These California burritos are stuffed with crispy french fries, marinated steak, fresh guac, and gooey cheese! I’ve had my fair share of California burritos since moving to LA (over 8 years ago!), and this recipe is my take on the quirky takeout staple.
I use marinated tri tip instead of the classic choice of carne asada (skirt steak). I’m partial to tri tip and you’ll find this same marinated tri tip in my Tri Tip Street Tacos and Steak Quesadillas. If you ask me, the guacamole is just as crucial to a California burrito as the french fries. I’ve included my guac recipe in the post and recommend making it from scratch if you have the time.
Let the tri tip marinate for a few hours then grill or sear in a pan for the perfect Mexican marinated tri tip! I like to prepare this marinated steak in bulk for the freezer, so check out my instructions for that if you want to meal prep it for busy nights.
One of the best upgrades I've discovered for these is to use uncooked flour tortillas, which can be found at most major grocery stores in the US! They come uncooked, and you can quickly cook them in a skillet while the steak is cooking. The result is a fresh flour tortilla that makes the burritos SO much better! (There are more details on the uncooked tortillas in the Key Tips section below!)
How to Make California Burritos
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the full recipe!
- Marinate the meat:
- Combine all ingredients of the marinade (lime juice, olive oil, worcestershire sauce, salt, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper). Trim excess fat from the steaks if desired and place in a zip bag with the marinade. Marinate in fridge for at least 6 hours before cooking (preferably overnight).
- Optional, prepare the guac:
- Scoop the avocados out of their shells into a medium bowl. Add the lime juice and salt and mash with a fork (or similar) until smooth. Taste and add more lime or salt as desired, then mix in the cilantro and red onion.
- Make the burritos:
- Prepare the french fries per package instructions in the oven or air fryer. Preheat a sandwich press to 400 °F (for pressing the burritos) if you have one.
- When ready to cook, remove the steak from the bag and discard the rest of the marinade (shake off excess but do not pat the steaks dry). Grill steak to desired doneness, or cook in a cast iron pan with a swirl of olive oil.
- I cook in mine in a cast iron pan over high heat, turning every few minutes, until an internal temp of 135°F, about 8-10 minutes. (Note, the marinade may cause some additional charring on the outside, but this contributes to the flavor and isn't noticeable after slicing)
- Let the steak rest for a few minutes, then slice into small pieces as pictured. Toss the steak in the juices after cutting.
- If you're using uncooked tortillas, cook them now and set them aside. If you're using pre-cooked tortillas, warm them up in a skillet or the microwave before rolling the burrito to make them more flexible
- Assemble the burritos: Divide the fillings into even portions, then top each tortilla with the fries, steak, guac, and cheese. Carefully roll the burritos.
- Place the burritos seem-side-down in a preheated sandwich press and cook, until slightly golden on the outside, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, use a skillet set over medium heat, turning as needed. Serve immediately, with your favorite salsa for dipping (I use avocado salsa).
- After pressing, burritos can be wrapped in foil if they are starting to fall apart, to help keep them together.
Key Tips - California Burritos
I strongly suggest trying uncooked tortillas!
- Uncooked tortillas are one of the best new products I've found in years! They are raw tortillas that come in the refrigerated section, and can be prepared in 1-2 minutes in a warm skillet. The result is an incredible, fresh tortilla that is SO much better than normal packaged tortillas. They aren't even more expensive than regular tortillas!
- The quality of the tortilla has a huge impact on the quality of a burrito, so this has made a huge difference for my burritos at home. It's like getting a fresh homemade tortilla, with pretty much none of the work!
Press the burritos in a sandwich press.
- Cooking the completed burritos in a skillet, or pressing them in a sandwich press, helps to seal them, which makes them easier to eat. It also warms up the whole burrito and melts the cheese, so I really don't recommend skipping this step.
- A sandwich press fitted with flat plates will make this process so easy, and that's how I prepare them. I have the Cuisinart Griddler, and I've been very happy with it!
Prepare the steak in bulk and freeze for later!
- I don't notice any loss in quality for the frozen steak compared to steak that is made the same or next day.
- You can use this meat in this recipe, my Tri Tip Tacos, Steak Quesadillas, Steak Alfredo Pasta, or sub it for the chicken in my Chicken Burritos with Cilantro Lime Rice.
- My favorite way to prepare this meal is prepping the meat in bulk (only takes a few minutes), and packing up 1 lb packages for the freezer. My grocery store occasionally runs sales on tri-tip steaks for anywhere between $4 - $7 a pound, so this recipe lets me take advantage of the sale and prep some future meals!
- To prepare from frozen, just thaw the package at least 6 hours before cooking, to give the meat time to marinate.
Make larger burritos if desired.
- I make these burritos in the size listed because that's the only size I can find for the uncooked tortillas that I love. That said, I really love the size of these because I think the ratio of filling to tortilla is great.
- If desired, you can make these burritos with more filling in a larger tortilla. If you want to make something similar in size to a Chipotle burrito, get an XL burrito tortilla and use about ½ a batch of the filling ingredients per burrito.
