Tlacoyos are a Prehispanic Mexican dish that consists of a corn thick tortilla stuffed with mashed black beans, cooked on a griddle, and served with different toppings such as salad, salsa, and cheese.

Origin

The origin of tlacoyos dates back to the Olmecs and then carried into the Mayan and Aztec civilizations. Sopes and huaraches are the other popular masa-based treats that are pretty similar.

The name tlacoyo is a deformation of the Nahuatl word tlahtlaōyoh, which means empanada de maíz desgranado (empanada made with corn masa), referring to the corn dough cakes that were sold back in time in the regional markets such as Tlatelolco.

From the same word derive the other names given to this dish, such as clacoyos, tlayoyis, tlayoyos, or tlatloyos. All refer to this nutritious and healthy Mexican dish.

Today, tlacoyos de frijol are sold mostly in the central states of Mexico and it’s not a popular dish in the north. They are sold at stalls and restaurants along with other street food treats.

A traditional tlacoyo is usually stuffed with mashed black beans (frijoles negros), fava beans, or dried peas (alverjón). The most popular toppings are nopales salad, lettuce, cheese, and salsa.

Tlacoyos de frijol in a plate topped only with cheese.
Tlacoyos de frijol served in a restaurant in Texcoco, Mexico.

Ingredients

  • Masa harina: It is the flour used to make tortillas, you can find it at any Mexican grocery store and online.
  • Beans: You will need black beans + oil to mash them. Or you can also take a look at our frijoles refritos recipe.
  • Tomatoes and onion: To make the salsa.
  • Chilies: You will need guajillo chiles and some chile de árbol. These chilies can be found at online Mexican grocery stores or on Amazon. If you can’t find any of those, use any type of chili pepper available to you.
  • Spices & seasonings: Garlic and salt.

Toppings:

  • Pico de gallo: You will need fresh tomatoes, onion, chiles verdes like serrano or jalapeño peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
  • Cheese: Use queso fresco o any farmer’s cheese available to you.

How To Make Tlacoyos de Frijol

Make the salsa

  • Clean guajillo chilies by removing the stems, cutting them in half, and removing the seeds.
  • Slightly toast them on a comal or griddle to release their flavor and aroma.
  • Roast tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a griddle or comer over medium-high heat.
  • Place chilies in a blender and add 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Allow soaking for 5 minutes.
  • Add roasted tomatoes, onion, and garlic then blend at low speed for 1 minute. Transfer salsa to a bowl and add salt to taste. Set aside until needed.
Tlacoyos salsa made with roasted ingredients.

Make pico de gallo:

  • Dice tomatoes and add to a bowl.
  • Chop onion, chilies, and cilantro. Add everything to the bowl with tomatoes.
  • Add lime juice and season with salt. Mix everything and set it aside.
Preparing pico de gallo on a bowl.

Prepare the beans:

Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat, add the beans, and mash until pureed.

Cook stirring for 2-3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.

Black beans mashed in a pan.

Make the masa dough:

Place masa harina and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water while combining everything together until you will have a smooth dough.

Pro Tip: If the dough has a crumbly texture, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches the consistency of playdough. If it is too sticky, mix in a little more masa harina.

Corn masa ready to make tlacoyos de frijol.

Assemble & cook

Divide the dough into 10 portions. Take a portion of the dough and make a ball. Roll it into a thick disc with your hands working it back and forth (check the video).

A portion of masa flattened on a hand.

Carefully, spread some mashed black beans in the center.

Close by folding the sides towards the middle to make some sort of empanada. Then pinch the edges to form the pointed tips and create the classic tlacoyo shape.

A collage with 4 photos showing how to shape tlacoyos de frijol.

Now, flatten the tlacoyo bean with your hand carefully. In the end, it should look like the photo below:

A hand holding a shaped tlacoyo.

Repeat the steps with all the dough portions placing the raw pieces on a plate lined with cling film to prevent them from sticking.

  • Heat a griddle or comal over medium-high heat.
  • Place 2 or 3 tlacoyitos and cook for two minutes.
  • Flip and cook the other side for about 3 minutes.
  • Keep cooking flipping every minute until each piece is cooked through.
  • Once cooked, wrap them with a kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft.
The tlacoyos cooked on a comal.

Serve

Place the tlacoyos on a serving platter, add some chopped lettuce on top, then top with pico de gallo.

Drizzle with the spicy salsa (as much as you’d want) and finish with cheese on top.

Garnished tlacoyos with lettuce, salsa, and cheese in a serving platter.

Notes & Recipe Variations

  • Shaping those snacks can be a real challenge if it’s the first time you make them, don’t worry, you’ll get better with practice!
  • To make it easier, you can use a tortilla press to flatten the dough.
  • You can use blue corn masa to make this tlacoyo recipe, just swap the same amount of regular masa harina for the blue version, you might need a little bit more water tho.
  • For meat lovers, you can use cooked chorizo to stuff those snacks.
  • Add other toppings such as Mexican cream and pickled onions, or try this Mexican cabbage salad.
  • We recommend trying also other types of salsa to customize this recipe, such as our tomatillo green salsa, a smoky salsa de molcajete, or this amazing fake guacamole!

How To Store

Cooked tlacoyos de frijol can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer.

Make sure you leave them to cool down completely, then wrap them in cling film so they won’t dry out and become leathery.

