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.
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 still not 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 not withstanding.
In my cookbook, Not Your Mother’s Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook, I share three very different, yet equally delicious burrito creations. I’m actually quite proud of them. I mean, Chipotle Chicken and Onion Wraps, Pepper Jack and Chile Burritos, and the aptly named Not Your Convenience Store’s Frozen Burritos are pretty rocking awesome, if I do say so myself.
But, I’m a California girl, and we can’t be content with just one type of burrito. No way, Jose.
Today’s burrito creation is one that comes together quite quickly and easily. It makes a dozen. I recommend that you prepare a double batch so that you have enough to eat fresh and then some more to freeze.
When you’re done with this recipe, be sure to try these:
- Red Burritos with Beef and Beans
- Green Chile Burritos
- Barbacoa Beef for Tacos, Lettuce Wraps, Bowls, & Burritos
How To Make Freezer Burritos Yourself
Making freezer burritos is not difficult. In her great book, Bake the Bread, Buy the Butter, Jennifer Reese claims its better to buy your burritos. She also says that potstickers and wontons are super easy to make.
Both of us are native Californians; I think you can tell which halves of the state we each respectively call home. She’s Northern California/Bay Area; I’m Southern California. 😉
I have yet been brave enough to make potstickers or wontons. But didn’t I just say, “The beauty of home cooking is that you can make whatever you want in the world of food yourself”?
Yeah, I thought so. Maybe someday, I’ll bust out a little bit. But I digress….
Burrito making is a simple affair. You need large tortillas, a filling (like beans, chicken, and cheese), and a ziptop freezer bag if you plan to freeze them.
You want to make sure to divide the tortilla mixture in a line across the bottom third of the tortillas.
Then it’s time to fold!
Some folks are intimidated by burrito folding. Just check out this ancient (and amateur) vlog I did several years ago. (Turn down the sound. That voice is grating to my ears.)
Anyway, folding’s not hard, right?
The rolled tortillas can be placed into a zip-loc bag and frozen. Or you can heat and eat them now. My family and I love heating them on the griddle on both sides to crisp both sides.
Do Burritos Freeze Well?
Absolutely! As long as you wrap them well. You can store all of them in a freezer bag. Or you can wrap each one individually in plastic wrap or tin-foil then place them all in one bag.
That way you can grab one at a time and have a super convenient dinner ready in minutes!
How Long Can Burritos Be Frozen For?
Your burritos will last 2 months in the freezer (if they last you that long!). Once thawed, they will last you 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
How Do You Reheat Frozen Burritos?
You can heat your frozen burrito by placing it on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 1 minute on high..just be sure to remove that plastic wrap or tin foil first!
How To Make Freezer Burritos Cheaper
Frozen commercial burritos range in price from $1.25 to $2, depending on the brand and quality.
My burritos?
- 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast – $0.99
- shredded cheese – $1.00
- homecooked pinto beans – $0.66
- salsa verde – $1.00
- dozen tortillas – $1.50
I spent a total of $5.15 for a dozen burritos filled with chicken, beans, and cheese. That works out to about $0.43 each.
The quality? Yeah, there’s no comparison, really. Well, that’s a no-brainer, isn’t it?
So, it’s not hard, it’s cheaper, it’s healthier, and it’s tastier to make your own frozen burritos. Or your own fresh burritos, for that matter. A Chipotle burrito is a great treat in these here parts, but accounting for the difference in size — maybe two of mine equal a Chipotle burrito?– , those burritos are about 8 times more expensive that mine. Hmmm…..
Freezer Burritos
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
- 12 burrito-size flour tortillas
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the beans, chicken, cheese, and salsa.
- Lay out the tortillas and divide the mixture in a line across the bottom third of the 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.
Erin says
Yum! I love frozen burritos as a “it’s 9 pm and I just got home” go-to meal. But my favorites (evol) are pretty pricey. This would be a great weekend project. You should try potstickers sometime. Especially if you have lots of helpers to do the filling and crimping. They are not easier than using store bought, but I still drool when I think of the last batch I made.
Jessica Fisher says
I will add potstickers to my list. My kids loved making egg rolls at New Year’s, so we’ll give that a go.
And yes, burritos are the perfect midnight snack.
Cherie says
I need to make up some more burritos and enchiladas for my freezer now that we’ve reached ‘crazy time’ in the evenings – they microwave back to pretty high quality – one of the things I love about them!
