Best Copycat Taco Bell Bean Burrito Recipe

When you need a quick, no-fuss burrito, turn to this 5-ingredient copycat Taco Bell bean burrito recipe. Fill, roll, and dip in taco sauce for an easy weeknight dinner.

The taco may have started it all, but the Taco Bell bean burrito is just as iconic. It is cheap, tasty, and filling. It is an easy dinner. Perfect for large families, college students, and little kids who love bean burritos. Yes, that is my kids.

We’ve visited Taco Bell more times than I will admit. And scarfed down more bean burritos than I can count.

But sometimes you might want to make your own Taco Bell bean burrito recipe. Take the best of what they offer in a burrito but add more sauce. Maybe change up the cheese or skip the onions.

What is in the original Taco Bell bean burrito recipe? A warm flour tortilla, smeared with refried beans, drizzled with red taco sauce, peppered with diced onions, and sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese. That’s it. Roll it into a burrito and you are ready to devour.

The 5-ingredient Taco Bell bean burrito is one of the original recipes from the Taco Bell restaurants. Add sour cream to make a bean burrito supreme. To make it fresco, add chopped tomatoes.

It is a flat burrito. The refried beans keep it from holding much shape. But when it is rolled tight, it is perfectly designed to dip into red taco sauce.

Taco Bell Bean Burrito Recipe Ingredients

• Flour Tortilla

A warm 10-inch flour tortilla is the base for every bean burrito. The best Taco Bell copycat bean burritos need a warm tortilla, so the burrito is easy to roll. Warm it on the stove or in the microwave.

Taco Bell’s tortillas are vegan, with no lard. Instead, they have soybean or cottonseed oil.

If you want a true copycat Taco Bell bean burrito recipe, make your own tortillas with olive oil, or buy a brand that uses vegetable shortening or oil instead of lard.

• Refried Beans

You can make your own refried beans with pinto beans, but it is just as easy to use canned refried beans.

The only problem with these canned beans is that they are very thick. Even when you heat the beans on the stove, they are thicker than Taco Bell’s refried beans.

To make an authentic Taco Bell bean burrito recipe, you need to thin your canned refried beans with liquid. Water, chicken broth, milk, half and half, cream, crema, and even sour cream will thin the refried beans.

Taco Bell’s refried beans do not have any dairy products in them. Therefore, if you want a true Taco Bell bean burrito, thin the beans with 1 cup water for every 30 oz. can of refried beans.

However, I prefer to make a can of refried beans taste more like restaurant beans by adding dairy to thin the beans. Dairy makes the beans creamy and amazing. I prefer cream. Give it a try and make your taste buds happy.

Taco Bell refried beans are flavored with spices. So are most cans of refried beans from the grocery store. However, the spices vary by manufacturer.

If you want to add more seasoning to your refried beans, add garlic powder, onion powder, and a splash of hot sauce. If you crave a kick, replace the hot sauce with 1 tablespoon of chili powder.

• Red Taco Sauce

Taco Bell red sauce is simple and not very spicy. You can buy a jar of Taco Bell mild or medium taco sauce at the grocery store. Ortega taco sauce is another brand that is similar and tastes great on copycat Taco Bell bean burritos.

Keep extra taco sauce on the table during the meal so you can dip your burrito into it. You know you always grab extra packets of sauce at Taco Bell. So be prepared with extra sauce for dinner at home.

You can also make your own taco sauce if you have time.

• Diced Yellow Onion

There are raw onions for onion lovers in every Taco Bell bean burrito. Dice the onions into tiny pieces. They add flavor without being overwhelming. Leave them out if you must, but the added flavor will make your onion breath worth it.

• Cheddar Cheese

Shred some cheddar cheese for the burrito. If you are feeling adventurous, try blending cheddar cheese, Monterey, or pepper jack cheese. To make it easy, grab a bag of Kraft’s Mexican blend cheese. This blend combines finely shredded cheddar and Monterey jack cheese.

How to Make the Perfect Taco Bell Bean Burrito Recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 225° F.

After you make each bean burrito, keep it warm in the low-temperature oven until all the burritos are rolled. Then they will all be piping hot when it is time to serve them.

2. Make the beans.

Open a can of refried beans and pour them into a medium saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat. Add ½ to 1 cup of water or the liquid of your choice. (Water will resemble Taco Bell’s refried beans. Milk, half and half, or cream will resemble restaurant-style beans.)

Stir. Place the lid on the saucepan and heat the beans until they begin to simmer. Stir until the liquid is incorporated. Replace the lid and heat on low for 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and set it aside. The beans need to cool for 5 minutes, so the burritos are not too hot to roll.

3. Shred the cheese.

Taco Bell uses cheddar cheese in their bean burrito recipe. However, you can switch up the cheese with good results. Swapping pepper jack cheese for cheddar gives the burrito a little kick. Monterey jack cheese is another excellent choice.

4. Dice the onion.

Use white or yellow onions in the burrito. Peel and then dice ½ of a medium onion.

5. Warm the tortillas.

Warming the tortillas makes them pliable and easier to roll. Heat a skillet on the stove over medium heat. When the skillet is warm, add a tortilla and heat for 15 to 20 seconds. Flip it over and heat for another 10 to 15 seconds, or until warm.

