Beef Burritos
The ultimate homemade beef burritos! Here tortillas are filled with beef mince, rice, tomato salsa, avocado & cheese. They make for an easy midweek meal.
These beef burritos are packed full of flavour & are super easy to make. They’re a perfect midweek meal and can be customised to suit your tastes or to use up ingredients in your fridge!
The only real cooking that you need to do for these burritos, is the beef mince sauce (and the rice if you’re cooking your own). This sauce only takes around 30 minutes to cook, which means that you can prep the other components whilst it’s simmering away on the stove. Then it’s just a case of filling, rolling & frying your burritos. Easy stuff right?!
Now, I’ve included the recipes for homemade salsa & an avocado crema which are perfect for burritos but you could use ready made salsa & guacamole instead. Same with the rice! Instead of cooking your own, you could use the microwavable pouches of rice that you can get from the supermarket.
For more dinner recipes to try, take a look at our collection of main course recipes! There’s loads of really good dinners to make, from easy midweek meals to impressive weekend dinners.
Components Of These Beef Burritos
Here’s what I put in my beef burritos. Feel free to swap & substitute any of the components if you’d prefer. That’s the great thing about burritos; you can customise them however you like!
- Tortillas
Large tortillas work best for burritos, as there’s more room for filling! I used Mission XL tortillas which have a diameter of 30 cm. Other brands will work though. - Avocado Crema
I like sour cream & guacamole in my burritos, so why not combine the two! This avocado crema is made by blending sour cream with avocado, lime juice & coriander. It does discolour like guacamole, so it’s best used as soon as possible (or within a day). - Beef Mince
This beef mince sauce is jam packed full of flavour! This is made by cooking beef mince with onion, red pepper, herbs & spices, tomato & beef stock. We’re also adding some black beans into the beef. But feel free to use a different bean if you’d prefer or leave them out entirely. Make sure to use a beef mince with a fat content of at least 10%, to prevent the meat from drying out (and for extra flavour!). - Rice
I cooked my own white rice (I used basmati) for these burritos but you could use microwavable rice pouches instead. If you’re cooking your own rice, make sure to wash it well before cooking. - Grated Cheddar
I like to use cheddar in my burritos but feel free to use a different cheese if you’d like. Some other good cheeses to use would be Monterey Jack, Red Leicester or Pepper Jack. - Tomato Salsa
We’re making a Pico De Gallo style tomato salsa for these beef burritos, with diced tomato, onion, coriander & lime juice.
How To Assemble & Roll Burritos
There’s an art to rolling burritos & believe me, it’s harder than it looks! Luckily, you’ll get the hang of things after rolling a few.
The key things here are to not over fill the burritos & to roll them up tightly so that the filling doesn’t leak out. It also helps to use larger tortillas that have been warmed up slightly (this makes them more pliable). There’s a video over on my Instagram & Tiktok showing how to do this!
- Get all of your fillings organised so that they’re all together, like a production line!
- Set a large frying pan over a low heat then warm a tortilla for 20 seconds on each side. We’re aiming to warm it up gently, not crisp it up!
- Lay your tortilla down onto a work surface then top with your fillings. I went with a spoonful of avocado sour cream on the base, which was then topped with rice, beef mince, grated cheddar & tomato salsa. Make sure to leave a 2 inch border on the left & right side and 3 inches on the top & bottom.
- Now to roll. First, bring the left & right sides of the tortilla over the filling then bring the bottom side up over the filling, whilst keeping the 2 sides held in with your little fingers. Keep rolling the burrito, as tightly as possible until you get near the edge of the tortilla then tuck the top 2 corners in & roll the burrito up completely to seal.
- The burritos can be served as they are or they can be fried, to crisp up the tortilla (and fully melt the cheese). To do this, set a large frying pan over a medium heat then cook the burritos for 1-2 minutes on each side, until they are a deep golden brown all over. Make sure to cook the seam side first, to properly seal the burrito.
- Once fried, serve the burritos straight away or wrap in foil to keep warm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftover burritos will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Make sure to cool the burritos down as quickly as possible if you’re planning on reheating them. Or cool the mince & rice down separately then assemble the burritos before reheating.
The best way to reheat leftover burritos is in the oven! To reheat burritos, wrap each one in foil individually then bake at 200°c/392°f for 20-30 minutes until piping hot. The filling should be at least 75°c/167°f once reheated (you’ll need a food probe for this).
