One of the most popular questions I’m asked is what’s my favorite family breakfast recipe that’s easy to prep in advance. My answer is always these make-ahead breakfast burritos. My kids and husband love when I make a big batch of them with different fillings to eat throughout the week. Not only do they love them for breakfast, but they also request them frequently for dinner too!
I love having these healthy breakfast burritos in the freezer for busy mornings or lazy evenings. They store so well and reheat right in the microwave or toaster oven in no time. It’s a meal prep recipe where the effort truly pays off for weeks!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Freezer-friendly breakfast recipe – Breakfast has never been this easy. These burritos can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 months and reheat quickly in the microwave.
- Customizable to everyone’s liking – You can fill the burritos with anything you like! Remove the roasted potatoes, use cooked bacon instead of ham…the options are endless.
- This recipe makes a big batch – This breakfast burrito recipe makes 18 burritos! That’s enough for a month at our house.
- Portable on-the-go meal – You can take it on the walk to school, in the car, or pack it in a lunch box to eat at your desk at work.
Tips for Busy Cooks
When making these burritos, the most important thing to keep in mind is to buy 8-inch flour tortillas. They are the perfect size for a breakfast that isn’t too small or large. It’s the ideal healthy meal to start the day.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Russet potatoes – We air fry these until they are golden brown for a delicious texture in the burritos. Just be sure to dice them into small cubes so they fit inside the burritos!
- Olive oil – Oil encourages the potatoes to caramelize. We prefer the flavor of olive oil, but any neutral oil works great. Vegetable or canola oil are good options.
- Seasoning blend – Garlic and herb spice mix adds a boost of flavor with just one ingredient. Feel free to swap this spice mix with any of your favorites! Try Cajun, Mexican, Italian, Fajita, or Creole seasoning.
- Eggs – This recipe makes 18 small burritos, so you need 18 large eggs!
- Ham – Adds a meaty, protein component. You can swap the ham with cooked bacon or sausage if you prefer.
- Cheddar cheese – We love the flavor of cheddar in the burritos. You can swap grated cheddar with Monterey jack, Colby jack, Italian, or Mexican blend.
- Flour tortillas – Make sure you grab the 8-inch size flour tortillas. I prefer uncooked tortillas, but ready-to-serve flour tortillas work fine as well!
How to make these make-ahead breakfast burritos
1. Prepare the burrito filling
Step 1: Peel and cut the potatoes into small cubes. In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with one tablespoon of olive oil, seasoning, and a sprinkle of salt.
Step 2: Transfer the potatoes to the air fryer basket and roast for 25 minutes at 370°F, or until golden and fork-tender. Stir every 10 minutes to ensure even cooking. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
Step 3: Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Add ¼ cup of water, salt, and pepper.
Beat the eggs on low speed for about a minute.
Step 4: Heat the remaining olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Pour in the eggs and cook them over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Don’t overcook the eggs. You want them to be fluffy and tender!
Add the scrambled eggs to the bowl with the potatoes.
Step 5: Dice the ham into ½-inch cubes. Add the ham to the same skillet you cooked the eggs in. No need to dirty two pans!
Cook the ham over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized around the edges. Don’t worry if you see a lot of moisture in the beginning. It’ll evaporate.
Step 6: Add the ham and shredded cheese to the bowl with the potatoes and eggs.
Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly distributed.
2. How to roll a breakfast burrito
Once you get the hang of rolling the burritos, it’ll be super quick and easy.
First, lay out 18 pieces of aluminum foil. I also place a square parchment paper on the foil, but that’s optional! And place the tortilla wraps in the center of the foil pieces.
And here’s how to roll a burrito, step by step:
Step 1: Scoop 2/3 cup of filling on the bottom half of each tortilla. Be generous with the filling!
Step 2: Bring the bottom end of the tortilla over the filling.
Step 3: To tuck the ends, push the middle of the end of the wrap toward the filling, fold the top corner down.