Great analysis – but for something like this the difference in quality would make it worthwhile even at twice the price.
That said – I too have never made the leap to making my own wontons and dumplings – I think I have a block LOL – been meaning to try shrimp wontons though . . . one of these days!
Kathy says
what do you suggest for microwave timing? Thanks!
Jessica Fisher says
It really depends on your microwave. I have a 30 second button, so I keep pushing that until it’s hot enough. 🙂
Katieliz says
Do you ever heat them in a skillet from frozen? Dry skillet, I assume? Or does the oven or microwave oven work better for frozen? I like the skillet idea – I’ve never tried that.
Jessica Fisher says
Not typically from frozen. But, if I know we’re going to have them, I pull from the freezer and let them thaw and then throw them on the griddle.
Kristine says
I’ve never made these specific burritos before but when I reheat my freezer ones I do it in the microwave and then crisp up the tortilla in the skillet so it’s crunchier and has less of a soft microwave texture. Just a suggestion
Kate says
Your book just arrived on my porch yesterday. I’ve already decided that burritos will be my first to try out! I’ve only done a quick flip through over an afternoon cup of joe and the book contains more than I’d though it would!
Jessica Fisher says
The chicken and cream cheese ones are really good. They all are, really. But, those are super yum.
Jessie says
Yum! We love the chicken ones in the cookbook, but I don’t make them frequently because it’s a lot of meat and not much else (ie, more expensive than the beef ones with beans). This is definitely going on the next menu plan:)
Jessica Fisher says
That’s true. These can be stretched. Those other ones are really yummy, too.
Jessie says
Can I substitute regular salsa? My husband doesn’t really go for the lime/cilantro flavors in salsa verde……
Jessica Fisher says
Yes, absolutely. It’s there to moisten and flavor, so use whatever you want, just nothing too soupy.
Aubrey Ives says
Hi Jessica.
We agree that homemade frozen burritos are a yummy and handy snack/meal. So much better than the commercial frozen ones that can get too chewy when reheated. And healthier too! By the way, I think that you are too hard on yourself. I suppose we all are critical of ourselves, but I think that your voice is very sweet and I don’t turn the volume down a bit when I watch your videos! Thanks for all of your practical and encouraging posts.
Jessica Fisher says
Ha! Thanks for your kind words. 🙂
Tina says
I’ve just run across your blog…really enjoying it so far. I sometimes make burritos that I brush with an egg white wash and bake in the oven to make chimichangas. I never thought to make a large batch to freeze…doh! I’ve also never thought to heat them in a dry pan. They look similar to the “grilled” burritos available at some fast food places.
Jessica Fisher says
They are so easy this way. My kids love it when I bust out the fryer, but this is cleaner, in soooo many ways. Ha!
Kim A. says
I just discovered your blog through 100 days of real food. I love your site! This came just in time. I really need to stretch my dollars and have some easy meals on hand for my son, cooking traditional whole foods takes a lot of time and I just wasn’t sure what or how to freeze. Your book is on my wish list! How long can they be frozen and still safe to reheat and eat? I am so happy to have found my way here. Thanks!
Kim
Jessica Fisher says
Welcome! Glad you found me. I have another blog, LifeasMOM where I address a lot of family food topics as well.
As to storage, depending on what kind of freezer, two to three months is a general rule of thumb. If you have a deep freeze, you can store things longer.
Kim A. says
Thanks Jessica, I just wanted to be sure I could do at least up to a month. I found your other blog too and liked it on FB. I got your book coming in from my library. Look forward to it..Thanks again!
Jessica Fisher says
Fun! I just found out that the kindle version is on sale for 2.99 in case you decide you want it. Good luck with your freezer meals. Let me know if you have any questions.
Sarah says
I love this idea! Same could go for breakfast burritos (which cost me $5 at work to buy!) w/eggs, cheese, and potatoes. Thanks for the inspiration.
Sarah says
I made these last night and they were delicious (I split one w/my co-worker for breakfast – she thought so too)!
I added some Spanish rice for extra filling. They tasted WAY better than the frozen kind you buy at the supermarket and much better tasting. Great post!
Jessica Fisher says
Great idea! So glad you enjoyed them.
