Ever been tempted by the contents of the frozen food aisle? It will be easy to just say NO when you’ve made your own homemade freezer burritos. Learn how to make a lot of burritos at one time to maximize your savings.
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You’ve been there before. Strolling down the frozen food aisle late at night, little cries of hunger pangs echoing from your tummy. You’re tired after a long day, so you don’t want to cook. Should you succumb to that mediocre frozen burrito you see in the case?
Um, probably not.
As fascinating as frozen foods can be, they’re rarely as good as homemade. Not as cheap either!
And trust me, the commercially frozen burrito? It pales in comparison to the real deal.
The beauty of home cooking is that you can make whatever you want in the world of food yourself, frozen burritos, too!
Why Make Your Own Freezer Burritos
They are easy.
They are delicious. Freezer burritos are excellent for quick lunches, snacks, or dinners on the go. You can grab as many as you want out of the bag and have a super convenient dinner ready in minutes!
Ingredients
Burrito making is a simple affair. You don’t need too many ingredients, just large tortillas and a filling, like beans, chicken, and cheese.
If you plan to freeze the burritos, it’s helpful to have deli papers to make wrapping easier and a ziptop bag for storing them. If the tortillas come in a ziptop bag, you can reuse the bag to store the prepared burritos.
Here’s what you’ll need to make your own freezer burritos:
burrito tortillas – I like to use large burrito size flour tortillas. There are a variety of sizes, ranging from 10 to 16 inches in diameter. which will change how much filling you need. I recommend 12 to 14 inch tortillas for your freezer burritos.
beans – You can use canned beans or cook dry beans yourself.
cooked chicken – You can use grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another meal. There are lots of ways to cook chicken for recipes.
salsa verde – I love Herdez or Trader Joe’s salsa verde. You can also use salsa or enchilada sauce.
shredded cheese – Use whatever shredded cheese you like, such as Jack, cheddar, or a Mexican cheese blend. Remember you can freeze cheese if you buy more than you will use right away.
Variations – feel free to vary, the sauce, meat, cheese, and beans depending on what you have and what you like.
Of Special Note
If you know you’re making burritos to freeze, it’s important to have your tortillas at room temperature and your filling ingredients cold.
- Room temp tortillas will roll better without cracking.
- Chilled filling will help the burrito freeze more quickly which reduces the risk of freezer burn.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make freezer burritos at home:
- Combine the beans, chicken, cheese, and salsa in a bowl. Stir well to combine.
- Lay out the deli papers on a large work surface. Place one tortilla on each deli paper.
- Divide the filling among the tortillas. You want to make sure to spread the mixture in a line across the middle of the tortilla.
- Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling, tuck in the ends, and continue rolling. Wrap in the deli wrapper and place in the ziptop bag.
- Store immediately in the freezer.
To reheat freezer burritos
Microwave until hot, 1 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave. Alternatively, you can thaw and bake, nuke and bake, or nuke and crisp on the griddle.
You can also bake them in the oven for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
FAQs
As long as you wrap them well, burritos freeze incredibly well. Be sure to make them with cool ingredients so that the tortilla doesn’t get soggy.
Your freezer burritos will be good at least 2 months in the freezer (if they last you that long!). Once thawed, they will last you 1-2 days in the refrigerator.
You can heat your frozen burrito by placing it on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1 minute on high. You can also thaw the burritos in the refrigerator and then bake them for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Is it cheaper to make your own freezer burritos?
Anytime you’re making homemade, it’s important to determine if you’re really saving money. Let’s crunch the numbers on this recipe, per 2025 prices:
- ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast – $1.39 ($2.79/pound at ALDI)
- shredded cheese – $1.75 ($3.50/pound at Ralphs)
- one large can pinto beans – $2.00 (Ralphs)
- salsa verde – $1.00 (Ralphs)
- 8 tortillas – $2.39 (Ralphs)
Total spent for eight burritos filled with chicken, beans, and cheese: $8.53 That works out to about $1.06 each!
Frozen commercial chicken burritos range in price from $1.50 to $2.99, depending on the brand and quality. The quality? Yeah, there’s no comparison, really.
So, it’s not hard, it’s typically cheaper, it’s (probably) healthier, and it’s tastier to make your own freezer burritos.
How to save even more:
- Meal plan around what’s on sale. Don’t decide to make this when chicken breast is $7/pound and you have none in the freezer.
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. For instance, when I see a great price on chicken breast, I buy a lot. The same goes for cheese. In some ways jack is a specialty item around here, so I shoot for buying it at less than $3/pound.
- Do a price comparison. I know that ALDI is the best place to buy ingredients like boneless, skinless chicken breast when there isn’t a great sale elsewhere. I keep track of prices so that I know who has the best deal where.
More Freezer Burrito Recipes
Tell us what you think!
We love to hear your experiences with Good Cheap Eats. Click the STARS on the recipe card or leave a STARRED comment to let us know what you think of the recipe.
Freezer Burritos with Chicken, Beans, and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 15-ounce cans pinto beans rinsed and drained(or 4 cups homecooked pinto beans)
- 2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed)
- 8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (2 cups)
- 1 7-ounce can salsa verde
- 8 burrito-size flour tortillas or 8 extra large
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, chicken, cheese, and salsa.2 15-ounce cans pinto beans, 2 cup chicken (cooked and cubed), 8 oz cheddar cheese (shredded), 1 7-ounce can salsa verde
- Lay out the tortillas and divide the mixture in a line across the middles of the tortillas.8 burrito-size flour tortillas
- Roll up the tortilla tucking in the sides as you go.
