Unless you’ve worked in a Mexican restaurant or a burrito truck — and if you have, hats off to you — the toughest challenge of making burritos at home is wrapping them so they actually stay closed.
After all, there are few things worse than biting into a poorly folded burrito and watching the contents spill out onto the plate after just one or two bites.
“How hard could it be?” you might think, especially if you’ve never done this before.
Until, that is, you have a humbling kitchen moment that shows you just how much technique goes into something as seemingly simple as topping a tortilla and rolling it into a burrito.
With the right knowledge — which I’m about to share with you in this story — you too can master proper tortilla folding quickly and make falling-apart burritos a thing of the past.
So let’s dive in.
Warm the Tortilla First
Heat a ceramic, non-stick, or cast iron skillet over medium-low.
Warm each tortilla for 20-30 seconds. You’re not trying to necessarily brown the tortillas — just heat them enough to make them more flexible.
If your tortillas have gone stale because they’ve been open for a while or the package was left unsealed, Sarah Rae Smith from The Kitchn suggests reviving them by wetting two or three paper towels, placing the tortillas on top, and microwaving for 50-60 seconds.
When In Doubt, Use the Smiley Method
Place your tortilla on a cutting board and imagine it as a smiley face.
All toppings should go where the smile is—the lower half facing you. The smiley face should have a “chin,” so leave some space between your fillings and the edge of the tortilla.
Spread the fillings evenly, but don’t pile them so high that folding becomes difficult. Smaller wraps can handle about ⅔ of an inch of toppings, while larger ones can accommodate 1 to 1½ inches when folded correctly.
Another tip: Make the fillings at the bottom of the smile (toward the “chin”) thicker than in the middle. This helps position the filling properly when rolled and prevents spillage.
I developed this technique a couple of years ago—at least I think I did, as I haven’t seen anything similar online. I can honestly say it dramatically improved my burrito-folding skills.
Add the Toppings in the Correct Sequence
Start with sour cream, queso blanco, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, and any other “wet” toppings.
Placing these first means they’ll be on the opposite side when you fold the burrito, preventing them from squishing out during folding.
The key is using only a tablespoon or two of moist toppings. Too much makes folding difficult and can make the tortilla soggy, causing it to tear under the weight.
Next, add crumbly, grainy, and small toppings like ground beef, sautéed mushrooms, corn, black beans, and rice. Follow with diced tomatoes and cilantro, then slices of avocado, onion, and chili peppers.
Always put grated cheddar on top. When you fold and heat the tortilla in a skillet, the cheese will melt and seal it. I sometimes sprinkle extra cheese where the wrap edges meet; it melts and acts like glue to hold everything together.
Apply the Correct Folding Technique
In a YouTube video, Seattle vlogger Vishwesh Shanbhag demonstrates a masterful burrito-folding technique:
She starts with a warmed tortilla and applies toppings in what resembles the smiley method. She then folds the sides of the bottom half into a “W” shape, using her thumbs to fold the middle section tightly into the burrito.
While holding the half-folded burrito in place, she uses her pinky fingers to grab and fold in the protruding top parts of the “W,” then rolls the whole thing and wraps it in foil for easy handling.
The result? A burrito so well-folded it would stay intact even if you knocked it against a wall (though I don’t recommend doing that at home).