Tortillas with a diameter of around 30cm are best, as there’s more room for fillings! Using larger tortillas also means that the burritos won’t break or leak as you roll them up. I use Mission XL tortillas.
More Dinner Recipes To Try!
- Gnocchi Alla Vodka With Burrata
- Irn Bru Smoked Spare Ribs
- Tikka Masala Roast Chicken
- Hot Maple Fried Chicken
- Reverse Seared Fillet Steak
- Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs With Garlic & Herbs
If you have enjoyed this recipe for beef burritos, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating. And if you’d like to stay up to date with future recipes, follow us on Instagram & TikTok!
Beef Burritos
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Frying Pan
- Microplane/Grater
- Mixing Bowl
- Cheese Grater
Ingredients
Beef Mince
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 500 g Beef Mince (10-15% Fat)
- 2 White Onions (Finely Diced)
- 2 Red Peppers (Finely Diced)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (Grated)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Ground Cumin
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- ¼ tsp Chilli Powder
- 40 g Tomato Paste
- 1 Beef Stock Pot (Optional – I Use Knorr)
- 250 g Water
- 400 g Tin Of Black Beans (Drained)
Tomato Salsa
- 4 Large Vine Tomatoes (Or 2 Beef Tomatoes)
- 1 Red Onion
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander
- 2 Limes (Juiced)
Avocado Crema
- 2 Large Avocadoes
- 100 g Sour Cream
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Coriander
- 2 Limes (Juiced)
Rice
- 750 g Cooked White Rice (See Notes)
Assembly
- 8 Large Tortillas (See Notes)
- 250 g Grated Cheddar
Instructions
Beef Mince
- Set a large pan over a medium-high heat, add in the vegetable oil & leave to heat up for a couple of minutes.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the beef mince & a pinch of salt then fry until well browned, using a spoon to break up the mince as you cook it. Once fried, use a slotted spoon to transfer the beef to a bowl, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Add the diced onion & red peppers to the pan then cook until soft, stirring frequently. This will take 4-5 minutes.Add a splash more oil into the pan if needed!
- Next, add the grated garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano, chilli powder & tomato paste into the pan then cook for a minute, stirring constantly then add the beef back in.
- Lower the heat to medium-low then add in the beef stock pot & water. Cook the mince for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until it has cooked down into a thick sauce then season to taste with salt & pepper. Set aside for now.
Tomato Salsa
- Cut the tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds then finely dice. Finely dice the onion as well then add both into a mixing bowl along with the chopped coriander & lime juice.
- Season the salsa with salt & pepper then stir to combine. Store in the fridge until needed.
Avocado Crema
- Cut the avocados in half, remove & discard the stones then scoop out the flesh with a spoon & add into a blender (or food processor).
- Add the sour cream, coriander & lime juice to the avocado, season with salt & pepper then blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, press clingfilm onto the surface then store in the fridge until needed.It's best to use the avocado as soon as possible, as it can start to discolour.
Rice
- If you're cooking your own rice, do this whilst your beef is cooking, following the packet instructions. If your using ready cooked rice (like a microwave pouch), heat it up just before assembling the burritos.
Assembly
- Place a large frying pan over a low heat. We'll be using this to warm the tortillas. Alternatively, warm them up in a microwave.
- To assemble a burrito, warm a tortilla in the pan for 20 seconds on each side. We're aiming to warm the tortilla slightly not crisp it up!
- Next, lay the tortilla onto a work surface then add a tablespoon of the avocado crema into the middle then spread out into an even layer. Leave a 2 inch border on the left & right sides & 3 inch border above & below.
- Top the avocado with a heaped tablespoon of rice, a generous spoonful of the beef mince, a good sprinkle of grated cheddar & 2 teaspoons of the tomato salsa.
- To roll up the burrito, fold the left & right sides over the filling then bring the bottom side up over the filling, whilst keeping the 2 sides held in with your little fingers. Keep rolling the burrito, as tightly as possible until you get near the edge of the tortilla then tuck the top 2 corners in & roll the burrito up completely to seal.There's a video in the post above showing how to do this!
- Place the burrito onto a tray then continue the filling & rolling process with the rest of the tortillas & filling.
Frying
- Set a large frying pan over a medium heat then leave to heat up for a minute or two.
- Place the burritos into the pan (seam side down) then fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden brown all over. You'll need to fry the burritos in batches.Frying the seam side first seals the burritos properly!
- Once fried, you can serve the burritos straight away or you can wrap them up in foil (individually) to keep them warm.