Dietary Restrictions - California Burritos
Make it Dairy-Free:
- Skip the cheese, or use dairy-free cheese.
A Note On Serving Sizes
Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it very difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. I've listed the serving size for this recipe as one burrito. The California burritos from this recipe are somewhat small, please see the photos for a size reference (about half the size of a Chipotle burrito).
California Burritos
Iconic California burritos stuffed with marinated steak, crispy french fries, and fresh guac! This recipe calls for tri tip steaks instead of the classic carne asada.
Ingredients
- 1 lb tri tip steaks or similar (see notes)
- 4 8" flour tortillas (or larger) uncooked tortillas strongly suggested, see notes
- 8 oz prepared French fries see notes!
- 1 ½ cups shredded Oaxaca or low moisture mozzarella cheese
For Quick Guac (or sub premade):
- 2 medium-sized ripe avocados
- 1 tablespoon lime juice or more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more, to taste
- ¼ cup diced red onion optional
- ~2 tablespoon fresh cilantro chopped, optional
For Steak Marinade:
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
Marinate the meat:
- Combine all ingredients of the marinade. Trim excess fat from the steaks if desired and place in a zip bag with the marinade. Marinate in fridge for at least 6 hours before cooking (preferably overnight).
Optional, prepare the guac:
- Scoop the avocados out of their shells into a medium bowl. Add the lime juice and salt and mash with a fork (or similar) until smooth. Taste and add more lime or salt as desired, then mix in the cilantro and red onion.
Make the burritos:
- Prepare the french fries per package instructions in the oven or air fryer. Preheat a sandwich press to 400 °F (for pressing the burritos) if you have one.
- When ready to cook, remove the steak from the bag and discard the rest of the marinade (shake off excess but do not pat the steaks dry). Grill steak to desired doneness, or cook in a cast iron pan with a swirl of olive oil. I cook in mine in a cast iron pan over high heat, turning every few minutes, until an internal temp of 135°F, about 8-10 minutes. (Note, the marinade may cause some additional charring on the outside, but this contributes to the flavor and isn't noticeable after slicing)
- Let the steak rest for a few minutes, then slice into small pieces as pictured. Toss the steak in the juices after cutting.
- If you're using uncooked tortillas, cook them now and set them aside. If you're using pre-cooked tortillas, warm them up in a skillet or the microwave before rolling the burrito to make them more flexible
- Assemble the burritos: Divide the fillings into even portions, then top each tortilla with the fries, steak, guac, and cheese. Carefully roll the burritos.
- Place the burritos seem-side-down in a preheated sandwich press and cook, until slightly golden on the outside, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, use a skillet set over medium heat, turning as needed. Serve immediately, with your favorite salsa for dipping (I use avocado salsa).After pressing, burritos can be wrapped in foil if they are starting to fall apart, to help keep them together.
To prepare the tri tip in bulk for freezer:
- Trim steaks and prepare appropriate quantity of marinade. Package steaks, in marinade, in a freezer safe zip bag or vacuum bag. The package size should be the quantity you will want to defrost at a time (I do 1 lb).
- Place marinated steak packs in the freezer directly after preparing.
To prepare from frozen:
- Defrost steak at least 6 hours before you plan to cook it, giving the steak time to marinate. I suggest moving from the freezer to fridge the night before.
- Follow the rest of the recipe as written, preparing the other ingredients fresh.
Notes
I use Ore-Ida brand extra crispy fast food french fries, prepared in the air fryer.
If you buy a whole tri tip, slice it into ~1 inch thick steaks before marinating.
Uncooked tortillas are one of my favorite new products. They come in the refrigerated section at the grocery store, and can be prepared in just a few minutes. They make super high quality fresh tortillas that take these burritos to the next level!
If you're struggling to roll the burritos, check out this video for some help: How to Roll a Burrito
My grocery store will occasionally have tri tip steaks on sale for $4-$7 a pound. When they do, I typically by about 4 lbs and make 4 freezer packs for later. After the steak has marinated, the rest of this meal comes together in about 15 minutes! You can also tri this tri tip in my Steak Quesadillas and Tri Tip Tacos.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 burritoCalories: 775kcalProtein: 46g
Love this recipe?Join us on Instagram to never miss a new post!
If you like this recipe, you may also like...
If you like this recipe, you may also like my Chicken Burritos, Tri Tip Tacos, Steak Quesadillas, or Chorizo Breakfast Burritos.
Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram, email me ([email protected]), or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!
Isaiah Wilson says
Another bucket list item checked off!
Since moving here, it was always a mission to try my hand at the local California Burrito delicacy however, there was never a recipe that quite piqued my tastebuds' interest. That was until Crafty Cookbook posted one of the tastiest California Burritos I'd ever seen, that I knew it was finally time to try my hand!
The recipe shines in not only its simplicity for a perfect weekday dinner, but also in its focus on the most important element of the dish, the marinade.
The marinade is the shining star of this recipe, serving as the perfect complement to this dish and many more for me in the future.
Also a special shoutout to the extra tips provided at the end of the recipe, especially the 'How To Roll A Burrito' link!
Another classic, well done, & enjoyable recipe from Crafty Cookbook!