Spicy Black Bean Burritos (Meal Prep Friendly!)

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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!

Two halves of a Black Bean Burrito stacked, with a hand gripping the top half.

There are a handful of staples I always keep in my pantry, but black beans are probably number one. They’re delicious, hearty, and cheap! So as you can imagine, dishes like Mexican rice and black beans, black bean burgers, and black bean curry are regulars in my weeknight dinner rotation. But you know what my favorite way to enjoy black beans is? You guessed it: these spicy black bean burritos.

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Ingredients You'll Need
How They're Made
Leftovers & Storage
Meal Prep
Variations
Frequently Asked Questions
More Vegan Burritos
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There’s just something so satisfying about sinking your teeth into layers of beans, rice, and all the fixings wrapped up in a warm tortilla. In this recipe, the black beans are ultra creamy and seasoned to perfection. But that’s not the only reason I love these burritos. They’re a total weeknight lifesaver.

Burritos are perfect for meal prep and make-ahead dinners. Whether you stash a batch in the freezer or keep the components on hand and assemble them just before eating, these burritos make it easy to get a scrumptious, hearty vegan meal on the table with minimal effort.

Ingredients You'll Need

Below you'll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.

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 and 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.
Vegetable oil. Just about any high-heat oil can be used. Olive oil, avocado oil, and canola 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.
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, vegan sour cream or cashew cream, or guacamole.

How They're Made

Below 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!

Hand using a fork to fluff cilantro lime coconut rice in a saucepan.

Cook the rice. Heat the rice in a saucepan with water, light coconut milk, and salt. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and let it simmer, covered, until all of the liquid is absorbed. Take it off of heat, let it sit with the lid on for 5 minutes, then fluff it with a fork and add your lime juice and cilantro.

Diced onions cooking in a pot with garlic, hot peppers, and spices.

Cook the aromatics. Start by cooking your diced onion in some oil for a few minutes, until it just begins to soften. Now add minced garlic, jalapeño, and your spices. Continue cooking the mixture for a minute, now stirring the whole time to prevent burning.

Hand mashing black beans in a pot with a potato masher.

Cook the beans. Add beans and water to the pot, then simmer them for a few minutes to soften them up. Mash about half of the beans. I like using a potato masher, but a fork works, too.

Cilantro being stirred into black bean burrito filling in a pot.

Season the beans. Add some salt, pepper, lime juice, and chopped fresh cilantro to your beans. Be sure to give them a taste-test and make any adjustments you think are needed.

Tortilla with Black Bean Burrito fillings piled on top.

Load the tortillas. Divide the rice, bean fillings, and toppings up, placing them in a short strip down the center of each burrito. Be careful not to overfill them, or they'll be impossible to roll — you'll need less fillings than you'd think.

Roll. Orient the tortilla so the filling strip is perpendicular to you. Start by folding the side of the tortilla closest to you over the fillings. Tuck in the sides, then roll it away from you.

Tip: 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.

Hands holding two halves of a Black Bean Burrito.

Serve. Your black bean burritos are ready to enjoy!

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.

Meal Prep

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.

Variations

Burrito bowls. Skip the tortillas and toss everything into a bowl. You'll end up with more like 3 or 4 servings. If you're into this kind of thing, be sure to check out my vegan burrito bowl recipe.
Cauliflower rice. Lighten your burritos up by using cauliflower rice.
Skip the rice. You can also skip the rice completely (I do this sometimes when I'm feeling lazy). You'll end up with fewer burritos, and, fair warning, they'll be a bit on the sloppy side.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can these burritos be made gluten-free?

They sure can! Just use gluten-free tortillas.

How spicy are these burritos?

That's up to you! If you skip the jalapeño they'll be very mild, unless of course you use a spicy salsa or hot sauce. To keep the heat level low, stick with a mild salsa. For more heat, use that jalapeño and add cayenne pepper, or use a very spicy hot sauce. Ghost pepper, if you're feeling brave.

Can I use corn tortillas?

You can, but corn tortillas are much smaller, so you'll need more. You also probably won't be able to wrap them all the way, but that's fine — you'll have yourself some black bean tacos!

More Vegan Burritos

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