Reheat Burrito in Air Fryer: A How-To Explainer

Burritos are one of the most beloved and iconic foods in the world. Or at least, they certainly play a big role in my busy home, where I’m trying to get kids out the door quickly and prepare food in bulk. I often run into the need to reheat a burrito in the air fryer or another kitchen method, and it’s a process people are regularly asking about.

So naturally, we’re going to explore the answers for the best ways to reheat your burritos, whether they are fresh or frozen and whether you’re using an oven, microwave, skillet, air fryer, and more.

Let’s dive in!

Burrito Basics

Burritos have a long and rich history. Originating in Mexico but evolving in what is now California, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, the burrito takes several forms.

Mexican burritos are typically flour tortillas filled with meat, vegetables, and beans. Sometimes rice and guacamole are added, though not always. There are no “rules” about what goes into a burrito, and their easily adaptable format has led to countless innovations, including the popular breakfast burrito.

Burrito styles that originated in the U.S. are usually filled with a bit more ingredients, which often include cheese and a sour cream topping. This version can expand to include salsa, hot sauces, and more. And the handheld Mission Burrito — a style of California burritos that inspired the Chipotle burrito — became particularly popular in the United States.

We’re known for going a bit over the top with burritos, such as our smothered burrito recipe, which is loaded with toppings and stuffed to the brim. Burritos are hearty and filling, loaded to the brim with ingredients in a larger, flour tortilla wrapping.

Burritos are loaded with filling and then wrapped into a cylindrical shape, sort of like a tamale or an enchilada. Unlike a wrap, burritos are not wrapped in a variety of tortilla flavors.

Some are handheld, while others are served on a plate, often smothered in sauce or covered in your favorite toppings such as pico de gallo. (These can be called wet burritos or smothered burritos.)

Your burrito fillings and toppings all come down to personal preference.

How to Freeze Burritos

Burritos are an easy dish to make in bulk and save for later. The ingredients are simple to make in large quantities, and rolling and packaging them is not very time-consuming.

On-the-go families like mine looking to eat a balanced breakfast on a budget can make breakfast burritos in bulk and keep them on hand for mornings where getting out the door quickly with a full belly is key.

Here’s our best tips for making great frozen burritos:

1. Use fresh tortillas that are stored at room temperature. This will make it easier to roll up an intact burrito.
2. Don’t use overly wet fillings. Very wet fillings will make it harder to contain the ingredients, so plan on adding these wet ingredients as a topping in the future when you reheat them!
3. Use room temperature ingredients. This will prevent the burritos from becoming soggy, breaking through the flour tortilla, and will let them freeze faster which prevents freezer burn.
4. Roll tightly. The key to a perfect frozen burrito is to roll it tightly so all ingredients are contained. This makes it easier to heat later, as well as store today.
5. Wrap very well. A poorly wrapped burrito will be difficult to keep fresh, and hard to properly reheat. We suggest wrapping them individually in tin foil, then covering them in plastic wrap as an extra seal. Place these burritos in a large freezer bag and freeze.

What Can You Do with Leftover Burritos?

Leftover burrito? Is that a real thing? Apparently for some of you, it is. And you may be wondering how to enjoy your burrito again in a fresh, new way to keep your meals livelier.

If you want to enjoy your leftover burritos again without a dinner repeat, here are our top suggestions:

Turn it into a skillet dish

Removing the outer flour tortilla leaves you with the delicious burrito filling that is just begging to be repurposed into a skillet dish. We love our beef burrito skillet recipe, and there’s no reason you can’t modify this to include the already-cooked ingredients found in your burrito to reheat them with new life!

Since you’ve already cooked the ingredients, you can simply put them in a skillet on low heat until cooked through and crispy. Sprinkle fresh cheese and chopped veggies like black olives and cilantro on top to liven up these leftovers. Add a dollop of sour cream or salsa con queso for moisture.

Salad

Our taco salad boats recipe can be a great way to reuse the burrito filling for a healthy, fun, delicious dinner or lunch. Or, whip up a fresh salad of Romaine lettuce, black olives, diced tomatoes, and shredded cheddar cheese and top with cooled burrito filling.

If you’re looking for a good dressing, Catalina is very complimentary. If you want to make it enticing for kids or picky eaters, I suggest crumbling Nacho Cheesier Doritos over the top!

Burrito dip

Empty the filling of your burrito(s) into the proper size saucepan and place it on the stovetop on medium heat. Add rinsed canned black beans or a can of refried beans, and enough salsa to break it down until smooth.

Once it starts to heat up, turn it down to low so you do not burn it. Sprinkle generously with cheese and cover with a lid until cheese melts. Serve as an appetizer or light dinner with tortilla chips.

Can You Reheat Leftover Burritos in the Air Fryer?

Air fryers are known for keeping foods, especially leftovers, from being soggy while maintaining that fresh, crispy exterior that most people are looking for. Air frying is an excellent way to reheat leftover burritos.

