I’m a huge proponent of batch cooking and stocking your freezer with portioned meals that you can just grab-reheat-and-go! Not only are these make-ahead freezer breakfast burritos a great answer to the “I’m too busy to make breakfast” conundrum, but for someone who loves breakfast for dinner as much as I do, these burritos make a fast and easy anytime meal. #brinner
What Can I Add to Breakfast Burritos?
I kept my breakfast burritos super simple with just eggs, cheese, sautéed peppers and onions, and cooked ham, but this is another wonderfully flexible recipe. You can skip the ham to make them vegetarian, or switch them up with any of the following ingredients:
- Meat (cooked): bacon, breakfast sausage
- Vegetables: hash browns (cooked), avocado, green onion, jalapeño, pickled red onions, spinach
- Beans: black beans, hummus
- Cheeses and Sauces: Monterey jack or pepper jack, cotija, feta, taco sauce (sparingly), salsa (thick type, not a watery variety), guacamole
I do not suggest adding sour cream to your breakfast burritos because sour cream doesn’t hold up well to freezing and thawing. Instead, serve sour cream on the side for dipping after reheating.
How Long do Breakfast Burritos Last?
I always suggest using up your frozen food within three months for best quality. Frozen goods slowly lose moisture and develop freezer burn over time, so while you may get longer freezer life out of them, the quality will slowly diminish the longer they are stored. So, make sure to label and date everything that goes in your freezer! :)
How to Reheat Frozen Burritos
You’ll have the best results if you let the burrito thaw in the refrigerator overnight or until they are no longer frozen solid in the middle. Reheating from the chilled state instead of straight from the freezer takes less heat and makes it easier to reheat without overcooking the egg. Reheating from a refrigerated, non-frozen state can be done in the microwave (1-2 minutes on high), or in a skillet over medium-low heat until the tortilla is nice and crispy and the insides are heated through. A toaster oven is also a great option, although I don’t own one so I was not able to test the cooking time needed.
If you do need to reheat straight from the freezer, I suggest using the defrost function on your microwave fist for 3-5 minutes to help defrost the inside, before microwaving on high for 1-2 minutes. Cooking times in the microwave will vary depending on the wattage of your microwave.
How to Prevent a Soggy Freezer Burrito
Overcooking eggs during reheating is probably the biggest culprit of a soggy breakfast burrito. As eggs continue to cook, the protein molecules seize up and squeeze out water. So, to prevent the eggs from expelling a ton of liquid, reheat only until the burritos are warmed through.
Another culprit is using ingredients that contain a lot of water. Avoid using salsa that are very watery, and if using high-water content vegetables, just make sure to sauté them first to remove some of their moisture.
Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos
Servings 8Ingredients
- 8 oz. cheddar ($1.69)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 1 bell pepper ($1.00)
- 2 Tbsp butter, divided ($0.26)
- 2 pinches salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 1 lb. cooked ham ($3.75)
- 12 large eggs ($2.79)
- 8 large flour tortillas (burrito size) ($1.39)
Instructions
- Begin by preparing all of the filling ingredients for the breakfast burritos. Shred the cheddar, if not purchased pre-shredded.
- Dice the onion and bell pepper. Add the onion and bell pepper to a large skillet with ½ Tbsp butter and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 5 minutes). Season the bell pepper and onion with a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer the bell pepper and onion to a bowl.
- Dice the ham, then add it to the skillet with another ½ Tbp butter. Sauté the ham over medium heat until it is browned (about 5 minutes). Transfer the ham to a separate bowl and clean the skillet.
- Crack 12 eggs into a bowl and lightly whisk. Add the last tablespoon butter to the skillet and heat over medium. Once the skillet is hot, spread the butter to coat the surface, then pour in the whisked eggs.
- Push the eggs in toward the center of the skillet as they set on the bottom, until most of the eggs have set, but the eggs still look moist. Do not over cook the eggs or they'll become dry. Season the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- To assemble the burritos, add a scoop of scrambled eggs to the middle of each tortilla, then top with a scoop of cooked bell pepper and onion, a handful of cheese, and some of the cooked ham.
- To roll the burritos, first fold the tortilla up from the bottom, then fold in the sides, and then finish rolling the burrito up until it has closed. Wrap each burrito in parchment paper using the same folding and rolling method (bottom up, sides in, finish rolling up). Label each burrito on the parchment paper or on masking tape
- Transfer the wrapped burritos to freezer bags, label and date the bags, then place in the freezer.
To Reheat Breakfast Burritos
- Transfer the breakfast burrito to the refrigerator the day before to thaw. Once thawed, microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, or heat in a skillet over medium-low, about 5 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla is crispy and the insides are warm.
- To reheat from frozen, use the microwave's defrost setting for about 5 minutes, then microwave on high for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Homemade Breakfast Burritos – Step by Step Photos
Prepare all the components of the breakfast burritos before assembly. Shred one 8oz. block of cheddar cheese (or whatever flavor cheese you prefer–pepper jack is also awesome in these!).
Dice one onion and one bell pepper. You can use any color bell pepper, I just happened to have an extra orange pepper, so I used that. Add the pepper and onion to a skillet with ½ Tbsp butter and sauté over medium until the onions are soft and translucent. Season the peppers and onions with a pinch of salt and pepper, then transfer them to a bowl.
Dice one pound of cooked ham. Add the ham to the skillet with another ½ Tbsp of butter and cook over medium until the ham is browned. Transfer the cooked ham to another bowl. Clean out the skillet.
Whisk one dozen eggs in a bowl. I like to only lightly whisk my eggs because I enjoy some ribbons of whites and yolks in my scrambled eggs. You can use less or more eggs, if you prefer, but using 12 eggs for 8 burritos will give you 1.5 eggs per burrito, which I find to be a good compromise between budget and quantity.
Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in the skillet over medium heat. Once the butter is melted and the skillet is heated, pour in the whisked eggs. Gently push the eggs in toward the center of the skillet as they set on the bottom, until most of the eggs are set, but they still look moist. Avoid over cooking the eggs or they will become dry. Season the scrambled eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Now that all the components are prepared, it’s time to start assembling the burritos. You can do this one at a time, or lay out all eight tortillas and do them together if that makes it easier for you to divide the ingredients evenly between all eight. Begin with the scrambled eggs.
Next, add a scoop of the cooked peppers and onions, and a handful of shredded cheese.
Finally, add some of the cooked ham to the breakfast burrito (or leave it out if you want to make plain egg and cheese burritos).
To roll the breakfast burritos, first roll up the bottom, then fold in the sides, and then finish rolling up from the bottom until it is closed.
Place the rolled breakfast burrito on a square of parchment paper, then use the same rolling technique to wrap it in paper (bottom up, sides in, then finish rolling up). Label your breakfast burrito (I used sharpie on the parchment, but you can also do masking tape and then write on that).
Then place your wrapped breakfast burritos in freezer bags, label the bags with name and date, and transfer to the freezer. For reheating instructions, refer to the text above the recipe card for options.
And then pat yourself on the back because you have amazing breakfasts prepared and ready to go! (serving suggestion: salsa or sour cream for dipping).
FREEZER FRIENDLY BREAKFAST BURRITOS. This is an excellent idea and I am sold. Now I want to find all the recipes that I can which are ideal for making in bulk and being frozen. I hope that Budget Bytes will provide me with many examples of how I can do that, and much more.
would adding cooked sausage to this make it become soggy when re-heating?
You definitely want to make sure all the ingredients are fully cooked before freezing. Breakfast sausage would be a great protein to add, as Beth mentions in the blog post (in the section, “WHAT CAN I ADD TO BREAKFAST BURRITOS?”). If you’re concerned about the extra grease, use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate before adding it to the burritos. For tips on reheating as well as avoiding soggy breakfast burritos, consult the sections of the blog post labeled “HOW TO PREVENT A SOGGY FREEZER BURRITO” and “HOW TO REHEAT FROZEN BURRITOS.” But if you have any other specific questions about it, please let us know! ~Marion :)
Hi, when reheating these do you leave the parchment paper on or take it off?
If reheating in the microwave, you can leave it wrapped in the parchment and that will hold in the steam and keep the tortilla nice and soft. If you choose to reheat without parchment the tortilla will just be a little more crispy-dry. But it’s up to you! :) (if reheating in a skillet, remove the parchment)
This looks delicious but with CKD I’m going to try to use low sodium ham or turkey and swiss cheese as that has less salt and no salt butter and see if my kidneys will still be happy. 😊. It’s worth a try!
Are we sure the nutrition info is correct? Is one burrito really almost 700 calories? Maybe it is the ham? I would love to make these but that sure is a lot of calories. (No snark intended bc I LOVE Budget Bytes!).
Hi, Martha! The nutrition information lists the serving size (1 burrito) and estimates the calories per serving at roughly 421 calories. Also, as we mention in our nutrition information disclaimer, we use a software called Spoontacular API to calculate all of our nutrition information, and sometimes there can be errors or discrepancies. Because of this, what you see at the bottom of the recipe card should only be considered a rough estimate and not used as actual medical or health advice. (Here’s the full version: https://www.budgetbytes.com/nutrition-information-disclaimer/) ~ Marion :)
Masking, duct, and scotch tape wouldn’t stick to the parchment paper. I finally had to staple the wrapped burritos shut. Otherwise, the recipe seems solid. More guidance on measurements would’ve been helpful, but it worked out ok.
Thanks for this recipe! My teenage son asked me to make him something that I can stick in the freezer and he can pull out to put into his lunches every day. He works a physically demanding job, so high protein content is a must. Great recipe. Thanks again!
Could I use egg beaters instead of whole eggs and still freeze them?
You can totally freeze egg beaters!
If I were to add hash browns to this, do you think cooking frozen hashbrowns first and adding them in, then re-freezing in the burritos would work? Thanks!
Yep, that’s exactly how I’d do it. :)
I’m sure these will taste amazing. But it took more time and annoyance to prepare these than I bargained for. Mainly with the wrapping. I bought large size tortillas but they were very full and difficult to keep together. I toasted them on the side with the closed flap to make them stay shut. Masking/washing tape doesn’t stick to parchment paper so they all came open and had to be re-wrapped. If I want to eat something like this for breakfast I’ll probably just hit up the Golden Arches.Â
Quick Question: hosting a winter Covid safe outside brunch over the holidays for friends around the fire. Making your spicy hot cocoa recipe. Thought I’d make up a bunch of your breakfast burritos ahead of time to freeze. Could I wrap them individually in foil and heat in the oven and then transfer to a warm slow cooker to hold? Should I use parchment paper to wrap them, and then the foil? Thought they’d be easy to eat with mittens and gloves. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Want to add: My twenty something kids (and their friends) love your website. They have found success cooking affordable and healthy meals with your recipes. I think they’ve surprised themselves that they can cook great tasting food. Thank you!
Hi Karen! While I’ve never tried reheating and holding the burritos in a slow cooker, I think that sounds like a fantastic idea! I don’t think you’d necessarily need to use both parchment and foil. The foil should be just fine. :)
How long do you think the burrito would last without freezing? Like if I made 5 for the whole week would they last or do they just last a day or 2 in the fridge?????
Probably a few days, but it depends on so many factors that it’s hard to say an exact time.