Breakfast Burrito Recipe That Is Perfect for Meal Prep

The Only Breakfast Burrito Recipe You Need (Freezer Friendly!)

The day after a big holiday, my kitchen looks like a small disaster zone. There are foil pans stacked on the counter, someone is still in pajamas debating whether a trip to the store is worth it, and the family is arguing about which movie to put on while I quietly count pies.

Last year I baked a whole fleet of them, and one came out of the oven missing most of its meringue because a certain seven year old wanted to test it with her finger. I let her have it.

Here is what I learned that week. When the fridge is stuffed with leftovers and nobody wants to cook, the best breakfast is the one that is already made. Frozen breakfast burritos are exactly that. You reheat, you eat, you get on with your day.

This recipe makes 15 burritos. Prep takes about 30 minutes, cooking takes about 40 minutes, so you are looking at roughly 1 hour 10 minutes from start to finish.

It was originally published on November 24, 2023, and it has become the recipe I hand to every busy parent I know. One good base recipe, a few small tricks, and suddenly your freezer is full of breakfast.

We will walk through the fillings, the assembly, how to fold and wrap, how to store and reheat, and what to pile on top before that first bite.

Breakfast burritos for life

This is the basic version I make most often, and it helps to understand why each piece matters before you start cooking.

Bacon. Bake it in the oven instead of frying it on the stove. You can fit far more slices on a couple of baking sheets, and they come out flat and crisp. Save the grease that pools on the pan, because it becomes the cooking fat for the hash browns later. That is not a mistake. That is the plan.

Sausage. Brown it well, breaking it up with a spoon, and let it go a little longer than you think it needs. Those crispy browned bits are the whole point.

Cheese. Shred it yourself if you possibly can. Bagged shredded cheese is coated with a powder that keeps the shreds from clumping on the shelf, and that same powder keeps your cheese from melting into everything else.

Cheddar is my default, and 1 1/4 pounds of it goes into this batch. Gouda, pepper jack, or colby jack all work beautifully too. Think of cheese as burrito glue, the thing that holds the inside together.

Eggs. Cook them slowly and stir in cream cheese near the end. Soft and creamy now means soft and creamy later, even after a trip through the microwave.

Tortillas. Use fresh flour tortillas in burrito size, around 10 to 12 inches, and warm them before wrapping. Soft taco size works for small kids, but it holds much less filling. Older tortillas crack when you fold them.

Assembly order. Cheese goes in first. Ideally you melt it right onto the tortilla so it forms a barrier between the wet eggs and the bread. If you are eating right away, hot fillings are perfect.

If you are freezing or refrigerating, let the fillings cool first, because cold fillings release less moisture. And please do not overstuff. A burrito that splits open is nobody’s friend.

Ingredients for breakfast burritos

Here is the shopping list at a glance. Exact amounts are in the recipe card.

• Bacon and bulk breakfast sausage
• Cheddar cheese, shredded at home
• Frozen shredded hash browns
• Butter, bacon grease, kosher salt, and black pepper
• 15 large eggs, cream cheese, and green onions
• Lawry’s Seasoning salt, black pepper, and onion powder
• 15 flour tortillas, burrito size
• For serving: chipotle mayo, sliced avocado, restaurant style salsa, and optional cilantro

How to make breakfast burritos

The order below keeps everything moving. Start the bacon, then work through the rest while it bakes.

1. Bake the bacon. Line 1 1/2 pounds of thin sliced bacon in a single layer on a couple of baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees F for 10 to 18 minutes, until quite crisp. Burritos are a soggy environment, so we want that crunch. Cool, then chop into bite size pieces.
2. Save the grease. Pour the bacon grease into a jar and stash it in the fridge. It hardens as it cools. Some of it goes into the potatoes, and the rest is excellent for pancakes.
3. Brown the sausage. Cook 1 pound of bulk breakfast sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat for 5 to 8 minutes. For extra crispy bits, pile most of the sausage to one side, spread a thin layer across the center, and let it cook undisturbed for a minute or two until it starts to blacken. Repeat until it is all browned.
4. Shred the cheese. By hand or in a food processor. Either one beats the bagged stuff.
5. Cook the hash browns. Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of bacon grease and 2 tablespoons of butter. Do not thaw the frozen hash browns. Add about 2 cups, spread them out, and pack them down into a patty with the back of a measuring cup. Season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed until the edges brown, adding a pat of butter on top of any dry spots.
6. Flip like a pancake. Cut the patty into smaller pieces with a spatula, flip, and cook another 3 to 4 minutes undisturbed. Repeat in 3 to 4 batches to use all 30 ounces, then let the potatoes cool.
7. Make the eggs. Whisk 15 eggs with 1 1/4 teaspoons Lawry’s seasoning salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon onion powder until frothy. Heat a 12 inch skillet until very hot, melt 1/4 cup butter without browning it, then add the eggs and drop the heat to low right away. Scrape the bottom and sides constantly for about 5 minutes.
8. Finish the eggs. When they are partly set but still have major liquid parts, stir in 4 ounces of cream cheese chunks. Pull the pan off the heat while the eggs are barely set and still look soft and wet. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped green onions.

