These crispy Bean and Cheese Burritos are filled with refried beans and cheese and pan fried until the tortilla is crispy. Serve with salsa and guacamole and you’ve got one of our favorite easy weeknight meals!
Looking for more quick meal ideas? Try Taco Salad, Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas, or Cheese Enchiladas!
Why I love this recipe:
- FAST! I can whip these up in less than 20 minutes. Here’s a list of my other favorite meals you can make in under 30-Minutes.
- Few Ingredients: I always have these basic pantry ingredients on hand! If you want to go the extra mile use these Homemade Refried Beans!
- Picky-Eater Approved: Crispy and full of flavor, this is a meal that every member of my family is excited about. We love serving them with salsa, guacamole and sour cream.
Ingredients Needed:
- Tortillas
- Refried Beans
- Salsa
- Cheese
- Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Cumin
How to make Crispy Bean and Cheese Burritos:
Season Beans: Add refried beans, salsa, chili powder, garlic powder, and cumin to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth.
Spread Beans: Spoon about three tablespoons of the bean mixture onto the center of a flour tortilla and smooth into a thin layer.
Add Cheese and Roll: Sprinkle with a large pinch of shredded cheese. Roll tightly. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Fry Burritos: Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place a few burritos, seam side down, into the pan. Turn them every 30 seconds or so as they cook until they are golden and crispy on all sides.
Serve warm with homemade Easy Homemade Salsa and guacamole, for dipping.
Air Fryer Instructions:
Preheat air fryer to 370 degrees. Spray the burritos with oil and add a few at a time to the air fryer. Cook for 6 minutes, rotate and cook for a few more minutes until crispy on all sides.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The refried bean mixture can be made beforehand and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You could also assemble and roll the burritos and store them in the fridge until dinner, when you’re ready to fry them. Leftovers also reheat wonderfully, reheated in a hot pan until the tortilla gets crispy again.
To Freeze: Make the burritos through step 3 (stop before pan frying them). Keep them wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze them in a zip lock bag. When ready to cook, let them thaw completely before pan frying.
Serve With:
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Recipe
Crispy Bean and Cheese Burritos
Ingredients
- 16 ounce can refried beans , pinto or black
- 1 Tablespoon salsa
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese , or cheddar cheese
- 6 medium flour tortillas
- salsa , for dipping
Instructions
- Add the refried beans, salsa, chili powder, garlic powder and cumin to a mixing bowl and stir until smooth.
- Spoon about three tablespoons of the bean mixture onto the center of a flour tortilla and smooth into a thin layer.
- Sprinkle with a small handful of shredded cheese. Roll tightly. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place a few burritos, seam side down, into the pan.
- Turn them every 30 seconds or so as they cook until they are golden and crispy on all sides.
- Serve warm, with homemade five-minute salsa and guacamole, for dipping.
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe March 2018. Updated March 2023.
This post contains affiliate links.
Hello, I have the uncooked tortilla from Costco do I have to cook them a little beforehand?
Yes, for this recipe it’s best if you cook them before hand! Then they will get even more crispy and delicious when you pan fry them with the filling.
I’m confused. It looks like you recommend lightly frying (heating) the tortillas before filling. But that is not what the recipe says. Eager to try these!
No need to gry the tortilla before filling! Can you let me know where you saw that suggestion?
from another post:
Lauren Allen
February 5, 2019 at 2:06 pm
Yes, for this recipe it’s best if you cook them before hand! Then they will get even more crispy and delicious when you pan fry them with the filling.
Lauren is the master here so def. take her advice!!
That was a reply to a question about uncooked tortillas. If you buy cooked tortillas, you do not need to fry them before filling.
Can you also add rice and if so, will it change the proportions of the other ingredients?
Sure you could add rice, it will just make more filling so you will need more tortillas 🙂
These look so good! I can’t wait to try them, I know my boys will love them.
Is it difficult to keep them rolled up during frying?
I haven’t found so. I lay them with the rolled end down first and it works easily 🙂
These are fantastic! We did add ground beef to them cause my husband thinks you can’t eat them w/o it lol but they are great! Thank you!
Perfect dinner idea for a busy weeknight. Made these tonight between soccer games and the family loved them. Thank you for your quick, family friendly meals.
Only 1 tbsp of salsa in the retried beans? That doesn’t seem like much? But making them now! 🙂
Can chicken be added? My husband thinks he has to have meat at every meal.
Of course! You could throw in a 1 heaping cup of cooked, shredded chicken, or cooked ground beef. Sounds delicious! Hope you enjoy them 🙂
Do you think you could freeze them for other times?
Yes! Follow the directions through step 3, just before pan frying them. Freeze them in a zip lock bag. When ready to cook, let them thaw completely before pan frying! Best of luck!
How is this different from taquitos?
Taquitos are made with corn tortillas. But really, this is just my spin off of what Taco Time calls crisp bean burritos (even though they are rolled thinner, like taquitos.
I love thinner flour tortillas, these look delicious did you make the tortillas? if not what brand are these and if so how did you get them so thin? Looks almost like crepes!
Hi Dana, I use the uncooked flour tortillas from Costco, or the “TortillaLand” brand of uncooked flour tortillas from my regular grocery stores. They are both delicious!
A total dinner winner. My kids ate these up so fast. So easy and everyone loved them.