I’m pretty sure people are going to yell at me about this ranking. See, I set out in earnest to find the best frozen beef burritos at the grocery store and quickly discovered that a lot of them are very, very bad. They’re greasy enough to give you a stomachache. The meat tastes low quality and is typically ground to a pulp, except for those hateful bits of gristle. I don’t know about you, but when I want lunch, I seldom feel like eating a tortilla filled with some hardly identifiable slurry of oily ground beef—and that’s coming from someone who f***ing loves Taco Bell.
We recently tasted frozen bean burritos, frozen chicken burritos, and frozen breakfast burritos (ranking coming soon) and found so many good ones. My colleague Jordan Myrick and I split a leftover frozen chicken burrito for lunch just the other day! Suffice it to say, I’m not being a frozen burrito snob; this is a beef burrito problem, not a me problem.
You can be mad about this ranking, but here’s the thing: I won’t recommend a product to you that I wouldn’t buy again. If we rank it, that’s because we really like it and think you should spend your hard-earned money on it. And, sadly, hard-earned-money-worthy frozen beef burritos are few and far between. In fact, our number one pick isn’t a beef burrito at all—more on that in a sec. Here is our very brief ranking of the best frozen beef burritos.
- El Monterey Signature Shredded Steak, Cheese & Rice Burrito
Okay, spoiler, the best frozen beef burrito we tried is actually made with plant-based ground “beef.” It’s extremely tasty and I really think you should try it, even if you are not vegetarian (which I am also not). But some people are just really turned off by plant-based protein. I know not why, but that’s life! Anyway, if you absolutely insist on eating a frozen beef burrito that’s made with actual cow, I recommend El Monterey’s shredded steak burrito with cheese and rice. It has actual beef flavor, isn’t overly oily, and isn’t all gristly. The best part is that it is filled with gobs of creamy white cheese, which make it feel more like fun fast food. Jordan liked the heavily seasoned flavor (lots of cumin, for sure) and the quality of the meat—”shredded beef is the way to go,” they said. I agree!
Related: Best Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Alpha Plant-Based Mexicali Burrito
Yep, this vegan ground beef burrito is the best frozen beef burrito we tried by a mile. It’s filled with “meatless beef-style crumble,” dairy-free spicy cheddar cheese, and onions in taco sauce. The filling is very cheesy and satisfying, a little spicy and a bit tangy. And the crumbles have a big soy protein flavor. What I’m saying is, this burrito is very meaty but in a fake meat sort of way. This isn’t going to trick anyone into believing it’s made with beef, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing! Embrace the crumbles, people. This burrito also cooked up better in the microwave than any of the others we tried—the tortilla didn’t get all hard and dried out. If you’re willing to give fake beef a try, give this burrito a shot!
Related: The Best Taco Sauce for Every Type of Taco
Credit: Merc / Alpha Foods
Best Actual Beef
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: El Monterey Beef & Bean Red Chili Burritos, El Monterey Beef & Bean Burritos, El Monterey Beef & Bean Green Chili Burritos, Red’s Steak & Cheddar, Tina’s Beef & Bean / Green Chile, Casa Mamita Beef & Bean, Artisan Bistro Grilled Steak
Really, just two burritos and one isn’t even beef? If this was the best frozen burritos maybe it could slide, but not like this.
Came here for the best frozen beef burrito, that’s NOT beef. Get off the site you hack!
Those burritos suck you need to try Ramona’s