These Santa Barbara-style, vegetarian breakfast burritos are easy and delicious!! Filled with poblano peppers, soft scrambled eggs (or tofu), roasted potatoes, avocado, melty cheese, hot sauce and cilantro. Vegan & gluten-free adaptable.
We spent the winter in Santa Barbara again this year, and I started noticing how many delicious breakfast burrito options they have here! Poblano chilies and avocado seem to be the common denominator! This is hands down my favorite vegetarian breakfast burrito recipe—health-ish, full of flavor without being overly heavy.
I love the roasted poblano peppers. They add a nice kick of flavor. Needless to say, we have made these over and over and often have them for dinner. They can be pre-made up to 3 days ahead (perfect for feeding a crowd) and are easily vegan-adaptable. Use gluten-free tortillas.
Why You’ll Love Them!
- Perfect any time of day! A delicious meal; breakfast, lunch or dinner.
- Great for meal prep. Make up to 3 days in advance, and heat!
- Family-friendly. Great for feeding a crowd with varying diets and preferences.
- Adaptable. Make them vegan tofu and vegan cheese, use gluten-free tortillas, and add the protein of your choice!
- Great Flavor! Roasted poblano peppers give these burritos a unique kick of flavor!
Breakfast Burritos Ingredients
- Flour Tortillas: 12-inch flour tortillas work best, or get the largest you can find. Feel free to use gluten-free tortillas.
- Potatoes: or sub sweet potatoes, hash browns, beans or plant-based meat.
- Poblano chili pepper– we roast them at the same as the potatoes, an easy burst of flavor!
- Large eggs– or sub tofu!
- Spices: Salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and chili powder or smoked paprika.
- Sour cream: to enrich the eggs, or sub half and half, plant-milk, or just skip it.
- Shredded cheese: Pepper jack, Mexican blend, Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, or cotija. Or sub vegan cheese.
- Avocado– for extra richness
- Cilantro– or sub scallions.
- Optional additions: Scallions, microgreens, cherry tomatoes, and hot sauce.
Breakfast Burritos (Instruction)
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Step 1: Roast the potatoes and poblano chili pepper. Toss the potatoes in a medium bowl with oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and chili powder. Transfer to baking sheet and place poblano pepper beside the potatoes. Roast 25 minutes, turning the potatoes and pepper halfway through. The potatoes should be crispy and tender, and the poblano should feel tender—it may need to go a bit longer.
When done, remove the skin from the poblano under cool running water. Remove the stem and seeds, rinse, pat dry, and slice into strips.
Step 2: Scramble the eggs. Whisk eggs in a small bowl with sour cream, salt, and pepper. Heat an oiled, large non-stick skillet over medium-low. Add egg mixture and let sit for a minute.
With a rubber spatula, scrape along the bottom of the pan to create fluffy folds, doing so until the eggs are softly scrambled. Sprinkle with cheese, cover, and lower heat until just melty.
Step 3: Warm the tortillas. Toast the tortillas directly over your gas stovetop burner with tongs, or microwave them in a kitchen towel for 20 seconds. Or warm them in the oven until just pliable.
Step 4: Assemble the burritos. Layer the ingredients in a rectangle in the center of the tortilla, starting with a layer of avocado (slightly mashed with a sprinkle of salt), then roasted potatoes, cheesy eggs, poblanos, cilantro, and optional microgreens and hot sauce.
Fold the bottom of the tortilla up, tuck in the sides, and roll it over so it is seam-side down.
Tip: Sprinkle some of the cheese on the last edge. It will melt and hold the burrito together!
Step 5: Toast the burritos. Wipe out the skillet and spray with olive oil. Heat the burritos seam-side down over medium. Cover them and toast them until one side is golden. Turn and toast the other side uncovered. Toasting them really brings them up a notch!
Step 6: Cut in half. Cut in half with a bread knife, or wrap tightly in parchment paper before cutting in half to make it easier to handle.
Step 7: Serve! Serve with hot sauce, sour cream, or Mexican sour cream.
Recipe Variations
- Add beans: Instead of potatoes, use seasoned black beans (or pinto beans) or refried beans for additional protein, fiber, and calcium. Season with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning, warming gently in a pan.
- Sweet potatoes or hash browns: Instead of potatoes, use shredded hashbrowns or sweet potatoes.
- Make it meaty: In lieu of potatoes, you can use ground meat, breakfast sausage, or your favorite vegan “ground meat” substitute, like seitan chorizo. Bacon makes a tasty addition too, or sub the eggs with our vegan bacon!
- Make it vegan: Use a tofu scramble or chickpea scramble instead of eggs.
- Make it gluten-free: Use gluten-free tortillas, like cassava or brown rice.
- Add greens: Add a handful of spinach to the scrambled eggs for a bit of extra greens!
- Load it up! Stuff in extra vegetables like chopped bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, minced onion, jalapeño, salsa, or any other burrito fixings you like! (If adding salsa, place in center layer of fillings so the moisture doesn’t make the burrito soggy.)
Expert Tips
- Use the right tortilla. Make sure to use large, 12-inch tortillas, warming so they are pliable! If you have a gas stove, warm the tortilla right over the burner.
- Use your gas burner. You can easily blister the poblano by holding it with tongs over your stovetop gas burner if you prefer!
- Serve with sides. These burritos are large. One burrito cut in half could easily serve 2 people, especially when served with extra roasted potatoes on the side or rice and beans.
- Enjoy them on the go! Prep these ahead for busy mornings, toasting before serving. Wrap tightly in parchment or foil to keep warm, and enjoy them on the go.
