in a taco shell? I’m going to have to change that QUICK!
I love this post. Since becoming vegan I’ve thought a lot about traditional foods and, when I crave them, I ask myself if I’m really craving the food or what the food symbolized or made me feel at the time. Like when I crave chicken and dumplings I know it’s not the chicken I want, but the comfort I associate with it because my grandma used to make it on special occasions. I’m trying to make new traditions with new foods, but I also love to veganize food that has meaning to me, like mac and cheese, buttermilk biscuits, holiday desserts, etc. I love the challenge!
Cadry says
You definitely need to get on the taco-making pronto! The only thing better than one taco is a taco wrapped in a taco. (It’s kind of Dali-esque that way, but completely tantalizing.) 🙂
I love your attitude regarding taking old favorites and focusing on the essential elements that you enjoyed most about them. Plus, when we find ways to update our old school favorites in a way that includes our current values, it’s a win all around!
moonsword says
Double Decker Tacos? How is it I’ve lived on this Earth for many eons and not heard of such wondrousness? It’s like a superdelicious black bean bear hug with crunchy/chewy/spicy goodness! I wonder if you could do an Indian version, maybe with hummus between the shells and a spicy curry lentil or veggie filling?
Most of my family favorites were easy to veganize as we are a pasta and pizza-centered people. I’m so grateful for the multitude of vegan cheeses now that make it so easy!
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes…cheers!
Cadry says
A black bean bear hug! I love that! That’s pretty much it all the way around. Your hummus & curry idea sounds wonderful! It’s like a super fusion with Middle Eastern meets Mexican meets Indian. We could call it around the world in a taco. I’ll get started on it! 🙂