Our shrimp burrito recipe gives the classic version a little spin by replacing ground beef with succulent shrimp. The dish features all the best parts of Mexican cuisine: juicy shrimp, beans, fresh veggies, and creamy sauce.
Read on for our ultimate guide to this must-try Mexican meal.
Taco vs. Burrito
Tacos and burritos can be assembled in a similar manner, but there are considerable differences to separate those two famous Mexican tortilla dishes.
Tacos are made using either hard- or soft-shelled corn tortillas folded in half, so the profile takes on a crescent shape. The typical taco filling is a simple combination of chicken or beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and sauce. The dish is generally viewed as a snack or light meal.
Instead of corn tortillas, burritos call for large wheat-flour tortillas. Burrito filling mix often consists of rice, beans, meat, vegetables, sauce, and cheese, and it all gets wrapped up in a huge tortilla. In terms of size, they are thus much larger than tacos, making it easy to consider a burrito a complete meal in and of itself.
Is This Shrimp Burrito Recipe Healthy?
The short answer is yes, our shrimp burrito is healthy.
Nutritionally, our shrimp burrito is a fantastic source of protein and healthy fats. Each serving contains approximately 35 g protein — about 70% of your recommended daily intake.
Also, the beans are a good source of complex carbohydrates (aka fiber). With beans in the filling, our recipe provides up to 3.4 g fiber (12% of the fiber content recommended for a day) per serving.
Unfortunately, store-bought burritos can be sometimes high in sodium and saturated fat due to the inclusion of cheese, sauce, and salt. However, in this recipe, we went with only a moderate amount for those condiments to preserve the classic flavor but still limit each serving to only 6 g of saturated fat and 584 mg sodium.
Our recipe turns out a balanced main dish with carbs, protein, and vegetables and gives you a proper amount of calories: 502 per serving. This still leaves a reasonable amount of room in your calorie count for a salad and fruit juice.
What to Put in a Shrimp Burrito
Like other burritos, our shrimp variant is packed with delicious protein and fresh vegetables. It’s also easy to customize.
1. Protein
Protein is essential for any excellent burrito. Chicken or beef are the most common types, but you can opt for pork or — like this recipe — shrimp.
2. Seasoning
Optimizing your seasoning blend for shrimp can take your burrito to the next level. Salt and pepper it to taste and throw in a bit of cumin for that aromatic boost. Paprika gives a fantastic spicy kick and a smoky layer as well.
3. Vegetables and Fruits
You can fill your burrito with any vegetables you like as long as none of the ingredients have a high-water content.
Beans: The most common beans for burritos are black, pinto, and kidney beans. Instead of cooking beans, grab a tin of them to save yourself some time.
Avocado: We love to add avocado to give this wrap a creamy touch. Pick a perfectly ripe avocado, slice it into neat pieces and add them to the filling.
4. Rice
Rice is optional, but it adds texture and makes the wrap extra filling. We used white rice, but brown rice is arguably an even better alternative if you are looking for more nutrients.
5. Sauce
The sauce can be creamy or spicy, depending on your preference. You also have options on how to apply it — drizzle sauce in as you construct the burrito, smother the finished wrap in it, or simply serve it on the side as a dip. We opted in this recipe for a simple Greek yogurt. It’s light, rich, and even helps bind the wrap’s ingredients together.
How to Make a Shrimp Burrito
Making burritos in the kitchen takes some time, but the process is straightforward and delivers satisfying meals. Here’s how we made our shrimp burrito:
Sauté the spices.
Cook the shrimp.
Add kidney beans and stir the mixture.
Warm the tortillas.
Arrange the fillings on the tortilla.
Roll up the tortillas.
Serve.
How to Roll a Burrito
With so many fillings, homemade burritos can sometimes be messy; they tend to fall apart while you eat. To avoid any spillage, read our instructions to learn how to roll a burrito properly.
- Warm the tortillas to help them stretch.
- Add the filling: rice first, then other warm ingredients, and cold ingredients in a line down the center of the tortilla.
- Once all the fillings are in the middle of the tortilla, pull the bottom half up and over to meet the top half.
- Pull the newly forming roll back a bit to form the filling into a tighter and more uniform shape.
- Fold the sides in.
- With both ends folded, tightly roll the tortilla. Use your fingers to keep things tucked in as you roll to shape the burrito.
Store and Reheat Your Shrimp Burrito
1. To Store
To properly store the shrimp burrito, we recommend wrapping it up in foil or food paper before placing it into a large zip bag or an airtight container. The burrito will last for 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator or 2 – 3 months in the freezer.
2. To Reheat
If you pull your burrito from the fridge, simply microwave on high mode for 40 – 60 seconds until fully heated through. If you prefer the tortilla to be more crunchy, place the microwaved burrito on a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook it for a few minutes on each side until the tortilla starts to brown and crisp up.
What to Serve With a Shrimp Burrito
To round out the meal, we landed on the most iconic Mexican side dish: pico de gallo. This side dish also couldn’t be easier to prepare: the chopped onions, tomatoes, chilies, salt, and lime juice are tossed and served with tortilla chips.
We then finished the meal with a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade. It’s bright and adds a tropical sweetness, leaving you energized and satisfied.
| Recipes | Course | Calories | Saturated fat | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrimp Burrito | Main Dish | 509 | 5.1 g | 585 mg |
| Pico De Gallo | Side Dish | 189 | 1.0 g | 262 mg |
| Lemonade | Beverage | 55 | 0.0 g | 9 mg |
| Total | 753 | 6.1 g | 856 mg | |
More Meal Prep Ideas With Flour Tortillas
Shrimp Burrito Recipe
Ingredients
- 9 oz peeled and deveined shrimp equals to 18 oz raw shrimp
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 tbsp lime juice
- 4 oz unsalted dark red kidney beans cooked or canned
- 6 flour tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups cooked medium-grain rice
- 4 oz avocado sliced
- 2 oz romaine chopped
- 4 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp coriander finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp butter, and 1 tsp garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Stir in 9 oz shrimp, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/8 tsp salt, and 1/2 tbsp lime juice and cook for 3 minutes.
- Then add 4 oz kidney beans and gently stir the mixture for another 2 minutes until heated through. Transfer it to a bowl.
- In a nonstick pan, heat 6 flour tortillas one at a time until warm.
- Place 1 1/2 cups rice, 2 oz romaine, 4 oz avocado, plus the shrimp-and-bean mix in equal portions onto the warm tortillas. Spread 4 tbsp Greek yogurt onto the mix and sprinkle with 2 tbsp chopped coriander.
- Roll up the tortillas.
- Serve.
Nutrition
It’s surprising how delicious this dish is because it’s so easy and quick. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoy it, Chris!