If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that there’s nothing quite as nice as a bulging burrito stuffed to the brim with your favorite meats, veggies, toppings, and melted gooey cheese.
The only problem is whether you’re making them at home or getting served in a restaurant, it’s only too easy to overindulge.
You ask for a couple extra toppings, perhaps a few sides here and there, and suddenly, that quick bite to eat becomes something totally belly-busting and unfinishable.
But don’t despair if you can’t conquer your mammoth challenge, because burritos can be easily reheated so that you can enjoy that flavor sensation all over again.
And in this article, you’re going to learn how. From quick fixes that will be ready in a matter of seconds, to slow baked burritos that give you that golden-brown crunchy crisp, you’ll find everything you’ll ever need to know right down below.
So, what are you waiting for? Learn how to revive your burrito into the perfect next-day meal today!
Reheating Burritos
Now, there are several different ways that you can reheat a burrito, some are perfect options if you’re pushed for time, and others are great if you want to get that ultimate crunchy and crispy texture.
Below, you’ll see a list of the different ways that you can reheat your burrito (we’ll go into more detail about each method later on.)
Microwave – 45-90 seconds
Stove – 5-7 minutes
Air Fryer – 6-8 minutes
Toaster Oven – 8-12 minutes
Oven – 30-45 minutes
There’s really no right or wrong option to pick, it’s all about which is the most convenient for you.
You’ll also want to keep in mind not all burrito ingredients are meant for reheating. For example, warm reheated guacamole, sour cream, or lettuce really isn’t going to taste great.
So you’ll want to make sure that you’ve scraped out any of these ingredients from your burrito before you start warming them up.
The 5 Burrito Reheating Methods
1. Reheat A Burrito In The Microwave
This is by far the easiest and fastest method for getting your burrito from the refrigerator to your rumbling tummy. If you’re an on-the-go type of person, or you’re looking for a scrumptious leftover lunch at work, this could be the best method for you.
You’ll want to keep in mind, though, that this is a much better option when you have a singular burrito or maybe two. It’s not a great option for bulk-burrito heating.
The only drawback of cooking a burrito in the microwave is that you run the risk of making it dryer than the Sahara desert if you’re not careful. That is why it is super important to follow the moistening tips below.
Wrap It – Grab yourself a damp paper towel to wrap the burrito in to ensure you keep that soft and sublime tortilla texture.
Keep It Brief – Whatever you do, ensure that you do not overcook your burrito in the microwave. Reheat your burrito in short stages and stagger out any additional time little by little.
Use The Microwavable Turn Table – Because of the thermal radiation microwaves have a tendency to have hot and cold spots. This can lead to uneven cooking if the food does not rotate.
Step By Step Guide
Remove Wrapper – Remove any outer packaging or wrapping from your burrito such as paper or foil.
Unwrap The Burrito (Optional) – Unwrap your burrito and remove any of the fillings not suitable for heating such as sour cream or lettuce. Then rewrap your burrito up nice and tight.
Dampen A Paper Towel – Wet a paper towel and then ring it out until damp. Make sure it is not dripping water before moving on to the next step.
Wrap The Burrito – Wrap the paper towel around your burrito ensuring that it is covered completely.
Place On Dish – Place your burrito onto a microwave-safe dish.
Cook – Making sure that your microwave is on full power, heat the burrito for around 30-45 seconds depending on its size.
Flip – Flip the burrito over and then cook for a further 15-20 seconds.
Check It – Pull your burrito out of the microwave and check to see if it’s hot enough. If it is not, continue warming for 15-20 intervals until cooked to your liking.
Remove From Microwave – Remove the dish from the microwave and unwrap the paper towel from the burrito. Do so with caution so that you do not burn yourself.
Add Ingredients (Optional) – Unwrap the burrito and add back your cold ingredients then rewrap.
Then all that’s left to do is tuck right in!
2. Reheat A Burrito On The Stove
Now, this option can be a little trickier and temperamental because evenly heating it can be more troublesome on a stove. That’s why when it comes to reheating a burrito on the stove, you’ll want to unwrap it and cook it while open.
Though rewrapping it may require some patience.
With that being said though, it will depend on the current state of your burrito. If it’s super soggy and wet, you can imagine just how difficult unwrapping it will be.
You’re more likely to just have a huge wet mess that’s beyond saving, so in this instance, you’ll probably be best keeping it nice and tight.
Step By Step Guide
Get Your Skillet Ready – Place a large skillet on the stove and then place the lid on top. You’ll want the heat to be on medium and then drizzle just a half teaspoon of oil to the pan to prevent sticking.
