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These easy quinoa burritos with black beans are loaded with flavor, fiber, and plant-based protein for a truly satisfying, meat-free meal in under 30 minutes!
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Why You’ll Love These Quinoa Burritos
These quinoa burritos check all the boxes: super easy, budget-friendly, ready in under 30 minutes, and meal-prep or freezer friendly! It feels a little like magic to turn these simple pantry ingredients into a super flavorful and filling meal that’s customizable to your Mexican/Tex-Mex taste.
Start by layering in some fluffy quinoa for a complete protein, hearty black beans to satiate, fresh veggies for vitamins (and healthy fats!), and a pre-made sauce of your choosing. Then serve up a well-rounded meal that the whole family will be asking for again and again. Even better, enjoy in a rotation of sweet potato burritos and easy scrambled tofu breakfast burritos.
Looking for even more vegan Mexican-inspired dishes? You’ll love these bean and rice burritos, lentil tacos, tofu tacos, vegan bean quesadillas, sweet potato enchiladas, tofu fajitas, and vegan pupusas.
Ingredient Notes
Tortillas: Use large flour tortillas (gluten-free if needed) – I prefer whole wheat or tortillas de Harina.
Recipe Add-Ins
- Sweet potato: Diced and roasted for subtle sweetness and heartiness. Alternatively, use butternut squash or pumpkin.
- Other vegetables like fajita vegetables, corn (grilled, canned, or frozen), bell pepper (sauteed or roasted), zucchini, mushrooms, shredded lettuce (or massaged kale).
- Homemade salsa: Try easy pico de gallo, 5 minute garden fresh salsa, roasted chili corn salsa, 5 minute restaurant style blender salsa, tomatillo green chili salsa, or mango cucumber salsa.
- Jalapeño: Finely diced (or jarred green chili) will add heat.
- Vegan cheese: Use your favorite melty shredded vegan cheese, tofu feta cheese, or nacho cheese for a richer, ‘cheesy’ quinoa black bean burrito.
- Fresh herbs: Like cilantro, green onion, or flat-leaf parsley.
- Lime juice: A squeeze of lime juice adds brightness and depth.
How to Make Quinoa Burritos with Black Beans
Step 1: First, rinse the quinoa thoroughly, then combine the water and quinoa in a saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes until tender. Once ready, remove the pot from the heat and leave it to sit and ‘steam’ for 5 minutes before stirring in the seasonings to taste.
Step 2: Meanwhile, peel and dice the onion, dice the tomato and avocado, and heat the canned beans in a small saucepan over medium heat.
To add more flavor to the beans, optionally follow the method used to make vegan black bean lettuce wraps or vegan black bean taco filling.
Step 3: Gently heat the tortillas using your preferred method, such as in a microwave under a damp paper towel for 10-15 seconds. To assemble the vegan black bean burritos, add layers of quinoa, beans, onion, tomato, avocado, and a drizzle of sauce to the middle of the wrap.
Step 4: Then, wrap the burritos by first folding the top and bottom into the center over the filling. Then, fold one side into the middle and continue to roll it forward, tucking/squeezing gently as you go. Enjoy!
FAQs
You could make black bean and rice burritos instead, using cilantro lime rice or Spanish rice.
I prefer to use canned beans. If you want to cook the beans from dry, leave them to soak overnight first, then simmer in fresh water until tender (usually 1 ½-2 hours). For more flavor, try the frijoles de la olla recipe or make them in an slow cooker like in this Instant Pot pinto beans recipe.
Microwave stacks of up to 5 tortillas wrapped in damp paper towels for 30-40 seconds. If you’re heating a larger amount, stack them (in stacks of 6-8) in foil and bake for 10-15 minutes at 350F/175C.
Toni’s Recipe Tips
- Season to taste: Adjust any seasonings to fit your taste, as the quinoa can be fairly plain otherwise.
- Always warm the tortillas: It makes them much more pliable/easier to fold without ripping.
- Don’t overstuff the filling: Otherwise, you’ll struggle to roll the burritos properly. This can take a little practice to figure out, but you’ll get it.
- For a crispy burrito: Either pan-fry it in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes per side, use a panini press, or bake for about 10-12 minutes at 350F/180C.
- To make a quinoa burrito bowl: Assemble the fillings and serve them in a bowl with warm tortilla triangles or tortilla chips like these air fryer tortilla chips.
Serving Suggestions
- Corn: a classic combo, from elote (Mexican street corn), easy calabacitas, or Texas caviar.
- Chips and dips: like 5 minute restaurant style salsa, easy guacamole, etc.
- Salads: try vegan coleslaw, vegan Caesar salad, Mixed bean salad or Mexican fruit salad
- Fries: such as oven-baked sesame fries, easy oven baked sweet potato fries, or crispy garlic baked potato wedges
- Grilled or roasted vegetables: like bell peppers, zucchini, onion, etc.
Storage Instructions
Once assembled, it’s best to enjoy the vegan burrito within 24 hours to avoid it becoming soggy.
Fridge: To meal prep them, cook/prepare then store the various fillings in separate containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, assembling the burritos as needed.
Freezer: You can also freeze the quinoa burritos for up to 3 months, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then foil.
Reheat: Bake burritos in the oven at 350F/180C for about 10-15 minutes from thawed/chilled or 25-30 minutes from frozen, flipping halfway. Wrap in foil to keep soft.
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Quinoa Burritos With Black Beans
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Ingredients
- 1 cup of uncooked quinoa
- 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon of cumin or taco seasoning, or more to taste
- 2 (15-ounce) cans of black beans
- 8 whole wheat tortillas
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
- ¼ cup of creamy vegan salad dressing or your choice of sauce or salsa
Instructions
- Rinse quinoa well, then drain. Place both water and quinoa in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Cover, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until cooked. When finished, remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes. Add cumin or taco seasoning to taste and stir.
- Meanwhile, heat both cans of black beans in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Heat tortillas and layer with quinoa, beans (drain them with a strainer spoon before you place in burritos), onions, tomatoes, avocado, and a drizzle of sauce mixture. Wrap and enjoy.
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Notes
- Season to taste: Adjust any seasonings to fit your taste buds, as the quinoa can be fairly plain otherwise.
- Always warm the tortillas: It makes them much more pliable/easier to fold without ripping.
- Don’t overstuff the filling: Otherwise, you’ll struggle to roll the burritos properly. This can take a little practice to figure out, but you’ll get it.
- For a crispy burrito: Either pan-fry it in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes per side, use a panini press, or bake for about 10-12 minutes at 350F/180C.
