Cheesy bean and rice burritos are easy to make and assemble. With refried beans, salsa rice, and melted cheese in every bite, these burritos are filling and tasty.
Recipe: $10.20 | Per Serving: $1.28 | Servings: 8
These cheese bean and rice burritos have always been my personal go-to. I'm not a fan of the texture of meat inside of my burritos so I like to keep it simple and plain.
We have a local burrito restaurant called Taco Del Mar and I always order the same thing when I go in- a vegetarian burrito of beans, rice, and cheese.
This homemade version is the easiest copycat recipe I can make. They are a convenient and portable option for a quick lunch or dinner, and you can prepare a batch of them in advance to have a tasty meal ready when you need it.
If you love burritos, then you'll also love my Air Fryer Tortilla Chips, Tortilla French Toast, and Mac and Cheese Quesadillas.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- Simple ingredients. With salsa rice, canned refried beans, and shredded cheddar cheese, every bite is flavorful, and the effort to make them is minimal.
- Great for now and later. Make them quickly and freeze them or store them for later if meal planning, or simply eat them fresh and warm.
- They're meatless. This is a great option to add to the menu when you're looking for meatless recipes! Serve them up on Taco Tuesdays or Meatless Mondays and I'm sure no one will complain.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Flour tortillas- Use burrito sized flour tortillas for this recipe. Other sizes will work, but smaller tortillas may be harder to roll up.
Quick Rice- Using quick rice in the salsa rice mixture will make this recipe a lot quicker to prep. This Easy Salsa Rice is also the base of my Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice.
Cheddar Cheese- You can use any cheese of your choice, but I prefer to use shredded cheddar cheese in these burritos.
Refried Beans-Use a can of your favorite refried beans, or use homemade refried beans if desired.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos
Step 1: Bring 2 cups of chunky salsa and 1 cup of water to a boil in a medium sized pot on the stove.
Step 2: Add in the quick rice, stirring to combine. Place the lid on the pot and turn off the heat. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Step 3: In the meantime, shred your cheddar cheese and warm the refried beans in a small pot on the stove or in a bowl in the microwave.
Step 4: Place 8 flour tortillas on a plate and microwave for 30 seconds.
Step 5: Lay your tortillas down on a large surface and spread about ¼ cup of the refried beans down the middle in a stipe.
Step 6: Add about ½ cup of rice over the top or to the side.
Step 7: Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top of the beans and rice.
Step 8: Fold and roll up your burrito.
Step 9: Let rest for about 1-2 minutes to melt the cheese.
Step 10: Repeat until all burritos have been rolled.
Serve warm.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Tortilla Preparation- If you don't have a tortilla steamer, you can easily warm your tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds before filling and rolling. This helps soften them and prevents tearing during the rolling process.
- Rolling Technique- Folding vegetarian burritos requires a bit of finesse. Start by tucking in two sides, then cover the filling with the bottom side and roll upward while tucking in the sides of the top edge. This ensures the filling is fully covered and there are no holes in the burrito shape.
- Resting Period- After rolling the burritos, allow them to rest for a minute. This allows the warm filling and cold cheese inside to meld together and melt the cheese, enhancing the overall texture and flavor.
- Optional Crunch- For an extra touch, you can cook the outside of the burrito in a hot pan to seal the edges and give it a subtle crunch. This adds a delicious contrast in texture to the soft filling inside.
💭 Recipe FAQs
To make your rice and bean burritos a healthier choice, consider making mindful ingredient selections. Opt for healthier options like low-fat beans, lower-carb tortillas, and brown rice instead of white. These small adjustments can accumulate and contribute to a much healthier overall meal.
I personally enjoy cheddar cheese for my burritos but Monetary jack, nacho cheese, and others are all great options. Choose a cheese you already like and that you think would pair well with the flavors.
Yes. You can make these burritos and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a few days. Simply place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for several minutes until heated through or cook them for 1-2 minutes in the microwave.
❤️ More Delicious Frugal Recipes
If you tried this Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos
Ingredients
- 2 cups salsa ($1.88)
- 1 cup water ($0.00)
- 3 cups white quick cook 5 minute rice ($1.84)
- 8 ounce cheddar cheese, shredded ($2.00)
- 1 can (16oz) refried beans ($1.00)
- 8 large burrito sized flour tortillas ($3.48)
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot on the stove, bring 2 cups of salsa and 1 cup of water to a boil.
- Stir in the quick cooking rice. Place lid on pot and turn off heat. Let rest 5 minutes.
- Shred your cheese and warm the refried beans as you normally would. (I warm mine in a small pot over medium heat).
- Place 8 tortillas on a plate and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
- Fluff cooked rice with a fork.
- Lay your tortilla down and then spread about ¼ cup of refried beans (more or less) onto the tortilla in a stripe down the middle.
- Take a scoop of rice (about ½ cup) and make a strip of it right next to the refried beans.
- Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top of the beans and rice.
- Fold in the two ends on either side of the filling and then tuck in the other edges as you roll so that you get a nice burrito. Repeat until all burritos have been finished.
- Allow the burritos to rest for about 1 or 2 minutes after rolling so that the warmth can melt the cheese before eating.
- Serve warm.
Emily Roman says
Delicious and super easy! Will definitely make again.
Martha says
Yummo AND easy to make! What’s not to like? Thanks for a good, easy recipe and btw, we like them browned a bit for that touch of crispy!
Nicole Durham says
Glad you liked them! I love making the tortillas crispy too!
Deb Spackman says
These came together super quick and were delicious and filling. We had some left over and wrapped them in foil for next time. Definitely a repeat recipe. Loved it!
Nicole says
Funny enough this is what we ate for lunch today haha. They are great for leftovers, glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Rachel says
This recipe is DELICIOUS! I want to print it to keep it in my recipe binder, but the link for print mode isn't working. Can you correct it please?
Nicole says
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, but I'm sorry to hear that you had printer issues. I have fixed the issue and it should be working fine now. 🙂
Rachel says
Awesome, thank you!! I