The consistent temperature in an air fryer keeps the burrito evenly heated and prevents common reheating issues, like sogginess or an ingredient blowout. Burritos can be air fried whether they were refrigerated or frozen.

Good news — next time you have delicious burritos to heat up, just follow our step-by-step guide for your cooking process!

How to Reheat Frozen Burritos in an Air Fryer

Follow these simple steps to enjoy the perfect air fryer frozen burritos:

1. Keep the burritos wrapped in aluminum foil.
2. If heating multiple burritos at once, space them apart to allow air to circulate.
3. Place the basket in air fryer.
4. Set the temperature to 400°F.
5. Cook for about 15 minutes.
6. Check for doneness — you'll want the burrito to have a crispy, golden exterior and be heated through.
7. Safely remove the burrito from the air fryer.
8. Unwrap the reheated burrito and serve with fresh toppings.

How to Reheat Fresh Burritos in an Air Fryer

The process here is similar, but not identical:

1. Mist the outside of the burrito with a light amount of olive oil.
2. Wrap the burrito in tin foil.
3. Place the burritos evenly apart, as mentioned above.
4. Heat the air fryer to 350°F.
5. Cook for 2-3 minutes and check for doneness.
6. Add 1-2 minutes at a time until the burritos are cooked through and are crispy and golden brown.

How Else Do You Reheat Leftover Burritos?

While an air fryer is a great way to reheat burritos, it’s not the only solution. And, in fact, it may not work best for your circumstances.

Maybe your air fryer is too small for the amount you plan to heat up, or maybe you don’t have one or simply feel like doing it another way. Whatever the case, you can heat burritos in many other ways, whether frozen, fresh, or thawed.

This first set of directions are “from frozen” directions.

How to Cook a Frozen Burrito in the Microwave

This isn’t the best method because it’s so easy to end up with a soggy or dried out burrito that loses its shape and more importantly, it’s crispy exterior texture. It can also lead to hot spots where some bites inside of the burrito are much hotter than others, while other bites could contain cold spots.

However, if you need an easy way to reheat leftover food in less time (and aren't particularly concerned about the level of crispiness of your homemade burrito), the microwave oven is certainly a good choice.

1. You will always want to remove any tin foil covering before microwaving a burrito or any other item.
2. Wrap the burrito in a damp paper towel to prevent the tortilla from drying out. This will also help steam the filling.
3. Microwave the frozen burrito for 2-4 minutes.
4. Optional: crisp your microwaved burrito in a toaster oven or skillet.

How to Cook a Frozen Burrito in a Toaster Oven

A toaster oven is faster than a conventional oven because it is so much smaller, making it easier to heat.

1. To encourage a faster cooking time, remove the burrito from the tin foil and wrap the burrito in a damp paper towel.
2. Microwave for 2 minutes.
3. Bake for 15 minutes at 325°F in the toaster oven.

How to Cook a Frozen Burrito Using a Skillet

1. Again, you will remove the burrito from the tin foil.
2. Wrap in a damp paper towel, microwaving for 2 minutes if desired to speed the process up.
3. Next, heat a half teaspoon of oil per burrito in a skillet set to medium-high heat.
4. Cook burrito until golden brown and crispy, approximately 2 minutes per side.

If your burrito is freshly refrigerated or already thawed, here are some other methods that are simple to do.

Reheat a Burrito in the Oven

A traditional oven is a great way to reheat a burrito, especially if you’re looking to reheat several at a time. This is a great solution for cook-ahead frozen burritos for a family that have been thawed and are ready to go.

1. Wrap the burrito in foil if it is not already wrapped. Leave one end open to ventilate.
2. Heat the oven to 225°F.
3. Place burritos on a baking sheet and set the sheet on the middle rack. Bake for 30 minutes and then check the temperature.
4. Continue baking until heated through. When ready, the burrito will be steaming hot and have an internal temperature of 160°F.

Reheat a Burrito on the Stovetop

A fresh or thawed burrito heats very well in a skillet.

1. Add a few drops of oil to your skillet and allow a few minutes for it to come up to medium-low temp.
2. Place your unwrapped burrito in the skillet and turn the temperature up to medium.
3. Lightly press the burrito down on the skillet.
4. Cover the skillet with a lid and heat for 5 minutes on each side.

Reheat a Burrito in a Toaster Oven

1. Set the toaster oven to 400°F.
2. Wrap your burrito in tin foil.
3. Toast on high for 8-12 minutes, checking regularly, until the filling inside is thoroughly heated.
4. Remove the foil and toast again for 2 minutes to keep the exterior crisp.

Burritos are a delicious and filling meal that’s easy to make ahead or save for another day without a lot of fuss. I highly recommend trying our above tips to make your burrito perfect after meal prep or saving leftovers!

Related: Can you put a plate in the air fryer? Find out now!