Is it wrong that I want to eat all of my favorite Mexican flavors together? This Grilled Steak Burrito Bowl does just that, punching your tastebuds with the bold spices from the chiles, the different layers of fats, and fresh pico de gallo.

This skillet brings maximum flavor, topped with fajita-style peppers and onions, fresh guacamole, and shredded cheese. We’re going to break down a few of the components for this bowl and end with delicious steak! So buckle up, and let’s dive in.

The Steak Burrito Bowl assembled and ready to devour.
ARTICLE & PHOTOS BY BRAD PROSE

This homemade steak burrito bowl recipe is the perfect easy meal for any night of the week. Cilantro lime rice, juicy steak pieces, smoky, spicy beans, guacamole, and pico de Gallo unite, bringing together the best elements of Mexican-inspired cuisine. 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This recipe is perfect for anyone wanting to bring the taste of Mexico into their kitchen. This easy meal uses simple ingredients, can be made ahead of time, and is also perfect for weekly meal prep! Additionally, this recipe is packed with homemade ensembles like guacamole, pico de Gallo, and beans, each with their own unique flavors you won’t find anywhere else, not even at your local Mexican joint. 

The raw flank steak, ready to be seasoned.

Steak Burrito Bowl Ingredients

Grilled Flank Steak

  • Flank Steak: I chose flank steak for this recipe as we wanted that nice medium-rare inside instead. 
  • Green bell pepper: Green bell peppers are the least sweet out of all the peppers, but you could use red or yellow bell peppers if you like a little sweetness. 
  • Red onion: Feel free to swap this out with white onion if you like. 
  • Vegetable oil: Use any oil with a high smoke point, like canola oil or avocado oil. 
  • Steak Seasoning: We’ll season our steak with a mixture of kosher salt, black pepper, garlic powder, ground cumin, chipotle powder, cayenne powder, ground cinnamon and dried oregano. A few classic spices, and a few new ones so that we can achieve a savory steak with a bit of a kick.

Charro Beans

  • Black or pinto beans: Up to your preference, both bring a nutty, early flavor.
  • Bean Additions: Smoked bacon for a savory, smoky finish to the beans. Plus white onion, jalapeño (optional) and some salt and pepper to your preferred taste.
  • Spiceology Hatch Chile Seasoning: A flavorful blend of green bell pepper, green chili pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and lime juice. 

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White Rice

  • White rice, long grain: Perfect level of starch and fiber for this dish. 
  • Fresh cilantro: Adds a zesty flair to the rice. 
  • Lime juice: For a nice zip

Guacamole

  • Avocados: An obvious must for guacamole, so make sure to look for ripe avocados. 
  • Poblano Chile: Adds a slight kick. 
  • Cilantro: Adds a bit of freshness. If you’re not a cilantro fan, then you can of course omit this.
  • Red onion: I chose red onion, but you could use white onion if you like. 
  • Limes: I use the fresh lime juice to give the guac a little zesty punch. 
  • Salt: Ties the whole dish together and helps pop the flavor.

Heirloom Pico de Gallo

  • Heirloom tomatoes: The heirloom tomatoes have tons of mellow flavor and blend perfectly with the vibrant flavors in the rest of the ingredients. 
  • White onion: Again, you could swap this out for red onion if you like. 
  • Jalapeño: This is totally optional if you don’t like anything spicy. 
  • Finishing touches: cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste; all help bring the fresh tang and help bolden the flavors.

All these elements come together as fantastic dishes on their own, but, together, they form the most delicious of all steak burrito bowls.

For more burrito recipes, check out my California Burrito, Chorizo Breakfast Burrito and Southwest Breakfast Burrito.

Steak Burrito Bowl FLAVOR FOUNDATION: RICE & BEANS

Trust me, there’s nothing simple about rice and beans. Sure, you could use instant rice or just a can of beans, but you’d be missing out on so many textures and layers of flavor. And we’re making this Steak Burrito Bowl better than that. Let’s discuss!

We start with white, fluffy rice. Use your rice cooker or stovetop, but make sure the kind of rice you’re using is white long grain. This is not only more classic, but the level of starch and fiber is just right for this dish, creating a lighter bite. Stirring in fresh-chopped cilantro and lime juice at the end elevates the flavors and also helps separate the grains for a little more texture.

The black beans sizzling over the fire.

The beans: Charro Beans. Really, these could be an entire meal on their own. Starting with small bits of smoked bacon, slowly cooked down, we add a healthy amount of chopped onions and jalapeños.

Cooking these down slowly, we’ll add in a large can of black beans (you can use pinto) and a few dashes of the Hatch Chile seasoning. This bold blend adds another layer of heat, garlic, cumin, and other spices to tie in the upcoming hero of our Grilled Steak Burrito Bowl: Flank Steak!

How To Make A Steak Burrito Bowl

Traditional carne asada uses thinner cuts and higher heat to take advantage of a quick sear and charred crust. The process locks in the juices quickly, even if you don’t get that nice medium-rare color.

Well, medium-rare is hard to pass up. We wanted to use a steak with a thicker profile, so we decided to use flank steak. This allows for that ruby-red perfection. Seasoned with a custom mix of spices similar to carne asada, this larger steak is cooked at a slightly lower temperature.

Grilling the steak for our burrito bowls.

Using this method ensures that the fats have enough time to render, also providing you a bit more control over the final temperature. If you’re not familiar with this cut, then I’d recommend using a meat thermometer. Since it’s thicker than the traditional carne asada meat and easy to undercook. Just keep flipping for that gorgeous crust and check the internal temperature. It should read at least 125F for medium rare.

The key to this dish is to have as much prepared as you can before you grill the steak. The steamy rice is cooked, and the pico de gallo has been marinated. The guacamole is also ready, minus the few “test bites” Grilling the steak is our final step. 

