This California burrito recipe starts off with a fantastic carne asada and homemade marinade! Add the tender, flavorful steak to a large tortilla with french fries, guacamole, and a few other Mexican ingredients, and you’ve got a delicious California style burrito!
I’ll be the first to admit, the ingredients that go in a typical California burrito are not ingredients that I would ever choose to roll up together in a tortilla. The french fries really stick out the most, given that all of the other components to this iconic burrito recipe are Mexican, and the American (or French) fried potatoes don’t really go with that cuisine.
But then I took my first bite of this California burrito, and I was hooked!
Maybe it was the perfectly seasoned, tender carne asada. Maybe it was the chunky, simple guacamole. Or maybe it was those crispy Blackstone french fries. But this burrito really worked!
What is a California Burrito?
The California Burrito combines the savory taste of carne asada with the crispy texture of French fries and creamy guacamole, all wrapped inside a large flour tortilla and grilled to perfection. It may seem like an odd pairing of ingredients, especially the french fries, but after one bite it’s easy to see why the California-style steak burrito is so popular.
The California burrito originated in San Diego, born from a fusion of Mexican and American cuisines. Many Mexican-American San Diego taco shops and food trucks, wanting to cater to the younger late-night crowd, started adding french fries and guacamole to burritos. The popularity of the California burrito quickly spread through Southern California and beyond, and now the steak burrito is a famous part of San Diego’s food scene.
California Burrito Video
Ingredients for a California Burrito
- steak – We used flap meat, which is very similar to skirt steak but less expensive. You can substitute flank steak or skirt steak for the carne asada.
- french fries – You can make your own fries from hand-cut potatoes, or save yourself some time and use frozen french fries like we did.
- guacamole – I left my guacamole chunky with very simple ingredients. I really wanted the avocado to sing, so I added just a bit of lime juice, diced tomatoes, and diced onions.
- pico de gallo – I always make this myself by combining diced roma tomatoes, diced white onion, diced jalapeno, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and a pinch of salt.
- sour cream
- extra large flour tortillas – For stuffed burritos, we look for flour tortillas that are larger than burrito-sized. The Old El Paso brand has packages of tortillas that are called “grande” – these work perfect for this recipe.
For the Carne Asada Marinade:
The steak is the star of the show in this California burrito, thanks to a fantastic homemade marinade based on our favorite steak fajita marinade. You’ll need these ingredients for the best carne asada marinade:
- orange juice
- lemon juice – Use the juice of 1/2 of a large lemon.
- juice and zest of one lime
- chipotles in adobo – You’ll need one tablespoon of chopped chipotles from the can.
- Worcestershire sauce
- soy sauce
- minced garlic
- brown sugar
- spices – Including cumin, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
Making the Carne Asada Marinade
Start by making the marinade so that the beef has plenty of time to develop a ton of flavor. Simply add all of the marinade ingredients to a bowl and mix together well.
*TIP – If you find it difficult to squeeze the fresh citrus juices, or if your lemons or limes are not very juicy, you can place half of the citrus fruit in between a pair of tongs and squeeze the tongs together, giving you a bit more leverage.
How to Make a California Burrito
Step 1: Cut and marinate the steak.
There’s nothing worse than biting into a chicken or steak burrito and having all of the meat come out in one bite. With certain cuts of beef, you may not be able to bite into large strips, so I chose to dice the steak prior to marinating. This also has the added benefit of adding more flavor, because there’s more beef surface area exposed to the marinade.
Start by cutting the steak into long thin slices with the grain. Then, rotate the strips 90 degrees and chop into bite-sized pieces against the grain.
Add the cut steak to a large bowl or zip-top bag, pour in the carne asada marinade, and marinate the steak in the refrigerator for about 2-4 hours. The citrus juices will also help to tenderize the steak during this time.
Step 2: Cook the french fries.
When the steak is almost done marinating, begin cooking the frozen french fries. You can cook the fries in the oven or air fryer according to package instructions, or cook the french fries on the Blackstone griddle with a bit of high-heat cooking oil like we did.
Immediately when the fries are done cooking, season with salt or your favorite Mexican seasoning blend for a bit of extra flavor.
Step 3: Cook the carne asada.