Unwrap – Unwrap your burrito and then lay it, tortilla side down, onto your skillet.
Cold Ingredients Be Gone (Optional) – Remove any cold ingredients you don’t wish to reheat such as tomatoes or guacamole.
Give It A Good Spread – Spread out the ingredients across the tortilla so that they all get an even amount of heat and cook correctly.
Pop The Lid Back On – Replace the lid back on the skillet to trap the moisture and the heat inside the skillet.
Let It Cook – Allow to cook for around 5-7 minutes making sure that you move the tortilla a minimum of once to stop it from sticking to the pan like glue.
Remove From Skillet – Once cooked, remove the skillet.
Add Back Ingredients (Optional) – Now you can read your cold ingredients to the mix, or add fresh cold toppings if you’d prefer.
Reroll – Reroll your burrito back up. Keep in mind that a warm tortilla will roll with ease but a toasted one won’t have the flexibility. If it’s toasted you may be better off eating the burrito more like a tostada.
Then all that’s left to do is tuck right in!
3. Reheat A Burrito In An Airfryer
Of all the methods listed today, the air fryer option is most likely to change the flavor of your burrito – in a good way. All hail the air fryer, I don’t know what we’d do without it.
This fancy device will allow you to get that satisfying crispy crunchiness on the outside but will leave your ingredients melt-in-the-mouth soft on the inside.
Usually, it’s best to opt for whole burritos that haven’t been bitten into yet so that the tortilla covers all of the fillings.
But don’t worry, you can still cook half-eaten burritos too, you’ll just tend to find that the exposed edges might be a little crispier than you’d want them. But you can always slice off the edge if you don’t fancy eating it.
Step By Step Guide
Get Preheating – Preheat the air fryer to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
Spritz – Spray or brush your burrito with a thin layer of oil – coconut or olive oil works best.
Pop Your Burrito In – Place your burrito into the basket of the air fryer. If you are cooking several burritos ensure that they have space between them and never stack them on top of each other.
Cook – Cook your burrito for around 5 minutes.
Flip – Flip the burrito over and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes
Remove – Remove the burritos from the basket and place them on a plate.
Then all that’s left to do is tuck right in!
4. Reheat A Burrito In A Toaster Oven
A toaster oven will definitely take less time to heat up your burrito than that of a standard conventional oven, and it’s sure to give you that crunchy toasted tortilla. It’s also a great option if your burrito has gone pretty soggy overnight. The horror!
The only drawback here is that a toaster oven tends to be pretty small, so if you’ve got a batch of burritos to cook, it’s going to become more time-consuming.
You should really only ever heat one burrito at a time using this method, though you may be able to push to two at a time if they’re particularly small.
You’ll also want to keep in mind that toaster ovens aren’t always the most efficient cooking appliances. They can lose heat and thus cook your food unevenly.
So because of this, I would always advise unwrapping your burrito and then heating it up while it’s open.
Step By Step Guide
Get Preheating – Preheat your toaster oven to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grab Some Aluminum Foil – You’ll need to measure two pieces of foil that will be large enough to fit the burrito. One to go underneath it, and one to wrap loosely over the top.
Unwrap – Unwrap your burrito so that it lays tortilla-side down on the foil, here you can also scrape off any cold fillings you don’t wish to reheat should you desire to.
Cover It Up – Then you will want to cover the top of your open tortilla with the second piece of foil. Make sure it’s not done too tight.
Place In Toaster Oven – Then very carefully transfer the burrito and the foil into the toaster oven and cook for around 8-12 minutes.
Check How It’s Doing – Check to see if the burrito is hot enough, if it’s not, place it back in for a few more minutes and repeat the process as necessary. The total cooking time will vary depending on the fillings and size of the burrito.
Take It Out – Once ready you can then take it out of the toaster and if you want to you can add back in any cold ingredients.
Wrap It – Toasted tortillas are quite difficult to wrap, but feel free to attempt it. My advice would be to simply fold it over for an easier life.
Then all that’s left to do is tuck right in!
5. Reheat A Burrito In The Oven
While this may be the longest cooking time out of all the options, it’s a safe bet for a delicious burrito since you can be sure it will evenly cook it.
This is also a much better method if you’re reheating several burritos at once, for the whole family for example.
I’d definitely recommend opting for a lower heat when cooking burritos in the oven as a higher heat can burn and brown them. The other issue to contend with is that ovens love to suck out all the moisture of a bare burrito.
And this is why aluminum foil will become your best friend.