FAQs
Breakfast burritos usually consist of eggs, cheese, and potatoes and/or additional protein. Here we add roasted poblano peppers for a flavorful kick!
Place the fillings in a rectangular shape in the center of the burrito. Fold the bottom edge in, tuck the sides in, then roll. The best way to seal the seam is to place a little cheese on it so it melts when toasted in the pan!
Yes, you can freeze these burritos! Wrap tightly and store in a freezer bag for up to 1 month. Thaw the frozen burrito in the fridge before reheating in a skillet, the oven, or the microwave.
Yes! Protein-rich eggs are a good source of vitamins D, A, B12, and choline, phosphorus, folate, biotin, riboflavin, selenium, and iodine. For a boost of vitamin C, add cherry tomatoes and diced bell peppers. The roasted potatoes offer potassium and dietary fiber. And the addition of microgreens provides a variety of beneficial nutrients!
Meal Prep, Storage & Reheating
These Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos can easily be made in advance! Make up to 3 days ahead of time, wrapping tightly and storing in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
To reheat, toast in a warm skillet, bake in a 350F oven or toaster oven, or use the microwave.
Hope you are having a great weekend, and enjoy these Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos as a healthy, energizing boost to your day!
xoxo
More Breakfast Recipes You May Enjoy!
Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 large Burritos 1x
- Category: breakfast, brunch
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Santa Barbarba-style, vegetarian breakfast burritos are so flavorful! Filled with roasted poblano peppers, soft scrambled eggs (or tofu), roasted potatoes, avocado, melty cheese, hot sauce and cilantro. Vegan-adaptable.
Ingredients
- 2 cup potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch cubes (optional, see notes)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or smoked paprika
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 4 large eggs, whisked
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon sour cream , or milk, half and half, or skip it.
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 x 12-inch large tortillas
- 1– 1/2 cups shredded cheese- pepper jack cheese, Mexican blend, cotija
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
- optional: scallions, microgreens, cherry tomatoes, hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F
- Roast the Potatoes and Poblano: In a medium bowl, toss the potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili powder. Place in a single layer on a sheet pan. Place the poblano chili pepper on the same pan. Roast for 25 minutes, turning the potatoes and pepper halfway through. The potatoes should get crispy on the outside and be tender in the middle, and the poblano should feel tender; if not, let it go a bit longer. Once done, remove any skin from the poblano that wants to come off (no need to get every spec)- easiest to do this under cool running water. Remove the stem and seeds, rinse, pat dry and slice into strips.
- Scramble the eggs: in a small bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, salt, and pepper and whisk. Heat an oiled, large, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Add the eggs and let them sit for a minute. Using a rubber spatula, scrape along the bottom of the pan, creating fluffy folds. Continue this motion for a few minutes until the eggs are very softly scrambled. Spread them out and sprinkle with the cheese, cover, and lower heat to the lowest heat until the cheese is melty.
- Warm the tortillas just until pliable: Either lightly toast them directly over your gas stovetop burner using tongs (wrap in a towel), microwave them in a kitchen towel for 20 seconds, or warm them in the oven just until pliable.
- Assemble: Fill the tortillas, dividing the ingredients by four—starting with the sliced avocado (mash a little and sprinkle with salt), roasted potatoes, eggs with melted cheese, poblanos, cilantro and optional microgreens and hot sauce. Layer these in a rectangle in the center of the tortilla. Fold the bottom of the tortilla up towards the top, tuck in the side edges, and roll it over, so it’s seam side down. Tip! Sprinkle some of the grated cheese on that last edge- it will melt and hold the burrito together.
- Toast the burritos: Wipe out the nonstick skillet and spray it with olive oil. Heat it over medium heat. Place the burritos seam side down, and toast them covered (so the cheese stays melty) until one side is golden. Turn them over, uncover, and toast the other side.
- Cut in half: If your burritos are holding together, simply cut them in half with a bread knife. If they are coming apart, wrap them tightly in parchment paper, then cut them in half through the parchment paper. This will make them easier to handle while eating.
- Serve! Serve with hot sauce, sour cream or Mexican sour cream.
Notes
FYI: 12-inch tortillas make very big burritos; one burrito (cut in half) could serve 2 people if served with other things.
Storage: Burritos can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Toast in a skillet before serving. They can also be reheated in 350F, a toaster oven, or a microwave.
Vegan-adaptable: make our tofu scramble recipe and use meltable vegan cheese.
Extra Protein: Substitute black beans for the roasted potatoes. Drain a can of black beans and season with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Gently warm in a pan on the stove, and add to the burritos. You could also add plant-based “ground meat”.
Poblano: Feel free to blister the poblano chili over a gas burner on your stovetop.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ex-large burrito
- Calories: 549
- Sugar: 2.3 g
- Sodium: 801.9 mg
- Fat: 22.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 48.1 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 21.4 g
- Cholesterol: 212.1 mg
I made these vegan with your tofu scramble. Absolutely delicious!
Perfect! Happy you enjoyed. We really appreciate you taking the time to review Marie!♥️
These burritos were soooo good! Toasting them took them up to the next level. Hubby & I both loved them!
Great to hear this Barb!
these are fantastic! what a great recipe. definitely going to make them again.
Happy you hear you enjoyed!
I made these for lunch, added seasoned black beans in addition to potatoes and served as a bowl instead of as a burrito. The flavor combination was delicious!
Great idea Victoria, so happy you enjoyed!
going to make these this week!
Let us know what you think!