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Quick to make and loaded with protein and fiber, these buffalo white bean tacos are the ultimate late-night snack or satisfying lunch. They’re paired with a punchy cilantro sauce that takes the flavor up a notch, and wrapped in gluten-free corn tortillas (which, after testing a bunch, turned out to be the most flavorful by far!).
save this recipe!These buffalo tacos are like pairing the two best foods: buffalo wings and tacos. They come together so quickly that you can make them when you’re short on time or just feeling lazy.
Cheap and quick to make, delicious to eat. What could be better?!
- Fast: This comes together in just 20 minutes, and everything is already cooked, so no need to worry about undercooking a protein.
- Protein and Fiber: Protein gets all the love, but fiber is crucial for a healthy diet (and white beans have both)!
- Pair them with another quick winner for an easy weeknight meal (looking at you, Chickpea Tortilla Soup).
Reader rating
“I made this super fast today for lunch for my family. It was a hit! Super easy and the flavors are amazing. Yum! This is a recipes to save and memorize since it’s so easy!” —KAtherine
Key Ingredients
These tacos use mostly pantry staple ingredients. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Cannellini Beans: Also known as white beans, they are large and soft, which makes them perfect for mashing into a taco filling.
- Buffalo Sauce: Use your favorite sauce! I like Primal Kitchen because it’s a bit thicker, but Frank’s is a great choice too.
- Yellow Onion: White onion works too. Just make sure to dice it super small (one of those fun choppers is great for this).
- Garlic: Fresh is always best!
- Corn Tortillas: I tested these with both flour and corn, and the corn was the clear winner. The slight sweetness is the perfect complement to the spicy buffalo sauce.
Using other beans
While you can use other beans, I would stick to soft white beans like Great Northern beans or these cannellini beans. Chickpeas will work, but they are tougher, so when I tested them, they were harder to mash and had a slightly gritty texture in the tacos.
How to make Buffalo White Bean Tacos
These tacos require a two-step cooking process. One for the filling and one for frying the tacos. This might seem excessive but I promise its worth it! This is an overview of the recipe. Jump to the recipe card for the full printable recipe.
- Make the flavor base: Saute the onions and spices until soft
- Add the beans: Stir these in with the buffalo sauce and mash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.
- Fill the tacos: Stuff the tortillas, fold, and fry in the pan until crispy on each side. Then enjoy with your sauce of choice!
clean the pan
The first time I tested this, I didn’t clean the pan between mashing the beans and frying the tacos. This led to the tortillas not getting as crispy as I wanted. The trick is to just scrape out any bits from the pan and then give it a quick wipe with a paper towel or similar (carefully though because it’s hot) before frying the tacos. Then with a little more oil they fry up perfectly!
Add sauce!
I’ve included instructions below for making a quick cilantro sauce to go with these, but you can also try buffalo bean tacos with any of these:
- Kefir Ranch Dressing: What’s more classic than buffalo and ranch??
- Greek Yogurt: Honestly, these are delicious in just plain Greek yogurt!
Psst: Sometimes I’ll add a little boost to these tacos by sprinkling in my walnut taco meat crumbles before cooking!
Crispy Buffalo White Bean Tacos (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, 15 mL
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ tsp each smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander seeds, black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 13-oz cans cannellini beans, drained, 370 g cans
- ½ cup buffalo sauce, 120 g
- 8 small corn tortillas
- For cooking: 2 to 4 Tbsp oil
Instructions
- Flavor Base: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add ½ medium yellow onion (diced) and 2 cloves garlic (minced). Cook until onion is soft and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Stir in ½ tsp each smoked paprika, cumin, ground coriander seeds, black pepper and ¼ tsp salt and cook for 1 more minute.
- Mash: Add in 2 13-oz cans cannellini beans (drained) and ½ cup buffalo sauce. Use a potato masher or fork to roughly smash the beans (be careful not to scratch your pan if using nonstick). Scoop the bean mixture out of the pan into a bowl and set aside. Rinse the pan clean, then return the pan to the stove.
- Assemble: Wrap 8 small corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds to make them pliable. Spoon the buffalo bean mixture evenly into each of the tortillas and gently fold each in half.Working in batches, lightly coat the skillet with oil and cook the tacos over medium heat until crispy on both sides.
- Serve: Serve warm with salsa, guacamole, or cilantro sauce (recipe in notes).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Made for a Sunday pool party. Made them on Friday and ate them on Sunday. Heated up in oven and made a cilantro sauce with coconut yougurt to keep it vegan. Everyone enjoyed them! Will make again!
Nothing better than hearing this, thank you!
These were delicious! I don’t usually love buffalo stuff, but made for the kids because they do. I ended up eating quite a few too. Love these!! Adding them to the dinner rotation.
Yay, so glad it was a hit!
Yum!!! Just made the Crispy Buffalo White Bean Tacos!!!! Delish!
Thanks for the kind words Cynthia, happy eating!
Loved this. A little spicy for me, so I will use a little less buffalo sauce next time. Hubby loved it too. Thank you for another great recipe!
Thrilled you both enjoyed it Judi, thanks for the review!
Could you use jalapano in it
These were outstanding…
Im so glad i made them.. i added jalepaneo to ours… ive been wanting to make it fir a while so glad i did…
I will defentally be making them again..
Happy you enjoyed the tacos Diana, thanks for cooking with us!
Hi Sarah, please tell me what tortillas you bought ?
I got some and they were terrible thank you
Hi Theda! It sounds like you may have got a bad batch. I just got small corn tortillas from a local Mexican grocery store. I don’t really have a brand preference!
Oh my! These were delicious. The coriander sauce works so well with them. Thank you for a great recipe
Thanks for the sweet review Zoe, happy cooking!
My daughter and I loved these .
We used the Mission brand gluten free tortillas. Crispy ,full of
Flavor and satisfying. Also easy and inexpensive to make .
Thanks for the sweet review Laura, happy cooking!
This looks fantastic! Can’t wait to try. What type of mustard do you use in the cilantro sauce?
I like using Dijon, but Yellow Mustard would also work well!
I just made this for myself for dinner and it was delicious! One of the best meals I have found online and made, plus it was pretty darn easy to make which is a plus for me. No expensive ingredients, and as I am on a weight-loss journey, happy it has lots of protein to keep me full! It made a lot more filling than it said which I am excited about. Leftovers all the way! Also I may have eaten 4 out of 8 at once… no regrets! Thanks for sharing your recipes and I look forward to making this again!
Thanks for making my day with your comment Sara!!