14 Breakfast Burrito Tips Reddit Swears By

Breakfast burritos just might be the perfect morning food. Not only are they delicious, but they're also easy to eat on the move and simple to make. Given their popularity, Reddit obviously has thoughts on the best ways to prepare them. The dish has spawned multiple threads, with folks eager to share recipes and tricks. What's revealing is how adaptable the burrito is to regional ingredients and personal preferences. The recipes and techniques we uncovered demonstrate that there are dozens of ways to make the perfect burrito. Given the plethora of options, there's never a reason to be stuck in a burrito rut.

Like most foods, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact time and place the breakfast burrito was invented. However, Tia Sophia's, a diner in Santa Fe, added a breakfast burrito to its menu in the 1970s, and that's generally accepted as the OG. The breakfast burrito the diner serves today includes eggs, potato, and a choice of sausage, ham, bacon, or bologna. Then, the burrito is smothered in chile and topped with cheese. That's just one way to make it, so read on for Reddit tips to get the most out of your breakfast burrito.

There are a lot of different fillings you can use in a breakfast burrito, but the tortilla is non-negotiable. It's the key element that makes a burrito a burrito. This might sound like basic knowledge to many home cooks, but you've got to heat the tortilla before working with it. One poster added that tip to a Reddit thread, explaining that it makes it easier to work with when you're wrapping everything up, along with the fact that it improves the overall flavor of the burrito.

It blew one Redditor's mind when they learned this, which inspired some good-natured ribbing. "I've been cooking for lots of years but never once had thought to heat a flour tortilla up," they said. "Thank you, I feel like a new man in the kitchen." For people who have never done otherwise, it might be a stretch to call warming a tortilla a tip, but it's an important step when making a breakfast burrito.

Many Redditors claim it's not about the fillings — it's about the sauce you put on the burrito. "Good salsa/hot sauce fixes all problems," one Redditor claimed. Others agreed, with some stating that while the fillings were the easy part, it was the sauce that brought it all together.

However, there was less agreement on the type of sauce to use. Preferences included pico de gallo, jalapeño crema, creamy chipotle, and standard Tabasco. Ultimately, for most Redditors, the importance of including a sauce in your breakfast burrito seemed to have less to do with which sauce you chose, and more about making sure any sauce was present.

One tip frequently mentioned by Redditors was to use the sauce as a topping or dip, rather than slathering it inside the burrito. While that is not a hard and fast rule, it was repeated often enough that it bears mentioning. "Salsa inside is too wet, and negatively affects the structure," according to one Redditor. The key is to use sauce to enhance the flavors without soaking the burrito and making it fall apart.

One recommendation that we wholeheartedly endorse is using tater tots for the potato element of the burrito. The crispy shell and soft interior mimic the flavor and texture of hash browns, but in a bite-sized morsel that easily wraps inside a tortilla. While tater tots are often a substitute for fries on lunch and dinner plates, their origin story includes a breakfast platter and an underhanded bribe. Adding tater tots to a burrito on the breakfast menu is just taking them back to their roots.

Potatoes are among the most common ingredients Redditors mentioned adding to breakfast burritos. Not only do they bring heft and flavor, but they can also add a crunchy texture that contrasts nicely with the softer ingredients like scrambled eggs and melted cheese. A few commenters said they put french fries in their breakfast burrito, and hash browns were a popular choice to achieve a similar result. But tater tots reigned supreme as the potato hack to elevate a burrito. Reddit says that any crispy potato lovers who haven't added tots to their breakfast burrito yet need to jump on this one ASAP.

There is an exception to every rule, and while the virtues of extra-crispy tater tots were extolled by many Redditors, there was also a persuasive argument for the merits of using creamy mashed potatoes. Instead of the crunch of tots, this style leans into a luxurious smoothness by using soft scrambled eggs and melted cheese that merge into a gooey bite. The texture you'd be missing from the tater tots? It can come from sausage or bacon.

Another recommendation was to refry the mashed potatoes and load them up with spices before combining them with scrambled eggs, cheddar, and bacon bits. The secret to making Michelin star-worthy mashed potatoes is an overlooked kitchen tool called a tamis. It resembles a springform pan but has a fine mesh grate on one side. When you press boiled potatoes through the sieve, they obtain a perfectly smooth consistency without breaking down and turning sticky. Diners who enjoy extra creamy mashed potatoes might want to invest in a tamis, and then follow Reddit's advice and add them to their breakfast burrito.

