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Corn Tostadas

Could a store-bought tostada hold a candle to homemade?

Top Pick

WINNERMission Tostadas Estilo Casero

This brand won nearly unanimous praise for its “crisp and crunchy” texture and “good corn flavor.” It was “substantial, both in texture and flavor” even when topped with heavy, moist refried beans.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 14 ounces
This brand won nearly unanimous praise for its “crisp and crunchy” texture and “good corn flavor.” It was “substantial, both in texture and flavor” even when topped with heavy, moist refried beans.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 14 ounces

What You Need to Know

The Mexican tostada is a close relative of the tortilla chip—only bigger, flatter, and less salty. Traditionally, tostadas are made from stale corn tortillas that are toasted (the literal translation of the word) or deep-fried to make them not only more flavorful but also sturdy enough to support a thick layer of refried beans or forkfuls of moist shredded meat. Figuring that a homemade version would function as our benchmark for what a good prefab tostada should taste like—shatteringly crisp and full of nutty corn flavor—we got to work frying our own with store-bought corn tortillas, then compared them with five packaged tostada brands (Mission, Charras, Olé, Ortega, and Old El Paso), both plain and with refried beans. The better brands (Mission, Charras, and Olé) boasted coarsely ground corn and no preservatives. The “clean corn flavor,” “rustic crunch,” and “substantial” texture of Mission Tostadas Estilo Casero made it the hands-down favorite. It was so good, some tasters even preferred it to our homemade version.

Everything We Tested

Highly Recommended

WINNERMission Tostadas Estilo Casero

This brand won nearly unanimous praise for its “crisp and crunchy” texture and “good corn flavor.” It was “substantial, both in texture and flavor” even when topped with heavy, moist refried beans.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 14 ounces
This brand won nearly unanimous praise for its “crisp and crunchy” texture and “good corn flavor.” It was “substantial, both in texture and flavor” even when topped with heavy, moist refried beans.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.99 for 14 ounces

Recommended

Charras Corn Tostadas

Tasters appreciated the “nice crisp” texture of these tostadas, which stayed that way even under refried beans. However, a few felt the topping drowned out their “delicate” flavor.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.19 for 14 ounces
Tasters appreciated the “nice crisp” texture of these tostadas, which stayed that way even under refried beans. However, a few felt the topping drowned out their “delicate” flavor.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.19 for 14 ounces

Recommended with reservations

Olé Corn Tostadas

Tasters deemed these tostadas “nothing special.” Though the bean topping did not overwhelm their “mellow corn” flavor, the tostadas became soggy and limp.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.79 for 12.4 ounces
Tasters deemed these tostadas “nothing special.” Though the bean topping did not overwhelm their “mellow corn” flavor, the tostadas became soggy and limp.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.79 for 12.4 ounces

Not Recommended

Ortega Tostada Shells

“Cardboard” and “stale, stale, stale” summed up tasters’ reactions to these pricey yet mediocre tostadas.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.45 for 3.8 ounces
“Cardboard” and “stale, stale, stale” summed up tasters’ reactions to these pricey yet mediocre tostadas.
Price at Time of Testing: $2.45 for 3.8 ounces

Old El Paso Tostada Shells

Good nutty corn flavor was even less in evidence in these tostadas, which tasters panned for being “rubbery and stale.”
Price at Time of Testing: $2.19 for 4.5 ounces
Good nutty corn flavor was even less in evidence in these tostadas, which tasters panned for being “rubbery and stale.”
Price at Time of Testing: $2.19 for 4.5 ounces

*All products reviewed by America’s Test Kitchen are independently chosen, researched, and reviewed by our editors. We buy products for testing at retail locations and do not accept unsolicited samples for testing. We list suggested sources for recommended products as a convenience to our readers but do not endorse specific retailers. When you choose to purchase our editorial recommendations from the links we provide, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices are subject to change.

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