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. These freezer burritos are loaded with beans, cheese, and tender chunks of chicken, making for a quick and easy lunch, snack, or dinner.
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 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. How about one that’s loaded with cheese, beans, and chicken?
Today’s burrito creation is one that comes together quite quickly and easily. It makes a big batch so that if you’re not feeding a crowd, you can stash the rest in the freezer for later. In fact, I recommend that you prepare a double batch so that you have enough to eat fresh and then some more to freeze.
But, as I said we can’t stick with just one burrito. When you’ve tried this freezer burrito recipe, be sure to try these:
- Red Burritos with Beef and Beans
- Green Chile Burritos
- Chicken Fajita Burritos
- Black Bean and Bell Pepper Wraps
How To Make Freezer Burritos Yourself
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.
If you know you’re making burritos to freeze, it’s important to have your tortillas at room temperature and your 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.
The process for making these chicken and bean freezer burritos:
- 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, microwave until hot. Alternatively, you can thaw and bake, nuke and bake, or nuke and crisp on the griddle.
Of course, you can heat and eat these burritos right away if you like. If so, you don’t need to wrap them in the papers unless it will be easier for serving.
My family and I love heating the unwrapped burritos on the griddle to crisp, turning to brown all sides.
Do burritos freeze well?
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.
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!
How long can burritos be frozen for?
Your 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.
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. 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 frozen 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:
- 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast – $0.99
- shredded cheese – $1.50
- two cans pinto beans – $0.88
- salsa verde – $1.00
- dozen tortillas – $1.50
Total spent for a dozen burritos filled with chicken, beans, and cheese: $5.87 That works out to about $0.49 each!
Frozen commercial burritos range in price from $0.40 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 frozen 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.
Tools I use to make this recipe easy:
This is a pretty straight-forward dish. You don’t need any fancy equipment. However, having some good basic kitchen tools can really make your time in the kitchen more enjoyable. Over time, I’ve honed my collection so that they are perfect for my needs. Here are the tools that I like to use in this recipe.
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- box grater or food processor – for shredding cheese
- large ice cream scoop – This is great for evenly portioning burrito filling.
- deli wrap – I use deli waxed paper to wrap each burrito if I’m going to be freezing them.
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to take a picture and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
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 or 8 extra large
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 middles 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.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on October 3, 2013. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Erin
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
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
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
what do you suggest for microwave timing? Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
It really depends on your microwave. I have a 30 second button, so I keep pushing that until it’s hot enough. 🙂
Katieliz
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
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
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
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
The chicken and cream cheese ones are really good. They all are, really. But, those are super yum.
Jessie
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
That’s true. These can be stretched. Those other ones are really yummy, too.
Jessie
Can I substitute regular salsa? My husband doesn’t really go for the lime/cilantro flavors in salsa verde……
Jessica Fisher
Yes, absolutely. It’s there to moisten and flavor, so use whatever you want, just nothing too soupy.
Aubrey Ives
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
Ha! Thanks for your kind words. 🙂
Tina
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
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.
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
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.
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
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
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
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
Great idea! So glad you enjoyed them.
Mrs. S
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
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
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
These were awesome!!!
Charlotte
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
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
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
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
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
What is the longest the burritos can keep in the freezer?
Jessica Fisher
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
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.
Can I add rice to my burritos? Will it still freeze ok?
Jessica Fisher
It should be fine. Just be sure it’s cold first or chill the burritos before freezing.
Kat
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
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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. :/
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. See this recipe for specifics.
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.
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.