Step 4: Now bring the whole side of the tortilla up. Repeat on the other side.
Step 5: Tightly roll the burritos keeping the ends intact.
Step 6: Place the burrito seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining burritos.
3. Cook
While you can freeze uncooked burritos, I prefer pre-cooking them before freezing.
There are two easy ways to cook the burritos. You can either pan-fry them or you can air-fry them. Either way makes them crunchy and golden brown on the outside, while remaining tender on the inside.
METHOD 1: Pan-fry breakfast burritos
I recommend using a large 12-inch skillet.
- Place all the burritos on a baking sheet and brush melted butter on the seam side of each burrito.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and place the burritos, buttered side down. Cook for 2 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
- Brush melted butter over the other side of each burrito. Using a pair of kitchen tongs, flip them over and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Cook the burritos on all four sides for about 2 minutes per side. Use tongs to hold the burrito vertically and cook the ends for about 30 seconds or so.
Tips for Busy Cooks
Butter and cook the burritos on the seam side first. This will help the burritos stay intact.
METHOD 2: Air-fry breakfast burritos
You can also air-fry the burritos for an extra crispy outside.
- Brush melted butter all over the burritos and place them seam-side down in the air fryer basket.
- Air fry the burritos for 7-8 minutes at 370°F. If needed, flip them halfway. I usually don’t as mine cooks evenly.
4. Wrap and freeze the burritos
Wrap the cooked (or uncooked) burritos in the prepared foil sheets, place them in a freezer bag, and freeze.
Expert Tips:
- Don’t overcook the scrambled eggs. This will make the burritos dense and tough, especially after freezing. When the soft curds in the skillet form, remove the pan from the heat.
- Scramble the eggs with a hand mixer or stand mixer for ease. Since this recipe uses so many eggs, this speeds up the process!
- You can reheat a big batch of burritos at one time! Just pop them on a sheet pan in the oven until hot and the cheese is melted.
- Freeze the burritos cooked or uncooked on the outside. Just follow the cooking recipes for the uncooked burritos in the steps above. If the burritos are already cooked, you can reheat in the microwave or air fryer for just a couple of minutes.
What to serve with healthy breakfast burritos
- Fresh fruit – A light and refreshing side!
- Salsa or hot sauce – Scoop onto your burrito and dig in! Choose spicy salsa for a nice kick.
- Hash browns – Crispy hash browns are always a good idea.
- Refried beans – More filling protein! Goes great with egg and cheese burritos.
Variations
These burritos are easy to customize! Try one of these simple variations.
- Use a different protein – You can swap the ham with any breakfast protein! Try crispy bacon, ground sausage, chorizo, black beans, pinto beans., or sausage patties. Just make sure the protein is cooked before you roll it inside the burrito.
- Swap the potatoes – Feel free to swap the roasted potatoes with any version of crispy potatoes! French fries, tater tots, and crispy hash browns are all fair game!
- Add your favorite veggies – Sneak is some veggies! Try sauteed bell peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, or spinach.
- Try a bean for a new texture and flavor – Add drained pinto or black beans.
- Make it spicy – Add green chiles or minced jalapenos for some heat!
Storing and Reheating
If you don’t plan to freeze the burritos, you can store them in the refrigerator in a freezer bag, or an airtight container for up to 4 days.
When it comes to freezing the cooked (or uncooked) burritos, wrap them in a sheet of foil. Then place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Before reheating the burritos, you need to ideally thaw them overnight in the fridge. If you forgot, you can thaw them in the microwave. Unwrap the burrito and microwave on defrost mode for 4 minutes.
The best way to reheat these breakfast burritos is to unwrap them and microwave a cooked burrito for 1.5 minutes, or air-fry for 4 minutes. To cook an uncooked and thawed burrito, follow the cooking directions above. You may also air-fry a thawed burrito for 8 minutes at 370°F.
