The burrito often gets a bad reputation due to the unhealthy options available at fast-food restaurants. However, when made with the right ingredients, a burrito can be a healthy and even weight-loss-friendly meal. The key is to focus on lean protein, high-fiber beans, crunchy vegetables, and low-fat toppings. You can enjoy a satisfying and nutritious meal that supports your weight loss goals.
Tips for Crafting a Healthy Burrito
To create the perfect healthy burrito, consider these tips:
- Choose the Right Tortilla: Opt for whole-grain or gluten-free tortillas instead of processed white tortillas.
- Select Lean Protein: Use leaner meats like turkey, or try plant-based alternatives like Impossible or Beyond meat.
- Skip the White Rice: Substitute white rice with cauliflower rice to reduce calories and carbohydrates.
- Load Up on Veggies: Add plenty of crunchy vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and onions for added fiber and nutrients.
- Use Herbs and Spices: Enhance the flavor of your burrito with herbs, spices, and different salsas instead of relying on high-fat sauces.
Best Healthy Burrito Recipes
Rotisserie Chicken Burrito
A rotisserie chicken is a perfect secret weapon for a super-fast burrito.
Lean Flank Steak Burrito
A long soak in a chipotle-flavored marinade infuses the lean flank steak with tons of flavor.
Chipotle-Spiced Cauliflower Walnut Burrito
Go out on the vegan limb and try this easy chipotle-spiced cauliflower walnut taco meat filling for your next burrito.
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Collard Green Wrap Burrito
Using collard greens as a wrap is not traditional, but it's delicious.
Mashed Sweet Potato Burrito
Mashed sweet potatoes add a texture similar to refried beans in this flavor-packed burrito recipe.
Black Bean, Egg, and Avocado Breakfast Burrito
Black beans, eggs, avocado, cheese, and enchilada sauce make these a healthy breakfast you’re going to crave over and over.
Slow-Cooked Top Sirloin Burrito
Lean top sirloin slow cooked with ginger, garlic, pear, soy sauce, and sesame oil is the star of this dish.
Egg-cellent Burrito
If you’re sick of not getting enough egg in every bite of burrito, try this ingenious method.
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Taco-Seasoned Burrito
Don’t knock the taco seasoning, it’s a great way to get your favorite flavors into your burrito.
Sautéed Mushroom, Tofu, and Black Bean Burrito
Sautéed mushrooms, tofu, and black beans add a good protein hit to this healthy morning burrito.
Sautéed Veggie Burrito
These burritos are packed with lots of sauteed veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, tomato, corn, and onions.
Chipotle-Spiced Shrimp Burrito with Avocado Crema
She puts together a healthy burrito with chipotle-spiced shrimp, rice, and a to-die-for avocado crema.
Chile Verde Burrito
Lean pork is the base for this warming chile verde.
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Kale Salad and Black Bean Tostada Burrito
The blogger wanted to know what would happen if a kale salad met a black bean tostada and had a burrito baby.
Lentil Burrito
Craving the texture of ground beef without all the fat and calories? Try these lentil burritos! They are also packed with curry-spiced sweet potatoes, baby spinach, your favorite salsa, and a bit of Monterey Jack cheese.
Chili-Lime Chicken Burrito
The secret to these cheese-free burritos is the chili-lime marinade for the chicken.
Sweet and Spicy Thai Satay Freezer Burritos
These vegan burritos are a nutrient-packed breakfast (or weeknight dinner) that brings delicious global flavor to make meal prep interesting! The creamy texture of the peanut sauce with the crispy chickpeas and roasted vegetables is so delicious, you’re going to be obsessed.
Spiced Sweet Potatoes and New Potatoes Burrito
This vegetarian breakfast burrito recipe is loaded with deliciously spiced sweet potatoes and new potatoes, fluffy scrambled eggs, fresh rosemary, and black beans. It will become your new favorite breakfast meal prep for busy mornings and will fill your body with protein and amazing nutrients for energy.
