5 Best Ways to Reheat a Burrito

Burritos are the best. The spice, the juices, the mouthfeel. They all combine to form the perfect plate of comfort food. But what if you want to keep one for later? Find out how to reheat a burrito the right way, without it turning soggy or bland.

How to Reheat Burritos

Oven

Reheating a burrito can go one of two ways, really great or bad. This is mostly because of the choice of ingredients. An oven is a good option to heat your food using an oven. It is handy and useful in heating the many different ingredients that make this Mexican food such a hit.

It’s safe to use aluminum foil in the oven as long as you use it to wrap food or line baking sheets, and not lining the bottom of the cooker.

This is what you will need:

  • The oven
  • Foil
  • A baking sheet
  • A food thermometer
  • Mitts

Step by step process on how to reheat using an oven.

  • The first thing is to preheat the oven. Anything between 225˚F and 275˚F
  • Then wrap the burrito in the foil, making sure that it is not too tight.
  • Then put the wrapped burrito on the oven baking tray
  • Using the internal temperature probe, heat it until it reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F.
  • When it gets to this internal temperature, remove the burrito from the oven, and enjoy!

If you are heating it in a toaster oven, you will need a toaster oven instead of your regular oven. Otherwise, all the other things that you will need remain the same. Step by step process on how to reheat using a toasting oven.

  • Preheat the toaster to 350˚F
  • Open up the burrito and remove any cold ingredients or anything that could wilt when exposed to heat, like lettuce.
  • Insert the internal thermometer into the middle and set it to 165˚F.  Bake it.
  • Reconstruct the burrito, wrapping it up tight again
how to reheat a burrito

Microwave

In most cases, the microwave is the easiest way to heat food quickly. It is the reason why it has become a common kitchen appliance. Its ease and convenience allow you always to serve food hot even when it’s been a while since you cooked it. Even when you get takeaways, you can always reheat them not to have a cold meal. To reheat a burrito properly, here’s a list of things that you will need:

Things that you will need:

  • A damp paper towel
  • Microwave
  • Internal thermometer
  • A microwave-safe plate

How to reheat using a microwave, the step by step process

  • Unwrap the burrito. Usually, they come wrapped in foil or some sort of paper
  • Remove the cold fillings that it may have. Ingredients such as sour cream, mayonnaise, fresh vegetables will not taste great after being heated.
  • Reconstruct the wrap as best you can
  • Put it in the microwave-safe plate
  • Cover the plate with a slightly damp towel
  • Set the microwave to high
  • Cook for about 45 seconds to 1 minute
  • Turn it over and cover it with the damp towel again
  • Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F

Grill

A grill is a great way to ensure that food cooks well and has a smokey flavor. But can you use it to reheat it? The short answer is yes. However, it may not be as convenient as the other methods that we have gone through. As such, you may find yourself using it only if there is no other choice and if you’ve already fired up the grill. Otherwise, it’s honestly a lot of work for little return.

In case you are not too sure about when it is ready, it helps to follow the internal temperature guidelines. The temperatures need to be controlled so that you don’t risk burning the tortilla and still have cold fillings in the middle.

There are a few things that you will need for this reheating process, and these are:

  • A grill
  • Something to turn the food wit, such as a grill turner
  • Tongs
  • A grilling pan
  • Oil
  • An internal food thermometer. 

A step by step process on how to reheat a burrito

  • Heat half of your grill.
  • Grease the pan on the unheated side
  • Then, place the burrito on the tray on the side with indirect heating.
  • Turn it over after every 15minutes or so.
  • Grill until the internal temperature reaches 165˚F
  • When they are done, you can remove them from the grill. 

However, if you want more of a steaming effect, then you can wrap it in foil and place it on the grill. 

Stove

Another way to reheat your burrito is to do it over the stovetop. This is a convenient method that you can use. To use this method, you will need:

  • A large nonstick frying pan or skillet, preferably with a lid
  • Foil
  • A spatula or something to turn the burrito with
  • A vegetable oil
  • A plate
  • An internal thermometer

A step by step process on how to reheat a burrito on a stovetop

  • Spray your skillet, or pan, with vegetable oil
  • Preheat the stove on a medium or a low heat setting
  • Remove any ingredients that are likely to go bad or wilt if exposed to heat. The ingredients will depend on the type of burrito and its filling.
  • Place the burrito in the pan or skillet
  • Cover it with aluminum foil, then with a lid.
  • Turn it over after every two minutes
  • Do this until it reaches an internal temperature of 165˚F. This is information that you can get by checking on the internal probe thermometer.
  • The reheating should not take more than 5 minutes.
  • When it is done, be careful to remove it from the stovetop and enjoy.

Regardless of the tools that you use to turn the food, you want to make sure that you can hold the entire burrito and flip it without spilling out all its guts. The beauty of the burrito is in the mix of fillings. As such, you want to ensure that they stay intact. Also, bear in mind that the burrito size will be a determining factor for the skillet that you choose to use for the stovetop heating method. 

Toaster Oven

One of the quickest and easiest methods, and far more efficient than the regular oven. All you need to do is set the temperature at 350˚F and place your tortilla filled with goodies on top of the rack in the middle or towards the back (so that it doesn’t get burned).

Reheat for about ten minutes so that everything can warm thoroughly together without drying out or overcooking its fillings. Remove from grates when done and enjoy!