Easy Baked Vegan Taquitos with Instant Pot Bean Filling

These deliciously crunchy vegan taquitos are one of our family’s favorite vegan Tex-Mex dishes. I make the super flavorful Instant Pot taquito filling using dry unsoaked pinto beans, and bake the taquitos in the oven to crispy perfection. An easy vegan weeknight dinner with gluten free and oil free options.

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I’ve been making these vegan taquitos at least once a month for years now. They’re really easy and tasty, entirely plant based, and best of all, approved by my unreasonably picky 5 year-old!

Every time I make this vegan taquitos recipe, I think that I should post it here on the blog sometime.

But as it always happens, life gets in the way, and/or the taquitos disappear way before I get my camera out to take pictures.

But recently I decided to make a video of this recipe for my YouTube channel – a perfect opportunity to finally squeeze in some picture taking!

Now you can read about these vegan bean taquitos and get the printable recipe card here on the blog, or watch me make them step by step on YouTube 😊

See the web story for this recipe over here.

What Are Taquitos?

In case you’ve never tried taquitos before, you’re in luck!

Taquitos are a traditional Mexican dish (or Tex-Mex to be exact) that’s usually served as a snack or, in larger quantities, as a main course.

The word “taquito” literally translates from Spanish as “little taco”, but in fact it stands for a small tortilla rolled around simple, flavorful filling.

The filling is usually made with seasoned chicken or beef and sometimes cheese.

The vegan taquito filling options can be quite varied – I’ve seen recipes using lentil taco meat, jackfruit, sweet potato, vegan ground beef, and of course beans.

Sometimes taquitos are referred to as flautas (Spanish for “flute”), but they aren’t exactly the same thing. There are two main distinctions, depending on who you ask (find more info about this here):

• Flautas are made with larger tortillas, and are usually rolled tighter, so they look longer and thinner than taquitos.
• Flautas are made with flour tortillas, whereas taquitos are made with corn tortillas.

One thing both flautas and taquitos have in common: they’re traditionally cooked by deep frying to get the tortillas nice and crispy.

Sure, deep fried food tastes great, but it’s definitely not something I’d want to eat all the time – let alone make at home.

So I discovered a super simple method to get my veggie taquitos just as delicious and crispy, yet without the onslaught of oil – baking them in the oven!

I actually used to brush these taquitos with a pastry brush dipped in avocado oil before baking. But then, one day I decided to see what happens if I skipped that step.

To my surprise, the “naked”, oil-less tortillas got even crispier!

Since that day, the method I’m describing in today’s post has become my go-to way of making these easy plant based taquitos.

Give it a try, and I’m sure your whole family will love the results!

VIDEO: Vegan Taquitos in the Instant Pot

Watch me make these vegan taquitos step by step in this video on my YouTube channel:

Why I Love These Vegan Taquitos

I mean, what’s not to love here? Aside from the obvious fact that they’re super flavorful, here are a few more reasons I love this vegan taquito recipe:

⭐ They’re really easy to make! All you need to do is pressure cook some veggies, pinto beans and seasonings in the Instant Pot; then assemble the taquitos by wrapping the cooked filling into tortillas; and finish by baking the taquitos in the oven until crispy.

⭐ They’re made with simple, cheap ingredients easily found at any grocery store. All you need is dry pinto beans, green pepper, yellow onion, frozen corn, spices (oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika), some water or veggie broth, salt and pepper, and small tortillas (flour or corn).

⭐ You don’t even need to soak the beans! It’s so much easier to “get the show on the road” if you don’t have to remember to soak the beans in advance. Bonus: dry beans are way cheaper than canned ones.

⭐ These vegetarian taquitos can easily be made oil free. The only part I’m using oil is when sautéing the vegetables in the Instant Pot. You can easily use some water or veggie broth instead. NOTE: for truly oil-free taquitos, make sure to use oil-free tortillas.

⭐ These taquitos make a fantastic party snack, an appetizer or side dish (if you serve 1-2 per person), or a main course (2+ per person). Besides, they are a great, less messy alternative to traditional tacos for Taco Tuesday or Mexican-inspired nights.