Fill your burrito

Warm your tortillas first on a plate under a damp paper towel so they fold without tearing. Then melt 3 to 4 tablespoons of cheese all over one tortilla in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. That melted layer is your moisture barrier. Keep the wettest fillings away from the tortilla as much as you can.

Add a line of hash browns down the center, then the eggs, then the bacon and sausage. A sprinkle of green onions on top is a nice touch if you have them.

How to fold a burrito

Fold the edges of the tortilla up over the ends of the filling line. Fold the far edge all the way over the filling, using your thumbs to keep it tight. Make one more small fold at each end so the burrito tapers a little, like the top of an envelope, then roll it closed.

If your burritos are still hot and you plan to freeze them, line them up on a pan and flash freeze for about 30 minutes before wrapping. Wrapping a hot burrito in foil traps steam, and steam turns a crisp tortilla soggy.

How to wrap a burrito in foil

Set the burrito on a 12 inch square of foil near the bottom edge. Fold the sides up over the ends, mold the foil to the shape, then roll it closed. Label the foil with a marker if you made more than one kind.

Always move the wrapped burritos into a ziplock bag, because foil on its own is not airtight.

More filling ideas for breakfast burritos

The base recipe is a starting point, not a rule book.

Swap the meat. Chorizo, ham, or steak all work. Leftover brisket, roast, or grilled chicken are even better, because they turn last night’s dinner into tomorrow’s breakfast.

Add beans. Black beans, pinto beans, or refried beans go in at assembly, drained and rinsed if they come from a can. They add protein and fiber for very little effort.

Go vegetarian. Skip the meat and lean on beans, or sauté grated tofu or Soyrizo in place of the sausage.

Change the cheese. Pepper jack brings heat. Monterey jack, Swiss, and Gruyere each bring their own character. Queso fresco and feta stay crumbly instead of melting, so pair them with a melting cheese.

Add vegetables. They must be cooked and completely free of liquid, or your burrito will turn soggy. Sauté onion and garlic in bacon grease, or stir fry jalapeños, green chiles, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, and corn. Just remember that vegetables add moisture, which matters when you layer, freeze, and reheat.

Boost the protein. Replace up to half the eggs with liquid egg whites, using 3 tablespoons for each egg you swap out, or stir 1/2 cup of cottage cheese into the scrambled eggs while they cook.

Burrito combos

Once you have the method down, the combinations are almost endless. These are the ones I keep coming back to.

Chorizo

Cooked pork chorizo with egg, cheddar, hash browns, and a shake of hot sauce. Finish with pasilla crema or chipotle mayo.

Gouda Bacon

Bacon, Gouda, egg, jalapeno, chive, and hash browns, with mascarpone. Mascarpone spread straight onto the tortilla is a lovely thing, and it tends to freeze and reheat better than mayo based sauces.

Caramelized Onion

Eggs, hash browns, bacon, caramelized onion, and pepper jack cheese. Sweet, salty, and a little spicy all at once.

Veggie

Sauté spinach, mushrooms, and onion with salt until no liquid remains, then add eggs, hash browns, and cheddar or Gouda.

Sausage

Egg, sausage, cheddar, spicy aioli, and tater tots. Yes, tater tots. Try it once and you will understand.

Leftovers

Leftover pork or shredded beef with eggs, hash browns, salsa, and sautéed bell peppers.

The clean out the fridge special.

What to eat with breakfast burritos

A burrito on its own is good. A burrito with the right things next to it is a full brunch.

For condiments, reach for chipotle mayo, restaurant style salsa, sriracha mayo, creamy tomatillo cilantro ranch, creamy salsa dressing, guacamole, or plain sour cream.

