Easy, delicious, and incredibly satisfying, these black bean burritos are the weeknight dinner you need in your life. Made with layers of spicy black beans, coconut rice, and creamy avocado slices, these vegan burritos are great for meal-prep and easy on your budget!

We're entering the season where I don't feel like doing much of anything. Even cooking. And I love to cook! But we've had a few hot days already, and the last thing I want to do is sweat it out over a hot stove on those days.
So I'm planning ahead. I've never been that big on meal prep, but I can get on board during the hot summer months, especially when it involves burritos.
You really can't go wrong with burritos. They're cheap, easy to make, and everybody loves burritos! And fortunately for those of us in search of some convenient meal prep recipes, they're great for making ahead.
I like to make the rice and bean mixture for these burritos in advance, and then just reheat and stuff them for dinner. But you can also completely assemble the burritos and freeze them if you prefer.
Jump to:
Ingredients You'll Need
- Basmati rice. This isn't exactly traditional burrito rice, but it works really well. Look for it in the international foods section of your supermarket. You can substitute long grain white rice if you can't find it.
- Water.
- Coconut milk. Light coconut milk from a can works best. Other non-dairy milks will give mixed results.
- Salt & pepper.
- Lime juice. Make sure to use freshly squeezed lime juice to give your rice mixture the best possible flavor.
- Cilantro. You can leave this out if you don't like cilantro, or substitute scallions for a different flavor variation.
- Canola oil. Just about any high-heat oil can be substituted. Olive oil, avocado oil and vegetable oil are all fine choices.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Jalapeño pepper. You can skip this if you're not into heat.
- Spices. We're using ground cumin, ancho chile powder, and dried oregano.
- Black beans. The recipe calls for canned black beans, but you're welcome to cook them from scratch if that's your preference. You'll need about 4 cups.
- Water.
- Flour tortillas. You can use plain flour tortillas, whole wheat tortillas, or even gluten-free tortillas. Just make sure they're at least 10 inches in diameter.
- Avocado.
- Hot sauce or salsa.
Variation: Switch up the accompaniments if you'd like! There are a ton of fillings you could use in place of the avocado and salsa or hot sauce. Try shredded vegan cheese, vegans sour cream, or guacamole.
How They're Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
The Rice
Confession: I'll sometimes cheat and leave the rice out of my burritos. That's just me being lazy! And it's fine to do, but rice in a burrito is awesome because it sucks up just a bit of the moisture from the beans, making your burrito more solid and easier to handle. (In other words, less sloppy!).
For these burritos you'll be cooking your rice with a mix of water and coconut milk. Once it's finished cooking, season the rice with some lime juice, cilantro, and salt.
The Filling
Start by sautéing some onion in a bit of oil. Once the onion softens up and begins to brown, add some garlic and Mexican spices. Toast the spices for a minute before adding everything else.
Once the mixture becomes very fragrant, add in your beans and some water. Let the beans simmer for a few minutes to soften up, and then mash up some of the beans with a fork or potato masher. I like to do this for about half of them, but do as you see fit.
Take your beans off the heat and stir in some fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, salt and pepper. Give your black bean burrito filling a taste-test and feel free to adjust any seasonings as needed.
Wrapping a Burrito
This can be tricky and it took me forever to get.
First arrange your fillings in a small strip down the center of the burrito. You'll need less than you think!
Fold the side of the tortilla closest to you over the fillings, then fold the outer sides in over the first fold. It needs to be tight! If it doesn't feel tight enough at this point, take a hand and shove the fillings back into that first fold that you made.
Now roll everything away from you, again keeping it tight! Make sure to serve your black bean burrito seam side down so that it doesn't unravel.
Don't fret if your first one comes out a mess. Take the fillings out and try again, or just eat your burrito with a fork.
Variation: Skip the tortilla and serve your filling over rice to make burrito bowls.
Leftovers & Storage
If you have leftover black bean burritos that are fully assembled, preferably wrap them in foil, then seal them in bags or airtight containers. They'll keep in the fridge for about 4 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
When ready to use, thaw (if frozen) and reheat the burritos by microwaving them for about 2 minutes (remove the foil first) or baking at 400° for about 8 minutes (leave them in the foil when baking).
Tip: Most burritos keep well when wrapped in foil, because the foil helps seal in moisture.
For a make-ahead option, you can either assemble the burritos and store them as noted above, or store your beans and rice in separate containers in the fridge. When ready to serve, reheat and stuff the fillings into tortillas with avocado, hot sauce, cilantro, and/or any other fillings you like.
More Black Bean Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
Spicy Black Bean Burritos
Easy, delicious, and incredibly satisfying, these black bean burritos are the weeknight dinner you need in your life. Made with layers of spicy black beans, coconut rice, and creamy avocado slices, these vegan burritos are great for meal-prep and easy on your budget!
