Have a leftover burrito? Learn how to reheat a burrito the best way using what you have. Find the best method for heating one burrito or lots of burritos at once.
If you are like most of us in America, you eat burritos often. Like at least once a week. Sometimes you don’t quite finish your burrito, so you have leftovers. Hallelujah! Another meal is planned.
When you are ready to indulge again, you may wonder how to reheat a burrito without getting it soggy or drying it out. The quickest way to reheat a burrito is to wrap it in a damp paper towel and warm it in the microwave oven.
The best way to reheat several burritos at once is to wrap them loosely in aluminum foil and warm them in a low-temperature oven for 30 minutes. If the burrito has sour cream, guacamole, or lettuce, remove these ingredients before reheating the burrito.
In addition to the microwave and kitchen oven, you can reheat a burrito on the stove, in a toaster oven, or in an air fryer.
There are different ways to be successful with any reheating method. As long as you know what to watch out for. This article will discuss the 5 best ways to reheat a burrito. Then you can decide which is easiest for you.
Burrito Reheating Method | Instructions | Reheat Time |
---|---|---|
Microwave | wrap in damp paper towel | 45-90 seconds |
Oven | wrap in foil | 30-45 minutes |
Toaster Oven | unroll burrito, sandwich between foil | 8-12 minutes |
Stove | unroll burrito, keep lid on pan | 5-7 minutes |
Air Fryer | no wrapping | 6-8 minutes |
RELATED: Check out all the other cooking tip articles and other tutorials.
Jump to:
- 1. Reheat a Burrito in the Microwave
- 2. Reheat a Burrito in the Oven
- 3. Reheat a Burrito in a Toaster Oven
- 4. Reheat a Burrito on the Stove
- 5. Reheat a Burrito in an Air Fryer
- How to Store Leftover Burritos
- How Do I Know if My Burrito Has Finished Warming Up?
- Best Approach for Reheating Different Kinds of Burritos
- What to Serve with Burritos
- Recipe
- Comments
1. Reheat a Burrito in the Microwave
A microwave is the quickest way to reheat a burrito. It is convenient and easy. Perfect for reheating a burrito for lunch at the office.
It is the best method if you only have one or two burritos to reheat.
When reheating the burrito in the microwave, the burrito could dry out if you do not heat it the right way. To keep the burrito moist, follow these important guidelines.
- Wrap the burrito in a damp paper towel before you microwave it. This handy trick keeps the tortilla soft and moist as it heats.
- Never overcook. The soft tortilla will get tough and dry the longer it cooks, and the filling will lose moisture. It is better to add time to the microwave bit by bit, rather than to cook the burrito too long initially.
- Use the microwave turntable. Microwaves have hot and cold spots. A microwave oven works by heating food with thermal radiation waves.
The waves bounce around the inside of the microwave, penetrating the food. The waves cause the food molecules to vibrate, and the molecule vibration causes the food to heat.
Bouncing waves inside a microwave oven often interfere with each other. Sometimes two waves join forces, which creates a hot spot. Sometimes two waves block each other’s intensity, which creates a cold spot.
The result is “hot” and “cold” spots in the microwave. If food does not rotate as it cooks, it will be trapped in the hot and cold spots. The burrito will be very hot or even burn in some spots. Other areas of the burrito will be very cold.
How to Reheat a Burrito in the Microwave
- Remove any wrappers from the burrito (foil, paper, etc.).
- Optional: Unwrap the burrito and remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce). Rewrap the burrito.
- Get a paper towel wet and ring it out. It should be damp, but not soaking or dripping.
- Wrap the paper towel around the burrito. The whole burrito, especially the open area where the filling shows, should be completely covered in the damp paper towel.
- Place the burrito on a microwave-safe dish.
- Microwave on high power. Start with 30 seconds for small burritos and 45 seconds for large burritos.
- Flip the burrito over and microwave on high power for 15 to 20 seconds more.
- Check the temperature of the burrito. Continue warming in 15 to 20 second intervals until it is warm to your satisfaction.
- Remove the microwave-safe plate and take the paper towel off the burrito. Be careful not to burn your fingers.
- Replace any cold ingredients you took out. Enjoy.