FAQs
A breakfast burrito is made of a flour tortilla rolled around common breakfast staples to make a burrito. Typically, they contain scrambled eggs and some form of breakfast meat like ham, bacon, or sausage. Veggies and salsa are optional, but often included too!
The best way to keep burritos crispy is to reheat them in a hot skillet! If you reheat them in the microwave, the moisture will create steam and the burritos won’t be crispy.
Foil keeps the burritos from falling apart, prevents them from getting freezer burnt, and keeps them from sticking together. It’s a solid way to keep them fresh and ready to go.
Make-Ahead Breakfast Burritos
Equipment
- air fryer (or oven)
- large skillet
Ingredients
- 6 large russet potatoes
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon roasted garlic and herb seasoning mix
- 18 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ham Note 1
- 8 ounces grated cheddar cheese
- 18 uncooked soft taco-size flour tortillas 8-inch, Note 2
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
To cook the potatoes:
- Cut the potatoes into ½-inch cubes.
- Toss the potatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, seasoning, and salt.
- Transfer the potatoes to the air fryer basket. Roast for about 25 minutes at 370F or until nice, golden, and soft, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Transfer the roasted potatoes into a large bowl.
To make scrambled eggs:
- Crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl with a whisk attachment. (It’s so much easier to mix them in a mixer!)
- Add ¼ cup of water, salt and pepper. And beat the eggs on low speed for about 1 minute.
- Heat the remaining ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Pour in the eggs and cook them over medium heat, gently stirring occasionally until set. Don’t overcook them!
- Add the scrambled eggs into the bowl with potatoes.
To cook the ham:
- Dice the ham into ½-inch cubes. Add the ham to the now empty skillet where you cooked the eggs.
- Cook the ham over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until they’re slightly caramelized. Don’t be alarmed if you see lots of moisture at the beginning. Let all that moisture evaporate.
- Add the ham to the bowl with the potatoes and eggs.
To assemble the burritos:
- Add the cheese to the bowl with potatoes, eggs, and ham. Mix well until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- Lay out 18 pieces of aluminum foil. I also like to place a small square parchment paper on top as well, but it’s totally optional.
- Then place tortilla wraps on the prepared foil sheets.
- Scoop 2/3 cup (118g) of the filling onto each tortilla wrap.
- Roll up the burritos as pictured above, which is the best method! You can now wrap the burritos in foil and place them in a freezer bag to freeze. Or cook them right away and freeze them or serve them immediately.
To cook the burritos:
- Brush melted butter on one side of the burritos.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and place the burritos, buttered side down. Cook for 2 minutes or until light golden brown.
- Brush melted butter over the top and flip them to cook on the other side for another 2 minutes. Cook the burritos on 4 sides, 2 minutes per side. Then using a pair of kitchen tongs, hold the burrito vertically to cook the ends for about 30 seconds or so.
- You can serve the cooked burritos right away, or wrap them in foil and freeze for later.
Share your thoughts! If you make this please leave a review letting me know how it was!
Notes
– Store: If you don’t plan to freeze the burritos, you can store them in the refrigerator in a zip-top bag for up to 4 days.
– Freeze: Wrap the cooked (or uncooked) burritos in a sheet of foil. Then place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
– Thaw: Ideally, thaw the frozen burrito overnight in the fridge. If you forgot to transfer the burrito into the fridge, you can thaw it in the microwave. Unwrap the burrito and microwave on defrost mode for 4 minutes.
– Reheat: Unwrap the thawed burrito. Microwave a cooked burrito for 1.5 minutes, or air-fry for 4 minutes. To cook an uncooked, thawed burrito, follow the cooking directions above. You may also air-fry a thawed burrito for 8 minutes at 370°F.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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Reader's Reviews
Chris says
Excellent recipe. I added 1/4 c cottage cheese to the eggs. Otherwise I followed the recipe. Really good!!
Shinee Davaakhuu says
Hi, Chris!! Thanks for trying my recipe and sharing your feedback!! So glad you loved them!!