Pizza Freezer Burritos
These vegetarian and optionally dairy free Pizza Freezer Burritos deliver on that classic take-out flavor taste with ease and a boost of nutrients. This recipe uses sun-dried tomatoes and hemp hearts to create a super flavorful pizza sauce (with a hefty dose of protein to boot!) while umami-rich mushrooms and white beans make a hearty, high protein filling, and super finely chopped basil and oregano add freshness and classic pizza flavor. If you’re looking for the perfect budget friendly, vegan recipe for having friends over, these are a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
Curry Spiced Freezer Burritos
The spices in these Curry Spiced Freezer Burritos are based on the combinations used in traditional Indian curries, and are what really make these burritos obsession-worthy. You won’t believe how much flavor is in every bite! Plus, we add in cauliflower’s anti-inflammatory abilities that help boost immunity and chickpeas that are proven to improve digestion thanks to their high fiber content. So delicious, these are a must-make.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Freezer Burritos
These delicious Sweet Potato and Black Bean Freezer Burritos are made with just five ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry, which makes them one of my FAVORITE budget friendly healthy recipes. You’ll just need some sweet potatoes, onions, black beans, and warming spices like chipotle powder. And if you happen to have some in the fridge, I love topping these burritos with a little bit of salsa for a punch of flavor!
Falafel Inspired Burritos
These Falafel inspired burritos are loaded with perfectly spiced veggies, plant-based protein from chickpeas, fresh herbs like parsley and cilantro, and a dash of THE BEST homemade hummus. Don’t worry, we’re not making actual falafel for these burritos - we’re way too lazy for that here. We’ll just toss chickpeas (which are falafel’s main ingredient) with a ton of delicious falafel spices. Chefs kiss.
Healthy Pesto Freezer Burritos
These Healthy Pesto Freezer Burritos take that same technique-using the oil in pesto to fry eggs-but instead of frying eggs, this recipe uses the oil in pesto to roast the veggies! Who says healthy eating has to be boring?
Other Recipes
Cheesy Bean Burrito
1 burrito: 355 calories, 13g fat (5g saturated fat), 84mg cholesterol, 499mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 4g fiber), 30g protein.
Low-Fat Burritos
2 burritos: 216 calories, 9g fat (4g saturated fat), 23mg cholesterol, 544mg sodium, 24g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 3g fiber), 9g protein.
Mouthwatering Southwestern Burrito
1 burrito: 395 calories, 16g fat (6g saturated fat), 25mg cholesterol, 610mg sodium, 46g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 7g fiber), 16g protein.
Butternut Squash Burrito Bowl
1 wrap: 254 calories, 8g fat (1g saturated fat), 5mg cholesterol, 446mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 4g fiber), 14g protein.
Breakfast Burrito
1 serving: 230 calories, 7g fat (1g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 218mg sodium, 34g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 9g fiber), 8g protein.
Southwestern Burrito Casserole
1 burrito: 294 calories, 8g fat (2g saturated fat), 13mg cholesterol, 585mg sodium, 31g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 3g fiber), 21g protein.
Lentil Burritos
2 burritos: 760 calories, 44g fat (23g saturated fat), 177mg cholesterol, 1608mg sodium, 40g carbohydrate (2g sugars, 2g fiber), 51g protein.
Italian Burrito
1 burrito: 313 calories, 7g fat (3g saturated fat), 9mg cholesterol, 452mg sodium, 47g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 5g fiber), 14g protein.
Restaurant-Inspired Burrito
1 burrito: 275 calories, 10g fat (3g saturated fat), 42mg cholesterol, 326mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 3g fiber), 18g protein.
Slow-Cooker Burritos
1-1/3 cups: 403 calories, 13g fat (4g saturated fat), 58mg cholesterol, 690mg sodium, 43g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 5g fiber), 27g protein.
Vegetarian Burritos
1 burrito: 320 calories, 9g fat (3g saturated fat), 61mg cholesterol, 606mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (1g sugars, 2g fiber), 26g protein.
Chicken Burrito with Salsa
1 burrito with 1 tablespoon salsa: 326 calories, 8g fat (2g saturated fat), 8mg cholesterol, 500mg sodium, 52g carbohydrate (5g sugars, 4g fiber), 13g protein.
Healthy Burrito Bowl
1 wrap: 327 calories, 14g fat (5g saturated fat), 175mg cholesterol, 632mg sodium, 26g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 3g fiber), 23g protein.
High Protein Burrito
This Healthy High Protein Burrito recipe is delicious with a capital D. Traditional burrito recipes are made with meat, beans, cheese and a flour tortilla.
Lower Calorie - This healthy burrito recipe has 394 calories which is considered lower calorie.
High Fiber - There’s 17 grams of fiber in this recipe. Fiber is important for weight loss, satiety and also for preventing disease development.
