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This classic Belizean Garnaches recipe from Belize is made with crispy tortillas loaded with black beans or shredded chicken (for Salbutes), plus lots of tasty toppings!
These Belizean Garnachas Are The Ultimate Crispy Taco Snack
My daughter Ava spent three months in Belize this year living with two separate host families. Garnachas was one of the most common recipes they made at home, and are among her favorite dishes to make since she’s been back!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
Whether it’s a party or an afternoon snack, these deliciously crisp Belizean Garnachas are perfect for any occasion.
Why You’ll Love These Garnaches
Quick and Easy – Made with just 4 simple steps, you can have this tasty Belizean snack ready in no time!
Customizable – I LOVE how customizable this Belizean Garnaches recipe is. You can load these up with as much pico de gallo, spicy salsa or queso fresco as you want, or top them off with shredded chicken for a version known as Salbutes.
Fresh Ingredients – This dish uses light, fresh and nutritious ingredients that are both satisfying and wholesome.
These Belizean Garnachas will get everyone coming back for seconds…and thirds every time!
Ingredients Notes and Tips
Corn tortillas – I love to use premade tiny yellow street sized tacos because they really make for the perfect bite sized portion. If you have extra time, grab a large skillet and make my homemade corn tortillas recipe from scratch.
Cabbage – For the cabbage slaw, you can either shred some up at home or use the store-bought version labeled “angel hair”.
Pico de gallo – Freshly made pico de gallo honestly takes these Belizean Garnaches to the next level, but if you’re in a pinch for time you can totally use the premade kind.
Garnishes – Top off these Belizean fried corn tortillas with more diced tomato, cilantro and a drizzle of sour cream. Or add other goodies like pickled vegetables, sautéed veggies, avocado, or whatever you like!
Recipe Variations & Dietary Swaps
Gluten-free – Use your favorite gluten-free tortillas for a GF version of this recipe.
Dairy-free – Swap the queso fresco with a vegan cheese alternative.
Extra heat – Turn up the heat by drizzling some habanero peppers or hot sauce onto each bite.
Low-fat – Instead of frying the corn tortillas, you can either bake them in the oven or grill them.
How To Make Belizean Garnachas
Although you can order Garnachas (and Salbutes, the chicken version) at restaurants, this popular street food is so simple to make at home in only 30 minutes, and they taste delicious!
Find the full Belizean Garnachas recipe with detailed instructions and storage tips in the printable form at the bottom of the post!
Storage Notes
Storing Leftovers – I recommend storing the components (beans, slaw and tortillas) of this recipe in separate airtight containers to maintain their freshness and crunchiness. They can last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Freezing Leftovers – I wouldn’t freeze the entire assembled Garnachas, but what you can do is store the refried beans and slaw in separate airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheating Leftovers – To reheat the beans, warm them up on the stove over low heat and add a little bit of water if they’re too thick. Crisp up the tortillas by giving them a quick fry in the pan.
What to Serve With Belizean Garnachas
Like tostadas and sopes, homemade Belizean Garnachas are scrumptious to enjoy with Fluffy Yellow Rice or Crispy Patatas Bravas. Pair them with any of your favorite Mexican and Central American-inspired side dishes, serve them as an appetizer or enjoy them as a quick snack!
Of course, feel free to add other toppings! Serve with a bowl of cold and delicious homemade guacamole or taco dip, melty queso, and freshly made salsa.
You can also make a Salbutes version of this recipe with swaps the black bean layer with shredded chicken. The chicken taco meat can be made a day or so ahead of time, so assembling the Salbutes is a snap when ready to enjoy!
However you serve these Belizean Garnaches, they are simply super tasty to eat on their own as a hearty snack.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is typical Belizean food?
Belizean cuisine is known for its bold flavors, hearty stews and fresh ingredients. Some staple dishes include rice and beans, fry jacks, garnaches and tamales.
What is the difference between salbutes and garnaches?
While garnaches and salbutes might look similar, they’re actually quite distinct. Salbutes and lightly fried where are garnaches are super crispy, and they also differ in toppings, where salbutes are topped with meat and garnaches refried beans.
