Happy Day-After-Thanksgiving! Have you recovered from your turkey hangover yet? Are you enjoying this modern age of Christmas shopping in bed in your pajamas (rather than duking it out at 4am at Best Buy?) So spoiled, right? We are all enjoying some much needed nap and movie watching time over here. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, but it can be exhausting! Although, we can never agree on what to watch. Last night Eric wanted to finish off T-day with a family movie and was trying to sell us on Godzilla. We have a 3 and 7 year old?? Nothing says happy holidays and Christmas cheer like giant deadly prehistoric monsters that will keep the children awake for weeks. I made 7 pies for a gathering of 14 people, because I’m ridiculous. I can’t seem to stop myself. Although, I can’t deny the genius of what I’ve done: not only did I get every single pie I wanted for my holiday, I’ve also essentially taken care of my own breakfasts for the next several days. Pie for breakfast is kosher, right? Win-win situation here. Although none of us will be enjoying the Lemon Meringue Pie in its fulness. Somehow in the chaos yesterday, the rabid children were the ones to start cutting into the pies. By the time the adults got there, my mom was dismayed to find her show-stopper Lemon Meringue (seriously, I can never get my meringue as perfect as hers) had been absolutely ravaged. Someone had stolen at least half-a-pie’s worth of the meringue, leaving behind a sad puddle of topless lemon custard. A few minutes later I heard my 7-year-old Valentine talking to her cousin: “Meringue is my FAVORITE. I love JUST the meringue, all by itself, nothing else.” Noooo 🤦♀️🤦♀️ of course it’s my kid. Clearly some pie-etiquette lessons are needed here. Sorry, Mom!! Well, as much as I love the meringue, I love the lemon custard part even more, so I’ll happily eat it all for breakfast. But after my pie-for-breakfast days are over (I’m sure this will take a shockingly short amount of time), I already have a plan in place for breakfasts during this holiday season! Breakfast burritos are kind of a magical thing to have tucked away in your freezer. It’s just already DONE, all you have to do is reheat. Who has time for breakfast-making when there are presents to buy, trees to trim, and cheesy Christmas movies to watch?
Breakfast burritos for life
Everyone loves a good breakfast burrito, right? They’re always one of my top picks at a brunch spot, because you’re basically taking all the good things about breakfast, adding sauce, and wrapping it up in more carbs. What’s not to love here?? Today’s recipe is my favorite basic version. You can go literally anywhere with the ingredients (see below for more combo ideas) but this is where I like to start:
Bacon: Bake it instead of frying, and save that bacon grease! That stuff is liquid gold!! Sausage: I like to cook this until crisp and browned. See the recipe for tips on this! Cheese: classic cheddar is my fav, but gouda, pepper jack and Colby jack are all good options. Whatever you use, you want to shred it by hand at home. Pre-shredded cheese has powder added to it that helps it from sticking together, but then it doesn’t stick together as well in your burrito. And our cheese is kind of like our burrito glue. Hash browns: Yes, I know we are already eating this on a tortilla. But last I checked, breakfast burritos are not diet food. Embrace this double carb moment. You do NOT want to miss out on this hash brown crispety crunchiness. We are getting there with the saved bacon grease from before, whaaaat yes please.
Eggs: The most important thing to remember is that the eggs must be cooked slow slow slow. You want super creamy soft eggs for a burrito, not overcooked dry ones. We are adding cream cheese to get amazing results!! All the details below! Tortillas: We’re looking for Goldilocks size here, not too big and not too small. Too small, and everything will fall out, too big and all you get is tortilla. Try for around a 10-12″ or “burrito” (large) size. (If you are making these for kids, used the soft taco size but know that you will not be able to add nearly as much filling.) Flour is going to be the best option, since corn tortillas are naturally smaller and don’t hold up as well. Also, be sure to use fresh tortillas! Old ones are likely to be drier and may crack or leak. One last thing: warm your tortillas before wrapping to make them extra pliable for wrapping. More on that later. Last tip, assembly matters. NO SOGGY BURRITOS. Pretty sure that’s one of my life mantras. Make sure to layer in the right order: cheese first, to create a nice barrier between the tortilla and the wetter ingredients (like eggs). I like to take it a step further and melt the cheese onto my tortilla before adding the other ingredients. If you are planning to eat right away, go ahead and add hot filling right on top of the cheese. If you plan to refrigerate or freeze them, be sure to add COLD filling. With no steam, there will be less moisture escaping into the tortilla. Also, don’t overstuff! Let’s go!!