Given many people's love affair with cheese, it's not surprising that Reddit posters have thoughts on how it should be used. Cheddar was often the most commonly recommended burrito cheese by posters, but others such as Monterey Jack, Mexican three-cheese blend, and American cheese were also praised. However, the tips usually had less to do with the type of cheese to use, and more to do with how to use it. The key? Make sure it's evenly spread.

"I put shredded cheese on almost the entire tortilla surface except where you wrap it shut. This ensures cheese in every bite," one poster wrote. That's almost like making a quesadilla and rolling it into a burrito. Another commenter had a similar approach, but with an added twist (or flip?) to give it a crunchy texture. "Spread some shredded cheese on one side of the tortilla, then cook it face down. Browned cheese in every bite," they wrote.

Since New Mexico is the recognized birthplace of breakfast burritos, it's worth giving particular deference to diners from that state. The overwhelming sentiment from New Mexico Redditors was that breakfast burritos need to include green chiles. "Green chile is the single most important element of a breakfast burrito," one person stated definitively. Others from the region agreed, so adding a slightly smoky, spicy Hatch chile to a breakfast burrito is a tasty way to salute its birthplace.

Hatch chiles can only be grown in Hatch, New Mexico, but those aren't the only green chiles in the country. Colorado also grows a green chile called a Pueblo pepper, which is spicier than a Hatch pepper and has a fruitier flavor. They're popular in the Centennial State and a key ingredient in a regional specialty that hasn't yet taken off nationwide — Colorado green chili. Many Colorado-based Redditors also mentioned green chiles as an essential ingredient in breakfast burritos, though it's likely they were referring to the Pueblo pepper. While jalapeños, serranos, and poblanos are all great green pepper options for adding a touch of heat, none are as classic as the Hatch pepper.

Most breakfast burritos contain ingredients such as eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, and cheese, but those are not the only options. There are a lot of beef eaters in this country, and some came to Reddit to tell us beef was the secret ingredient to a delicious morning burrito. Steak and eggs is a classic, decadent breakfast, and a commenter pointed out that wrapping the contents in a tortilla was the best way to eat the duo in bed. What's more decadent than that?

Other Redditors pointed out that it wasn't just steak that goes well in a breakfast burrito. One of them recommended smoking a brisket or cooking a roast and using the meat to make an elevated burrito. When you get your hands on some of the best brisket in the U.S., it might be perfect time to take Reddit's advice and turn it into a breakfast burrito. Wrap the juicy meat in a warm tortilla with scrambled eggs, cheese, and french fries (or tater tots, your choice). Then, spoon on some queso and hot sauce. Delish.

The egg preparation of choice for breakfast burritos is typically scrambled. Not only are they simple to prepare, but they also taste great and wrap easily inside a tortilla. Most important of all, they are easy to eat on the go. With scrambled eggs wrapped snugly in a warm tortilla, you can easily grip the burrito in one fist and take bites between sips of coffee as you navigate a busy sidewalk. But some Redditors suggest sacrificing the portability of a scrambled egg for the rich flavor of an over-easy fried egg.

This tip isn't for everyone — runny egg yolks divide Reddit. Some people think they are absolutely disgusting, while others compare a hard yolk to a well-done steak (and not in a complimentary way). This recommendation is for fried egg lovers who use crispy bacon to break the golden dome, and then mop the plate with toast to get every last drop of yellow goodness. For those people, a fried egg with a runny yolk is the ultimate way to upgrade a breakfast burrito, and even worth using a plate for.

One of the Redditors advocating for over-easy eggs was from Key West, the southernmost point of the continental U.S. This small island on the southern tip of Florida is roughly 90 miles from Cuba and the Latin American country influences the cuisine. While most of the ingredient combinations we've examined so far have included some variation of egg, potato, and an orange-colored cheese (opinions are split between cheddar, American, and Mexican blend cheeses), this Cuban-influenced breakfast burrito veers in a different direction. Along with an over-easy egg, it calls for black beans, yellow rice, and feta.

While there are certainly regional differences in the ingredients, they are more tweaks than reinventions. Most breakfast burritos gravitate toward potatoes instead of rice, but rice is a popular ingredient in Mission-style lunch burritos. While the black beans and rice are common Cuban flavors, the feta is a bit of a wild card. The cheese choice is likely due to the personal preference of the poster, who said it was what they normally had on-hand. In any case, when you are looking for a change of pace in your burrito routine, try making a Cuban-style rendition that includes rice and black beans. 