If you want something fast on the side, a banana, a clementine, or an apple takes zero effort, and a fruit platter is the move when the whole family is eating. Yogurt or a smoothie rounds things out nicely.

Prefer your vegetables outside the burrito? A quick sautéed zucchini and squash or a simple stir fry works beautifully on the plate.

How to store breakfast burritos

Leftovers belong in the fridge or the freezer, and the freezer is usually the better choice. Refrigerated fillings slowly release liquid, and that liquid is what turns a tortilla soggy.

If you are refrigerating, wrap each burrito tightly in plastic wrap, then tuck them into a large airtight container or a ziplock bag. They stay safe for 3 to 4 days, though I think they taste best within 1 to 2 days.

Freezer breakfast burritos

This is where the recipe earns its keep. Let the burritos cool completely before you wrap them, because trapping steam inside the foil gives you a soggy tortilla. If they are still warm, line them on a pan and flash freeze for about 30 minutes first.

Then wrap each one, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and flash freeze for 30 to 60 minutes before moving them into a gallon ziplock freezer bag. That extra step keeps them from sticking together and helps prevent freezer burn. They keep for up to 3 months.

Reheating from the fridge. Remove the foil and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes on high, or bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 10 minutes.

Reheating from frozen in the microwave. Unwrap completely, wrap the burrito in a paper towel, and use the defrost setting for 3 to 5 minutes. No defrost button? Power level 5 for 3 to 5 minutes works.

Slice it in half partway through so the middle heats through, and check every 30 seconds or so after the first two minutes, since every microwave is different.

Reheating from frozen in the oven. Leave the frozen burrito in its foil, set it on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 55 minutes. This is the easiest way to feed a crowd all at once.

One more tip. Do not overcook them. Overheated eggs and vegetables release moisture, and that is how a good burrito goes soggy. For reference, one burrito comes in around 716 calories with 27 grams of protein, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and 61 grams of fat.

More amazing breakfast ideas

If you want variety beyond burritos, or you are building a bigger breakfast spread, these are worth keeping in rotation.

Savory options:

• Sausage breakfast casserole
• Bacon and spinach quiche
• Grilled cheese eggs Benedict with hollandaise
• Overnight biscuit and gravy casserole
• Savory oatmeal
• California breakfast stuffed sweet potatoes

Sweet options:

• Caramelized French toast, the kind without eggs
• From scratch waffles
• Pancakes
• Scones
• Cherry turnovers
• Hawaiian French toast casserole

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The Only Breakfast Burrito Recipe You Need (Freezer Friendly!)

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The Only Breakfast Burrito Recipe You Need (Freezer Friendly! ) The day after a big holiday, my kitchen looks like a small disaster zone.

• Total Time: 70 min
• Yield: 15 burritos 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds bacon, thin slice
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
1 1/4 pounds cheddar cheese, shredded at home
30 ounces frozen shredded hash browns
1/3 cup bacon grease, from the bacon you just cooked
1/2 cup butter, or more (1 stick; for the hash browns)
kosher salt, generous, for the hash browns
black pepper, for the hash browns
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
4 ounces cream cheese, chopped into chunks
15 large eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoning salt, or kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 cup butter, for the eggs
15 flour tortillas, warmed (10-inch, burrito size)

To serve
1 batch Chipotle Mayo, click for recipe
avocado, sliced
Restaurant style salsa, homemade or store-bought
cilantro, optional