Higher Protein - There is 37 grams of protein in this recipe from the lean ground beef and the black beans add a little more protein. Remember black beans are a carbohydrate that contain some protein. Lean protein is very important for weight management, aging and for keeping hunger and fullness hormones satisfied.
Beef Burritos
Easy meal prep beef burritos with juicy beef, black beans, rice, salsa, BBQ sauce, and cheese. Freezer-friendly and perfect for air frying or pan-frying!
Freezer Burritos
Healthy Freezer Burritos for Fall
Seven of the best healthy freezer burritos to make for the coziest fall meal prep! From global fusion-inspired burritos to classic comfort food, these make ahead breakfast burritos are perfect for a healthy breakfast, lunch, or dinner and are made in just one pan. Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and dairy free options included.
Benefits of Freezer Burritos
One of the best healthy habits you can do for yourself is to always have a nourishing, ready-to-go meal in the freezer for whenever you get hungry. This will help you avoid standing in the kitchen and downing a whole bag of chips and a pint of ice cream when you wanted to eat healthy. These freezer burritos are great for feeding yourself and your family on busy weeknights. They’re full of plant based protein, veggies, healthy fats, and fiber to help keep the blood sugar stable.
Are Freezer Burritos Healthy?
Make ahead freezer burritos are a staple in our wellness arsenal. I’d even go as far to say they’re a healthy hack to making eating healthy sustainable long-term, especially when we’re nomading! And if you meal prep them for breakfast, you get in more nutrient-rich vegetables, herbs, and spices before noon than most people get in an entire day. It’s all the benefits I rave about with green smoothies in burrito form! The results of having veggie-packed breakfasts are literally life-changing for our gut health.
Gluten-Free and Grain-Free Options
You can make every freezer burrito gluten free and grain free! Picking the perfect tortilla for your burrito is key to it either being a success or falling apart. I personally rely on the burrito-sized tortillas from Siete, which are made from cassava flour. They’re grain free, gluten free, vegan, dairy free, soy free, and non-GMO.
Preparing Tortillas
To get the tortillas warmed up and ready to roll, I place mine in a heated oven for a few minutes until it becomes pliable right before I’m ready to assemble (if they cool down, they’ll harden and break). You could also heat them on the stovetop by heating a pan over medium-high for a few minutes and then warming the tortilla for 15 seconds on each side (until the tortilla rises in bubbles).
Storing and Reheating Freezer Burritos
After meal prepping your freezer burritos, you just roll each one individually in tinfoil. Whenever you’re in the mood, simply grab one out of the freezer and heat it either in the oven or microwave.
Beef Burritos Recipe
Ingredients:
- Ground beef (lean or regular)
- Garlic (fresh is best)
- Spices (cumin, paprika, oregano, onion powder, chili powder)
- Black beans
- Cooked rice
- Tomato salsa & BBQ sauce
- Grated cheese
- Tortilla wraps
Instructions:
- Cook the rice.
- Make the beef filling.
- Assemble burritos.
- Cook the wrapped burritos using one of these methods: Pan-frying, Baking, or Air-frying.
- Wrap each burrito tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil.
- Place the burritos in a large plastic bag or container before freezing.
Tips for Making Healthy Burritos
- Choose the Right Wrap: The healthiest wraps for burritos are ones that are slightly lower in calories and higher in protein. Note that grain-free tortillas and almond flour tortillas tend to be lower in fiber and higher in calories.
- Make Substitutions: You can omit ingredients like jalapeño, cheese, and sour cream to keep the calories lower. If you enjoy sour cream, swap it for low fat plain Greek yogurt.
- Add Flavor: Lean into herbs and spices, different salsas, and loading up on crunchy vegetables, like lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and onions.
- Use Lean Protein: Swap the ground meat for a leaner protein like shredded chicken breast, lean ground beef or turkey.
- Watch Portion Sizes: Watching the serving sizes of condiments and portion sizes to make them fit into your calorie budget is key.
Burrito Bowls
What is a Burrito Bowl?
Anything you stuff into a tortilla for a burrito can go into a burrito bowl. This includes your protein, veggies, cheese, rice, and toppings like guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. You can make it your own based on your preferences!
Are Burrito Bowls Healthy?
Yes, a burrito bowl is healthy as long as you stick to nutritious ingredients. It’s a high-protein meal that includes a nice dose of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. To ensure the recipe stays healthy, limit things like cheese and sour cream.