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A close-up of a burrito cut in half, showing steak, cheddar cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and potato pieces in a flour tortilla.
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5 from 1 vote

California Burrito Recipe

🌮🥩🍟 My California burrito recipes takes the San Diego taco shop classic and makes it SO easy to recreate at home! Juicy carne asada that's made in a skillet (no grill needed!) with crispy fries, melted cheese, and guac all wrapped up in a big warm tortilla. This is the ULTIMATE loaded burrito that rivals any restaurant version and it'll be met with rave reviews!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Marinating Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Mexican
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: California burrito, California burrito with carne asada, carne asada burrito, steak burrito
Servings: 4
Calories: 915cal

Equipment

Ingredients

Carne Asada

  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely minced
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 orange juiced
  • 1 lime juiced
  • 4 garlic cloves finely minced
  • 2-3 teaspoons cumin or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons oregano or to taste
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder or to taste
  • 1-2 teaspoons kosher salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • pinch cayenne pepper optional and to taste
  • soy sauce and/or Worcestershire sauce optional and to taste (sometimes I add ~2 tablespoons of one or the other, or both; if that sounds good to you, add as desired)
  • 1 ½ to 2 pounds skirt steak, sliced into 6-inch pieces approximately (or flank steak)

French Fries

  • 14 ounces frozen hand-cut French fries

Burritos

  • 4 extra large flour tortillas (labeled as burrito size or extra-large; flour is strongly recommended rather than corn for stability)
  • 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (I like medium or sharp cheddar but mild is fine; Monterrey Jack, Pepper Jack, or Colby may be substituted)
  • ½ cup guacamole or to taste (homemade or store bought)
  • ½ cup pico de gallo or to taste
  • sour cream or Mexican crema optional for drizzling and serving
  • salsa homemade tomatillo avocado, restaurant-style, or store bought, optional and as desired for serving

Instructions

  • Carne Asada: To a large bowl, add all remaining ingredients, up to the steak, and stir to combine.
    A glass dish containing melted butter, chopped herbs, ground spices, minced garlic, salt, and pepper, all separated and unmixed on a white marble surface.
  • Marinate: Add the steak, toss to coat in the marinade.
    Cover, refrigerate, and allow the steak to marinade for at least 30-60 minutes; or up to about 4-6 hours.
    Tip - I don't like marinating this meat longer than 4-6 hours because the acidity of the marinade can break down the fibers in the meat a little too much and the meat can take on a mushy texture.
    Raw steak marinating in a glass dish with herbs and spices on a white marble surface.
  • Come to Room Temp: Remove the bowl with the steak and marinade from the fridge about 30 to 45 minutes before you plan to cook it and allow it to come closer to room temp on your counter because room temperature steak cooks much better than fridge cold steak.
  • French Fries: Cook the fries according to package directions for an air fryer or bake in the oven. Frying in oil is an option if you're so inclined but it's not a method I personally use.
    Set a timer so you don't accidentally forget about them while you're moving on to cooking the steak.
  • Cooking the Steak: To a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (if you have cast iron, it's perfect here; stainless steel is also great), add the steak, discard the marinade, and sear over medium-high heat for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 135F for medium-rare or 145F for medium; noting the temp will continue to rise a bit as the steak rests.
    Tip - Don't wash out the skillet yet; save the grease and pan drippings. See optional Crisping step below.
    Two marinated pieces of meat with chopped herbs are cooking in a black cast iron skillet on a marble surface.
  • Rest: Allow the steak to rest on a cutting board, off the heat, for about 10 minutes.
  • Slice: Slice against the grain into strips, then cut the steak into bite-sized pieces.
    Fries: By this time they're likely about done.
    Sliced and chopped cooked steak on a wooden cutting board with a knife beside it.
  • Tortillas: Place the tortillas in a stack, moisten a few paper towels, and wrap the burritos in the damp paper towels. Microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, or until just warmed and a bit soft.
    This technique helps make rolling the burritos a bit easier and makes the tortillas less prone to tearing or ripping. Tip - Don't heat them too long or they'll actually get hard because you're 'cooking' them - just a little bit of heat to warm them up a smidge.
  • Assembly: Place each of the 4 warmed tortillas on a clean countertop, evenly add the diced carne asada. Keep everything in the middle of the burrito, leaving a clear margin around the edges for folding up.
    A flour tortilla on a plate with a pile of cooked steak strips placed in the center.
  • Evenly distribute some French fries to each burrito, noting that you'll likely have more fries than will fit into the 4 tortillas so enjoy the extra fries alongside your burrito. They're the bulkiest item so make sure not to overstuff or you'll have a hard time rolling up the burritos.
    A flour tortilla on a plate with steak pieces and French fries in the center, ready to be wrapped.
  • Evenly sprinkle the cheese over all.
    Evenly add a few dollops of guacamole and pico de gallo to each.
    If desired, add sour cream or Mexican crema; or salsa now before rolling up. You can also drizzle or dip your burritos into these later if you prefer, or omit.
    A flour tortilla topped with shredded cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, onions, and chopped vegetables on a white plate.
  • Fold the two sides of the tortilla and as much as possible, create a deep "V" or deeper angle as what will be your base, which helps secure the contents a bit better.
    A flour tortilla on a white plate filled with shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, and fresh salsa, ready to be wrapped.
  • Then bring the "V" up and over the ingredients, tucking as you roll the tortilla tightly into a burrito. Repeat with the remaining 3 burritos.
    A wrapped burrito is placed on a round white plate set on a marble surface.
  • Crispier Texture, optional: If desired, for a crispier texture, briefly griddle or cook the rolled burritos seam-side down in the same skillet you used to cook the carne asada (the leftover meat grease is actually perfect for helping crisp up the tortillas), until they are as golden brown on the outside as desired; usually 2-minutes per side is about right.
  • Slice: You can wrap these in foil tightly now which is what restaurants do but if you're eating it at home, it's not really necessary. Slice down the middle of each burrito.
    A close-up of a sliced steak burrito filled with steak pieces, cheese, fries, guacamole, and sour cream, with lime and fries in the background.
  • Serve: I like to serve my burritos with a drizzle of Mexican crema or sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, more guac, and more pico de gallo, but it's all personal preference.
    Since you'll likely have extra fries, they're perfect alongside the burritos.
    A close-up of a burrito cut in half, filled with steak, cheese, fries, guacamole, and sour cream, with curly fries on the side.

Notes

Nutrition Stats: It takes into account the full batch of fries and only a few fries are going to be used per burrito so if you don't have any fries on the side, you'll save yourself a lot of fat and calories. Also air frying without oil or baking without oil is the way to go. By going low or reduced fat on sour cream (or just omitting it), by being more conservative with how much guacamole you use and also being conservative on the amount of cheese used, you can shave off fat and calories to get the stats down to about 600ish per burrito is my guess and about half the amount of fat. The stats, as written, assume you add and consume the full and complete amount of everything but in reality, it's easy to make modifications to make these a bit healthier.
Storage: Burritos are best consumed when freshly made. If you are going to make the steak all at once, store it separately from all the other components, and then rewarm the steak, cook the fries, and assemble as directed. Steak will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 3-4 days when store separately. 
A burrito cut in half filled with steak, French fries, cheese, and cilantro, served on parchment paper with lime wedges and fresh cilantro.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 915cal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 1947mg | Potassium: 1139mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1090IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 521mg | Iron: 6mg
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