Ground Beef Tostadas – Fun Twist on Taco Night!

Zesty Beef Tostadas are a fun twist on tacos! Crispy, crunchy tortilla shells are topped with ground beef and refried beans.

Add your favorite tasty toppings for an easy addition to your meal rotation.

Ground Beef Tostadas on a baking sheet and table

What is a Tostada?

A tostada is basically an open-faced taco, sharing many of the same ingredients as a typical ground beef taco.

The tortilla is prepared flat and can be either baked or pan-fried. Once crisp it’s covered in layers of beans, meat, and toppings.

Endless Toppings!

Tostadas are little discs of taco goodness! The toppings can be piled as high and deep as you like!

We love this recipe because it’s a regular DIY entrée and there’s room for tons of creativity!

Make a festive DIY Tostada bar and let your kids (or your guests) choose their own toppings!

ingredients to make Ground Beef Tostadas

Ingredients and Variations

TORTILLAS Corn tortillas make the base for tostadas. I most often purchase tostada shells at the grocery (they’re sold near the taco shells) but I’ve included details to bake your own below.

MEAT & BEANS Refried beans and meat hold all of the other ingredients together! Homemade refried beans are great but canned work too. We use homemade taco seasoning on the meat.

ingredients in bowls to make Ground Beef Tostadas

Toppings

This is the fun part. Try any of the following or get creative and come up with new favorites:

    • Fresh & Crisp: shredded lettuce, diced bell peppers, diced tomatoes, pico de gallo
    • Spicy: pickled jalapenos, hot sauce, sliced peppers, salsa
    • Flavorful: black olives, cheese, lime juice
    • Creamy: sour cream, guacamole, avocado

adding meat to Ground Beef Tostadas

How to Make Ground Beef Tostadas

  1. Cook tortilla shells in the oven until crisp (or heat them if using store-bought)
  2. Prepare meat with taco seasoning (per recipe below).
  3. Heat the refried beans, and prepare the other toppings.
  4. Assemble tostadas with a spoonful of refried beans and then the cooked ground beef.

Garnish with toppings and enjoy!

top view of Ground Beef Tostadas on a baking sheet

Leftovers

  • The best way to store leftover tostada shells is to keep them in a zippered bag at room temperature. Store them with a sheet of paper towel between the tostadas to absorb any moisture.
  • To reheat tostada shells, lay them on a sheet pan and place them under the broiler for about 3 minutes, or just pop them in a toaster oven. Even a regular toaster will work if the tostadas are small enough to fit!
  • Other toppings can be kept in airtight containers and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Mexican-Inspired Favorites

Did you make these Beef Tostadas? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! 

Ground Beef Tostadas with writing
Ground Beef Tostadas with a title
Ground Beef Tostadas with sauce and writing
Ground Beef Tostadas on baking sheets with writing

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