Mrs. S says
I’ve been exploring several of your recipes and am really motivated to make and freeze more often (something new to me!). I have a question (maybe a little silly??). I was wondering what kind of burritos you were using in the video? I often buy the uncooked burritos from Costco, and am wondering if I could use those without cooking the tortillas first? Have you ever tried that? Do they cook when re-heated on the stove? Thanks so much!
Jessica Fisher says
I have never bought the uncooked tortillas at Costco, so I really don’t know. I think they would get mushy, but I don’t have any experience with them. Sorry.
Cynthia says
Having really been enjoying your blog and your simply, yummy recipes. I made these burritos tonight with left over salsa verde chicken that we ate two nights ago and some navy beans that I had (didn’t have pintos). They were really flavorful and got good reviews from the family :). Thanks for all you do!
Jannine Edwards says
These were awesome!!!
Charlotte says
Do you think I could sub in mexican rice for the beans? We don’t like beans, but we do like burritos, and I’m about to pull my hair out on the days that we both work and then have to figure out something for dinner….
And it’s too hot right now for me to run the oven for lasagna, which is the winter time go to!
Jessica Fisher says
I’ve honestly not made freezer burritos with rice, but I know plenty of people who have. Give it a try and let me know!
Kat says
Lasagna is delicious and so easy in a crockpot and does not heat up the house. My favorite is Spinach whole wheat cheese lasagna that cooks on low in 3 hours and frozen leftovers taste great!
Cheryl in France says
hey- LOVING the Mexican recipes! It’s really hard to find good Mex in France, so this is awesome.
For potstickers (and TONS of other ethnic foods), I can’t recommend Mark Bittman’s ‘The Best Recipe in the World’ highly enough. I make them and can freeze them cooked or freeze the filling mixture and dumpling dough separately. I use 13-14g of dough for one dumpling, with ~2tsp filling.
For the cooking, it’s easy enough, you just have to pay attention- med/high heat, oil/2-3 minutes on one side, add a cup of water to the pan, close with lid, let cook 5 minutes, remove lid, cook 2 minutes on high. I usually do 6-7 at a time, I roll out most of the wrappers then fill batches as they cook. (I once gave 200-250 of these to someone as a wedding present for their reception, so I codified everything to make it go as fast as possible). They are AWESOME.
Jessica Fisher says
Still can’t find good Mex in France?! It was like that 20 years ago. But, I couldn’t find good Mex in Kansas City, either, so why am I surprised? I will have to try making potstickers. Everyone tells me to. Yum!
Rebecca says
What is the longest the burritos can keep in the freezer?
Jessica Fisher says
That depends on which freezer? If the deep freeze that doesn’t get opened often, maybe six months? Otherwise in the fridge/freezer, about two.
Belinda says
Oh my goodness … frozen burritos are my new favourite go-to freezer meal!! I made about a dozen last weekend, froze them individually wrapped, and they are just brilliant. I haul one out for breakfast some days, or for a quick late lunch to stave off those mid-afternnon munchies. What a super idea – thanks for sharing:)
Elizabeth M. says
Can I add rice to my burritos? Will it still freeze ok?
Jessica Fisher says
It should be fine. Just be sure it’s cold first or chill the burritos before freezing.
Kat says
I LOVE these burritos, thanks for posting! They are easy, inexpensive, delicious and I got to choose exactly what I wanted in them. I love them heated in a skillet, what a great idea that I had never heard of. I did not use cheese in either batch and added some drained sauteed veggies like onion, summer squash and peppers (green and hot). My cost was about .60 cents per 11 inch tortillas with 1 cup of filling in each – a great price for a filling meal that is so yummy! One batch was homemade pintos and picante chicken and the other black beans and salsa verde chicken. I used leftover chicken and the cooking sauce from the Crockpot chicken tacos recipe at mychocolatetherapy.com.
Doris says
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.
Doris says
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 says
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 says
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.
Stacy says
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
Bani says
How long can they stay in the freezer? Thank you-
Jessica Fisher says
2-3 months for a typical fridge/freezer. Less if you open it a lot.
Angelamo says
recipe for salsa verde please. we don’t have it here
Jessica Fisher says
You could use your favorite salsa or hot sauce, to taste, instead.
Ellen Hubley says
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 says
It should be fine.
Meagan says
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 says
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. :/
Teenager says
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 says
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. See this recipe for specifics.
Teenager says
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 says
I’m not a fan of baked beans, so it’s not something I would personally recommend. Baked beans are much sweeter than pintos.