Homemade frozen burritos were one of my college staples! And since starting law school a few weeks ago, I’ve returned to a lot of my college meal favorites.
Frozen burritos, both store-bought and homemade, are so convenient on busy days when I get home around dinnertime. They’re not glamorous, but they’re relatively healthy and taste great.
I’m not at all against store-bought frozen burritos, and I’ll buy my favorite brands of frozen burritos at the store when they’re on sale. Then, I typically make my own when I have leftover ingredients from fajita or taco night. I do think homemade ones taste better!
How to Make Homemade Frozen Burritos
Here’s what you’ll need: whole-wheat (or gluten-free tortillas like Siete brand), shredded chicken (you can use an already cooked rotisserie chicken to save lots of time), refried beans, shredded cheese, and sautéed vegetables. You’ll also need aluminum foil and paper towels.
Place a tortilla on top of a paper towel. Layer with refried beans, then shredded chicken, then cheese, and then veggies.
Fold two of the sides in toward each other. Fold in the third side and then tightly roll up, making sure none of the filling escapes.
Tuck sides in and roll the burrito up in a paper towel. Roll paper towel-wrapped burrito tightly in aluminum foil. Place burritos in a freezer bag and freeze for later.
To reheat, there are two options. To microwave. remove foil from the frozen burrito and leave it wrapped in the paper towel. Microwave in the paper towel for 3 minutes, let cool briefly, and enjoy! For even better results, you can thaw a burrito in the fridge the night before and only microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
They’re also really adaptable:
• For protein, use shredded chicken or ground taco meat, or only add beans for a vegetarian option
• Use sautéed onions, bell peppers, and/or frozen corn
Nutrition Comparison
And, just for fun, here are the stats of the homemade chicken and bean burrito (which can obviously vary depending on the specific ingredients you use), compared to my favorite all-natural evol chicken, bean & rice burrito.
Homemade chicken & bean burrito: 345 calories, 36 grams protein, 8 grams fiber
vs.
evol chicken, bean & rice burrito: 340 calories, 15 grams protein, 4 grams fiber
The homemade burrito’s a clear winner! While I’ll definitely still buy burritos sometimes since they’re convenient and don’t require any cooking, it’s great to have variety and a homemade option with more protein.
I hope you love these homemade frozen burritos! If you make them, let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram!
Homemade Frozen Burritos (DIY)
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized whole wheat tortillas
- 2 cups refried beans
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken (can use leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
- 1 cup sautéed vegetables (bell peppers, onions, etc.)
- 6 paper towel sheets
- Aluminum foil
Instructions
- On top of a paper towel, place the first tortilla. Spoon 1/3 cup refried beans, 1/2 cup shredded chicken, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese onto the center of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of sautéed veggies.
- Fold two opposite sides of the tortilla together. Fold in a third side of the tortilla and roll up, keeping the ends tucked in as you go.
- Roll burrito up in paper towel, and then roll up in foil. Repeat for the rest of the burritos, and then place in gallon-size freezer bag. Write today's date on the bag and store for up to several months.
- To reheat: Remove foil and microwave burrito inside of paper towel for 3-4 minutes if frozen. For best results, place burrito in fridge to thaw the night before and then microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes. Let cool briefly before enjoying!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe originally published in 2014. Text and photos updated in 2018.
How long can you leave them in the freezer?
Hey Ashley! Up to 2 months in the freezer seems to work perfectly. After that, you may start to risk freezer burn. Hope that helps! 🙂
Sounds like a great idea when you don’t have time to cook.
I always have trouble with the rolling – mine seem to fall apart a little, or crack – maybe I should put less in. But like you – I love to make my own, and freeze!
I definitely use have to use a little less filling than I’m tempted to so they’ll stay together!
Try using room temperature tortillas or even heating the tortillas a little bit before filling.
If the tortillas are steamed, they become more stretchy and pliable and the burrito also holds together much better, once rolled (really well, actually)… found an easy hack for steaming online… just wet a paper towel fairly evenly and drape over your tortilla, microwave on a plate for 30 seconds and presto – soft pliable tortilla. Makes them roll up like a dream!
This looks absolutely delicious!
I’m gonna make it for my mum’s birthday on Saturday.
Also just wondered what’s you favorite guilty-pleasure dessert at the mo?
Keep up the great work:-)
so easy and delicious 🙂 thank you for sharing, Liv!! Keep up the good job 🙂
So glad you enjoyed these, Nisha! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this Liv! We love burritos! We are going to serve this at our next Netflix night!
Can you make breakfast burritos and freeze? Cheese, egg, crumbled cooked sausage…
Absolutely! I’ve done that and it works well 🙂
I make breakfast burritos all the time. As a tip I cook my eggs in the oven in a sheet pan and then but to size and shape rather than use scrambled eggs that always fall out when you’re eating them. The texture is amazing and it makes them easier to roll too.
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