Tlacoyos De Frijol (Black Bean Tlacoyos)

What are Tlacoyos?

Tlacoyos are a delicious Mexican dish that has been enjoyed for centuries. These tasty treats are a type of antojito, which is a small snack or appetizer that is commonly sold by street vendors in Mexico.

Tlacoyos are made from masa, which is a type of corn dough that is used to make many different traditional Mexican dishes. The masa is shaped into an oval (almost like an empanada) or triangular shape, and then filled with a variety of ingredients such as refried beans, cheese, fava beans, potatoes, or shredded meat. The filled masa is then cooked on a comal or flat griddle.

The Tlacoyo is a fundamental piece of Mexican gastronomy, since many meals & snacks have their origin in this dish: Sopes, Huaraches and Gorditas were created after this delicacy made with masa.

And generally they’re served with crema, cheese, spicy salsa, cactus salad, pickled onion and cilantro.

“Fun fact! You can also find Tlacoyos by these other names: clacoyo, clacoyito, tlatloyo o tlayoyo.”

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Ingredients

We don’t need a lot of ingredients to make Tlacoyos but it does require other toppings and fillings to make this super delicious dish. It’s all about layers of flavor!

On this blog post, I will show you how to make the Tlacoyos and the Nopalitos (cactus) salsa. The fillings is made with beans which I will provide the link to the recipe below.

For the Masa Dough

• 1 ½ cup masa harina or blue corn masa. If you have access to fresh tortilla masa from a latin store, you can use that as well.
• 1 ½ cup hot water
• ½ teaspoon table salt

For the Nopalitos Salsa

• 15 ounces cooked Nopalitos or 15 oz store bought jar 
• ¼ cup diced white or yellow onion.
• 1 large roma tomato diced into small cubes
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste

The fillings

• 1 cup Refried Black Beans or Pinto Beans
• Other filling ideas are mashed green peas, broad beans (habas in Spanish), or cheese. In recent years people started filling them with meats like chorizo or shredded meat.

Toppings

We eat the tlacoyos with a cactus salsa which is so important as a topping. It adds a whole nother flavor and textures. It’s the perfect final touch! 

Other delicious toppings are crumbled queso fresco, crema, avocado, lettuce, salsa, and radishes.

Mold The Tlacoyo

1. Fill a shallow dish with water to keep handy when working with the masa.
2. Working one dough ball at time, with your fingertips, press a deep indent into the ball, then work it into a thick tortilla (about ¼ inch-thick). Or use a tortilla press to form a thick tortilla.
3. Place about 2 tablespoons of beans into the middle area. Using moist fingers, carefully bring edges of dough together, enclose filling, and press to seal. Roll the ball in your hands until smooth.

4. Carefully and very lightly press the Tlacoyo with the palms of your hands flipping it side to side, until they form into a rhomboid shape. About ¼ inch-thick. If the edges crack, smooth them with a wet finger tip. Place Tlacoyo on a plate and set aside to make the rest.
5. Repeat procedure with remaining masa and filling.

Cooking The Tlacoyo

• Heat a comal, large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Once it becomes very hot, lower the heat to medium.
• Cook the Tlacoyos in batches (how many fit in the comal): Cook for one minute then flip them. Cook for 2.5 minutes. Then flip them again and cook for another 1.5 minutes.

• Place them on a plate lined with a kitchen towel and cover with same towel.
• Serve Tlacoyos with Cactus Salsa and add your favorite toppings.

Time to serve!

• Serve the Tlacoyos warm by layering with the nopalitos salsa and the toppings of your choice.

Equipment

Preferably use a comal but if you don’t have one, you can use a griddle or an iron-skillet. Make sure to use a skillet where the heat is distributed evenly to cook well.

Top tips:

• Make sure the dough is not dry. If it feels to dry, add one tablespoon of water at the time and knead again.
• The beans have to be on the dry side and cold to prevent them from spilling out when you seal them in the masa. 
• The Tlacoyos have to be on the thin side in order for it to cook thoroughly.
• Cook them for 1 minute on the first side, then flip them and cook them for 2.5 minutes. Flip them again and cook for 1.5 minutes. So they’re only flipped 3 times. 
• Avoid leaving them on the comal too long as they will get hard and dry. 
• Tlacoyos are a healthy dish since they’re not made with fat and don’t need to be fried to cook. Enjoy!!!