Next, cook the marinated steak on the hot griddle or in a large skillet.
When adding the steak to the hot cooking surface, be sure to space it out so that each piece can get a nice sear. If you were to just dump the beef in a large pile and immediately start sautéing it, then the moisture from the marinade would create more of a steaming effect.
Then, after the steak pieces have developed a nice char on the first side, start to sauté together. Cook a few more minutes until done to your liking, and then transfer to a large bowl.
Step 4: Assemble the California Burrito.
When the french fries are perfectly crispy, the steak is cooked to your liking, and the pico and guac are done, it’s time to roll it all up!
First, heat one large tortilla in the microwave or on the griddle or skillet for a few seconds to make it more pliable. This will make it easier to roll your burrito, and it will help to keep your tortilla from breaking or cracking.
Then, layer on french fries, carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, and hot sauce (optional).
Tips for Rolling Burritos
After making thousands of wraps and burritos (literally!), I’ve found that this method for rolling the stuffed tortillas is best:
- Make a wide “V” shape by folding the two bottom sides of the tortilla inward. Those two sides/corners will cover the ingredients from falling out the sides of the burrito. See the photo above.
- Tuck the middle of the “V” over and around the burrito ingredients.
- Begin rolling as you move the two sides inward, making sure that the tortilla is wrapped tightly around the ingredients.
- Place the wrapped burrito seam side down until ready to serve, so that it doesn’t come unrolled.
Once the burritos are rolled, you can place them in a hot skillet or on the griddle seam side down to help seal the edges. Continue to rotate the burrito to toast it evenly on all sides if you wish. Then your California burritos are ready to serve!
This California burrito recipe is really the perfect blend of flavors and textures – bold Mexican carne asada, chunky cool guacamole, crispy seasoned french fries, and your favorite toppings combine for the most delicious burrito! Even the wife polished off a whole one by herself!
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California Burrito with Carne Asada
Ingredients
- 1½-2 lbs flap meat *Or substitute skirt steak or flank steak
- 26 oz bag frozen french fries *Like Ore Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries
- salt or Mexican seasoning *For seasoning the french fries
- 4 extra large flour tortillas
- guacamole
- burrito add-ins like pico de gallo, sour cream, and hot sauce
For the Carne Asada Marinade:
- ¼ cup orange juice
- juice of ½ large lemon
- juice and zest of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers in adobo *From a can of chipotles in adobo
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- 1½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cut the steak. Cut the steak into long strips with the grain. Then, rotate the strips 90 degrees and chop into bite-sized pieces against the grain.
- Marinate the steak. In a large bowl or zip-top bag, mix together all ingredients for the carne asada marinade. Add the cut beef to the marinade, and mix well so that each piece is covered. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
- Cook the french fries. When the steak is almost done marinating, cook the french fries in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer according to package instructions. *Alternatively, you may cook the french fries in about 3-4 tablespoons of oil on the griddle. When fries are done cooking, immediately season with salt or your favorite Mexican seasoning. Transfer to paper towels for excess grease to drain.
- Preheat griddle or skillet. For griddle cooking, heat the Blackstone griddle to about 425-450℉. Or heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Cook the carne asada. Add the marinated steak to the hot griddle or skillet, ensuring that you space it out so that each piece can get a nice sear. Allow to cook untouched for about 2-4 minutes for a nice char to develop. Then sauté together and cook an additional 2-4 minutes until done to your liking. Transfer cooked steak to a large bowl.
- Assemble the California burritos. Heat one large tortilla in the microwave or on the griddle for a few seconds so it's pliable. Layer on french fries, carne asada, guacamole, pico de gallo, sour cream, hot sauce, or other toppings. Fold the two sides of the tortilla in a deep "V" shape, and bring the "V" up and over the ingredients, tucking as you roll the tortilla tightly into a burrito. Repeat for the other burritos.
- Toast and serve the burritos. Place the rolled burritos in a hot skillet or on the griddle seam side down to help seal the edges. Continue to rotate the burritos to toast evenly on all sides. Slice burritos in half and serve hot with your favorite toppings.
As someone from San Diego, Ca I can tell you this is pretty spot on to how the taco shops make these. The only difference is you’re going to be paying extra for that gauc, way to do the recipe justice Neal!