Ingredients for breakfast burritos
Here’s a quick overview of the ingredients you’ll want to buy (or may already have at home!) for these burritos. Make sure you have everything ready because they come together so fast! Ingredient measurements and full instructions are in the recipe card.
More filling ideas for breakfast burritos
If you want to switch things up or add to the OG burritos, check out these options! Be sure to save that bacon grease! I always do this and keep it in a jar for the fridge. When I’m not making breakfast burritos, I use it to make Pancakes! I love the little browned bits that you get when making breakfast sausage. I have a hack for getting even more: once all the sausage is cooked, shovel most of it to the side of the pan, then spread out a single layer and cook undisturbed for a minute or two. Voila! Browned bits. Repeat a few more times to get as much as you want. I love them, but you can totally skip this! My hot tip: use bacon grease to make your hash browns. SO CRISPYYYYY Pack your potatoes using a spatula or measuring cup. You want to make kind of a little potato pancake that you can flip. Let cook undisturbed, and divide into sections when flipping. If you notice your potatoes are getting dry or cooking too fast, add a little pat of butter right on top of the dry spot and it will melt down to the bottom. Now it’s time to make the eggs! Crack them all into a bowl. Don’t add milk! It just waters down your eggs. Milks them down?? 😂 The most important thing to remember is that we need to cook these eggs sloooooowwwww. The slower the better so that we can keep them soft and creamy. When they are about halfway cooked, add in the chopped cream cheese. Hopefully you can tell that these eggs are the creamiest, softest ever. We want super soft eggs for breakfast burritos so that they don’t get dried out! Line up all your ingredients and get ready to assemble!
Fill your burrito
Warm up your tortillas so they are easy to fold. I actually like to melt the cheese on the tortilla so it creates an extra barrier in between the eggs and the tortilla. You want to keep the wet ingredients as far away from the tortilla as you can, so they don’t all get soggy. Add your sausage and bacon. Add your hash browns and a sprinkle of green onions, if you like.
How to fold a burrito
Now it’s time to fold! This is not hard, but if you don’t fold with a good technique you will have filling spilling out everywhere. Here’s how I do it: Fold the sides a little over the edges, then fold over the edge. Do one more mini fold at the top like this, so that it looks like an envelope. Then roll it up. If your burritos are very hot, line them up on a pan and flash freeze for a half hour or so. You don’t want to foil wrap these when they are hot, or the condensation will make your burritos soggy no thank youuuu
How to wrap a burrito in foil
Place the burrito on the foil, then fold the sides over the edges. If you have burritos with different fillings, be sure to label! And always store in a ziplock. Foil is not airtight.
Choose a different meat. Instead of bacon and sausage you can try chorizo, ham, or steak. You could even add leftover brisket, roast, grilled chicken, you name it. I mean really, it’s hard to go wrong here. Add beans. They’re so hearty, and have extra protein and fiber that will really fill you up! I like black beans or pinto beans, but any canned beans you have on hand will work. Refried beans would be especially good. Just open up a can, drain and rinse the beans, if needed, and add them to the assembly line when you put the burritos together. Make them vegetarian! Leave out the meat and do just beans, or sauté some grated tofu or Soyrizo in place of the sausage. Switch up your cheese flavor. I went with the classic cheddar, but if you’re feeling fancy you could mix it up. Pepper jack would add some spice, but Monterey jack, Swiss, or Gruyere would each create a unique addition to the flavor profile. I think queso fresco or feta would both be great, but they melt a little differently, keeping their crumbly texture. You could always combine them with others to get the tangy flavor of the fresco while adding the melt-factor of cheddar. Go wild and get cheesy! Get your veggies on! Burritos are such a great vehicle for getting some sneaky veggies in. They must be cooked and LIQUID FREE or you will have soggy burritos! You could go as simple as sautéing onion and garlic in your bacon grease, or do a whole stir fry with onions, garlic, jalapeños, green chiles, tomatoes, mushrooms, chopped spinach, zucchini, corn, or whatever else your heart desires. You can mix sautéed vegetables with the meat or add as a separate filling. Just be warned that vegetables increase the moisture content of your burrito, so keep that in mind when layering and freezing/rewarming. Up your protein. If you want to make your burritos more protein heavy, you can replace some of the eggs with liquid egg whites. Just use 3 Tablespoons per egg you replace, and I don’t recommend replacing more than half the eggs. Or, instead of egg whites you can add 1/2 cup cottage cheese (blended is best, but normal works too!) when you scramble the eggs.
