10 Store-Bought Frozen Bean Burritos, Ranked Worst To Best

There's really nothing more useful to have in your freezer than a bean burrito. High in protein and easy to reheat, the inexpensive frozen entrees make miracles out of tight wallets and busy schedules, affording even vegetarians an easy dinner or snack on the go. For some of us, bean burritos are a fond college memory — the tightly wrapped filling of warm bean and melty cheese a late night lifeline after long nights at the library (or after too many libations).

However, not all bean burritos are created equal. Though many replicate the soft and savory quality of Taco Bell's beloved burritos, just as many are uniquely delicious, made with ingredients that could rival the best restaurants. Does the added effort make a burrito any more worthwhile to keep around, or does the nostalgia of a simple bean and cheese still beat the complexities of more expensive options? To find out, I rounded up every frozen bean burrito I could find and tried them side by side, ranking them by taste, texture, quality, and value. Most of all, I noted which ones burst in the microwave and which ones warmed perfectly through — because nothing is worse than a mess of bean and cheese, no matter the flavor.

While some burritos on the list landed exactly where I thought they would, others surprised me: and not exactly in a good way. El Monterey is a Texas-based company that boasts the tagline "America's #1 Frozen Mexican Food," selling large, colorful bags of frozen taquitos, chimichangas, and burritos. I expected that a company located in the birth state of Tex-Mex cuisine would have mastered the simplest frozen rendition of the food, but interestingly, that prediction was wrong.

As one of the only burritos on the list to have air fryer instructions (my favorite cooking method), I decided to air fry the first batch assuming that would yield the best results — usually, the air fryer makes magic out of any food you throw into it. After a long, near-20 minute cook time, I opened the air fryer to find two semi-crispy, partially burst burritos, already sinking El Monterey's rating below my expectations. Biting into the burrito was far worse: the tortilla was thick and dry, and the refried bean center was so sparse it offered almost no flavor at all. I decided to give the benefit of the doubt that I chose the wrong cooking method, testing the next two burritos in the microwave instead. While this fixed the bursting, crisping, and density of the tortilla, it made the bean mixture's flavor even more prominent: and not in a good way. The flavorless mush cemented my original ranking — even with the improved tortilla — leading to its ranking in the back of the pack.

The second of the two air fried burritos on the list, Red's makes better use of the convection appliance than El Monterey, but still falls short of being a perfect bean-filled snack. Red's burrito also calls for a long cook time of nearly 20 minutes, and this time, the burrito lost nearly half its filling while cooking. Guilty of the same results in the microwave, the burrito loses marks for bursting: a crucial indicator of quality.

A simple refried pinto mixture, the filling isn't remarkable or noteworthy; in fact, it's a little bland, ranking it near the bottom of the bean burrito list. Though the burrito had worse bursting than the El Monterey burrito, the filling still included more bean with a slightly better taste, so the ranking just barely escaped last place. The tortilla crisped in the air fryer, making it more similar to a chimichanga than a burrito — though this doesn't happen in the microwave, so if you find yourself with a pack of Red's burritos, choose your appliance wisely.

What's most remarkable about Walmart's Great Value burritos is the price: the burritos come in a pack of eight for just $3.82. This means that each burrito is worth just under 50 cents, making them by far the cheapest option on the list. This doesn't automatically make them bad, though — after all, beans and tortillas are some of the cheapest ingredients you can find. How they are used, however, can make or break the dish.

Bracing myself for what I assumed to be the worst on the list, I dug into the small, ragged burrito, noticing first that it didn't burst in the microwave like the others. The tortilla didn't exactly look good, but it was soft and chewy, with a distinct flour taste any store-bought tortilla might have. The filling is what impressed me the most: though it was nothing like the pictured burrito on the front of the package (the food stylist did some heavy lifting there), it was flavorful, with some whole-bean texture that put it a step above plain mush. Combined with the low price, I noted that this was the burrito I'd likely keep on hand for late nights — it cures a Taco Bell craving for half the cost, which puts it a little higher on the list than some others.

The best Mexican food is often the cheapest. Relying less on pretentious ingredients and instead focusing on taste and technique, a good burrito can certainly be one made simply by someone who knows what they are doing. Tina's is a good example of this, the brand's burrito famous for being 30 to 50 cents — cheaper than even Walmart's Great Value pack. Mine was over $1, making it hard to excuse the quality as it simply being a budget burrito. With the price increase in mind, how does Tina's hold up next to nine other brands?

I had some suspicions, looking at each, that the Great Value burrito was simply a repackaged version of Tina's bean and cheese. The two look identical on the outside, both about the same size and width with a similar white flour tortilla. Slicing into Tina's burrito I immediately saw the difference, which became even more apparent in tasting the filling. Slightly more spiced than Walmart's version, Tina's just barely edges out the burritos at the bottom of the list, bolstered by the soft tortilla and lack of bursting in the microwave. If this burrito was still 30 cents, I'd give it more credit for its value — but among other, now similarly priced budget burrito options, it falls towards the bottom of the list.

Whole Foods' burrito is hard to look at. The worst bursting of the list, the long, thin burrito flattens when heated, the beans spilling out on either end. Worse, the tortilla is so thin that it rips apart instantly, nearly disintegrating against the moist paper towel it's supposed to be heated within. I'd normally rank a burrito this horrific looking at the bottom of the list, but I had to make an exception here for one reason: it tastes pretty good.

The burritos on the bottom half of the list are all similarly filled with a smooth refried pinto bean mixture, a classic filling that can easily be made badly by the wrong person (or brand). Within this group of simple, refried bean burritos, the Whole Foods Bean & Cheese leads in flavor, offering something both lightly spiced and savory without being overdone. Though Walmart's is the bean burrito I'd keep on hand for alcohol-driven snacking, Whole Foods is the burrito I'd reach for when craving a simple, soft burrito, the filling straightforward and satisfying. Best of all, it's still cheap, sitting at just under $2.

The vegetarian, ready-made meal brand sets out to offer a totally different, healthy, organic product in every category, seemingly dominating every store's freezer aisle with unique and healthy options. The problem with health-conscious foods is that they can often compromise flavor in pursuit of better-for-you ingredients — which is why I was hesitant about Amy's burritos, popular as they seemed to be.

Thankfully they passed the microwave test, neither bursting, sticking, nor cracking, though they took a little longer to cook than the package suggests. With the burrito finally warmed through, I dug in, pleasantly surprised to find a filling so plentiful it nearly spilled over the knife I used to slice through it. Unlike the burritos ranked lower, Amy's burrito has plenty of filling, even including some whole pinto beans left in for texture. The flavor isn't noteworthy, tasting about the same as Whole Foods' burrito but with double the volume. The tortilla is what stands out the most, tasting notably different from the ones before it; and likely it's because of the rice flour listed in the ingredients. The tortillas have a homemade-quality, which sets the burritos firmly above their competitors.

Feel Good Foods is another brand with a health-conscious mission, this time focusing on gluten-free foods made without artificial colors, flavors, or sweeteners. The only gluten-free option of the list, this both intrigued me and frightened me, knowing well just how dry and flavorless gluten-free foods can be. Still, it's exciting to see a brand tackle a gluten-free burrito, being one of the only Mexican foods that tends not to be naturally gluten-free. 

Interestingly, the tortilla is the best part of this frozen burrito — and I had little complaints about everything else inside of it. Pliable, chewy, and thick, the rice and tapioca-based tortilla held together the fillings while heating, leading to a clean, warm burrito with no bursting or spilling. The filling itself is good, too: a mixture of whole and refried beans bathed in salsa roja and cheese, the burrito is filled with texture and flavor in a way other pinto-based burritos were not. Better, the Feel Good burrito includes rice and poblano peppers, giving it a unique taste and texture that made me want to buy it again. The downsides are ironic: the burrito is higher in sodium and calories than most on the list, even though the burrito is one of the smallest and most health-conscious otherwise. Being that the burrito is delicious and gluten free (a rare combination), I'd call the extra salt worth it.