Repeat with all the tortillas.

6. Set up a burrito assembly station.

Line up a station for warm tortillas, warm refried beans, diced onions, red taco sauce, and shredded cheddar cheese.

7. Make each burrito.

Add 2 tablespoons of refried beans down the center of the tortilla. Stop ½ inch from each edge of the tortilla. Layer the remaining ingredients on top of the beans in the following order.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of diced onions on top of the beans.

Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of taco sauce on top of the beans and onions.

Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cheese on top of the other filling ingredients.

8. Fold the burrito.

Fold each end of the tortilla that is perpendicular to the line of beans over the bean mixture. When you fold these ends in, the beans can’t escape out the top or bottom.

Next, roll the right side of the tortilla over the beans and continue rolling until the burrito is rolled and secure.

Place the burrito, seam side down, in a pan in the warm oven.

Make and fold the remaining burritos and place them in the oven.

9. Heat the burritos in the oven to melt the cheese.

When all the burritos are made, heat them in the oven for 10 minutes, or until you have melted cheese.

10. Serve with extra taco sauce.

Taco Bell bean burritos are often slim on sauce inside the burrito. However, their size and shape are perfect for dipping into taco sauce.

What to Serve with Taco Bell Bean Burritos

There are dozens of things to serve with burritos. Here are some of the best sides to serve with Taco Bell bean burritos.

• Taco Bell Seasoned Mexican Rice: Craving some Mexican rice for dinner? Try my expert tips for the easiest fan-favorite Taco Bell seasoned rice recipe. It is a simple recipe you can make in 30 minutes.
  
  
• Ultimate Nachos: Thick tortilla chips, dripping in a nacho cheese sauce make the best side dish for a burrito. Homemade nacho cheese sauce is worth every minute it takes to make from scratch.
  
  
• Quesadilla: Make the perfect quesadilla with a flour tortilla, a hefty handful of shredded cheese, and a smear of cheesy jalapeno sauce.
  
  
• Side Salad: Start with your choice of lettuce, like green leafy lettuce or romaine. Spice the greens with a cup of arugula or watercress. Add tomatoes, red bell peppers, and radishes. Drizzle with a chipotle ranch and sprinkle with queso fresco.
  

• Guacamole and tortilla chips: Avocados are abundant in Mexico and served with virtually all Mexican food. Guacamole takes avocados to the next level and is perfect to serve in a dollop on top of a burrito.
  

• Nacho cheese sauce for dipping: Want to go beyond taco sauce? Try nacho cheese sauce. You can never be too cheesy.

For even more ideas, check out my article on what to serve with burritos.

How to Store Leftover Bean Burritos

If you have leftover bean burritos, hurray! Lunch tomorrow. Just follow these steps to store them correctly and you will be set for another delicious meal.

Do not leave the bean burritos out for more than two hours or one hour if the temperature is above 90° F. The USDA warns that food can become unsafe to eat if these guidelines are not followed.

To Store a Bean Burrito:

1. Cool the burrito. Wrapping a warm burrito may make the tortilla soggy.
   
   
2. Wrap the burrito in a piece of aluminum foil. This will help prevent it from drying out in the refrigerator. Then place it in an airtight container or a zip-top bag.
   
   
3. Refrigerate at 40° F or lower.
   
   
4. Eat the burritos within 2 or 3 days.

How to Reheat Bean Burritos

The quickest and easiest way to reheat a bean burrito is in the microwave. Although if you prefer, there are several other ways to reheat a bean burrito. Check it out if you are interested.

1. Remove the burrito from the container and remove the aluminum foil.
   
   
2. Get a little water on a paper towel and ring it out. It should be damp, but not soaking or dripping.
   
   
3. Wrap the paper towel around the burrito. The whole burrito, especially the open area where the filling shows, should be covered in the damp paper towel.
   
   
4. Place the burrito on a microwave-safe dish.
   
   
5. Microwave on high power. Start with 30 seconds for small burritos and 45 seconds for large burritos.
   
   
6. Flip the burrito over and microwave on high power for 15 to 20 seconds more.
   
   
7. Check the temperature of the burrito. Continue warming in 15 to 20-second intervals until it is warm to your satisfaction.
   
   
8. Remove the microwave-safe plate and take the paper towel off the burrito. Be careful not to burn your fingers.

More Copycat Recipes from the Taco Bell Menu

The bean burrito is the only meatless burrito on the menu, and it is the base recipe for other burritos. The beef burrito supreme combines the cheesy flavor of a bean burrito with ground beef flavored with taco seasoning. Drizzle in some sour cream and add the lettuce and tomatoes.

Any of these recipes would make a quick Sunday lunch.

• The chili cheese burrito is beef chili and cheese. Simple.

• The quesarito is a beefy cheese and rice burrito. It has nacho cheese sauce and creamy chipotle sauce.

• Try making your own red taco sauce in a small saucepan with tomato sauce, chili pepper, white vinegar, paprika, and onion powder.

Hungry For More Burritos?

• California Burrito with Fries. Ready for an authentic California burrito with juicy carne asada, crispy French fries, sour cream, cheese, and homemade guacamole and pico de gallo? You will be glad you tried this San Diego classic.

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