Ingredients
For the Rice
- 1 cup basmati rice
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup light coconut milk (from a can)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
For the Black Bean Filling
- 1 tablespoon canola oil, or high-heat oil of choice
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (optional, or use half a pepper for a milder version)
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 (14 ounce or 400 ml) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup water, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Wrapping and Serving
- 6 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 avocados, sliced
- Fresh cilantro
- Hot sauce or salsa
Instructions
To Make The Rice
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Stir the rice, water, coconut milk, and salt together in a small saucepan and place it over medium-high heat.
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Heat the liquid, stirring frequently, until it comes to a boil.
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Lower the heat until the liquid is at a low simmer. Cover the pot and allow the rice to simmer for 15 minutes, until all of the liquid is absorbed.
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Remove the pot from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes with the lid on.
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Remove the lid and stir in the lime juice and cilantro. Taste-test and add more salt if desired.
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Replace the lid until you're ready to use the rice.
To Make the Black Bean Filling
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While the rice cooks, coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat.
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Give the oil a minute to heat up, and then add the onion.
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Sauté the onion for about 4 minutes, until soft and just beginning to brown.
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Stir in the garlic, jalapeño pepper, cumin, ancho chile powder, and oregano.
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Sauté everything for about 1 minute more, until very fragrant.
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Stir in the beans and ½ cup of water.
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Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the beans soften up a bit, adding more water as it dries up in the skillet.
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Use a fork or potato masher to mash about half the beans.
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If needed, stir in more water to get your filling to your desired consistency, and heat for another minute, then remove the skillet from heat.
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Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, and salt to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
To Roll the Burritos
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Arrange about a sixth of the rice in a small strip down the center of a tortilla. Top the rice with a strip of about a sixth of the beans, then a few avocado slices, cilantro, and hot sauce or salsa.
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Orient the tortilla so that the strip runs perpendicular to you, then fold the side of the tortilla closest to you over the fillings.
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Fold opposite sides of the tortilla inward, then roll the burrito away from you.
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Repeat until all fillings and tortillas are used, then serve.
My son and I made these last night!! OMG! To DIE FOR!. We love your website and don’t know what we would do without you. It would be hard and boring to eat vegan!! We love eating vegan because of you. You are truly amazing! thank you.
Ps: forgot to say how much fun it is to cook vegan with your amazing recipes!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying them. :)
That is so wonderful to hear!! I'm glad the burritos were a hit!
Delicious!!! This was a huge hit tonight at dinner. Definitely adding this to our weekly rotation. Thanks for all you do!
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Is there a way to share your videos with people? I can't figure it out. Thanks!
My husband and I just polished off this brilliant burrito. It was so incredible. We had leftover rice from last night and I just made fresh organic Pico de Gallo, threw on a slice of Follow Your Heart cheese. FABULOUS! Love your recipes... so glad I found you. Pinned...
Yay! That sounds like a delicious meal!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks Barbara!
These were AMAZING!!!! Absolutely loved them and will make again and again! Your recipes are always superb. Thank you!!!
Yay! That's great to hear! Thanks Erin!
I’ve made this recipe about once a month since you posted it. It’s become a real family favorite! Even my meat loving son was impressed: he’s the reason I now double the recipe. I love having enough leftovers to make up a few extras for the freezer quick on-the-go meals. And the bean to rice ratio is perfect. I never have more of one once everything’s been eaten. Thanks for all the great recipes. So often I see something delicious on IG and once I notice it’s your post I think, “but of course it is - I always love her recipes”
Hi Pauline! That is all so wonderful to hear! I'm glad you're enjoying the recipes and that these burritos are a favorite. Thanks so much!!
Made for dinner tonight, absolutely delicious. Substituted cilantro lime rice since I didn’t have coconut milk on hand. Will make again and again. Thanks for the recipe.
Very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I made these tonight. OMG - they were a hit! Very delicious!
Wonderful! I'm so glad you like them!
One should try BLACK BEAN SOUP with my hidden ingredient special those who didn’t like black beans love my soup
Super love it!!
Thank you sharing the delicious recipe.
These are soooo good! I've shared this recipe with others and it's such a hit. I'm surprised there aren't more reviews because it's affordable, so easy, and so flavourful. Each time i've made it I've added an extra amount of coconut milk to the rice because it seems to dry out. Doesn't need the avocado but it is a nice treat on top if you have available! Thank you!
The black beans are much healthier for sure. I've been doing something similar to this for years using refried beans, shredded cheddar or colby cheese and seasonings in tortillas, and then wrapping in tin foil and baking for 10 or 15 minutes.
Serving these with a big pile of salsa and/or guacomole, chopped cilantro and sour cream turns it into a full blown meal. I prefer to serve the rice on the side for some reason. Tricks me into thinking I'm having a "complete meal" with the side of rice next to a couple burritos, I guess.