Instead of refried pinto beans, Amy's Kitchen's Black Bean Burrito is a mixture of whole black beans, broccoli, potatoes, and corn all wrapped with cheese inside the brand's signature homemade tortilla. The result is a burrito that differs quite a bit from the rest on the list — which for me, puts it a step above.

Of course, I'm not ranking the burrito higher solely for differing from the rest of the burritos — while using whole black beans is unique and texturally interesting, it also just tastes a little bit better than the refried competitors. The variety of vegetables that the beans are mixed with add flavor that is even better accentuated with chiles and spices reminiscent of Southwestern cuisine. The resulting flavor tastes a bit like burritos you'd find in New Mexico or Arizona. The black bean burrito is flavorful all around, with a chewy, homemade-tasting tortilla and enough filling to make a satisfying meal, leading it to the top of the list.

What can't Trader Joe's do? Actually, I'll admit that the store's burritos can be hit-or-miss, sometimes reheating into gooey messes bursting out of dry tortilla seams. You have to choose your burritos carefully; but with the right one, you can strike gold. In the case of the Bean, Rice, & Cheese Burritos, Trader Joe's hits a jackpot, nailing both texture and flavor easily.

The Trader Joe's burritos are the second largest of the bunch: the burritos are about 6 inches long and a few inches wide. To sweeten the deal, the burritos are packaged as sets of two, making them one of the better deals of the list (even if they aren't 50 cents each). What really sets them apart, though, is the filling, which is textured and flavorful while still maintaining the classic refried pinto quality. Trader Joe's mixes refried pintos with whole, then combines both with cheese, rice, spices, and Anaheim peppers, creating the perfect late-night burrito snack that also feels a little healthy, too. My only complaint was that the burrito was a little too cumin-forward — however, for some, that may not be a complaint, but a feature.

I'll admit I let the packaging sway me a little bit here: Vista Hermosa is by far the most stylish of the group, packaged in colorful plastic wrappers with funky, retro writing. Each burrito is filled with traditional Mexican ingredients like cactus (nopales), árbol and guajillo chiles, and epazote, making this burrito not only one of the most unique but also one of the most authentic. It's not the soft and squishy refried snack we're used to frozen burritos being — it's a burrito you can proudly call dinner.

The quality comes with a cost: the Vista Hermosa burritos are nearly triple the price of most burritos on the list. Can a single burrito be worth almost $6, so much so that it tops the list? The answer is definitively yes, so long as you're seeking a burrito without refried beans. The burrito is wide and heavy, almost large enough to rival restaurant-quality burritos. The filling is thoughtfully seasoned and far more spicy than others, a flavor I'm sure comes from the blend of peppers and chiles. Though the burrito costs more, you'd likely only need one to be satisfied, whereas burritos like Great Value and Tina's require two or more to qualify as a filling dinner. Taste, texture, quality, and value combined, this burrito tops the list, and is the burrito I'd most look forward to eating again.

There are a lot of reasons to eat frozen bean burritos, and each one may make a different burrito great. The burrito I'd stock the refrigerator with for late night snacking may look different than the burrito I'd choose to buy for a quick and healthy lunch, and the burrito I'd most recommend for pairing with salsas and melted cheese would likely differ from the burrito I'd serve guests for a last-minute dinner. 

With that in mind, I kept the rankings objective to flavor, texture, tortilla quality, value, and re-heatability. The best burritos had soft, pliable tortillas with flavorful inner fillings that were neither too wet nor too dry. I scored lower the burritos that had burst in the microwave or were scarce in filling, keeping in mind that this also affected their overall flavor and value. To differentiate between similar burritos, I simply asked myself which I'd rather buy again — and which I'd more confidently serve to a friend.