Burritos Recipe: How to Make Them at Home

A burrito is a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylinder around a filling, such as seasoned meat, rice, beans and cheese. Burritos are often served "wet," covered in sauce and melted cheese.

To make burritos at home, warm large flour tortillas, fill each with seasoned ground beef, rice, beans and cheese, then fold in the sides and roll tightly. Toast the rolled burritos seam-side down in a skillet so they hold their shape. A batch of 6 takes about 40 minutes.

This burrito recipe covers a ground beef burrito, how to fold one, steak and smothered versions, freezer burritos, high-altitude notes and where the burrito was invented. Good burritos start with fluffy red Mexican rice and warm tortillas, so make the rice first.

What Is a Burrito?

Historically, "burrito" was a regional name in Mexico for a taco, a filled tortilla. The modern burrito is a large flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylinder around its filling.

A burrito can be eaten by hand from foil, or plated and smothered in sauce and eaten with a knife and fork.

Where Was the Burrito Invented?

The precise origin of the modern burrito is unknown. The modern form took shape in Ciudad Juárez, in northern Mexico.

A popular folk tale credits a street vendor named Juan Méndez, who sold food in Ciudad Juárez during the Mexican Revolution. The story is not a documented fact.

The word has a longer written history. The 1895 Diccionario de Mejicanismos by Féliz Ramos y Duarte lists "burrito" as the Guanajuato name for a rolled-up tortilla with meat or other things inside.

In the United States, burritos first appeared on restaurant menus at the El Cholo Spanish Cafe in Los Angeles during the 1930s. The first US media mention came in 1934, in Erna Fergusson's Mexican Cookbook.

• 1895: "Burrito" appears in the Diccionario de Mejicanismos
• 1930s: Burritos appear on menus at El Cholo in Los Angeles
• 1934: First US media mention, in Erna Fergusson's Mexican Cookbook
• 1961: Febronio Ontiveros claims the first retail burrito in San Francisco, at El Faro

What Does Burrito Mean?

Burrito means "little donkey" in Spanish. Nobody knows for sure why the name stuck, and there are three common explanations.

1. A Sonoran historian claimed that dubious food stands once sold donkey meat in their tortillas.
2. A packed burrito looks like a donkey carrying a heavy load.
3. The rolled tortilla resembles the rolled packs that donkeys carried.

Types of Burritos

• Mission burrito: Large stuffed flour tortilla wrapped in foil, built on a steam-table line in San Francisco (how it is eaten: By hand, peeling back the foil)
• Wet burrito (mojado): Burrito covered in red chili sauce and melted cheese, also called enchilada-style (how it is eaten: With a knife and fork)
• Chimichanga: Deep-fried burrito, popular in Southwestern and Tex-Mex cooking and in Sinaloa and Sonora (how it is eaten: By hand or with a fork)
• Chivichanga: Long, thin fried burrito from Sonora and nearby areas (how it is eaten: By hand)
• Ground beef burrito: Seasoned ground beef, rice, beans and cheese (how it is eaten: By hand)

Ground Beef Burrito Ingredients

This recipe makes 6 large burritos.

For the Seasoned Beef

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup water or beef broth

For Assembly

• 6 large flour tortillas (12-inch, burrito size)
• 3 cups cooked Mexican or cilantro-lime rice
• 1 can (15 ounces) black or pinto beans, drained, or 1 1/2 cups refried beans
• 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, asadero or cheddar cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 cup pico de gallo, drained
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
• 1 avocado, sliced, or 1 cup guacamole
• 1 tablespoon oil, for toasting

Equipment

• Large skillet
• Second skillet or griddle for warming tortillas
• Saucepan for the rice
• Aluminum foil (for wrapping or freezing)
• Instant-read thermometer