Can I make Garnaches ahead of time?
Yeah! You can prep each part ahead of time but assemble it altogether right before you’re ready to chow down. Fry up the tortillas and store them in an airtight container at room temperature, and refrigerate the prepped slaw and beans.
Set a small sauce pot over medium heat. Add the refried black beans and vegetable broth. Stir well to mix, then simmer until the black beans are thin, but spreadable, about 10 minutes.
Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil to the skillet. Set a holding plate to the side and line it with paper towels. Once the oil is hot, fry 3 to 4 tortillas at a time, until very crisp. Make sure to flip and fry on both sides. Then move them to the holding plate and repeat with the oil and additional tortillas.
Set out a medium mixing bowl. Add the cabbage slaw to the bowl. Then drizzle lime juice over the top. Sprinkle generously with salt and toss.
Once the beans and tortillas are ready, assemble the Garnachas. Spread a tablespoon of thin refried black beans over the top of each crispy tortilla. Then top with a sprinkling of slaw, a sprinkling of pico de gallo, and a sprinkling of queso fresco.
Notes
These are best served fresh, but if the tortillas are crispy enough, they will hold up for a Mexican potluck.Storing Leftovers – I recommend storing the components (beans, slaw and tortillas) of this recipe in separate airtight containers to maintain their freshness and crunchiness. They can last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.You can make homemade corn tortillas for the most authentic version. Make them around 3 inches wide. You can also make homemade refried beans in the Instant Pot! Use our recipe subbing black beans for the pintos.To make Salbutes: Substitute the black beans with shredded chicken taco meat.
I’m Sommer Collier – Cooking Instructor and Professional Recipe Developer. I’m here to Boost your Confidence in the Kitchen with Approachable, Easy, Fool-Proof Recipes for Everyday Cooking!
One slight correction to the information here, salbutes is not made with fried corn tortillas. What is called salbutes here is actually called tostadas (also spelled tostados depending on who you ask). Salbutes in Belize is actually a similar recipe made from fried masa (corn dough) and topped with pretty much the same things as tostadas. Regardless I love making and eating all three of them and was taught how while living in Corozal as a child.
Salbutes and Garnaches/garnachas are not the same thing, except for having diff toppings as you are portraying it. They are similar in that they are a tortilla with toppings but that is it. The tortilla that the salbutes is made on is softer than the hard fried corn tortilla that the garnaches/garnachas is made on. Salbutes topping is chicken and cabbage and onions. Garnaches/garnachas toppings are beans, cheese, onion sauce, and for some people ketchup or a tomato sauce.
You are absolutely correct my mother is from Belize and she used to make it with majority of time either salsa or like a spaghetti sauce and at times she would put shredded parmesan or grated Parmesan cheese on top for the base and that’s what me and my siblings grew up with as well as my cousins and everybody else that came from Belize.
I get highly offended when I see people come into my country, Belize and rewrite our recipes incorrectly.
Garnaches is nothing like Salbutes other than both are made from corn in 2 absolutely different method of preparation.
Furthermore Garnaches is made with an onion sauce not Cabbage sauce. Now if someone prefers cabbage over onion for whatever reason, then that is their preference but it does not change the authentic way of how it is made.
Secondly, queso fresco is not the authentic cheese to put on Garnaches, DUTCH CHEESE IS AKA RED BACK CHEESE.
I have had to correct or national dish where they called boil up as a national dish, they called our Sereh Hudut. And so many others that have been labeled or incorrectly made and called authentic there is nothing wrong with changing a recipe to suit somebody and call it another version of but don’t change it and call it authentic.
I’m so sorry to offend you! Please understand, the method I shared is how my daughter was taught to make Garnaches while living in Belize… by two separate Belizean families. Of course, these families might have made their own tweaks to what is considered the most “authentic” method. They may have also made them with only the resources they had available to them in their villages. However, they were both making Garnaches via the method shown, and they were born and raised in Belize.