Gravy is one of the most popular items on the menu at a Southern diner. It's often cooked with sausage until it is thick and creamy, then ladled over buttermilk biscuits. That classic breakfast was one of Johnny Cash's favorite vintage country dishes, but it's not so common to find gravy in breakfast burritos. However, a couple of folks took to Reddit to tell us that's something to rethink. According to them, gravy is the missing ingredient to take burritos to the next level.

One poster said they encountered the phenomenon by chance when they discovered a burrito named the Billy Bob, which was the best they ever tried. The behemoth contained a mix of sausage, eggs, bacon, and onion layered with crispy hash browns and country gravy spooned over the top. Another poster also recommended using gravy in the burrito, but they added an interesting flavor twist of their own by using chorizo to make the gravy. If you're looking for an unexpected ingredient to make a memorable breakfast burrito, Reddit thinks you might want to try gravy.

Can you ever have too much of a good thing? According to some Redditors, you absolutely can. The top advice from these posters was to monitor the portions of each ingredient to keep the ratios in check. "A key aspect is to not overload it with eggs," one person said. In addition to a moderate amount of eggs, their recipe included diced ham, onions, peppers, crispy potato chunks, and American cheese. So while it might not be overloaded on eggs, it's still a hefty burrito.

Other posters agreed, and said that the eggs need to be present, without taking over. According to these Redditors, restraint is called for. While their advice was specific to eggs, it's a good tip to keep in mind with all the ingredients. A breakfast burrito is about melding flavors together, and that could be difficult if one ingredient is dominant. What constitutes too much will vary by person, but before rolling your burrito, these Redditors suggest you think about the ratio of ingredients and add or subtract where needed.

Breakfast burritos can get excessively elaborate. And sure, there is a time and a place for a kitchen sink burrito that combines every tasty ingredient in the fridge and wraps it in a warm tortilla. When you start reading through Reddit and seeing all the interesting ingredients people add to breakfast burritos, it's easy to lose sight of the simple goodness of a relatively plain burrito.

Nevertheless, one Redditor advised the community to keep it simple. Eggs, one meat, one veggie, and cheese was enough in their estimation. But the key isn't just in using fewer ingredients, it's also about executing the preparation correctly. Their advice was to cook the meats and veggies first, and then set them aside while cooking the eggs. Then, once the eggs are about 75% done, add the meat and veggies back in. Any earlier, and the wet eggs will soak into the other ingredients and give the burrito a soggy texture. Any later, and the ingredients don't fully integrate.

While it hasn't taken off everywhere, beans are a popular ingredient in breakfast burritos and tacos in some parts of the country. They're especially popular in places such as Southern California and Texas, where Mexican food has a strong influence on the regional cuisine. Those who haven't added refried beans to a breakfast burrito might be pleasantly surprised by how well they carry the other flavors. "My dude, add some refried beans in there and you'll thank me," one poster wrote. "They are basically the mayo of the breakfast burrito that just brings everything together."

Bean and egg burritos are a comforting staple for many people, and a no-frills way to make a delicious and budget-friendly breakfast. "We used to eat this all the time growing up," one Redditor commented. "Just refried beans and scrambled eggs wrapped in a tortilla." They noted that cheese and salsa were also welcome additions, but not necessary for a successful pairing.

Bacon and breakfast sausage get the majority of shout-outs as recommended breakfast burrito fillings, but some Redditors say that chorizo is the go-to ingredient for a stellar rendition. The first thing to know is that there is a difference between Mexican and Spanish chorizo. Spanish chorizo is a cured meat packed with flavor from paprika and garlic. While it can be chopped and added to a perfectly good breakfast burrito, typically, when people recommend chorizo for burritos they are referring to the Mexican version of the sausage.

Mexican chorizo is made from ground pork and needs to be cooked. It's usually fried in a medium-heat skillet until slightly crispy on the edges. It tends to be a greasy sausage, so you will probably want to drain the excess after it's cooked. It's often used in two-ingredient burritos and goes great with eggs, potatoes, or refried beans, but the recipe one Redditor shared is more involved than just two ingredients. It calls for scrambled eggs, chorizo, air-fried potatoes, and Oaxaca cheese. They recommend assembling the burrito and then brushing the outside of the tortilla with olive oil, before air frying it for a few minutes until the burrito is toasted and the cheese has melted.