5 Best Frozen Burrito Bowls (Because You Can’t Eat Chipotle Every Day)

Frozen burritos have long been a staple of the freezer aisle, but the frozen burrito bowl is a newer phenomenon. As fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle continue to popularize the concept of a deconstructed burrito, packaged food purveyors are getting in on the action—but can even the best burrito bowl at the grocery store rival a freshly constructed heap of rice, beans, meat, and toppings? 

In short, no. No it can’t. This was a toughie of a taste test, guys. I went into it with an open mind and emerged with a deep suspicion of frozen burrito bowls and an abiding desire to never consume one again. 

Okay, I’m being dramatic—the best burrito bowls in the frozen aisle have their virtues. They’re cheaper than takeout. They’re ready to eat in just a few minutes. Some of them qualify as the sort of comforting slop that really hits the spot once in a while. All we really wanted was high quality meat (and a decent amount of it), beans that aren’t mealy, and rice that has bite but isn’t hard. Calling some of these the best burrito bowls is a stretch, but you could do worse than these five.

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Best Grain Variety

Trader Joe’s Chicken Burrito Bowl

Trader Joe’s

If you happen to absolutely love cumin, Trader Joe’s makes the best burrito bowl for you. This frozen burrito bowl has bits of chicken, a few kernels of corn, green peppers, and black beans, and everything is redolent with smoky cumin. Given that I think cumin smells like someone else’s B.O., this frozen burrito bowl isn’t for me, but I did appreciate that it’s covered in a good amount of melty cheese and that the base includes quinoa along with regular ol’ rice. At least you’re getting some fiber with your cumin. 

Credit: Merc / Trader Joe’s

Rating:

5.5/10

Sporks

Best Low Carb Burrito Bowl

Real Good Foods Co. Chicken Burrito Bowl

Instacart

I can barely recommend this, but what the hay: If you really want a low carb burrito bowl option, then this exists. It’s extremely creamy. When you open the packaging, all you can see in the bowl is cheese. Lots and lots of shredded cheese that forms a thick layer atop the rest of the ingredients in the bowl—and to be honest, there isn’t much of which to speak in the way of other ingredients. There’s a little bit of cauliflower rice, a few pieces of chicken (which are actually quite nice), and a few black beans. This is mostly gloop. I hated the flavor of the red sauce that comes on this burrito bowl when I first took a bite, but as I kept eating (and picking dried cheese off the sides of the bowl) the whole thing kind of grew on me. It’s the best burrito bowl if burrito bowls made with rice don’t fit into your diet.

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Best Meat

Cholula Burrito Bowl Chili Lime Pork Carnitas

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Both Tapatio and Cholula recently released lines of frozen burrito bowls, and even though we prefer Tapatio’s hot sauce to Cholula’s, Cholula is making better bowls (which, granted, isn’t saying a lot). This Cholula frozen burrito bowl contains rice, beans, peppers, and two small hunks of pork, which is a shame because the pork actually tastes pretty good. It’s shreddy, lightly seasoned, and so much more flavorful than the chicken in any of the bowls we tasted. This frozen burrito bowl would’ve ranked way higher if they hadn’t been so dang stingy!

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Best Chicken Burrito Bowl

Cholula Chipotle Chicken

Instacart

Okay, I am willing to list this among the best burrito bowls, but this review comes with a lot of caveats. First of all, it’s very smoky, but that smoky flavor is better than no flavor at all. The beans are a little dry and grainy, but the rice is pretty good. And even though this bowl has a lot of pepper skins, I let it slide because the skins actually have some pepper meat attached to them. If you’re going to buy this, be prepared to spruce it up with some sour cream, pickled jalapenos, and shredded cheese.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Best of the Best

Stouffer’s Bowlfulls Queso Chicken Burrito Bowl

Instacart

I didn’t hate this frozen burrito bowl as much as I thought I would. It’s absolutely covered in queso, which reminded me more of the creamy sauce that comes on enchiladas suizas than it reminded me of queso. The flavor profile is exactly what you expect: Mexican spices filtered through the lens of a frozen food company that caters to people who kind of enjoy bland food (no shame!). The chicken is firm rather than spongy, and the corn kernels contribute little pops of fresh flavor. There are, like, seven black beans in this bowl—why bother? Unlike some of the other burrito bowls we tried, this one is good to go without additional sprucing up—most of these REALLY need a dollop of sour cream or a handful of shredded lettuce on top—which makes it a nice, easy work lunch. I won’t say it will scratch your Chipotle itch. It will not. But it’s the best frozen burrito bowl for people who just want a cheesy, saucy casserole by another name.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Other frozen burrito bowls we tried: Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Unwrapped Burrito Bowl, Tapatio Salsa Verde Steak Bowl, Tattooed Chef, Tapatio Chicken Burrito Bowl