Smoky Sweet Corn Tostadas

Make this easy vegan tostada recipe for a smoky, fun & fresh summer lunch. If you have leftover hummus, store it in the fridge for a quick, healthy snack!

Smoky Sweet Corn Tostada Recipe

Happy August! I hope corn is in season where you are, because I have a pretty corny tostada recipe today. Let’s just say that I decided to go for the corn trifecta. I started by making some sweet and smoky corn hummus that is a great snack on its own. Then I slathered it onto crispy (baked) corn tortillas. Finally, I topped these with avocado and MORE grilled corn because, well, I was up to my ears in fresh summer corn, and I had to use it somehow.

After spending the month of July eating pasta, I feel like a I needed a Texas re-tox. Nothing says welcome back quite like jalapeños, salsa, and tortillas.

Tostadas with Smoky Sweet Corn Hummus

Tostada Recipe Components

This tostada recipe has 3 basic parts: the hummus, the toasted tortillas, and the toppings.

I start by making the hummus. It’s a simple combo of basic hummus ingredients (chickpeas, tahini, etc.) plus fresh corn kernels, bright lime juice, and smoky chipotle paste. The result is a delectably creamy, sweet & salty dip that’s hard not to gobble up straight out of the food processor.

Next, I brush corn tortillas with a little olive oil and toast them at a low heat in the oven until they become crispy. Then, I load them up with generous dollops of the hummus, grilled corn kernels, avocado, fresh greens, jalapeño, and salsa.

These light, yummy summer tostadas would be a great cookout appetizer, healthy snack, or light lunch!

Tostada Recipe ingredients

Looking for more summer sweet corn recipes?

Try a Mexican corn salad, a fruity corn salad, pizza, corn chowder, or simple corn on the cob.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Smoky Sweet Corn Tostadas

 
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This easy tostada recipe will become your go-to summer party appetizer! Fresh, smoky & fun, it's vegan & gluten-free. I also love it for a light lunch.
Author:
Recipe type: Main dish, appetizer
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Smoky Sweet Corn Hummus:
  • kernels from 1 ear of fresh corn
  • 1 ½ cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ½ garlic clove
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ½ tablespoon tahini
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle paste (or chipotle powder)
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, or to taste
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Tostadas:
  • 4 corn tortillas
  • 1 ear of fresh corn, for grilling
  • Smoky Sweet Corn Hummus
  • ½ avocado, diced
  • 1 scallion, diced
  • jalapeño slices, optional
  • a few sprigs of baby kale or arugula
  • serve with tomatillo salsa, store-bought or the one from this recipe
Instructions
  1. Make the hummus: In a food processor or high speed blender, combine the corn kernels, chickpeas, garlic, lime juice, tahini, and olive oil. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add chipotle paste and smoked paprika to your liking. Chill until ready to use.
  2. Make the tostadas: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Brush tortillas with a little olive oil, place them on a baking sheet, and bake until crispy. (You can also toast them in a cast iron skillet if you don’t want to turn your oven on.)
  3. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Brush the corn cob with olive oil and grill, rotating occasionally until char marks form. Season with salt and slice the kernels off the cob.
  4. Assemble the tostadas with the Smoky Sweet Corn Hummus, diced avocado, grilled corn kernels, scallion, jalapeno slices, and baby greens. Serve with tomatillo salsa on the side.
Notes
This tostada recipe serves 2 with extra hummus. Store the leftover hummus in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Note: in picture #2, I sliced tortillas into wedges and baked them into chips. If you want chips in addition to you tostadas, slice 3-4 more tortillas into wedges and bake them with the whole tortillas (until crispy), then salt generously.

 

22 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it):  

  1. Wow, I just picked up some corn tortillas here in Bangkok at the supermarket today. Wasn’t quite sure what I was going to do with them, but was jonesing for their flavor. Now I do. Will definitely be trying this, particularly as I’m a relatively new vegan and always on the look out for a recipe that looks tasty but easy 🙂 Thanks.

  2. Rob from dadworking.me
    08.08.2015

    I loved this recipe. I have to admit – I adorned it with some left-over pulled pork one night, but kept it vegetarian another. It was great for breakfast with egg-whites, too. Keep it up!!!

    • jeanine
      08.09.2015

      Hi Rob, I’m so glad you liked it (and that it was versatile!)

  3. steph from iamafoodblog.com
    08.07.2015

    i am a corn lover so the triple corn action here is calling my name 🙂 i absolutely love recipes that use the same ingredient in different iterations!

  4. Oh I love this recipe, it all looks SOOO delicious x

  5. I am currently inundated with corn and this idea will help me dispose of some more of it in another tasty way. I have frozen some ears, made chowder, eaten some on the cob…but I have yet to try it this way. Where I come from we don’t traditionally eat corn…in fact, we usually use it to feed livestock, but I have to confess that I really enjoy it. I buy mine at the farmers market and it is a delicious and beautiful bi-color, organic corn. It is well worth the trip first thing on a Saturday morning!

  6. Whoa whoa whoa. I’m flipping out over this. Not only does corn hummus sound like exactly what I want to put into my mouth like now, the color is amazing. Espesh with those bright jalapeño slices. Yum!

  7. Those tostadas are looking divine! I like the idea of adding chips, so I will definitely keep that in mind when I try this recipe.

  8. Cheryl
    08.05.2015

    Do you have a recommendation for a brand of corn tortillas? I am always worried about buying anything premade.

    • jeanine
      08.05.2015

      this is a hard question for me because where I live (in Austin) there are tons and tons of tortilla choices and I use different types for different recipes. If you’re worried about gmo’s just look for a brand that’s organic where the ingredients are corn/masa + water (sometimes salt). Whole Foods usually has a pretty good selection, I buy the 365 brand tortillas regularly. Their corn tortillas are on the dry side for tacos, but they crisp up well for chips and tostadas :). Same goes for this Food for Life brand which I also sometimes get: http://www.foodforlife.com/product/tortillas/sprouted-corn-tortillas

      • Cheryl
        08.07.2015

        Thank you so much for the information. Very helpful 🙂

  9. Sabrina from cookingatsabrinas.com
    08.05.2015

    This looks delicious! I love the idea of corn hummus!

  10. This corn trifecta is such a great summer recipe, especially with that smoky corn hummus. That’s something I’ve not paired together yet. And you’re right, nothing says welcome back quite like salsa and tortillas. They make any meal happy.

  11. I love how you went for the trifecta of corn in this recipe! I’ve never put corn in my hummus but I love the idea. 🙂 Especially on a tostada like this! So yummy!

  12. This recipe sounds yum! Can’t wait to try it out!!! I love me a good fusion flavored hummus!

  13. Stephanie
    08.05.2015

    Okay. Last night it was time to eat dinner after the gym. Lots of grilled leftovers, so I threw a tortilla into a skillet. Added some scorpion-pepper cheddar (yum) to melt. Then corn kernels I’d scraped off the grilled ear, chopped fresh tomato, chopped avocado, herbs, and a squeeze of lime. It was delicious, but I was left pondering: “How do I get more protein into this?” You just answered my question.

    • jeanine
      08.05.2015

      That all sounds delicious! Chickpeas are always my go-to protein especially for last minute cooking. Also, they’re not in this recipe specifically, but I keep hemp seeds around and sprinkle them on just about anything for a little extra easy plant-based protein.

    • Julie Clark
      08.01.2018

      I made this. It’s awesome! I always wanted to know how to make tostadas. So easy. This is delicious.

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.