It is never our intention to misrepresent foods that originate in and are cherished by a certain culture/county. Yet please note, our readership is made up of 90-95% citizens of the United States. Therefore, we try to use ingredients, equipment, and methods that are available to the majority of our readers, so that the largest amount of people can successfully make an international recipe at home. This means there are times we slightly adjust an ingredient or method in the hopes it will help average cooks obtain ingredients and achieve good results.
We also sometimes add additional titles to a recipe (like Salbutes) because people unknowingly use these words interchangeably, and therefore search for recipes in the same way.
We hope you will offer grace to our method of sharing recipes, and trust that we only want more people to be able to experience the amazing dishes we love from locations around the globe.
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Apr 11, 2025 
One slight correction to the information here, salbutes is not made with fried corn tortillas. What is called salbutes here is actually called tostadas (also spelled tostados depending on who you ask). Salbutes in Belize is actually a similar recipe made from fried masa (corn dough) and topped with pretty much the same things as tostadas. Regardless I love making and eating all three of them and was taught how while living in Corozal as a child.
The recipe looks good but it’s not authentic. This version should be re-named to Belizean Inspired.
Salbutes and Garnaches/garnachas are not the same thing, except for having diff toppings as you are portraying it. They are similar in that they are a tortilla with toppings but that is it. The tortilla that the salbutes is made on is softer than the hard fried corn tortilla that the garnaches/garnachas is made on. Salbutes topping is chicken and cabbage and onions. Garnaches/garnachas toppings are beans, cheese, onion sauce, and for some people ketchup or a tomato sauce.
You are absolutely correct my mother is from Belize and she used to make it with majority of time either salsa or like a spaghetti sauce and at times she would put shredded parmesan or grated Parmesan cheese on top for the base and that’s what me and my siblings grew up with as well as my cousins and everybody else that came from Belize.
I get highly offended when I see people come into my country, Belize and rewrite our recipes incorrectly.
Garnaches is nothing like Salbutes other than both are made from corn in 2 absolutely different method of preparation.
Furthermore Garnaches is made with an onion sauce not Cabbage sauce. Now if someone prefers cabbage over onion for whatever reason, then that is their preference but it does not change the authentic way of how it is made.
Secondly, queso fresco is not the authentic cheese to put on Garnaches, DUTCH CHEESE IS AKA RED BACK CHEESE.
I have had to correct or national dish where they called boil up as a national dish, they called our Sereh Hudut. And so many others that have been labeled or incorrectly made and called authentic there is nothing wrong with changing a recipe to suit somebody and call it another version of but don’t change it and call it authentic.
Hi Emjay,
I’m so sorry to offend you! Please understand, the method I shared is how my daughter was taught to make Garnaches while living in Belize… by two separate Belizean families. Of course, these families might have made their own tweaks to what is considered the most “authentic” method. They may have also made them with only the resources they had available to them in their villages. However, they were both making Garnaches via the method shown, and they were born and raised in Belize.
It is never our intention to misrepresent foods that originate in and are cherished by a certain culture/county. Yet please note, our readership is made up of 90-95% citizens of the United States. Therefore, we try to use ingredients, equipment, and methods that are available to the majority of our readers, so that the largest amount of people can successfully make an international recipe at home. This means there are times we slightly adjust an ingredient or method in the hopes it will help average cooks obtain ingredients and achieve good results.
We also sometimes add additional titles to a recipe (like Salbutes) because people unknowingly use these words interchangeably, and therefore search for recipes in the same way.
We hope you will offer grace to our method of sharing recipes, and trust that we only want more people to be able to experience the amazing dishes we love from locations around the globe.
These are so flavorful! Crispy, fresh, and delicious with all the toppings. I want to try the chicken version next time.
I love it!! Easy to make and really delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!
Super loved it! This tasted so amazing! Thanks a lot for sharing this super easy to make recipe! Fam really loves it! Will surely have this again!
So easy to make and loaded with flavor! Loved it!
I never knew that this recipe existed, but after trying it, I dont think that I can live without it! thank you for sharing this recipe
You forgot sweet ketchup