2. Reheat a Burrito in the Oven
Reheating a burrito in the oven takes the longest time. However, an oven will evenly heat the whole burrito.
You can also reheat lots of burritos at once. Then the whole family is ready to eat their leftovers at the same time.
An oven cooks with hot dry air. When reheating a burrito in the oven, the low heat warms the burrito evenly. Higher heat may cause the burrito to brown.
The dry oven heat can dry out a burrito, especially if any of the filling is exposed. If you are reheating a partially eaten burrito, one end of the burrito is open. But there is a solution.
Cover your burrito with aluminum foil when you reheat it in the oven. Light foil is the best to use. No need for heavy duty. When you cover the burrito, it keeps the moisture in.
How to Reheat a Burrito in the Oven
- Pre-heat the oven to 250° F.
- Remove any wrappers from the burrito (foil, paper, etc.).
- Optional: Unwrap the burrito and remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce). Rewrap the burrito.
- Loosely wrap the burrito in light aluminum foil. Make sure the exposed part of the burrito is completely covered. Place the wrapped burrito on a cookie sheet or another oven-safe pan.
- Heat in the oven for approximately 30 minutes or until hot.
- Remove the burrito from the oven and replace any cold ingredients you took out. Supplement extra cold fillings if you want.
The length of time in the oven depends on the size of the burrito and the burrito fillings. Small Taco Bell bean burritos heat quicker than a thick California burrito.
3. Reheat a Burrito in a Toaster Oven
A toaster oven takes less time to reheat a burrito than a conventional oven. The toaster oven might be right for you if you like a toastier tortilla. Or if you opened the refrigerator and found a soggy burrito.
However, you are limited by the size of the toaster oven. You can only reheat 1 burrito at a time. Maybe two if they are on the small side.
If you treat the toaster oven like a regular-sized oven, wrap the burrito in tin foil before heating it. If you reheat a burrito this way, it could take just as long as it does in the regular oven.
However, this is not the best way to reheat your burrito in a toaster oven.
My toaster oven – and maybe yours too – is not as efficient as a traditional oven. It loses heat and does not always cook evenly.
The best way to reheat a burrito in a toaster oven is to unroll it before heating it. Now you can see how the size of the toaster may limit whether you can use it to reheat your burrito.
How to Reheat a Burrito in a Toaster Oven
- Preheat the toaster oven to 400° F.
- Measure out two pieces of aluminum foil large enough to fit the unfolded tortilla. One will go on the bottom. The other will be on top of the burrito.
- Unfold the cold burrito and lay it flat on a single layer of aluminum foil. The flour tortilla touches the tin foil, and the filling is facing up.
- Optional: Remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce).
- Place the second piece of foil loosely on top of the opened tortilla. Now top and bottom of the open burrito are sandwiched between the two pieces of aluminum foil.
- Carefully move the open burrito to the toaster oven and cook for 8 to 12 minutes. Check to see if it is warm. Heat longer if necessary. The reheating time depends on how big the burrito is and the amount of filling.
- When it has finished heating, remove from the toaster oven. Add the cold ingredients you took out. You can try to reroll the burrito if you want.
Sometimes the soft tortilla gets toasty and it is hard to reroll. Keep this in mind when choosing your reheating method. The toaster oven sometimes transforms the burrito to a tostada.
4. Reheat a Burrito on the Stove
Reheating a burrito in a pan on the stove can be tricky. It is harder to evenly heat the burrito. Unwrap the burrito, (as you did with the toaster oven). This is the best way to reheat a burrito on the stove.
However, you may run into problems when trying to reroll the burrito.
Some burritos don’t work as well when they are unrolled to reheat. For example, if you have a leftover wet burrito, it may have turned into a soggy burrito overnight. Good luck unrolling a soggy burrito. You will end up with a soggy mess.
It is best to keep wet burritos rolled during the reheating process.
Keep a lid on the pan to trap heat. It warms the filling, along with the flour tortilla.
How to Reheat a Burrito on the Stove
- Place a large skillet with a lid on the stove. Turn the stove on medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon of oil to the pan to prevent the tortilla from sticking.
- Unfold the cold burrito and lay it, tortilla side down, onto the skillet.
- Optional: Remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce).
- If the burrito has a variety of ingredients, spread them out so they can cook evenly.