How to Make Ground Beef Burritos

1. Cook the rice. Make the rice first and keep it warm, covered.
2. Brown the beef. Cook the beef and onion in a large skillet over medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking it up. Cook it to 160°F with no pink. Drain the fat.
3. Season. Add the garlic, spices and salt. Cook 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and water. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes, until thick and saucy but not wet.
4. Warm the beans. Heat the beans in a small pot or the microwave.
5. Warm the tortillas. Heat each tortilla in a dry skillet for 15 to 20 seconds per side, or wrap the stack in a damp towel and microwave for 45 seconds. Warm tortillas fold without cracking.
6. Fill. Lay a tortilla flat. In a line just below the center, add 1/2 cup rice, 1/3 cup beans, 1/2 cup beef and 1/3 cup cheese.
7. Add the cool toppings. Add pico de gallo, lettuce, a spoon of sour cream and avocado.
8. Fold. Fold and roll the burrito tightly (see the next section).
9. Toast. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Toast each burrito seam-side down for 2 minutes, then turn and toast 1 to 2 minutes more, until golden.
10. Serve. Cut in half on the diagonal and serve with salsa.

How to Fold a Burrito

A tight fold is what keeps a burrito together. Use a tortilla at least 10 inches wide, and 12 inches for a full meal.

1. Fill below center. Keep the filling in a log in the lower third, with 2 inches of bare tortilla at each end.
2. Fold the bottom up. Lift the bottom edge over the filling and pull it back snugly, tucking it under the filling.
3. Fold in the sides. Fold the left and right sides in toward the center.
4. Roll forward. Keep rolling away from you, pressing gently to keep it tight.
5. Rest on the seam. Set the burrito seam-side down. Toast it in that position to seal it.
6. Wrap if needed. For eating by hand, wrap the burrito in foil, Mission-style, and peel it back as you go.

Steak Burrito Variation

For a steak burrito, swap the ground beef for 1 1/2 pounds of skirt or flank steak. Marinate it in lime, garlic, chile and oil, then grill it hot and slice it thin against the grain.

The marinade and grilling method from this citrus-and-garlic carne asada recipe is ideal. Pair the steak with black beans, rice, guacamole, pico de gallo and Jack cheese.

For a weeknight shortcut, use leftover grilled steak and peppers from sizzling skillet fajitas.

How to Make a Smothered (Wet) Burrito

A wet burrito, or burrito mojado, is covered in red chili sauce and melted cheese and eaten with a knife and fork.

1. Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Roll the burritos. Fill and roll the burritos, but skip the lettuce and sour cream inside.
3. Sauce the dish. Spread 1/2 cup red chile or enchilada sauce in a baking dish. Lay the burritos seam-side down.
4. Smother. Pour 1 1/2 cups more sauce over the top. Or use warm restaurant-style queso or a green chile pork sauce.
5. Add cheese. Scatter 1 cup shredded cheese over the sauce.
6. Bake. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
7. Finish. Top with lettuce, sour cream, pico de gallo and cilantro at the table.

Tips for the Best Burritos

• Warm every tortilla. Cold flour tortillas tear when folded.
• Keep the filling thick. Simmer the beef until the liquid is almost gone. Wet filling soaks through the tortilla.
• Do not overfill. About 2 cups of filling is the limit for a 12-inch tortilla.
• Layer for structure. Put rice and beans on the bottom to absorb juices, then meat and cheese, then cool toppings.
• Use hot cheese next to hot meat. Cheese melts best when it touches the warm filling.
• Toast the seam. A quick sear seals the burrito and adds crunch.
• Season the rice too. Plain rice dulls a burrito. Cook it in broth with tomato, or finish it with lime and cilantro.

More Burrito Filling Ideas

• Chicken. Shredded chicken in salsa verde or chipotle sauce.
• Bean and cheese. Refried beans and Jack cheese, the simplest burrito of all.
• Carnitas. Crispy braised pork with onion and cilantro.
• Breakfast. Scrambled eggs, potatoes, chorizo and cheese.
• Vegetarian. Roasted sweet potato, black beans, corn, peppers and rice.
• Shrimp. Sautéed chile-garlic shrimp with cabbage slaw.