You’ll want to wrap your burritos, especially partially-eaten burritos, with the foil to ensure that the moisture is locked in while cooking. My recommendation here would be to opt for light foil over heavy duty too.
Step By Step Guide
Get Preheating – Preheat your oven to around 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove Wrapping – Remove any outer packaging or wrappers from your burrito such as paper or foil.
Remove Cold Fillings (Optional) – You can unwrap your filling to scrape out any of the cold fillings that you don’t want to be heated here. Once you’re done, rewrap the burrito.
Loosely Wrap – Wrap the burrito in aluminum foil, but do so loosely. Take care to ensure any exposed parts of the burrito are definitely covered and then place them onto a cookie sheet or a similar oven-safe option.
Cook – Cook the burrito for around 30 minutes until it is piping hot. This may take longer depending on the size and fillings of your burrito.
Remove – Remove the burrito from the oven. Here you can unwrap the burrito and add back your cold ingredients or alternatively add new fresher options should you wish. Be sure to wrap it back up nice and neatly once you’re done.
Then all that’s left to do is tuck right in!
Now You Know
And there you have it, those are the five best ways to cook a burrito. Now, you never have to worry about overloading or overindulging, because you know that food doesn’t have to go to waste.
Instead, just pick any of these options and you’ll have a mouth-watering delightful dish to sink your teeth into the next day!
But you may still have a few more questions such as how to store your leftover burritos once your stomach finally declares it couldn’t eat another bite. Or you may be skeptical of knowing when your burrito is actually ready to eat.
Don’t worry, all the answers to your questions are right down below, so check them out now.
How Should You Store A Leftover Burrito?
A lot of us can feel kind of nervous when it comes to reheating food. After all, no one wants a bad belly and a nasty spout of food poisoning.
And not storing your burrito correctly is a pretty good way of ensuring you’ll be glued to your toilet for the next couple of hours or days (!!) so you’ll want to make sure that you’re doing it right.
Thankfully, according to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, as long as you handle your leftover burrito correctly, and you eat it fairly quickly after it was first made, it’s pretty unlikely that you’ll get sick.
So, what does it mean to ‘handle your leftover burrito correctly’? Well, for starters it means ensuring that it stays out of the danger zone – which is temperatures between 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.
This means that you’ll want to get your burrito into the refrigerator asap. It’s recommended that it’s refrigerated within 2 hours of being at room temperature, and that time value decreases to 1 hour if it is warmer than 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
When it comes to storing it in the refrigerator, you’ll want to wrap the leftover food in aluminium foil and then pop it into either an airtight container or a plastic bag. This will help to avoid the burrito from becoming hard and dry overnight.
In terms of reheating your burrito, you’ll have about a 2-3 day window of opportunity. But keep in mind that the longer you wait, the more chance of the taste deteriorating and the texture becoming soggy and unappetizing.
For best results eat the day after refrigerating.
How Do I Know When My Burrito Is Ready To Eat?
This is another thing that is super important to know. And it’s a little trickier too. Pull your burrito out before it’s ready and you could end up with uncooked food that will have you feeling pretty poorly.
Pull it out too late, and it’s not really going to be edible. So, how do you know when the time is right?
It’s all in the temperature. To be honest, the only real way to know for sure is to use an instant thermometer to gauge the internal temperature of the food you are reheating.
The USDA recommends that you wait until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit which is the recommended temperature for chicken.
How To Tell If A Burrito Has Gone Bad
If your burrito has spent a couple of days in the fridge you may be on the fence as to whether it’s still good to eat or not. Generally, my advice would be when it doubt throw it out.
However, in the interest of not wanting to waste food, let’s take a look at some of the warning signs that your burrito is destined for the bin.
Funny Smell – As a burrito begins to spoil, it will start to have an unpleasant odor to it. If you give your burrito a whiff and it doesn’t smell great, or it smells considerably different to how it did before, it’s time to say goodbye.
Changes In Color – If your burrito starts to change color then it’s a pretty good indicator that bacteria is present in the food and therefore you should not eat it.
Slimy or Warm – If your burrito has a warmness or a slimy feel to it, you should throw it out immediately. Eating it at this point could cause you to get pretty ill.
Blue Burrito – Sometimes when a burrito has been exposed to air or harmful bacteria it can actually start to go a strange blue color, if this happens throw it out immediately.
Can You Reheat A Burrito Twice?
Technically, yes, preferably no. While pretty much most foods can be reheated more than once as long as they are correctly stored and reheated, it’s never the best choice to make.