- The rolled tortillas can be placed in a ziptop freezer bag and frozen. Or you can heat them and serve them right away. We like to heat them on the griddle, turning to crisp all sides.
- Frozen burritos can be reheated in the microwave, oven, or on the griddle.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 3, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Sarah
I’ve made this recipe many times. My favorite lunch!
KATRINA L ROBINSON
There is no way the nutrition on this is correct. Under 300 calories and 15 carbs?
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for checking. Our system wasn’t reading some of the data properly. It should be approximate at this point.
Bethany
It would be interesting to see the cost difference now for 2022. I’m not sure I could find chicken anywhere for $1/lb. Everything on that list seems to have doubled in price. But I LOVE the recipe and thank you for the tips on how to make sure they aren’t soggy on rewarding.
Jessica Fisher
The cost was based on ONE-HALF pound of chicken for $0.99. I regularly buy b/s chicken breast at my ALDI for $1.79 each week. All this is current data, based on the prices I pay at ALDI. Your mileage may vary, depending on where you shop. However, if you’re working the Good Cheap Eats System, you should be able to make it very close, even if you don’t have an ALDI. Let me know if you need help!
Bethany
Thanks!! I’ve been shopping Walmart but interested in seeing if ALDI can get my costs down.
Andrea
gonna try this – as a vegan, i would leave out the chicken – but it sounds like it would taste good WITHOUT the chicken 😀
Margie Spenser
You mention “deli wrappers” and in an earlier comment somebody put another word in front of “wax paper” — i think it might have been “deli”. Is this something other than the old fashioned wax paper that comes in a roll in a box??
Jessica Fisher
Yes. They are precut papers that are food safe and can be microwaved. You can get them on Amazon or at Smart and Final. They are what restaurants use to wrap sandwiches and burritos. Wax paper could work but I’ve not tried it.
Teenager
Hey,
Thanks for sharing. Looking for easy lunch ideas. We have a huge family so we take turns with lunch and dinner. I got mondays.
Anyways, my questions is how you freeze them. Do you place them on a baking sheet, covered with foil for like 30 minutes then transfer to freezer bag or do you transfer them directly? I got that idea for when I made frozen Lasagna Roll Ups. I’m just worried that the burritos will open up before being completely frozen.
Also, on a pan when you’re reheating them, do you add oil or anything? Or is a hot skillet okay? I’m also thinking of making some breakfast burritos and wondering if those could go into a toaster for reheating.
I know these may sound like stupid questions but please, humor me. 🙂
Thanks for sharing and have a great day! Oh and I’ll definitely be looking to your cooking book.
Jessica Fisher
NOT stupid questions at all. I just roll, wrap in deli wrappers, and place them in bags. I just reheat on a hot griddle but you can also bake them in the oven.
Teenager
Also, quick question, are baked beans an okay substitute for pinto beans? Or do they affect the flavor? I’m just a bit apprehensive in purchasing them and would like your feedback.
Jessica Fisher
I’m not a fan of baked beans, so it’s not something I would personally recommend. Baked beans are much sweeter than pintos.
Meagan
What kind of tortillas do you buy/use for these? A lot of tortillas I buy at Trader Joe’s end up ripping… Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
TJs do that on occasion. Room temp or slightly warmed helps. I used to buy a brand from Costco that worked well, called Porkyland. They no longer carry it. :/
Ellen Hubley
Thank you, this sis exactly what I was looking for! I’m going to add some fresh cilantro to mine, wish me luck. I’m hoping it’s not one of those “wet” ingredients you discussed.
Jessica Fisher
It should be fine.
Angelamo
recipe for salsa verde please. we don’t have it here
Jessica Fisher
You could use your favorite salsa or hot sauce, to taste, instead.
Bani
How long can they stay in the freezer? Thank you-
Jessica Fisher
2-3 months for a typical fridge/freezer. Less if you open it a lot.
Stacy
Hi, Jessica! Thanks for the recipe. We make a lot of burritos at our house, so this will be handy. I freeze meals for my husband’s lunches often, but I never thought of freezing my burritos. Also, I’ve made potstickers. It’s super easy, but it takes time. It’s the production line type of recipe–it’s nice to have extra helpers since you’ll want to make a lot of them to freeze. I think potstickers are my one favorite food and have told my son he’s pretty much largely made of them since I ate them often when I was pregnant. Ha ha. Take care. Stacy
Doris
Do you have any tips for dethawing them in a microwave oven ? I have heard that dipping the frozen burrito in water and piercing it with a fork two or three time prevents the dreaded burritto ooze. Yes I know its better to heat them up in the oven but like I stated in my previous post these are for my father, who lives alone. The microwave is his safest option.
Jessica Fisher
I don’t thaw them to microwave. We usually cook them from frozen in the microwave for a minute or two. You’ll want to test it out for him in advance so you can get the timing right. Every microwave is different. Hope that helps!
Doris
After I take him to the doctors office tomorrow I plan on doing that! Thanks for answering a post that was old. You might be pleased to know that TJs offers the lowest sodium flour tortillas available to me.
Bobbi Kiser
Hi Doris, I make breakfast burritos for my grandchildren and freeze. I defrost 3 1/2 minutes and they are just about right. I may need to follow up with 10 seconds on high but it works out well. My microwave is 1000 watts.
Doris
I found this post because I am making stocking up my 93 year old father’s refrigerator full of low sodium delicious food!
it seems serendipitous that you posted this on his 92 nd birthday.