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    You are here: Home / Entrees / "Beefy" Vegan Burritos

    LAST UPDATED: May 4, 2020 • FIRST PUBLISHED: May 4, 2020

    "Beefy" Vegan Burritos

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    "Beefy" Vegan Burritos

    Who needs take out when you can make these scrumptious "beefy" vegan burritos at home! Stuffed with a spicy mixture of refried beans and crumbled seitan ... these babies are packed with flavor and great for meal-prep.

    Close Up of 2 Halves of a "Beefy" Vegan Burrito

    Confession: I was a big time Taco Bell addict before I gave up meat. As a kid, I never really liked most fast food. Cheeseburgers totally weren't my thing. But I was all about beefy burritos.

    A few years ago I recreated the 7 layer burrito for this blog, but that wasn't actually my favorite menu item. I was totally partial to the plain old beef & bean burrito. It's about time I went and made a vegan version of that one!

    Vegan "Beef"

    "Beefy" Vegan Burrito in a Skillet with Wooden Spoon

    Seitan is my go-to vegan substitute for beef. It's hearty and savory like beef, and if you make your own using my homemade seitan recipe, you can even include specific flavors to create a beefy seitan.

    Not up for making your own seitan? No worries! The store-bought stuff does a great job of replicating beef in this recipe too!

    How to Make Beefy Vegan Burritos

    Pair of Hands Holding Two Halves of a "Beefy" Vegan Burrito

    You'll need two main components to construct these burritos.

    1. Vegan Refried Beans

    Good news! I posted a recipe for them last week. You can find that here.

    2. Vegan Beef Crumbles

    For this, we'll need to transform our seitan into crumbles, which isn't too tough.

    First, mince your seitan super finely. You want the texture to be close to cooked ground beef or meatless crumbles you might find in the freezer of your supermarket. I use a big chef's knife and chop away until my seitan is super fine.

    Minced Seitan on a Cutting Board

    Heat up some oil in a skillet and add an onion. Cook the onion for about 10 minutes, until it begins to soften and brown. Now add your seitan, and cook everything for a few minutes more, to start browning the seitan.

    Next you can add some garlic and spices: cumin and ancho chile powder. Cook everything for about a minute more, and add some tomato paste and water. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and let everything cook for a few minutes to thicken up the sauce.

    Collage Showing Steps for Making "Beefy" Vegan Burrito Filling: Sauté Onion, Add Seitan, Add Water and Tomato Paste, and Simmer

    Give your seitan mixture a taste and season it with some salt and pepper, as well as some hot sauce.

    How to Roll a Burrito

    "Beefy" Vegan Burritos

    Grab a large flour tortilla. Make sure you're using a big one! It's nearly impossible to fit everything into a tortilla that's too small. The key to rolling a burrito is to not overfill it. Use less than you think you need: about ½ cup of beans and ½ cup of the seitan mixture. Add some vegan cheese if you like, and a few leaves of fresh cilantro.

    Fold the edge closest to you over the fillings. Now fold the sides in, over the fillings. You can push the fillings back with a spoon at this point to make sure your burrito is nice and tight. Now just roll everything away from you. Voila!

    Collage Showings Steps for Wrapping a Burrito

    Beefy Vegan Burrito Tips & FAQ

    • Is there a substitute for seitan? I'm not sure! I haven't tried making these burritos with any substitutes, but I think Butler Soy Curls, soaked in broth and finely chopped, would work well.
    • Can these burritos be made gluten-free? Maybe! Try substituting soy curls for seitan, as described above, and using your favorite gluten-free tortillas.
    • How long do leftovers keep? How should they be stored? Wrap your burritos in foil or parchment paper and store them in a sealed bag or container. They'll be good in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
    • Variations! Feel free to make this recipe your own. Not into refried beans? Double up the seitan mixture. Not into tortillas? Cook some rice and make burrito bowls.

    Hand Grabbing Half of a "Beefy" Vegan Burrito from a Plate

    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

    Close Up of 2 Halves of a "Beefy" Vegan Burrito
    5 from 2 votes
    Print

    "Beefy" Vegan Burritos

    Who needs take out when you can make these scrumptious "beefy" vegan burritos at home! Stuffed with a spicy mixture of refried beans and crumbled seitan ... these babies are packed with flavor and great for meal-prep.

    Course Entree
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 35 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 505 kcal
    Author Alissa Saenz

    Ingredients

    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 small onion, diced
    • 1 (8 ounce or 226 gram) package seitan, finely minced
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 1 tablespoon vinegar-based hot sauce (such as Cholula), plus more to taste
    • Salt and pepper, to taste
    • 4 (10 inch) flour tortillas
    • 2 cups vegan refried beans (about ⅔ of a batch if using the recipe I've linked to)
    • ¼ cup fresh cilantro
    • Vegan cheese (optional)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    1. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat.

    2. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until soft and beginning to brown.

    3. Add the seitan to the skillet and continue cooking everything for about 5 minutes, until the seitan begins to brown.

    4. Stir the garlic, cumin, and ancho chile powder into the skillet. Cook the mixture until the garlic becomes very fragrant, about 1 minute.

    5. Stir in the water and tomato paste. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer.

    6. Lower the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens up a bit.

    7. Remove the skillet from the burner. Season the mixture with hot sauce, salt and pepper.

    8. Place a tortilla onto the counter. Spoon about ½ cup of the seitan mixture and ½ cup refried beans into the center. Top with cilantro, and cheese, if using.

    9. Fold the side of the tortilla closest to you over the fillings. Fold the sides inward, then tightly roll the burrito away from you.

    10. Repeat until all of the fillings and tortillas are used.

    11. Serve.

    Recipe Notes

    Nutrition information does not include cheese.

    Nutrition Facts
    "Beefy" Vegan Burritos
    Amount Per Serving (1 burrito)
    Calories 505 Calories from Fat 150
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 16.7g26%
    Saturated Fat 2.4g12%
    Sodium 1502mg63%
    Potassium 441mg13%
    Carbohydrates 60.7g20%
    Fiber 10.6g42%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 31.7g63%
    Calcium 92mg9%
    Iron 5mg28%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    « Easy Vegan Refried Beans
    Vegan Strawberry Crisp »

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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jimmy Murchie says

      May 05, 2020 at 10:56 pm

      5 stars
      My wife and I planned poorly this Cinco de Mayo, but man oh man did it work out for us! We lost track of time and arrived for our to go Mexican food at the same time as the rest of our city. Then, we remembered this recipe. With the purchase of a couple ingredients, we headed home to cook. By far, this was one of the BEST burritos we have ever had!!! (Keep in mind that my wife lived in Mexico City) Thank you so much for this WONDERFUL addition to our vegan culinary collection!!!

      Reply
    2. Kirsten says

      June 06, 2020 at 7:14 pm

      5 stars
      Three cheers for ancho!

      As always with your recipes, this is delicious! I almost never have seitan on hand and couldn’t be bothered making it today. 2C TVP reconstituted in veggie chicken stock did the trick.

      Thanks for the fabulous rainy Saturday dinner!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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