- Place the lid on the skillet. This traps heat and moisture inside the pan.
- Cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Slide the tortilla around at least once to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
- When the burrito is hot enough, remove it from the skillet. Replace the cold ingredients. Add extra sour cream or other cold toppings, if desired.
- Reroll it if you like. Warm tortillas are flexible, but toasty tortillas can be hard to roll. If the tortilla is toasted, eat the burrito like a tostada.
5. Reheat a Burrito in an Air Fryer
Out of all the reheating methods, the air fryer is the one that will change the flavor of the burrito the most. You will have a crispy outside and a soft inside. Yum, yum!
Whole burritos are the best to reheat in an air fryer because the tortilla is covering all of the fillings. But it can work for a leftover burrito too. The exposed edge of the filling will get crispy.
How to Reheat a Burrito in an Air Fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 325° F.
- Spritz or brush the burrito with olive oil or coconut oil.
- Place the leftover burrito in the air fryer basket. (Burrito is not frozen.) Do not stack burritos and leave some space between them.
- Air fry for 5 minutes. Flip the burrito over and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Remove the burritos and enjoy the perfect crisp.
How to Store Leftover Burritos
The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has guidelines for the internal temperature of foods. If you handled your leftover burrito properly and are eating it within the recommended time frame, there is little chance of being victim to unsafe bacteria.
The USDA’s guidelines are clear. Food kept between 40 and 140°F is in the danger zone. Food should be refrigerated within two hours of being at room temperature. Or within one hour if the air temperature is 90°F.
Refrigerate within this time frame to avoid possible food poisoning.
To save leftovers, wrap the burrito in aluminium foil and then in a plastic bag or airtight container. The double wrapping will help prevent moisture from escaping in the dry refrigerator.
Leftover food should be refrigerated at 40°F or below. And burritos with cooked meat should be eaten within 2 to 3 days.
For best taste and least chance of sogginess, eat your leftover burrito the next day or with two days at the latest.
How Do I Know if My Burrito Has Finished Warming Up?
When reheating a meat burrito, the USDA recommends heating it to an internal temperature of 165° F. This is their recommendation for the temperature of chicken.
Use an instant thermometer to figure out the internal temperature of the burrito if you are worried about food safety.
Best Approach for Reheating Different Kinds of Burritos
Taco Bell burritos: Taco Bell burritos are smaller and lighter than many burritos. They will heat quicker than larger burritos. Refried beans heat quicker than meat. So be prepared for a quick reheat of a bean burrito.
For best results, reheat Taco Bell burritos in the microwave or the oven.
Chipotle burritos: Chipotle burritos are hefty. The tortilla is large, and the fillings are plentiful. These burritos will take longer to reheat.
The easiest methods to reheat Chipotle burritos are the oven and the microwave. In the oven, the heat spreads evenly throughout the burrito. The oven is the best choice for large burritos. But if you are in a hurry, you can’t beat the microwave.
Breakfast burritos: Leftover breakfast burritos dry out fast in the refrigerator. Be aware of moisture loss when reheating. Sprinkle a little water or hot sauce inside the burrito before warming it up.
A good way to reheat a breakfast burrito is in the microwave. When the burrito is wrapped in a damp paper towel, the moisture stays in.
Even so, you will probably need to add hot salsa or sour cream so it does not taste dry. Breakfast burritos taste best when they are fresh.
Deconstructing a breakfast burrito to reheat it on the stove is another good idea. The skillet lid can help keep the moisture in as the filling warms up.
California burrito: California burritos are gigantic. The tortilla is stuffed with carne asada, guacamole, and pico de gallo, and French fries. Missing are refried beans and rice.
The oven is the best way to heat a large burrito evenly. Wrap it up in foil though to keep the moisture in.
Wet burrito (aka smothered burrito): A wet burrito is any burrito covered with a salsa or enchilada sauce.
Wet burritos are tough to keep from getting mushy because of the sauce on the outside.
Microwaving a wet burrito is a good choice. You will not need to wrap it in a wet paper towel.
Frozen burrito: Monterey frozen burritos are one of the most popular brands of frozen burritos. They recommend keeping the burritos frozen until ready to eat.
Microwave on high for 1 minute 15 seconds. Let the burrito stand for 1 minute before eating.
