Erika Wassall, the Jersey Farm Scribe here, with tips, tricks and a recipe for making homemade frozen burritos (Hot-Pocket style).
Tips and Tricks for Homemade Frozen Burritos (and a Hot-Pocket Style Recipe!)
Having some food in the freezer I can just grab-and-go can genuinely be life-altering. In fact, sometimes just knowing it’s there is comforting to me!
I’ve seen lots of recipes online for frozen burritos, but it wasn’t something I’d ever tried before. I wasn’t really going for a rice and beans thing. I wanted filling, cheese, meat, veggie, a nice grab-and-go mix. But I also wanted healthy, and tasty AFTER reheating.
I won’t lie, it took a few tries, but here is what I learned, and an example recipe of what I did. Turns out, once you’ve got it down, it’s super easy and incredibly yummy!
4 Important Tips For Making Homemade Frozen Burritos
TIP ONE: Don’t include things like salsa, sour cream or any wet liquid in your homemade frozen burritos. It doesn’t freeze as well and doesn’t reheat as well either. You can always dip the burrito in these things when you reheat it. Yup. It won’t be limp or floppy at all, I promise! It’ll be plenty dip-able!
TIP TWO: Wrap well. This can take a few tries to get down, but once you have it, it’s SO easy. You simply fold the sides in, then roll from the bottom. AS you’re rolling from the bottom continue to tuck the sides in at the top. This way in the end, it’s all enclosed and nothing leaks out.
TIP THREE: Grill it before you freeze it!!! Use a grill pan, or a sauté pan, doesn’t matter, you just want to slightly brown up the top and bottom. This makes a HUGE difference to your homemade frozen burritos. Your final product, when you reheat it, will be crispier. Start flap/open side down. It helps hold the burrito/wrap together.
TIP FOUR: Reheat properly. I tried about 6 different ways to do this. My ideal way turns it into an amazing burrito/wrap that tastes like you JUST made it. Get a paper towel, soak it in water, and then squeeze all the water out. Take the now completely damp paper towel, and wrap the burrito in it, straight from the freezer. Place it in the microwave for about 45 second to a minute and 15 seconds. Then place it on a hot skillet, for about 30 seconds a side.
Crispy. Delicious. Fresh. Fast. Perfect!
Ham, Cheese, and Broccoli Homemade Frozen Burritos Recipe:
Here is an example recipe for these homemade frozen burritos. The best part is you can do SO many different things. Basically any meat, cheese and veggie combination will work. Or you could even go the rice and beans route if that’s what you’re looking for.
Dice up some ham, broccoli and Velveeta cheese. I like a ratio of about 2 cups of ham, 1 cup of Velveeta and 2 cups of broccoli. (for best results, use my roasted broccoli recipe!) (that’ll make about 4-5 burritos, depending on size preference)
Distribute in the burrito and then top with more shredded cheese (I used a cheddar blend). Then fold the sides in.
Roll/fold up from the bottom, pausing at each roll to fold in the top flaps. See how once I’m at the top the flap at the top is only about 2 inches long? That’s perfect.
Then stick it on a hot skillet for about 1-2 minutes on each side. You’re just looking for that light browning on each side. Make sure you do the flap side DOWN first, it’ll help it all stay together extra nicely.
LET COOL COMPLETELY. And then wrap each homemade burrito in aluminum foil and stick them in a freezer bag.
Easy. Yummy. And waaaay healthier (and more flavorful) than the frozen foods you can find at the store. Cheaper too! This homemade frozen burritos recipe is incredibly economical, and of course, totally versatile.
Will you try these tips and tricks for frozen burritos? Try out the recipe? Or maybe you’ll make your own. What will you put in your frozen burritos? Leave your ideas in the comments!!
Quick Homemade Frozen Burritos Recipe (and reheating instructions)
Ham Cheese and Broccoli Burritos Ingredients:
- 2 cups diced ham
- 1 cup diced Velveeta
- 2/3 cup shredded cheese
- 2 cups diced roasted broccoli
- Burrito wraps of choice
Ham Cheese and Broccoli Burritos Recipe Directions:
– Distribute filling on wraps
– Wrap up (sides first, then roll up, tweaking in that top flap along the way)
– Sauté/grill 1-2 minutes on each side (flap side down first) to get that light browning
– Let cool completely
– Wrap individually in aluminum foil and stick them all in a freezer bag
TO REHEAT Homemade Frozen Burritos:
– Take out of freezer bag and remove aluminum foil
– Soak paper towel in water, and squeeze all water out
– wrap burrito in paper towel
– microwave for 45 – 75 seconds
– quickly sauté/grill on a hot skillet for about 45 seconds on each side
Are you going to try making these homemade frozen burritos?
We are planning these as a make-ahead for a Memorial Day camping trip. Looks like they may go from freezer to cooler to campfire. Hope that it works as they look yummy.
– Kelly
What a great idea!
It certainly looks yummy. All the tips to be considered before frizzing the burritos seem very helpful. I am going to try it by myself and I will also refer to my friends. The recipe you have provided looks very interesting. I will try to cook. I am looking forward to some other tips which can help me in kitchen. Thank you.