Enjoy…..

More Mexican Recipes

• Fresas Con Crema
• Shrimp Tacos With Mango Salsa
• Ensalada De Nopales
• Queso Blanco Dip
• Caldo De Queso Con Papas

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Tlacoyo Recipe:

Tlacoyos De Frijol (Black Bean Tlacoyos)

Servings 8 Tlacoyos

Ana Frias

5 from 17 votes

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

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Make these Tlacoyos and enjoy all of the classic Mexican flavors you like! It's like an extra-thick corn tortilla with a filling then topped with salsa or anything you like. So good!

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8 Tlacoyos

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

Masa Dough

• ▢ 1 ½ cup masa harina
• ▢ 1 ½ cup hot water
• ▢ ½ teaspoon table salt

Nopalitos Salsa

• ▢ 15 ounces cooked Nopalitos or 15 oz store bought jar diced into small cubes
• ▢ ¼ cup diced white or yellow onion.
• ▢ 1 large roma tomato diced into small cubes
• ▢ ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

Fillings

• ▢ ½ cup refried black beans OR pinto beans

Toppings

• ▢ Cactus Salsa
• ▢ Avocado, lettuce, radishes optional
• ▢ crumbled queso fresco and Mexican crema optional

Instructions 

Make the Masa Dough

• In a large bowl, whisk together the masa harina and salt. Stir in water a little bit at the time to thoroughly combine. Knead dough just until it comes together into a smooth ball, about 2 minutes.
• Keep the dough in the bowl and cover with a towel. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Form The Tlacoyo

• Fill a shallow dish with water to keep handy when working with the masa.
• Make a masa ball (about 60 grams) the size of very large golf ball and with your wet fingertips, press a deep indent into the ball, then work it into a thick tortilla (about ¼ inch-thick).
• Place about 1 to 2 tablespoons of beans into the middle area. Using moist fingers, carefully bring edges of dough together, enclose filling, and press to seal. Roll the ball in your hands until smooth.
• Carefully and very lightly press the Tlacoyo with your hands flipping it side to side, until they form into a football shape. About ¼ inch-thick. If edges crack, smooth them with a wet finger tip. Place Tlacoyo on a plate and set aside.
• Repeat procedure with remaining dough and filling.

Cook The Tlacoyo

• Heat a comal, large cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Once it becomes very hot, lower the heat to medium.
• Cook the Tlacoyos in batches (how many fit in the comal): Cook for one minute then flip them. Cook for 2.5 minutes. Then flip them again and cook for another 1.5 minutes.
• Place them on a plate lined with a kitchen towel and cover with same towel to keep them warm and not dry out.

Make the Nopalitos Salsa

• Mix the nopalitos, onions, tomato, cilantro and season with salt & pepper to taste.

Serve

• Serve the Tlacoyos warm by layering with the nopalitos salsa and the toppings of your choice.

Muy Delish Notes:

• Make sure the dough is not dry. If it feels to dry, add one tablespoon of water at the time and knead again.
• The beans have to be on the dry side and cold to prevent them from spilling out when you seal them in the masa. 
• The Tlacoyos have to be on the thin side in order for it to cook thoroughly.
• Cook them for 1 minute on the first side, then flip them and cook them for 2.5 minutes. Flip them again and cook for 1.5 minutes. So they’re only flipped 3 times. 
• Avoid leaving them on the comal too long as they will get hard and dry. 
• Tlacoyos are a healthy dish since they’re not made with fat and don’t need to be fried to cook.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1tlacoyo | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 244mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

The History

The origins of tlacoyos can be traced back to the pre-hispanic era, when the ancient Aztecs would prepare a similar dish made from beans and corn. The word “tlacoyo” actually comes from the Nahuatl language, which was spoken by the Aztecs and other indigenous people in Mexico. Tlacoyo roughly translates to “half-cooked” or “half-baked,” which is a reference to the way that the masa is cooked before it is filled with the delicious toppings.

When the ancient settlers undertook long journeys, they filled their “itacate” with tlacoyos and their gourd with water or pulque.

According to some records, the Spanish tried the tlacoyos for the first time in the tianguis of Tlatelolco and they liked it so much that they included this food in their diet, but not before adding products derived from beef and dairy products.