Ingredients of Vegan Instant Pot Taquitos

• Dried unsoaked pinto beans
• Green bell pepper
• Yellow onion
• Frozen corn kernels
• Taco seasoning – dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, and paprika
• Salt, pepper
• Water or vegetable broth
• Avocado oil, for sautéing vegetables (or use water/vegetable broth for oil free)
• Small taco-sized flour or corn tortillas

Ingredient Substitutions

Instead of pinto beans, feel free to use cannellini, black, or cranberry (a.k.a. borlotti) beans. The latter ones are my favorite substitution for pinto beans in this recipe: I find that they give the bean filling a smoother and creamier texture.

Instead of a green bell pepper, you can try a similar amount of chopped poblano pepper. BE AWARE that the taquito bean filling will come out spicier with it though. To cut down on the spiciness, try using the half-and-half combination of poblano and green peppers.

Instead of yellow onion, try using chopped shallots. They will add an interesting depth of flavor and aroma.

Instead of the combination of spices mentioned in this recipe, feel free to use your favorite store-bought taco seasoning.

How to Make Vegan Taquitos with Instant Pot Bean Filling

(This is an outline of the cooking process. For ingredient amounts and instructions, see the printable recipe card below.)

Preheat your Instant Pot on Sauté function.

Once hot, add a thin layer of oil (like avocado oil) or water/veggie broth for oil-free. Add chopped green bell pepper and onions, sauté over medium heat until soft (pic 1).

Sprinkle in the taco seasoning – oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper (2).

Mix in rinsed unsoaked pinto beans and frozen corn. Add water or vegetable broth (3, 4).

Press the Cancel button on your Instant Pot.

Lock the lid in place, making sure that the vent lever is set to pressure. Press the Manual button and set the timer for 60 min (5).

When the pressure cooking time is over, wait 15 minutes before venting your Instant Pot.

Once the timer reaches 15 minutes, press Cancel and carefully release the steam (depending on your Instant Pot model, you’ll either need to turn the pressure knob into venting position, or press the button next to the vent).

Open the lid, stir and taste the beans to adjust the seasoning (6). The beans will be tender but still have a toothsome texture. If the beans are still tough, close the lid and set the pressure cooker for another 3-5 minutes.

Take the bowl with the beans out of your Instant Pot and put on the counter (put a kitchen towel or a pot holder down first).

Roughly mash the mixture with a potato masher (7).

If the mashed beans look too runny, leave them on the counter uncovered for 10-15 minutes, and they will thicken.

(You could technically mash the beans in a food processor but I prefer to just do it by hand to save dirtying up more dishes.)

SOFTEN THE TORTILLAS (optional for flour tortillas; recommended for corn tortillas):

Wrap them in a damp paper towel, and microwave for 40-50 seconds to soften.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place about 2-3 Tbsp of the mashed bean mixture onto each tortilla (8). Make sure not to spread the filling all the way to the edges – it will expand during baking and may start coming out.

Roll each tortilla tightly (9, 10).

Place the taquito onto the prepared baking sheet seam side down (11).

Continue until all of the filling is used up. I usually get 14-16 taquitos out of this recipe.

Bake the taquitos in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes until the tortillas become golden brown and crispy around the edges (12).

Let cool slightly before eating. Serve with the Easy Avocado Dip.

MAKE THE EASY AVOCADO DIP: Squeeze lime juice over the avocado flesh, and mash roughly with a fork. Mix in chopped cilantro and purple onion, granulated garlic (or minced garlic clove), and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

FAQs

What to Serve with Vegan Instant Pot Bean Taquitos

Easy Avocado Dip (recipe included below). I always whip up a batch of this dip whenever I make bean taquitos. Its creamy texture and flavor make a fantastic add-on to the flavor of my taquitos.

Easy Vegan Chipotle Coleslaw

Easy Vegan Chipotle Aioli (this is the dressing from the above Chipotle Coleslaw recipe)

Vegan sour cream or unsweetened plain yogurt (I love Forager brand for both)

Vegan queso, homemade or store-bought

Your favorite toppings – sliced avocado, chopped radishes, shredded purple cabbage, fresh cilantro, scallions, etc.

Your favorite hot sauce

More Vegan Tex-Mex Recipes from the Blog

Easy Vegan Tofu Tacos

Easy Vegan Fajita Filling with Soy Curls

Veggie-Loaded Vegan Quesadillas

Easy Vegan Enchiladas with Potato-Veggie Filling

Vegan Taco Salad with Chipotle Dressing

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos

I hope you enjoy these delicious vegan taquitos as much as we do in our family!

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