Want to heat it in the oven? Bake uncovered in the oven at 350° F for 28 minutes. Let the burrito stand for 1 minute before eating.
What to Serve with Burritos
The most popular sides to serve with burritos are:
- Copycat Taco Bell seasoned rice
- Chips and salsa
- Refried beans. Turn canned refried beans into restaurant style with a few easy steps.
- Chopped Salad
But there are dozens of additional side ideas. Check out the full list of burrito side dishes.
Now you know how to reheat a burrito five ways. Find the easiest method for you and enjoy that leftover burrito.
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Recipe
How to Reheat a Burrito
Ingredients
- leftover burrito
Instructions
Reheat in Microwave
- REMOVE any wrappers from the burrito (foil, paper, etc.). Optional: Unwrap the burrito and remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce). Rewrap the burrito.
- WET a paper towel with water and ring it out. It should be damp, but not soaking or dripping.
- WRAP the damp paper towel around the burrito. The whole burrito, especially the open area where the filling shows, should be completely covered in the damp paper towel.
- PLACE the burrito on a microwave-safe dish.
- MICROWAVE on high power. Start with 30 seconds for small burritos and 45 seconds for large burritos.
- FLIP the burrito over and microwave on high power for 15 to 20 seconds more.
- CHECK the internal temperature of the burrito. Continue warming in 15 to 20 second intervals until it is warm to your satisfaction.
- REMOVE the microwave-safe plate and take the paper towel off the burrito. Be careful not to burn your fingers.
- REPLACE any cold ingredients you took out. Enjoy.
Reheat in the Oven
- PRE-HEAT the oven to 250° F.
- REMOVE any wrappers from the burrito (foil, paper, etc.). Optional: Unwrap the burrito and remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce). Rewrap the burrito.
- LOOSELY WRAP the burrito in light aluminum foil. Make sure the exposed part of the burrito is completely covered. Place the wrapped burrito on a cookie sheet or another oven-safe pan.
- HEAT in the oven for approximately 30-45 minutes, or until hot.
- REMOVE the burrito from the oven and replace any cold ingredients you took out. Supplement extra cold fillings if you want.
Reheat in Toaster Oven
- PREHEAT the toaster oven to 400° F.
- MEASURE out two pieces of aluminum foil large enough to fit the
unfolded tortilla. One will go on the bottom. The other will be on top
of the burrito. - UNFOLD the cold burrito and lay it flat on a single layer of aluminum foil. The flour tortilla touches the tin foil, and the filling is facing up. Optional: Remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce).
- TOP the opened tortilla loosely with the second piece of foil. Now the top and bottom of the open burrito are sandwiched between the two pieces of aluminum foil.
- CAREFULLY MOVE the open burrito to the toaster oven and cook for 8 to 12 minutes. Check to see if it is warm. Heat longer if necessary. The reheating time depends on how big the burrito is and the amount of filling.
- REMOVE from the toaster oven when it has finished heating. Add the cold ingredients you took out. You can try to reroll the burrito if you want.
Reheat on Stove
- PLACE a large skillet with a lid on the stove. Turn the stove on medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon of oil to the pan to prevent the tortilla from sticking.
- UNFOLD the cold burrito and lay it, tortilla side down, onto the skillet. Optional: Remove any cold fillings (sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce).
- SPREAD the filling out so it can cook evenly.
- PLACE the lid on the skillet. This traps heat and moisture inside the pan.
- COOK for 5 to 7 minutes. Slide the tortilla around at least once to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
- REMOVE the burrito from the skillet when it is hot enough. Replace the cold ingredients. Add extra sour cream or other cold toppings, if desired.
- REROLL it if you like. Warm tortillas are flexible, but toasty tortillas can
be hard to roll. If the tortilla is toasted, eat the burrito like a
tostada.
Reheat in Air Fryer
- PREHEAT the air fryer to 325° F.
- SPRITZ or brush the burrito with olive oil or coconut oil.
- PLACE the leftover burrito in the air fryer basket. (Burrito is not frozen.)
Do not stack burritos and leave some space between them. - AIR FRY for 5 minutes. Flip the burrito over and fry for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- REMOVE the burritos and enjoy the perfect crisp.
Notes
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