Burrito combos
I gave you some general filling option ideas above, but here are the versions that are on my personal list to try next! You literally could go anywhere with burritos!
What to eat with breakfast burritos
Burritos are a good start for an amazing breakfast! You could go as simple as serving with just a side of salsa, to having multiple sides to turn it into a whole brunch. No matter how you serve them up, I guarantee they’ll be a hit, no one can resist a breakfast burrito!
Condiments! Homemade breakfast burritos would be delicious with some Chipotle Mayo (my fav) 5 Minute Restaurant Style Salsa, Sriracha Mayonnaise, Creamy Tomatillo Cilantro Ranch, Creamy Salsa Dressing, or some Guacamole to dip into or put on top. Then there’s always good ‘ol classic sour cream. Fruit! For a quick breakfast, add a banana, clementine, or apple. If it’s more of a family breakfast situation, try making a fruit platter with all your favorites! Yogurt or smoothies If you like fitting veggies into breakfast but don’t want them in the burrito, they also make a great side. Try some quick 10 Minute Sautéed Zucchini and Squash or a stir fry of any of your favorites.
How to store breakfast burritos
Burritos definitely need to be stored in either the refrigerator or the freezer. In my opinion, storing leftover burritos in the freezer is the BEST. Freezing allows the ingredients to stay mostly intact until you reheat them, whereas in the fridge the filling will start to naturally produce liquid that will eventually make your burrito a sad soggy mess. To freeze, see instructions below. If you do want to try keeping them in the refrigerator, wrap them well in plastic wrap so flavors can’t get in (or out). Then add them to a large airtight container or ziplock bag. The ingredients will be safe for 3-4 days but I recommend eating within 1-2 days.
Freezer breakfast burritos
Breakfast burritos are a very common freezer meal for a simple, homemade breakfast ready in just a couple of minutes. They will be just as good as they were the day you made them! First, make sure the burritos are completely cool before wrapping. We don’t want to trap all the moisture and steam, because then you just get a soggy tortilla. Wrap them really well in plastic wrap or foil. Once they are well-wrapped, add them in a single layer to a cookie sheet pan and flash freeze for 30-60 minutes. Add the burritos to a ziplock freezer bag. Yes, it’s an extra step, but it helps prevent freezer burn and keeps the burritos more fresh than having them loose in the freezer. They’ll be good for about 2-3 months there. To eat, take a burrito out, take of the plastic or foil, wrap it in a damp paper towel, and microwave with the defrost button for 4-5 minutes. Or try power level 5 for 3-5 minutes. You want to cook at a lower level so that you don’t overcook the outside before the inside is even thawed. Cook time will vary since everyone’s microwaves are different, as well as how compact or dense your filling is. After the first two minutes, check about every 30 seconds or so until it feels hot to the touch in the middle on top and bottom. It may take a few tries to figure out the perfect cook time for burritos in your microwave. Be careful not to cook too long, as overheated eggs (and vegetables, if you included any) release moisture and could make your burrito soggy.
More amazing breakfast ideas
Whether you’re looking to try something different than burritos, or plan to have these burritos as part of a huge breakfast smorgasbord, check out these other delicious breakfast ideas! Savory Breakfasts
Best Breakfast Casserole Recipe with Sausage » everything you love about breakfast wrapped in one dish – great for holidays! Easy Quiche Recipe with Bacon and Spinach » easy, incredibly flavorful, and hello – BACON Grilled Cheese Eggs Benedict with Bacon and Hollandaise Sauce » this is a go big or go home kind of breakfast, it’s amazing Overnight Biscuit and Gravy Casserole » Tasty, home-style cooking in an easy overnight casserole Savory Oatmeal from A Couple Cooks
Sweet Breakfasts
Easy French Toast Recipe (Caramelized) » get ready for the best (NON EGGY) french toast of your life – it’s the best! Best Waffle Recipe from Scratch » a classic recipe I’ve been making for over 10 years, it’s that good Best Pancake Recipe EVER » an easy recipe that tastes better than anything you can get from a pancake house! The Best Scone Recipe I’ve Ever Made » crispy on the edges, tender in the middle goodness Cherry Turnovers from Budget Bytes
Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram
