How To Reheat A Chipotle Or Qdoba Burrito

Chipotle and Qdoba burritos are hefty with large tortillas and generous fillings, and there’s a good chance that you may have leftovers. 

Leftover burritos are a convenient meal for the next day, and unless you like them cold, you need to know how to properly reheat them.

So, how do you reheat a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito? The best way to reheat a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito to retain all of its flavors and textures is in the oven or microwave. Other ways include using the stove, grill, or the air fryer.

Read on to find out more about 5 of the best ways to reheat a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito and how to store the leftovers to ensure the perfect results!

Can You Reheat A Chipotle Or Qdoba Burrito?

Before we discuss the best ways to reheat a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito, you need to know whether or not you can do it in the first place, and the main determining factor is how well you handled and stored it.

According to the USDA guidelines, foods kept between 40°F and 140°F are in the danger zone and become susceptible to bacterial growth.

To prevent that from happening, perishable items such as burritos must be refrigerated within 2 hours of being at room temperature, or within 1 hour if the ambient temperature is hot and humid.

Refrigerating within this time frame lowers the risk of bacterial spread and contamination and avoids possible food poisoning on consumption.

Therefore, to store your leftover burrito from Chipotle or Qdoba, wrap it in some aluminum foil, put it in a plastic bag, and keep it in an airtight container.

This triple wrapping technique will help the burrito retain its moisture when stored in the refrigerator.

Make sure to set the temperature of the fridge to at least 40°F and, for the best taste and texture, reheat and eat the leftover burrito within 2 days.

For long-term storage, you can even freeze your leftover Chipotle or Qdoba burritos by wrapping them in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and laying them on a sheet pan.

Once they are fully frozen, you can put them in a sealed bag and store them in the freezer, where they should be good for up to 3 months.

The Best Ways To Reheat A Chipotle Or Qdoba Burrito

Chipotle and Qdoba burritos are delicious and packed with various ingredients with different tastes and textures. Both are quite similar in their offerings and quality of ingredients and, therefore, can be reheated in the same way.

One of the biggest issues when reheating them is that while you would want to warm certain ingredients, such as the meat, rice, and beans, you would want the other ingredients, such as the lettuce and guacamole, to not get warm.

Also, you would want to sufficiently heat the insides of the burrito and warm up the tortilla without burning it.

According to the USDA, you must reheat meat items such as burritos from Chipotle and Qdoba to an internal temperature of 165°F. Use a probe or meat thermometer to check whether or not it is safe to eat.

That being said, while we all love Chipotle and Qdoba burritos, not everyone knows how to reheat them properly.

It’s not as simple as just tossing it in the microwave since you may very well end up with a soggy mess that is unevenly warmed and unappetizing.

Here are some of the best ways to reheat a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito to make sure the flavor, texture, and freshness all remain intact:

1. Use The Oven

Although reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito in the oven takes the longest, it is one of the best ways to evenly heat the whole burrito. 

Also, compared to using the microwave, stove, or air fryer, where you can reheat a maximum of 2 burritos at once, you can reheat lots of burritos at a time using an oven.

You must, however, keep in mind that since an oven cooks with dry hot air, although it warms the burrito evenly, higher heat may cause the tortilla to brown and turn crispy and the filling to dry out.

The good news is that there is a simple solution for this. All you have to do is wrap the leftover burrito in aluminum foil in order to keep the moisture locked in.

Here are step-by-step instructions for reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito in the oven:

• Preheat the oven to 250°F.
• Remove any wrappers from the burrito, such as foil, paper, or plastic.
• If your burrito has cold fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole, open the burrito and remove them.
• Loosely wrap the burrito in light aluminum foil making sure to completely cover any exposed parts. No need to use the heavy-duty variety.
• Place the wrapped burrito on an oven-safe baking pan.
• Heat the burrito in the oven for around 30 minutes or until it has properly warmed. Chipotle and Qdoba burritos are generally thicker and take longer to heat than small Taco Bell burritos.
• Once properly heated, remove the burrito from the oven and replace any cold ingredients that you took out earlier. You may also add more cold fillings if you want.

2. Use The Microwave

Reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito in the microwave is a quick and easy way to warm up those delicious leftovers. However, if not done right, it could dry out your burrito.

To make sure it stays moist and is heated the right way, wrap the burrito in a damp paper towel before microwaving it to keep the tortilla soft.

Also, never overheat the burrito as the longer it will cook, the tougher and drier it will become due to lost moisture. Therefore, instead of heating it for too long initially, gradually add time to the microwave.

Lastly, make sure to use the microwave turntable so that the burrito gets warmed evenly and from all sides.

Here are step-by-step instructions for reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito in the microwave:

• Remove any wrappers from the burrito, such as foil, paper, or plastic.
• If your burrito has cold fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole, open the burrito and remove them.
• Rewrap the burrito.
• Get a damp paper towel. It should not be dripping.
• Wrap the paper towel around the burrito, making sure to cover the entire burrito, including the open area on top.
• Place the wrapped burrito on a microwave-safe dish.
• Turn on the microwave on high power.
• For bigger burritos, start with 45 seconds. For small burritos, 30 seconds should be enough.
• Flip the burrito and heat it for an additional 15-20 seconds.
• Continue warming it until it is warm according to your requirements.
• Once it is done, take the paper towel off the burrito, open it, and replace any cold ingredients that you took out earlier. You may also add more cold fillings if you want.

