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    Home > Global Vegan Recipes > Vegan Mexican Recipes

    Vegan Mexican Molletes with Mango-Basil Salsa

    Posted: Jul 18, 2014 ยท Updated: Mar 21, 2022

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    These vegan Mexican Molletes are simple but incredibly delicious. Refried beans are slathered on a crusty bread like a bolillo or a French baguette, and topped with sweet and spicy mango salsa.

    Molletes with refried beans and mango basil salsa on a white plate.

    One of my favorite places in Mexico is the charming town of Morelia where we once spent a few days doing almost nothing. Nothing, except taking lazy strolls on streets dotted with devout Mexicans and students.

    Morelia is packed with beautiful churches and colleges, and if you're not inclined to one or attending the other, the only thing you can pretty much do is walk around and eat. Luckily, Morelia has some surprisingly trendy restaurants and many of these are vegan friendly. There even was an all-vegetarian restaurant in the city which was an unexpected but welcome treat. You could sit outdoors at a table with a great view of the main street and watch the world go by, or you could listen to one of the many street entertainers who tended to stop by ever so often with  a song.

    Closeup of a mollete on a white plate.

    Every morning, Desi and I would make our way to one of those restaurants, situated right across the street from the town's centerpiece: a huge pink-stone cathedral with majestic twin towers. I was hooked to one breakfast dish that, although not vegan, was easily veganized for me by the friendly staff: Molletes.

    Molletes are Mexican sandwiches -- usually open faced-- made of crusty bread, like a bolillo, smeared with refried beans and topped with cheese and pico de gallo salsa. The first time I had it, I asked the waitress to hold the queso and the sandwich was so good that I never thought I'd eat anything else again.

    The reason why Molletes are so tasty despite being so simple is because of all those textures and flavors coming together in a perfect marriage. You have the crusty bolillo with its pillowy crumb, the velvety refried beans with just that right bite of spice, and the salsa with its fresh, vibrant flavors.

    I had  been wanting to share with you my own version of Mexican Molletes, which I make rather traditionally except that I used a mango-basil salsa this time instead of tomato salsa. It was divine.

    I have a recipe for the perfect Bolillos on the blog, but because I wanted this to be a perfectly healthy snack, I repurposed by Sourdough Baguette into wholegrain bolillos for my Moletes. Try it out: you will not be disappointed. Or just buy some baguettes -- or any crusty bread-- from the bakery.

    Enjoy!

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    Vegan Molletes with refried beans and mango basil salsa on a white plate.
    Molette

    Vegan Molletes with Mango-Basil Salsa

    These vegan Mexican Molletes are simple but incredibly delicious. Refried beans are slathered on a crusty bread like a bolillo or a French baguette, and topped with sweet and spicy mango salsa.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Mexican molletes, vegan molletes
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 20 mins
    Total Time: 40 mins
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 347kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 6 bolillo rolls, split into halves

    For refried beans

    • 3 cups black beans (drain thoroughly. If you cook your own, use 1 cup of dry beans, soak for a few hours before you cook, and toss in a bay leaf-- it gives the perfect flavor, cooked or canned)
    • Salt to taste
    • ยผ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 large large onion (finely chopped)
    • 4 cloves garlic (crushed and minced)
    • 1 chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce, (finely chopped)
    • 2 teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1 teaspoon olive oil
    • ยฝ cup cilantro (finely chopped)

    Fpr mango basil salsa

    • 2 ripe mangoes (skin and seed removed. Chop the mangoes in a small dice)
    • ยผ cup red onion (finely diced)
    • 1 jalapeno pepper (minced)
    • Juice of ยฝ lime
    • 10 basil leaves (cut into thin riboons)
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    Instructions

    Make the beans

    • Heat the oil in a saucepan large enough to hold the beans later.
    • Add the onions and salt and ground black pepper and saute for a few minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add the garlic and continue to cook over low heat for another 2-3 minutes.
    • Add the chipotle chili and cumin powder and stir well to mix.
    • Add the cooked beans along with 1 ยฝ cups of the cooking liquid or water or vegetable stock.
    • Bring to a boil and turn down the heat to a simmer. Let the beans cook about 10 minutes. If they get dry, add more water or stock.
    • Using a potato masher, mash the beans until some are completely mashed and others are still whole or have some texture.
    • The finished beans should have a thick, slightly soupy texture. They will thicken further as they stand, so this is important.
    • Stir in the coriander leaves.

    Make the mango basil sauce

    • Mix all the ingredients and set aside 30 minutes for flavors to merge.

    Assemble the mollete

    • Take the lower half of the bolillo bread and scoop out some of the crumb-- I like to do this so I can get more filling inside, but if you don't want to do this, that's fine too.
    • Toast the bolillo until the edges are just turning crisp.
    • Slather on some of the refried beans, top with the mango salsa, and serve immediately.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 2open-faced molletes | Calories: 347kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 315mg | Potassium: 565mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 912IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    Vegan Molletes with refried beans and mango basil salsa on a white plate.
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pallavi Kulkarni

      July 25, 2014 at 10:40 am

      Where? do u find these recipes!! I love it.
      I am not fan of the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, what do I use instead?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        July 25, 2014 at 12:16 pm

        Hi Pallavi, just use regular chilli powder or smoked paprika if you have that.

        Reply
    2. Kelsey M

      July 20, 2014 at 10:22 am

      Wow these look fantastic! And with those different textures- yum! I hope I can make these soon!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        July 22, 2014 at 10:28 am

        Thanks, Kelsey, hope you try 'em! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    3. Analuna

      July 18, 2014 at 12:05 pm

      Hi Vaishali- I love your blog, especially the Indian food. I have recently discovered that it's my favorite food to cook, and I've been using tons of your recipes, each one turning out amazing. I was pleasantly surprised to see some classic Mexican food on your blog this morning! It was so nostalgic- I remember being a kid and my mom having to work late or being away from the weekend, and my dad, who is from Mexico, would make these for me, and they were always so delicious and we'd eat them while watching a movie. Great memories ๐Ÿ™‚ I just wanted to kindly point out, though, that they're actually spelled "molletes," pronounced "moy-et-es" - I hope that makes sense! Thanks again for the great blog, and have a wonderful day!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        July 18, 2014 at 12:31 pm

        Hi Analuna, What a lovely message-- you made my day. ๐Ÿ™‚ I always say -- and I've written on this blog in the past-- that I feel like I was Mexican in another life, because I love Mexican food and Mexico so much. Thanks for sharing your memory about Mollettes, and for the spelling. I have corrected it! Have a wonderful day too! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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