tostada

American  

[toh-stah-duh, taws-tah-thah] / toʊˈstɑ də, tɔsˈtɑ ðɑ /

Also tostado

noun

Mexican Cooking.

• tostadas
  plural

1. a tortilla fried until crisp and usually topped with a variety of ingredients, as shredded meat or chicken, refried beans, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese.

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tostada British  

/ tɒˈstɑːdəʊ, tɒˈstɑːdə /

noun

1. a crispy deep-fried tortilla topped with meat, cheese, and refried beans

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tostadas
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tostada

1935–40; < Mexican Spanish, noun use of past participle of Spanish tostar to toast ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tostada tostadas

We’ll order a dozen oysters, a scallop tostada and a little steak frites if we’re feeling cheeky.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

For me, this is ideal weeknight cooking: A tostada piled high with ceviche tastes like vacation even when you’re eating it on a Tuesday.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

Because it was my last meal, I went all out with a kanpachi tostada that came with ikura and a small vial of soy sauce that you can squirt on top.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2024

There was a crunch — at the center of this handheld food-disc lies a tostada.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2023

Bill Koontz was sitting at the counter tapping up tostada crumbs with his middle finger and licking them off when Joe and his people walked in.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Serve piled onto tostadas, scooped up with tortilla chips or spooned over rice.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

As a child in Northern California, he grew up eating tostadas with refried pinto beans.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

She also sells tostadas topped with chow mein, elote loco and rellenitos — plantains stuffed with refried black beans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2023

In Las Vegas, chef Mariana Alvarado said she began getting native corn through Tamoa and Los Angeles-based Masienda for tortillas, tostadas, tamales and the masa she sells in markets and online about four years ago.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 25, 2023

We started with our makeup, applying eye shadow between bites of soup and tostadas.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour