This burrito bowl recipe has a base of seasoned ground beef and warm rice, all with veggie, cheese, and sour cream toppings. It’s super customizable, so everyone loves it!
Burrito bowls (or sometimes called Mexican bowls) are one of those dinners that truly work for our whole family. I love that everyone can build their own bowl exactly how they like it, which makes dinnertime easy and stress-free. The flavors are incredible, the prep is simple, and the leftovers make the best lunch the next day.
I also really love how this is totally an easy-peasy meal prep meal. Instead of going out for lunch at Chipotle this week, prep all the components to make easy homemade burrito bowls and enjoy them throughout the week.
Hot tip: Prefer chicken? Make it a chicken burrito bowl with shredded chicken or this crockpot chicken instead of ground beef.
Easy Burrito Bowl Video
How To Make a Burrito Bowl
This burrito bowl recipe is one of those recipes I keep coming back to and always have on rotation. For the quickest assembly, prep the toppings while the rice and ground beef cook.
- Make the rice: Make the basmati white rice, and as it cooks, start on the ground beef.
- Cook the ground beef: Preheat a medium size pan over medium-high heat. In the hot pan, cook the ground beef. Once it’s browned, add the taco seasoning and mix until well combined. Cover the pan with a lid to keep it warm and set it aside.
- Assemble the burrito bowl: To assemble the burrito bowl, start with rice at the bottom. Add the ground beef and layer on the rest of the ingredients.
- Serve and enjoy: Serve the burrito bowl while the rice and ground beef are still warm. Enjoy!
Serving tip: Burrito bowls are a meal in itself, but a few classic sides are oven-baked tortilla chips, air fryer tortilla chips, guacamole, and pico de gallo. For a light but flavorful side salad, make this delicious black bean corn salad or Mexican street corn salad. Salads are also great to use as toppings on the burrito bowls!
Variations: Choose Your Own Toppings
Burrito bowls are the best because they are easily customizable. Choose your own burrito bowl toppings, exactly like you want them!
- Rice: Substitute the basmati rice with flavorful cilantro lime rice, black beans and rice, or brown rice. For a low-carb burrito bowl, use cauliflower rice. Or, you can even try grains like quinoa!
- Fajitas: Make fajita-style bowls by swapping the ground beef with steak, chicken, or shrimp fajitas.
- Pickled veggies: In addition to the fresh veggies, add pickled jalapeños for heat or pickled onions for a tangy flavor.
- Fresh veggies: Add fresh veggies such as chopped romaine lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes to balance the hearty bowl.
- Beans: Pinto beans and black beans are tasty in burrito bowls and add extra protein. If you like refried beans, those are good too.
- Toppings: Homemade pico de gallo, salsa, and guacamole are absolutely delicious toppings on burrito bowls. Your favorite store-bought salsa is totally welcome here.
- Spice: Create some heat by adding chipotle peppers or chilies to the bowl or drizzle it with adobo sauce or hot sauce.
Tips for the Best Burrito Bowls
Burrito bowls are fun and easy to make, but that doesn’t mean the flavor is simple or plain. Follow these tips to have a burrito bowl with the best flavor that knocks your socks off!
- Serve the rice and beef warm: Burrito bowls taste best when the rice and beef are warm. Complement the warm rice and beef with ready-to-go cool toppings.
- Change up the toppings: Change up the toppings to your liking. There’s no right or wrong way when it comes to the toppings. I love Mexican cheese, but a mix of cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Asadero, and queso quesadilla are great, too.
- Check for doneness: A fool-proof way of knowing when the ground beef is done is to use a thermometer. Ground beef is done once it reaches 160°F.
- Use 85% lean ground beef: Use 85% lean ground beef with 15% fat. This ratio lends the ideal flavor for burrito bowls, but leaner or fattier ground beef will work well, too.
Hot tip: Make homemade taco seasoning to have on hand at a moment’s notice. Combine equal parts of popular taco spices like salt, chili powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, and more.
Storage & Reheating
If you have leftovers from this burrito bowl recipe, store the meat and rice separately from the veggies and toppings in airtight containers.
- Refrigerator: Store the leftover rice and ground beef in the fridge for up to two days. Veggies can be stored for 3-5 days.
- Freezer: Freeze the rice and meat for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge. It is best not to freeze the vegetables as they tend to turn mushy.
- Reheating: In a microwave or in a preheated skillet over medium heat, heat the rice or meat until heated through.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
- Mexican Stuffed Bell Peppers — Cheesy ground turkey, bean, and rice stuffed peppers
- Ground Beef Enchiladas – Beefy, cheesy enchiladas that are so crazy easy
- Grilled Chicken Street Tacos — Tacos with chicken marinated in a tangy orange-lime flavor
- Ground Beef Quesadillas — Crazy easy beef and cheese quesadillas
- Mexican Tuna Salad — A fun spin on tuna salad with loads of color and texture
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice warm
- 1 lb ground beef 85% lean
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 large avocado chopped
- 1 cup Pico de Gallo
- 1 cup Mexican cheese shredded
- 1 cup corn
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Cook the rice. Meanwhile, preheat a medium size pan over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef to the hot pan. Cook it until browned and no longer pink. The ground beef is fully cooked when it reaches 160°F. As the beef gets close to being fully cooked, add the taco seasoning and mix until combined. Cover the pan with a lid to keep warm and set aside.
- To assemble the burrito bowl, place the warm rice on the bottom of the bowl.
- Layer the rice with beef, avocado, pico de gallo, Mexican cheese, corn, sour cream, and cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
What cheeses do you shred when you call for " Mexican' cheese?
Hey Desiree, I usually buy pre-shredded Mexican cheese blends at the grocery store. Typically that includes a mix of cheeses like cheddar, Monterey Jack, Asadero, and queso quesadilla.