You see, each time that you cool, store, and then reheat food you increase the likelihood of harmful bacteria multiplying.
There are probably quite a few people who say that you can do this, or even that they have done this. But, for caution’s sake, it’s really best not to. There’s a much higher chance of you getting sick if you do.
Plus, we all know how reheated food never tastes quite as nice as when it’s fresh, right? Well, if you reheat a burrito more than once you’re going to seriously decrease the flavor and texture of the burrito.
Chances are that not only will you gamble with the ability to keep yourself off the toilet, but you also won’t actually enjoy the food going down much in the first place.
Do Reheated Burritos Taste Good?
Yes, they can! As you’ll have learned from the methods outlined above, a reheated burrito can still have that same crunch and delicious taste once reheated.
Of course, there can be a few battles to contend with such as soggy or overly toasted tortillas, but as long as you follow the tips and tricks mentioned above, you’ll find that none of these issues should apply to you.
Not All Burritos Were Created Equal
And what do I mean by that? Well, that different burritos will fare better with different reheating methods.
When it comes to burritos there are many different varieties with different ingredients and this can change how they’ll turn out in different appliances. Below are my recommendations for the perfect burrito.
Taco Bell Burritos – Often smaller in size, Taco Bell Burritos will often heat much quicker than similar counterparts. And you’ll find that refried beans will heat up a whole lot quicker than meat, so the best option here is a quick reheat. So, for optimum results, you’ll want to go with the microwave or the oven.
Chipotle Burritos – Chipotle often offers pretty big-boy burritos with huge tortillas and plenty of fillings, so they’re going to take a little longer to heat up. The best option here without a doubt is the oven. It’ll heat them up slowly and ensure that the heat spreads throughout evenly. However, if you’re in a rush, they’ll definitely work in the microwave too.
Breakfast Burritos – Of all the burritos, the breakfast variety loves to dry out in the refrigerator. Because of this, you’ll want to place just a little bit of water or hot sauce inside it before you heat it up. You want one of the methods that will lock in moisture so I would recommend reheating them on the stove or in the microwave with that damp paper towel. Keep in mind though that you may still need to add some extra sauce for dipping to keep it from being overly dry.
California Burrito – California burritos are about as big as they come. They don’t tend to involve rice and refried beans, but they do cram in a whole lot of pico de gallo, carne asada, guac, and french fries. To ensure that all these fillings are evenly cooked, you’re probably best going for the oven method. Be sure to cover it in foil though, so that you keep all that moisture.
Wet Burrito – A wet burrito is essentially any burrito that is dripping in some kind of sauce be it salsa, enchilada sauce, or something entirely different. The issue with wet burritos is that preventing them from turning into soggy piles of mush can be difficult. Here, your best option is probably microwaving them. You won’t need the paper towel for these ones though, they have enough moisture on their own.
Frozen Burrito – Frozen burritos, such as Monterey frozen burritos, are pretty popular choices. Usually, it is recommended that they are kept frozen until you’re ready to dig in. You’ll use the microwave for these ones. Cook for around a minute and 15 seconds on high heat and then let it stand for around 60 seconds before you start digging in.
What To Serve With Burritos
If you’ve got a burrito left but you’re looking for a bigger meal, you may want to serve some sides along with it. But what goes well with burritos? Let’s find out.
Seasoned rice
Chips & salsa
Refried beans
Chopped salad
You can really add anything you like to burritos, after all, there are no rules when it comes to food.
Final Thoughts
Burritos are a comfort food that everyone can enjoy tucking into. But they tend to be pretty filling options and sometimes, try as we might, there’s just not enough room to finish the entire thing.
But as you now know, you can easily reheat your burrito the next day. You’ve learned all the ways to master cooking them to perfection so that regardless of which appliance you use, you’ll still get that perfect first bite.
Remember that reheating a burrito can sometimes be a tricky business in terms of ensuring it doesn’t become either too soggy or too dry, so you’ll want to ensure that you follow all the tips and tricks mentioned today.
But, you should now be a reheating burrito pro. From storage, to cooking, to knowing when it’s ready or gone bad, everything you could need to know is right here in this handy guide.
So say goodbye to wasting money and throwing out food and say hello to reheating the perfect burrito each and every time.
Have you ever made something so delicious that you wished you could savor it forever?
Only to find that the recipe has now mysteriously vanished from your phone and the entirety of the internet. Yep, there’s not much more painful than that.
Hi, my name is Mark Williams and I have been infatuated with cooking since I was young. I would beg my mother to pull a chair up to the counter so I could watch what she was doing.