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Instructions
1-Bake your bacon in the oven, it’s: Bake your bacon in the oven, it’s so much easier. Click for all the details in the post, but the basic idea is to line up 1 and 1/2 pounds bacon in a single layer on a couple baking sheets and bake at 400 degrees F for about 10-18 minutes. It’s so much easier than using a pan on the stove, and you can cook a lot more at once.
2-Cook the bacon until it is quite: Cook the bacon until it is quite crisp; burritos are a rather soggy environment and we want to maintain that crunch. When the bacon is done, remove the slices to a paper-towel lined plate and let cool. Once cool, chop into bite size pieces.
3-SAVE your bacon grease: SAVE your bacon grease! You can either leave it on the pan (and tilt your pan into the skillet later, for the hash browns) or funnel all the grease into a bowl or jar for easier access. It will harden as it cools.
4-Meanwhile, brown the sausage: Meanwhile, brown the sausage. In a large skillet, add 1 pound breakfast sausage and cook over medium high heat for about 5-8 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
5-Optional: Optional: If you want those little crispy browned parts, (my one true love) here’s how to do it. Once all the sausage is cooked and no longer raw, pile up most of the sausage on the edge of the pan, and spread out a thin layer of sausage bits over the center of the pan, so each piece is separate. Let them cook undisturbed for a minute or two, until crispy and starting to blacken. Scrape them off to the side and replace with a new ‘batch’ from the pile, and repeat until all your sausage is browned and crispy.
6-Shred the cheese: Shred the cheese. You can do this by hand, but a food processor is much faster. Of course you can also buy pre-shredded cheese, but it does not melt as well, meaning you will have burrito insides that don’t melt into each other quite as well. Think of your cheese like burrito glue. (Don’t go too far down this train of thought. All you need to remember is that shredding your own cheese makes a better burrito.)
7-Cook the hash browns: Cook the hash browns. Heat another large 12-inch skillet over medium high heat (or use the same skillet from browning the sausage, but make sure you clean off any browned bits first). Add 2 tablespoons bacon grease and 2 tablespoon butter to the pan, and swirl to coat.
8-Do not thaw the shredded hash browns: Do not thaw the shredded hash browns. Add about 2 cups frozen hash browns to the hot pan. Spread them out and then (this is important!) pack them down tightly into a patty. I used the back of a measuring cup to pack them together. Sprinkle the hash browns generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
9-Let cook undisturbed until the edges are: Let cook undisturbed until the edges are starting to brown. If you notice that some parts of the potatoes are starting to look dry and not bubbly on the edges, add a little pat of butter right on top of the potatoes; it will melt down to the bottom.
10-Flip your potatoes: Flip your potatoes. We are not stirring, we are not tossing. We are flipping these potatoes like a pancake. Use a spatula to cut your pack of potatoes into smaller (pancake-size) pieces if necessary. Get your spatula under there and flip. Add more butter (or bacon grease) if it’s looking dry. Continue cooking, undisturbed, for another 3-4 minutes, still on medium high heat (though turn it down to medium if it starts to smoke.)
11-When both sides of your potato-pancake are: When both sides of your potato-pancake are crispy and browned, remove to a plate. Repeat this process in 3-4 batches until you have cooked all 30 ounces of hash browns. I used two large skillets to make it go faster. (This is better than adding more potatoes at one time to the pan – they won’t get crisp.) Let the hash browns cool.
12-Make the eggs: Make the eggs. Chop 1/2 cup green onions and set aside. Chop up 4 ounces (that’s half a pack) of cream cheese into chunks.
13-Crack 15 eggs into a large bowl: Crack 15 eggs into a large bowl. Add 1 and 1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt (or kosher salt is fine), 1 teaspoon black pepper, and 1 teaspoon onion powder. Whisk vigorously for a little longer than you think you need to. Don’t wimp out on me here. You want these eggs to be frothy and bubbly. Break up all those proteins. Use the whisk attachment on your stand mixer if that’s easy for you. You could also use a hand mixer. (A whisk really is fine though, just do a good job.)
14-Use the same 12-inch skillet that you: Use the same 12-inch skillet that you cooked the potatoes in (make sure to wipe out any absolutely blackened bits; clean it completely if it is NOT a non-stick pan. You need a smooth surface for your eggs.) Heat the pan over medium high heat and let it preheat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup (half stick) butter to the pan and let it melt but don’t let it brown.
15-Add the eggs to the pan all: Add the eggs to the pan all at once. Turn the heat down right away to low. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the edges of the pan. Don’t walk away, and keep scraping the bottom and sides of the pan for the next 5 minutes or so. You want these eggs to cook SLOOOWWWW. Eventually you can turn the heat up to medium-low if it is taking forever. But slow cooked eggs is how we keep them soft and tender for our burritos that need to be reheated. (You have reheated scrambled eggs before right? It doesn’t always go well? Slow cooking them now helps combat rubbery eggs later.)
