Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos

$11.29 recipe / $1.41 each
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.84 from 18 votes
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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

A freezer breakfast burrito cut open on a plate with little cups of salsa and sour cream, a cup of coffee and a tangerine on the side.

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.

A hand holding half of a breakfast burrito with the open cut side facing the camera.

Want more freezer friendly meal ideas? Check out our full list of Freezer Friendly Recipes!

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Freezer Friendly Breakfast Burritos

4.84 from 18 votes
Make ahead breakfast burritos are an easy reheatable and portable breakfast meal prep idea. Including options for vegetarian or other add-ins! BudgetBytes.com
A hand holding half of a breakfast burrito with the open cut side facing the camera.
Servings 8
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Total 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 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)
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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

Serving: 1burritoCalories: 421kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 28gFat: 26gSodium: 1275mgFiber: 2g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!

The open sides of a cut open breakfast burrito held toward the camera, close up.

How to Make Homemade Breakfast Burritos – Step by Step Photos

Shredded cheddar on a cutting board with the cheese grater.

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!).

Sautéed peppers and onions in a skillet

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.

Cooked ham in the skillet

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.

Whisked eggs in a bowl

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.

Cooked eggs in the skillet

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.

Build breakfast burritos, eggs on tortillas first

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.

Add peppers, onions, and cheese to breakfast burritos

Next, add a scoop of the cooked peppers and onions, and a handful of shredded cheese.

Cooked ham added to the breakfast burritos

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).

Fold and roll breakfast 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.

Breakfast burrito wrapped in parchment paper and labeled.

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).

Breakfast burritos in freezer bags

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.

A reheated breakfast burrito on a plate with a newsprint liner, two small dishes of salsa and sour cream, a tangerine and cup of coffee on the side

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). 

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  1. Trying to find easy freezer meals for after I have my 4th baby that my husband can handle 😅 we don’t have a microwave, how best to reheat? Thaw and then reheat on stove on low maybe?

    1. Transfer the breakfast burrito to the refrigerator the day before to thaw. Once thawed, heat in a skillet over medium-low, about 5 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla is crispy and the insides are warm. :)