I Tried Every Frozen Burrito I Could Find — These Are the 4 I’ll Be Buying Again

The burrito is one of the greatest innovations of our time. It’s an entire meal with carbs, veggies, cheese, and the protein of your choosing in the palm of your hands. I would have guessed humanity had peaked in the early 1900s with the invention of this handheld feast. But then the frozen version came onto the scene.

Now I can enjoy the portable pockets of sustenance in the comfort of my own home after popping one in the microwave for 60 seconds. Which ones, though, are worthy of occupying precious freezer real estate? There are many frozen burrito brands and countless options for each, so I made it a mission to try and find the best one across multiple categories — bean and cheese, chicken, steak, and beef. 

I went to a few supermarkets and grabbed every frozen burrito I could find within the aforementioned categories. The two most popular were beef and bean and cheese. Not all of the brands had chicken, but I was able to find enough for a fair taste test. Each burrito came with microwave instructions and conventional oven cooking times of up to an hour. I’m sure they’re tastier when heated in the oven, but I chose to microwave them because the whole point really is convenience. A frozen burrito is something that you can toss in the microwave quickly, and the less time you have to think about or wait for it, the better.  

A bean and cheese burrito can be hard to pull off. Unlike the other categories, a meatless burrito doesn’t have the crutch of well-seasoned chicken or flavorful ground beef, so the heavy lifting is left to the beans and cheese. Some of the brands I tested in this category made up for the missing protein by adding more beans and, IMO, too much. I was left with a mouthful of them and not much else. This RED’S burrito has good seasoning and just the right amount of beans and cheese. The two complemented each other nicely, tasted great, and did not ooze out like in other burritos.

Buy: RED’S Bean and Cheese Burrito, $2.99 at Target

RED’S also took the chicken category with their Organic Chicken Cilantro & Lime Burrito. Other contestants simply swapped proteins, but RED’S made this burrito unique, and the herbs nicely worked with the chicken. It tastes as fresh as a frozen burrito will ever get with hints of jalapeños, red bell peppers, and corn, and the lime and cilantro twist really stood out. That herby citrus combo is what pushed this burrito to the front of the competition.

Buy: RED’S Organic Chicken Cilantro & Lime Burrito, $2.99 at Target

Initially, I planned to combine the steak and ground beef categories considering the meat comes from the same animal. But there are so many different steak options that it warranted its own category, plus a steak burrito is worlds apart from a beef burrito. El Monterey is one of the more common brands and has solid burritos across the board, but the Shredded Steak & Three-Cheese Burrito is where the brand really shines. The shredded steak, which the label says is cooked in broth and salt, is flavorful, and the cheddar, mozzarella, and Monterey Jack cheeses turns out super melty and stringy. They don’t skimp on the meat, either.

Buy: El Monterey Signature Shredded Steak & Three-Cheese Burrito, $1.69 at Mercato

Although the label says “red hot,” and the bright, radioactive-colored packaging might have anyone who is spice-adverse think twice about picking this one up, its heat level is nothing to fear. The burrito has a nice kick to it, but is not too overpowering. I thought this one would come with some kind of hot sauce mixed into the ingredients, but the heat came from the seasoning, which also adds a smoky and peppery flavor to the burrito. It was a pleasant surprised wrapped neatly in a warmed tortilla.

Buy: Tina’s Red Hot Beef Burrito, $0.99 at Instacart

Did your favorite make the list? Sound off in the comments below.