Vegan Mexican Burrito (700 Calories, 18g Fiber, No Cheese)
This is a substantial dinner burrito built without cheese or sour cream, leaning instead on beans, brown rice, and homemade guacamole to hit filling flavor. Each burrito clocks 700 calories with 20g of plant protein and 18g of fiber, which is more than half a day’s target. It travels well for lunch the next day and is one of the most affordable bean-and-rice dinners you can make from pantry staples.
Why This Recipe Works
Fiber is what makes this burrito satisfying without any dairy. Black beans and pinto beans together deliver about 14g of fiber per cup, and cooking them with a bay leaf, cumin, and oregano gives them the layered flavor most canned beans lack. Brown rice adds another 4g of fiber and a nutty backbone.
The move that pulls the whole thing together is the guacamole: mashed ripe avocado provides the creamy, rich sensation your palate normally wants from cheese, plus the healthy monounsaturated fats that help you absorb the beta-carotene from the tomato and pepper filling.
Charring the tortilla for 30 seconds per side in a dry skillet before rolling makes it pliable and adds a slight smoky note.
You might also want to read our stuffed dates dessert recipe guide for the full picture.
For more on this topic, check out our guide on vegan banana smoothie.
Vegan Mexican Burrito Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion diced
- 2 large tomatoes diced
- 2 limes
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 1 cup of cooked corn
- Half a cup of red beans
- 2-3 leaves of lettuce
- 1 tbsp. mustard
- 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- Lime juice optional
- 2 garlic cloves
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup of walnuts chopped
- 1 cup of black lentils
- 2 tsp. chipotle sauce
- 2 tbsp. guacamole
- 4 tbsp. brown rice
- Tortilla chips As much as you want, for decoration
- Cumin to taste
- Salt to taste
- Oregano to taste
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, minced (or 1/2 tsp chili powder)
- 1 tsp maple syrup optional
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper
Instructions
- Finely dice half a red onion, one red bell pepper, and one tomato.
- Chop the parsley and cut a lime in half.
- Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the mixture. Sprinkle with salt and mix gently. Add the cooked corn, diced vegetables, and beans to a deep bowl. Mix and set aside.
- Slice the lettuce lengthwise into thin ribbons.
- Add 1 tablespoon of mustard to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid.
- Add the maple syrup, the juice of the remaining lime half, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and cumin to the jar.
- Close the lid and shake vigorously until the dressing turns creamy.
- Pour the dressing over the sliced lettuce and toss gently.
- Layer the dressed lettuce on top of the bean and corn mixture.
- Bring to a gentle boil and cook the lentils.
- Preheat a pan over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté 2 crushed garlic cloves until fragrant and lightly golden. Add the chopped walnuts and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cooked lentils, chopped tomatoes, and chili pepper.
- Season with oregano and cumin, then sauté for another minute.
- Pour in the chipotle sauce, season with salt, and mix gently.
- Chop the remaining red onion, parsley, and one jalapeño for the guacamole.
- Cut an avocado in half and remove the pit.
- Score the flesh in a crosshatch pattern and scoop it into a fresh bowl with a spoon.
- Add the chopped onion, parsley, and jalapeño to the avocado. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime. Season with salt and mash until smooth.
- Add boiled brown rice to one side and tortilla chips to the other. Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Ingredient Notes
Cook dried black beans and pinto beans if you have time (soak overnight, simmer with bay leaf and cumin for 90 minutes) for the best texture and lowest sodium. Canned beans work perfectly well; rinse them thoroughly to cut sodium by roughly 40 percent.
Brown rice takes 40 minutes to cook fresh; batch-cook 2 cups on Sunday and it holds all week. For tortillas, look for large 10-inch flour tortillas; whole wheat if you want more fiber. Choose ripe avocados that yield to gentle pressure but are not mushy.
Fresh cilantro, red onion, jalapeno, and lime juice make an honest pico de gallo. Skip vegan cheese products which add sodium and stabilizers with little flavor payoff; the guacamole does the creamy work.
Interested in this area? We go deeper in our top simple vegan dinner guide.
Tips and Variations
Warm the beans in a small saucepan with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, and a pinch of smoked paprika for 5 minutes. Char each tortilla in a dry cast-iron skillet for 30 seconds per side.
Layer down the center: 1/2 cup rice, 1/2 cup seasoned beans, 1/3 cup guacamole, 2 tablespoons pico de gallo, a handful of shredded romaine. Fold the sides in first, then roll tightly from the bottom up.
For a lower-carb version, use a low-carb tortilla or make a burrito bowl over shredded romaine instead. For a protein-boosted version, add 1/2 cup of seasoned crumbled tempeh or walnut-lentil taco meat, adding 8 to 10g of protein. For a spicier build, add a spoon of chipotle in adobo to the beans.
For breakfast burritos, add a scramble of firm tofu with turmeric.
Storage and Reheating
Assembled burritos keep for 2 days refrigerated when wrapped tightly in foil. Reheat wrapped in the foil at 350F for 15 minutes, or unwrapped in a cast-iron skillet 4 minutes per side for a crisp crust. For meal prep, freeze assembled burritos (without guacamole or fresh vegetables) wrapped in foil for up to 2 months. Add fresh guacamole after reheating.
