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    Home » Taco night

    Vegan double decker tacos

    Updated: May 10, 2025 · Published: Jul 17, 2019 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 21 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    Text overlay: Vegan double decker taco. Platter of bean Taco Bravos with toppings.

    Double decker tacos are an old fast food favorite.

    Now you can enjoy a vegan version at home with two layers of beans, hard and soft shells, and veggies.

    It’s a satisfying dinner the whole family will adore.

    Hands holding bean taco with two kinds of shells.

    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.

    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?

    So many tough choices!

    With today’s recipe for vegan double decker tacos, you don’t have to choose. You get it all in one cozy bite.

    It’s as if the wheat tortilla just had to give that hard corn shell a big hug.

    I love 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.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Taco inspiration
    • Why readers love this recipe
    • Step by step instructions
    • Make it your own
    • 📖 Recipe

    Taco inspiration

    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.

    But it’s so easy to make a vegan version at home!

    And hey, if you want to throw some tater tots in the air fryer to go with it, they would not go amiss.

    Why readers love this recipe

    5 stars

    “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 super delicious black bean bear hug with crunchy/chewy/spicy goodness!” – Moonsword

    Step by step instructions

    This section shows how to make this recipe at a glance with process photos of the steps. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Taco toppings on table with platter of double decker tacos.
    1. Spread vegan refried beans on a small soft tortilla.
    2. Stick a hard corn shell inside.
    3. Fill the crunchy shell with spicy black beans.
    4. Add toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, shredded non-dairy cheese, pickled red onions, and guacamole.

    Pro tip: If the soft tortilla is way too big for the crunchy corn shell, use kitchen shears to cut it down to size!

    I used a broken corn shell as a guide. Just lay it flat on the soft tortilla, and cut around it.

    Kitchen shears are also great for chopping cilantro. A regular chef’s knife sometimes makes the cilantro wet or brown. But kitchen shears keep it looking fresh.

    Make it your own

    Double decker tacos are rife with opportunities for variation!

    • Use refried black beans or chipotle black bean dip instead of refried pinto beans for sealing the two taco shells together.
    • Instead of refried beans, sandwich the taco shells with guacamole. Then it’s a double guac tac!
    • Instead of spicy black beans, fill the crunchy taco shells with seasoned chickpeas, tofu & black beans, sweet potato & black beans, tempeh taco meat, or lentil taco meat.
    Platter of vegan double decker tacos with an array of toppings.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Hands holding double decker taco with refried beans, tomatoes, vegan cheddar cheese, and lettuce.

    Vegan double decker tacos

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 5 votes
    Enjoy this old fast food favorite 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.
    Finish with any optional toppings like pickled jalapeños, shredded non-dairy cheese & hot sauce.
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Mexican, Vegan
    Keyword: beans, meatless, tacos

    Ingredients

    • 4 hard corn taco shells
    • 4 small wheat tortillas
    • 1 cup refried beans
    • 1 batch spicy black beans
    • ½ cup chopped tomatoes
    • ¼ cup chopped onions
    • 1 cup green leaf lettuce chopped
    • 1 batch guacamole or 1 diced avocado
    • ¼ cup cilantro

    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.

    Notes

    There are so many opportunities to vary the ingredients for these double decker tacos! Instead of refried beans, sandwich the shells together with guacamole. Or use refried black beans instead of pinto. Fill the crunchy corn shells with browned vegan chorizo, jackfruit carnitas, or spicy chickpeas. 
    Instead of plain onions, the tacos are also delicious with pickled red onions.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 626mg | Potassium: 391mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 820IU | Vitamin C: 4.6mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 3.5mg

    Originally posted September 2012. Content & photos updated July 2019.

    More Taco night

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      Crunchy soy chorizo tacos with black beans (Easy Trader Joe’s dinner!)
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      Oven roasted tomatillo salsa verde recipe
    • Tortilla chip being dunked into roasted tomato salsa by lime wedges.
      Roasted tomato salsa with onion, garlic & jalapeño
    • Crispy corn tortilla strips made in the air fryer garnishing burrito bowl.
      Air fryer tortilla strips: Crispy snack & salad topper
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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. David

      January 01, 2020 at 2:11 pm

      5 stars
      No more taco indecision – yay!!! I love these with the refried black beans in between the two kinds of shell. (But there’s no wrong way to enjoy tacos, really.)

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 02, 2020 at 9:37 am

        Taco indecision is the worst! I’m glad this remedy worked for you. And good call on the refried black beans!

        Reply
    2. johanna @ green gourmet giraffe

      July 18, 2019 at 5:50 am

      wow you have opened my eyes to a new slice of taco heaven – I have never heard or dreamed of eating tacos this way but I think I need to try it. Sounds excellent!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        July 23, 2019 at 4:44 pm

        Hooray! My work here is done if I’ve brought the good word about double decker tacos to the land down under. Let me know if you try them!

        Reply
    3. moonsword

      September 15, 2012 at 3:35 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 15, 2012 at 4:14 pm

        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! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Nikki @ The Tolerant Vegan

      September 13, 2012 at 8:51 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 15, 2012 at 3:55 pm

        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!

        Reply
    5. Kristy

      September 12, 2012 at 3:12 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 13, 2012 at 10:53 am

        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!

        Reply
    6. Mel

      September 12, 2012 at 4:09 am

      5 stars
      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!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 12, 2012 at 10:38 am

        I think you’ll love them, Mel! Definitely give them a go! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Richa

      September 11, 2012 at 7:10 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 12, 2012 at 10:16 am

        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!

        Reply
    8. Kittee-Bee Berns

      September 11, 2012 at 6:54 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 12, 2012 at 10:10 am

        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!

        Reply
    9. cookeasyvegan

      September 11, 2012 at 3:20 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 12, 2012 at 10:08 am

        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?

        Reply
        • Cadry

          September 15, 2012 at 3:51 pm

          Very cool!

          Reply
    10. Janae @ Bring-Joy

      September 11, 2012 at 1:20 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 12, 2012 at 9:40 am

        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.

        Reply

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