The salsa and refried beans leftovers can also be stored in separate containers for up to 3-4 days in the fridge and about 3 months in the freezer.

For reheating, make sure they are thawed and then use a griddle or comal slightly oiled. Heat each piece for 1-2 minutes per side until slightly crispy on the outside, then add toppings and serve.

FAQ

Is tlacoyo a healthy snack?

A tlacoyo is undoubtedly a healthy and nutritious Mexican snack. Where normally the snacks like garnachas are fried in lard or oil, this one is cooked on a griddle and is prepared with fresh and nutritious ingredients such as nopales, lettuce, and pico de gallo. The salsas to pair with this healthy snack are also made with fresh produce and usually roasted in a comal.

How do you eat a tlacoyo?

Tlacoyos are eaten with your hands, just like a taco. They are a bit messy but that’s part of the authentic Mexican eating experience when it comes to street food.

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Video

Tlacoyos de frijol recipe.

Tlacoyos de Frijol

10 tlacoyos
Tlacoyos are a Prehispanic Mexican dish that consists of a corn thick tortilla filled with mashed black beans, cooked on a comal, and served with different toppings.
prep 1 hour
cook 20 minutes
Resting 5 minutes
total 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients 

For tlacoyos

  • 3 ½ cup masa harina
  • lukewarm water (as needed)
  • salt
  • lettuce (chopped)
  • queso fresco (or your favorite cheese)

For mashed beans

  • 1 ½ cup cooked black beans
  • 1 Tbsp lard (or oil)

For salsa

  • 2 large tomatoes
  • 3-4 arbol chilies
  • 2 small guajillo chilies
  • ½ medium onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • salt

For pico de gallo

  • 3 small tomatoes (diced)
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 2 serrano chilies (chopped)
  • cilantro (chopped)
  • 1 lime (juice)
  • salt

Instructions
 

Make pico de gallo:

  • Place all ingredients in a bowl. Add lemon juice and season with salt.
  • Mix for 1 minute to combine all ingredients, adjust salt to taste, and cover the bowl. Set aside until needed.

Make the beans:

  • Heat lard or oil in a small pan over medium heat, add the beans and mash until pureed.
  • Cook stirring for 2-3. Cover and set aside until needed.

Make the dough:

  • Place masa harina and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water while combining everything together until you will have a smooth dough.
  • Knead until you will have a moist and easy-to-handle dough that doesn’t crumble in your hands and has a smooth texture.
  • Divide the dough into 10 portions.

Make the tlacoyos:

  • Take a portion of the dough and make a ball. Roll it into a thick disc with your hands working it back and forth (check the video).
  • Carefully, spread some mashed black beans in the center.
  • Close by folding the sides towards the the middle to make some sort of empanada. Then pinch the edges to form the pointed tips.
  • Give it the elongated shape typical of the tlacoyos while flattening with your hand carefully.
  • Repeat the steps with all the dough portions and place the raw tlacoyos on a plate lined with cling film to prevent them from sticking.

Cook

  • Heat a griddle or comal over medium-high heat. Place 2 or 3 tlacoyos and cook for two minutes. Flip and cook the other side for about 3 minutes.
  • Once fully cooked, wrap the tlacoyos between a clean kitchen towel to keep them warm.

Serve

  • Place the tlacoyos on a serving platter, top with lettuce and pico de gallo.
  • Drizzle with the spicy salsa and finish with cheese on top.

Notes

  • To make it easier, you can use a tortilla press to flatten the dough.
  • You can use blue corn masa to make this tlacoyo recipe, just swap the same amount of regular masa harina for the blue version, you might need a little bit more water tho.
  • Cooked tlacoyos de frijol can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 2 months in the freezer.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1tlacoyo | Calories: 206kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 834mg | Potassium: 384mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 846IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 4mg
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Recipe Rating




13 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is my first time to try it and I really enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! I will definitely make it again!

  2. 5 stars
    Enjoyed these for dinner tonight and they were a savory success! Turned out quick, easy and delicious! Definitely, a new favorite recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    Tried this recipe last night and I love them so much! The instructions were so easy to follow and I’m really glad for the nutrition information part!

  4. 5 stars
    These tlacoyos turned out so well!! The filling was flavorful and the homemade corn tortilla outside had great texture. We loved these for an easy dinner!

  5. 5 stars
    I made tlacoyos last night and they were so good! I topped mine with lots of salsa and for the kids I used some tomato slices and lots of cheese and pop them in the oven for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese, the kids says they were like pizza filled with beans! And they love them btw.

  6. 5 stars
    I made those corn pockets yesterday and they were delicious. I must confess they didn’t come as pretty as yours but they were for sure something I’d do again. Tlacoyos are a full vegan meal and can’t wait to bring some to work and share with my colleagues:) thanks 😊

  7. 5 stars
    Gracias, thank you, merci! Tlacoyos de frijol negro are my favorite garnacha because, as you said, they are healthier than other types or snacks in Mexico.
    Loved your detailed recipe, can’t wait to try it tonight!

  8. 5 stars
    I never heard about tlacoyos before, but because of this post I was curious about it. I had masa Harina at home and canned black beans, I also had rotisserie chicken so I added that to the filling too. They weren’t that beautifully shaped like yours but defo they were delicious. Thank you!