If you prefer cheese folded flat in a tortilla, the same fillings work in a golden griddled quesadilla.

High-Altitude Notes for Mountain Kitchens

Breckenridge sits at about 9,600 feet, and the rice and beans feel it most.

Water boils at about 193°F at 10,000 feet, compared with 212°F at sea level. Foods cooked in water, like rice and dried beans, take longer to soften. Liquids also evaporate faster at high elevation. Add a little extra liquid to the rice, keep the lid tight and test the grains before you take it off the heat.

The skillet steps barely change. Browning beef and toasting tortillas depend on pan heat, not on a boiling point. Oven temperatures are not affected by elevation, so the smothered burrito bakes the same.

For a fried chimichanga, lower the oil temperature about 3°F for every 1,000 feet of elevation.

Food Safety

Cook ground beef to 160°F. Cook chicken and other poultry to 165°F. Steaks are safe at 145°F after a 3-minute rest.

Leftovers and casseroles, including smothered burritos, should be reheated to 165°F. Check the center with a thermometer, since the middle of a thick burrito heats last.

Freezer Burritos: Make-Ahead, Storage and Reheating

Burritos freeze well, as long as you leave out the fresh toppings.

Make ahead. Cook the beef, rice and beans up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate them separately.

To freeze. Fill burritos with beef, rice, beans and cheese only. Skip lettuce, sour cream, avocado and pico de gallo. Cool the filling first, then roll. Wrap each burrito in foil or plastic wrap and freeze in a freezer bag. Use within 3 to 4 months.

Refrigerator storage. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Use them within 3 to 4 days.

Reheating. From the fridge, bake foil-wrapped burritos at 375°F for 15 to 20 minutes. From frozen, bake wrapped at 375°F for 40 to 50 minutes, or microwave unwrapped on a plate for 2 to 3 minutes, turning halfway. Reheat to 165°F in the center.

What to Serve with Burritos

• Chips and salsa. The easy classic.
• Nachos. For a party, set out burritos and a tray of baked beef-and-bean nachos.
• Mexican rice and beans. For smothered burritos, serve extra rice and beans on the side.
• Fresh tortillas. If you have time, homemade tortillas make everything better; see this step-by-step flour tortilla guide.
• A simple salad. Lettuce, radish, lime and a pinch of salt cut the richness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who invented the burrito?

No one person is known to have invented the burrito. The modern form took shape in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. A story credits a vendor named Juan Méndez, but it is a folk tale, not a documented fact.

What is the difference between a burrito and a chimichanga?

A chimichanga is a burrito that has been deep-fried. It is popular in Southwestern and Tex-Mex cooking and in Sinaloa and Sonora.

What is a wet burrito?

A wet burrito is covered in red chili sauce and melted cheese and eaten with a knife and fork. It is also called a burrito mojado or an enchilada-style burrito.

What size tortilla is best for burritos?

Use a 10- to 12-inch flour tortilla. Smaller tortillas will not close around a full filling, so save them for tacos and quesadillas.

How do you keep a burrito from falling apart?

Warm the tortilla, keep the filling thick and do not overfill. Fold the sides in tightly, roll firmly and toast the burrito seam-side down to seal it.

Can you freeze burritos?

Yes. Freeze them filled with meat, rice, beans and cheese only, wrapped individually. Use them within 3 to 4 months and reheat to 165°F.

The Steak Burrito at Mi Casa in Breckenridge

At Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina in Breckenridge, our steak burrito is packed with ancho grilled steak, Oaxacan rice, black beans, guacamole, asadero jack cheese, pico de gallo, crema, lettuce and tomato. You can get it smothered with queso or pork green chili. If you like your burrito fried, our chicken chimichanga brings guajillo marinated chicken, fundido cheese, roasted onion and poblano, tomatillo sauce and crema.

Both are on the Mi Casa burritos and specials menu under Platos y Especiales. Kids can order their own bean, rice and cheese kids burrito with ground beef or chicken, or you can grab Mi Casa food to go after a day on the slopes.