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These machaca burritos are stuffed with a dried-beef, scrambled eggs, cheese, and refried beans for a hearty and filling Mexican meal. Don’t forget a bit of jalapeño for a spicy kick!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love These Machaca Burritos
- What is Machaca?
- Recipe Ingredients
- Where to Buy Machaca
- How to Make Machaca Burritos
- Tips & Variation Ideas
- Can I Make Machacado With This Recipe?
- Serving Suggestions
- How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Can I Freeze Machaca Burritos?
- More Authentic Mexican Recipes
- Get the Recipe
When I was growing up, machaca burritos were one of my all-time favorite meals. I would eat them at least once a week and couldn’t get enough of warm tortillas stuffed with flavorful shredded beef, scrambled eggs, beans, and cheese.
In fact – don’t laugh – but when I moved to the East Coast my mother used to bring coolers filled with machaca burritos on the plane with her when she came to visit. I’d freeze them and treat them like gold until the next resupply! 😂
It has been many, many years since my mother was around and recently I had a powerful craving for machaca burritos. The ONE Mexican restaurant within driving distance did not deliver on “authentic” flavor, so I decided to roll up my sleeves and start experimenting in the kitchen.
The end result is this recipe! Packed with dried beef, onions, eggs, beans, and jalapeño, biting into these burritos takes me back to my childhood. Melty Chihuahua cheese adds an irresistible cheese-pull that’s totally satisfying too.
Why You’ll Love These Machaca Burritos
Machaca burritos are an easy Mexican recipe that you can enjoy for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Here are all the reasons why I love them so much:
- Freezer-friendly. Keeping them in the freezer will allow you to pop them out for a quick, homemade meal any day of the week.
- Great for on-the-go. Store them in individual airtight-bags so you can grab them from the fridge as you rush out the door on your way to work.
- Quick. The whole thing takes 35 minutes from start to finish, which is pretty great even if you don’t have a lot of time to cook.
- Authentic. There are no unnecessary ingredients in this burrito recipe. I’ve kept things nice and simple, just like they’re made in Mexico.
What is Machaca?
Machaca is a northern Mexican form of dried meat, almost like jerky. It’s made by sun-drying heavily salted pork or beef for several days and then finely shredding the meat. Depending on the recipe, sometimes you’ll be able to see thin shreds of meat but, other times, machaca will be almost powder-like.
It may or may not be seasoned with chiles, cumin, or other spices for extra flavor but it’s not necessary. In fact, it’s thought that the best machaca doesn’t have any added seasonings so that the meat’s flavor can shine through.
Recipe Ingredients
The most important ingredient is machaca. Without it, there can be no machaca burritos. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredient amounts.
- Vegetable oil – Corn and canola oil both work.
- White onion – Yellow onion is a good swap.
- Jalapeño – You can use fresh or canned ones.
- Garlic powder – Feel free to use 2 finely chopped garlic cloves instead.
- Dried beef machaca – There is no substitute for this.
- Roma tomato – You can use 1/2 of a medium heirloom tomato if you remove the seeds.
- Water
- Eggs
- Salt and pepper
- Flour tortillas – They need to be flour tortillas if you’re making burritos.
- Refried beans – You could also use canned or homemade refried beans.
- Chihuahua cheese – Oaxaca, Manchego, Muenster, mozzarella, and a Mexican cheese blend are all good swaps.
Where to Buy Machaca
I know there are recipes online for making machaca from scratch, but those are not really “authentic” because none of them sun-dry the beef and the meat is not heavily salted. You can make authentic machaca using a dehydrator but it is labor intensive and not something I think most folks would be up for.
The solution? You can buy machaca at Mexican grocery stores (if you are lucky enough to have one nearby) or you can buy it on Amazon.
How to Make Machaca Burritos
If you can make scrambled eggs and roll a burrito, these machaca burritos are practically fail-proof. Here’s how to make them:
- Cook the onions. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine. Let everything cook for 4-6 minutes or until the onion has softened.
- Add the machaca. Stir the machaca into the pan. Let it cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The meat should darken in color once it’s ready. Remove it from the heat.
- Blend the sauce. Place the tomato and water in the blender. Process it until you get a smooth mixture. Strain the sauce into the pan. Mix until well combined and let it cook for 3-4 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed by the meat.
- Cook the eggs. Add the eggs into the pan over medium-low heat. Stir well to combine. Let the eggs cook, stirring constantly, for 5-7 minutes or until the eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
- Assemble the burrito. Heat a pan or griddle over low heat. Spread each tortilla with 3-4 tablespoons of refried beans. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese. Add scrambled eggs to taste. Place the assembled tortilla in the pan and cover it with the lid for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has melted. You can skip melting the cheese if you’re only doing meal-prep.