16-When the eggs have some parts that: When the eggs have some parts that are getting set, but still some major liquid parts, add the cream cheese chunks. Continue cooking, letting the cream cheese melt (although if it doesn’t melt completely, I don’t know a soul who would say no to cream cheese chunks in their burritos.)
17-I cannot stress this enough: I cannot stress this enough: remove your pan of eggs from the heat when they are BARELY SET. These eggs are going to look soft and wet, but should have no sloshy liquid parts. See photo to get an idea. These eggs are barely to the point that you would stick your fork in them to nab a bite. They will continue to cook even off heat, and will set up a little more. But the idea for breakfast burritos is to have very very wet eggs, so that when they are reheated, they don’t become rubbery. Even if you plan to eat these right away, cook your eggs less than you would if eating the eggs solo. They will help your burrito parts melt into each other (see above about cheese glue). Nobody wants a dry breakfast burrito, and overcooked eggs are almost always the culprit.
18-Add the chopped green onions to the: Add the chopped green onions to the eggs and stir. Top with a sprinkle of cheese if you are obsessed with cheese.
19-Heat the tortillas on a plate covered: Heat the tortillas on a plate covered with a damp paper towel. (Warm tortillas don’t break when folding.) OR follow instructions for melting cheese below.
20-Make the burritos: Make the burritos: create an assembly line of your ingredients: tortillas, cheese, hash browns, eggs, bacon, sausage. The closer to room temperature your ingredients are, the better (not the tortillas).
21-If you want extra insurance against a: If you want extra insurance against a soggy burrito, sprinkle about 3-4 tablespoons cheese all over one tortilla (not in a line down the middle.) Microwave the tortilla on a plate for about 20-30 seconds until it’s almost melted (but not so much that you dry out your tortilla). This creates an extra barrier in between the wet eggs and the tortilla. (I also tried cheese first without melting, and that is okay too. Melting keeps the cheese more in place.) Wipe the condensation off the plate before adding the next tortilla.
22-Add fillings: Add fillings: After you add cheese (melted or not), add a layer of hash browns in a line down the center. Then add a layer of eggs, directly on top of the hash browns. Add a layer of bacon and a layer of sausage. (If you are eating these right away, add a layer of sliced avocado, a sprinkle of cilantro, and a heavy dollop of Chipotle Mayo and or salsa; spread it out.)
23-Fold your burrito: Fold your burrito: Fold the edges of the tortilla up over the top of the ends of the line of filling. See photos. Fold the other edge all the way over the filling using your thumbs. Make one more fold with each end piece so it looks tapered, kind of like the top triangle of an envelope before you close it (but not so pointy). Then finish rolling the burrito until it’s closed. It’s really helpful to look at the photos if you’ve never done this.
24-Garnish your burritos: Garnish your burritos: I’m just going to say this, it is an absolute CRIME to eat these burritos without proper garnishes. Chipotle Mayo is my favorite, in addition to a healthy serving of Restaurant Style Salsa. Sliced avocado and/or guacamole is also a great choice. Garlic Aioli would also be good, although I would add in some chili powder, or some chopped jalapenos for good measure. Pico de Gallo with sour cream is another great fresh option.
25-Wrap your burritos: Wrap your burritos: If you are not serving these right away, wrap your burritos in foil. Get a 12 inch square of aluminum foil. Place your tightly wrapped burrito baby near the bottom, parallel with the edge. Fold the edges of the foil up over the ends of the burrito, all the way to the top. Mold it to the burrito so the ends are covered, then roll up the burrito until it’s sealed. See photos. Label with a sharpie if you have burritos with different fillings.
26-Refrigerate your burritos: Refrigerate your burritos: If you plan to eat these within 12 hours, wrap them individually and store in the fridge in ziplocks. Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes on high (no foil!), or in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes.
27-Freeze your burritos: Freeze your burritos: If you don’t plan to eat these within 12 hours, freeze your burritos. Place the foil-wrapped burritos in a gallon ziplock. Seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
28-Reheating from frozen: Reheating from frozen: Microwave: Unwrap the frozen burrito and remove all traces of foil. Wrap in a paper towel and put it on a plate. Defrost the burrito in the microwave for 3-5 minutes. If you don’t have a defrost button, cook it on power level 5 for about 3-5 minutes. About halfway through, you might want to slice it in half and wrap each half in a paper towel, and keep microwaving, so that the heat can penetrate to the center. Stick around and keep checking it every minute or so, every microwave is different and you won’t want to overcook it or the tortilla will get all hard and cardboardy. Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the foiled wrapped (completely frozen) burritos on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for about 45-55 minutes, until warmed throughout. This is a great option when you want to serve several people all at once.

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• Prep Time: 30 min
• Cook Time: 40 min
• Method: mixed

Nutrition

• Calories: 716kcal
• Sugar: 1g
• Fat: 61g
• Saturated Fat: 27g
• Carbohydrates: 14g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 27g
• Cholesterol: 313mg