3. Use The Stove

Reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito on the stove is another great way that offers effective results in much less time.

Therefore, if you do not have access to an oven or microwave, you can easily reheat your leftover burritos on the stove in a skillet.

You may want to unwrap and open the burrito to heat it evenly, especially when it comes to thicker burritos from Chipotle or Qdoba, but it may be kind of tricky, especially if your burrito is particularly wet.

Unrolling and then rolling a soggy burrito can be quite a challenge, which is why it is best to leave it rolled up during the reheating process.

To make sure the fillings warm up just as nicely as the tortilla, you can keep a lid on the pan to trap the heat.

Here are step-by-step instructions for reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito on the stove:

1. Place a large skillet on the stove. Make sure it comes with a lid.
2. Turn the stove on medium heat and add ½ tsp of oil to the pan to prevent the burrito from sticking to it.
3. If you can, unfold the burrito and place it tortilla-side-down on the skillet. If not, leave it rolled up and gently place it on the pan. 
4. If your burrito has cold fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole, open the burrito and remove them.
5. In case of an open burrito, spread out the ingredients so that they can warm up evenly.
6. Place the lid on the skillet to trap the heat and moisture inside the pan.
7. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes.
8. To prevent the tortilla from sticking, slide the burrito around at least once.
9. In the case of a rolled burrito, flip it over so that it warms up on the other side as well.
10. Remove the burrito from the skillet when it is warm enough and replace any cold ingredients that you took out earlier. You may also add more cold fillings if you want.
11. Reroll the warm burrito if you like or enjoy it like a tostada.

4. Use The Grill

Reheating your Chipotle or Qdoba burrito on the grill is similar to using an oven for the same purpose in that both take a while to get the job done.

Also, although an effective reheating method, it works best if you have a bunch of burritos to reheat since heating up a whole grill for just one burrito isn’t very feasible.

If you already have the grill fired up or have several leftovers to heat, this is a great way to achieve the perfect texture and flavors. It can also be used to serve burritos at a BBQ that you have prepared a day earlier.

A couple of things to remember when using this method include reheating your burrito away from direct flame or heat and doing so over mild embers.

In addition to that, remember to keep turning and flipping the burrito every 3 to 5 minutes to ensure even heating.

Here are step-by-step instructions for reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito on the grill:

1. Heat up half of the grill and place the burrito on the unlit side.
2. If your burrito has cold fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole, open the burrito and remove them.
3. Grill it on the unlit side for around 30 minutes or until the insides have warmed up evenly.
4. To get some nice grill marks on the tortilla, shift the burrito to the hot side of the grill.
5. Once the burrito is all warm, remove it from the grill and replace any cold ingredients that you took out earlier. You may also add more cold fillings if you want.

5. Use An Air Fryer

Using an air fryer is another effective way of reheating your Chipotle or Qdoba burritos. However, it may alter the flavor and texture of the burrito the most by making it crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Air fryers are a great option for reheating whole burritos with the tortilla covering all of the fillings. They work just as well for leftovers. The only difference is that, with the latter, the exposed edges will become crispy.

Here are step-by-step instructions for reheating a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito in an air fryer:

1. Preheat the air fryer to 325°F.
2. Remove any wrappers from the burrito, such as foil, paper, or plastic.
3. If your burrito has cold fillings such as lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and guacamole, open the burrito and remove them.
4. Place the leftover burrito in the air fryer basket and lightly spray it with some cooking oil.
5. If you are reheating multiple burritos, place them in a single layer, making sure there is ample space between them. Do not stack them.
6. Let it air fry for 6-8 minutes at 325°F.
7. Flip it over, brush some oil over it, and heat for an additional 6-8 minutes.
8. If the burrito is frozen, air fry it for 14-16 minutes at 370-400°F.
9. When it turns golden brown and is evenly warmed, remove the burrito from the air fryer, replace any cold ingredients that you took out earlier, and enjoy.

Related Questions

Now that you know how to reheat a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito, here are a few additional questions we thought you might have!

How can you tell if your burrito has gone bad?

The most common reason for burritos, or any other food item, going bad is improper handling and storage.

Some identifying signs of a bad burrito include a foul and unpleasant smell, discoloration and dark spots on the tortilla, and mold growth.

How should you reheat a Taco Bell burrito?

You can reheat a Taco Bell burrito in pretty much the same way you would reheat a Chipotle or Qdoba burrito.

However, since Taco Bell burritos are smaller and lighter than most other varieties, they will heat up much quicker than other larger burritos, such as those from Chipotle or Qdoba.

How should you reheat a burrito with guacamole?

When reheating a burrito with guacamole, you have two choices: take out the guacamole when reheating and put it back after it is done warming up, or reheat the burrito with the guacamole inside.

If you do not want the guacamole to get warm, we suggest you go with the first option. If you are okay with warm guacamole, the second option should work just fine. You can add extra guacamole to your reheated burrito later on as well.

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