- Roll it. Use a spatula to remove the tortilla from the heat. Fold 1″ from the left and right sides of the tortilla inward. Grab the edge nearest to you and fold it over the filling, tucking it in to roll the burrito. Repeat this for every burrito. Serve warm and enjoy.
Tips & Variation Ideas
You’ll be surprised how easily these burritos can turn into chimichangas and breakfast tacos for quick variations of this recipe. You can also find some great tips in this section.
- Make them chimichangas. Fill a medium pot with vegetable oil until it’s 1/4 of the way full. Place it over medium-high heat. Let it heat for 3-5 minutes. Dip a corner of your burrito into the oil. It’s ready if it sizzles right away. Gently lower 1-2 burritos into the oil and let them fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Set them aside on paper towel-lined plates to drain excess oil and serve.
- Make breakfast tacos. Swap the flour tortillas for corn ones and add the fillings as usual. Fold the tortillas in half, like tacos. Heat them on a griddle over low heat until the cheese has melted and serve warm.
- Add bacon. Adding 3-4 strips of crumbled bacon to your egg mixture will add wonderful smokiness.
- Add chilorio or chorizo. If you have leftover chilorio or chorizo in the fridge, add it to the pan before the eggs. Cook everything as directed and then proceed with stuffing your tortillas. The chilorio and chorizo add a new element of flavor that is seriously good.
- Prep-ahead. Make the egg filling a day or two in advance so you can throw this recipe together even faster and have your week’s breakfast prepped.
Can I Make Machacado With This Recipe?
The egg filling for these burritos is essentially a version of “machacado,” which refers to machaca scrambled eggs (huevoes con machaca). Not all recipes have the same spices or veggies, it depends on the region. You can even keep things simple by only using machaca, eggs, and salt and pepper for your machacado.
Serving Suggestions
Machaca burritos are so filling they’re usually enjoyed on their own for breakfast with a bit of salsa or Pico de Gallo. If you want a spicky kick, drizzle some salsa macha on top. You can also serve them with a side of bacon for a bit of crunch!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
Refrigerate leftover machaca burritos in an airtight container for 4-5 days – just make sure they’re room temperature before placing them in the fridge.
To reheat them, you can microwave them for 2 minutes or until warm in the center. Similarly, you can place them in a pan over medium-low heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons of water to the pan and then secure the lid. Let the burritos steam for 4-5 minutes. Remove them from the heat and serve.
Can I Freeze Machaca Burritos?
Absolutely! Once cooled, wrap each of the machaca burritos with aluminum foil. Then place them in a freezer-friendly bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Move them to the fridge overnight before serving so they can thaw fully and then reheat as usual.
If you have no time to defrost them naturally, you can use the microwave. Remove the foil and then microwave the burritos on HIGH for 2-3 minutes. Flip them over and heat for another 2-3 minutes.
More Authentic Mexican Recipes
- Albondigas (Mexican Meatball Soup)
- Sopa de Fideo
- Cochinita Pibil
- Arroz con Pollo
- Caldo Tlalpeño
- Quesabirria Tacos
Machaca Burritos
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
- ¼ medium white onion, diced
- ¼ small jalapeño, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup dried beef machaca, about 1.6 oz
- 1 Roma tomato, quartered
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 eggs, whisked
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 medium flour tortillas
- 1 cup refried beans
- 1 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese
Instructions
- Cook the onions. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, jalapeño, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine. Let everything cook for 4-6 minutes or until the onion has softened.
- Add the machaca. Stir the machaca into the pan. Let it cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove it from the heat.
- Blend the sauce. Place the tomato and water in the blender. Process it until you get a smooth mixture. Strain the sauce into the pan. Mix until well combined and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Cook the eggs. Add the eggs into the pan over medium-low heat. Stir well to combine. Let the eggs cook, scrambling constantly, for 5-7 minutes or until the eggs are set to taste. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from the heat.
- Assemble the burrito. Heat a pan or griddle over low heat. Spread each tortilla with 3-4 tablespoons of refried beans. Sprinkle with 1-2 tablespoons of cheese. Add scrambled eggs to taste. Place the assembled tortilla in the pan and cover it with the lid for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
- Roll it. Use a spatula to remove the tortilla from the heat. Fold 1″ from the left and right sides of the tortilla inward. Grab the edge nearest to you and fold it over the filling, tucking it in to roll the burrito. Repeat this for every burrito. Serve warm and enjoy.