Slicing into the flank steak.

Before we add the steak to the grill, throw the peppers and onions on. The fiery aromas from the beans, vegetables, and steak are guaranteed to build anticipation. Don’t worry, we’re almost there!

Once the steak was resting, we used a cast iron skillet to build the steak bowl: half rice and beans, topped with vegetables, slices of charred flank steak, fresh pico, guacamole, shredded cheese, or any of your other favorite toppings!

Steak Burrito Bowl Tips

  • Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure you don’t overcook the flank steak. Flank steak can become super tough if you overcook it, and we don’t want that. 
  • Feel free to swap out the white rice for brown rice. Keep in mind that brown rice takes longer to cook, so make sure to make that beforehand. 
  • If you don’t want to use my Hatch Chile Seasoning, feel free to use any Mexican seasoning you like!

More Latin American Inspiration 

How to Store Leftovers & Reheat

Store leftover steak, rice, beans, guacamole, and pico de Gallo in separate airtight containers in the fridge for 3-4 days. 

To reheat the steak, pop it into a large skillet with a little oil and sauté a little bit to get it nice and warm.

To reheat the rice and beans, just pop them into the microwave and heat up in 30-second intervals until warm. Assemble your bowls and enjoy. 

One final shot of the completed Steak Burrito Bowl.

What to Serve With These Delicious Burrito Bowls

You could enjoy these steak bowls on their own, but if you’d like to beef things up even more, add some corn salsa and tortilla chips to the side for the ultimate Mexican food feast. 

Steak Burrito Bowl Recipe FAQs

Can I use another type of steak besides flank steak?

Yes! Feel free to use skirt steak instead for a similar taste and texture. 

Can I make this recipe low carb?

Absolutely! Ditch the rice and use cauliflower rice instead! 

Should I marinate the steak before cooking?

It’s not necessary, but you can if you like. I recommend 30 minutes to an hour to allow the flavors to seep into the meat.

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All the major tastes—salty, sour, sweet, bitter, and umami—are explored in depth, along with an investigation of other components you should consider when it comes to flavor, such as aroma, heat, and texture.

Grilled Steak Burrito Bowl

Grilled Steak Burrito Bowl

This Grilled Steak Burrito Bowl to enjoy all your favorite flavors wrapped together in a glorious tortilla! If a burrito isn't your thing, try it in a bowl!
Author:Brad Prose
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 People

Ingredients 

Grilled Flank Steak

  • 1 Flank Steak 2-3lb
  • 1 green bell pepper seeded and sliced thin
  • 1 red onion sliced thin
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil

Steak Seasoning

  • 2 tsp of Kosher Salt
  • 1.5 tsp of Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp of Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp of Ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp of Chipotle Powder
  • ½ tsp of Cayenne Powder
  • ½ tsp of Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ tsp of Dried Oregano

Charro Beans

  • 12 oz smoked bacon chopped fine
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 1 jalapeno diced
  • 28 oz can black or pinto beans
  • 2 tsp Spiceology Hatch Chile Seasoning
  • Salt & pepper to taste

White Rice

  • 1 cup white rice long grain
  • 2 cups water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • Juice of ½ lime

Guacamole

  • 1 poblano chile whole
  • 2 avocados
  • ¼ cup of cilantro chopped
  • cup of red onion diced
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 2 tsp of salt

Heirloom Pico De Gallo

  • 3 medium heirloom tomatoes diced
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 1 jalapeno diced
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime more as needed
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Preheat your charcoal grill for grilling at medium-high temperature (around 350F).
  • Season the flank steak with the seasoning, allowing it to rest as you prepare the food.
  • Dice and prepare ingredients for pico de gallo. Mix and marinate for at least an hour ahead of time.
  • Once the coals are lit, place the poblano pepper directly on the coals and char on all sides, flipping as needed. After each side is charred, place the pepper in a plastic bag to allow it to steam, which makes removing the charred skin easier.
  • Assembling the guacamole: When cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin from the poblano, and dice the chile into small pieces. Mix into a bowl with the avocado and other ingredients, mashing and seasoning to taste.
  • Making the rice: Wash the rice thoroughly. Place the washed rice and the water into a medium saucepan, adding the salt. Bring to a boil. Stir the rice gently, cover the pot and reduce the heat down to low. Cook for about 16-18 minutes, checking to make sure all of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit to absorb any other liquid. Add in the cilantro and lime juice, and fluff the rice with a fork.
  • Cooking the beans: Place a skillet over the coals. Add in the bacon and cook to render down some of the fat. Add in the jalapenos and onions before the bacon is fully crisp. After a few minutes, the vegetables should start to be translucent. Add in the beans with liquid and stir, breaking up anything on the bottom of the skillet. Season with the Hatch Chile and salt to taste. Cook for a few minutes until it thickens.
  • Remove the beans from the skillet and wipe it clean. Add in a few tsp of oil and place it back over the coals. Add in the peppers and onions, seasoning with salt. Cook to preferred doneness for a few minutes.
  • Wipe the grates clean, and place your flank steak on the grill. Allow it to char for 3-4 minutes before flipping. You will need to do this a few times until preferred temperature. For a nice medium-rare, cook until about 125F and let it rest while you assemble the bowls.
  • Prepare your bowls with the rice, charro beans, peppers & onions, steak, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Toss on some shredded cheese as well!

Nutrition

Calories: 912kcal | Carbohydrates: 115g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 76mg | Sodium: 3471mg | Potassium: 2321mg | Fiber: 31g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2074IU | Vitamin C: 96mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 8mg

Brad Prose

Brad Prose is a professional recipe developer, food writer, and culinary photographer - the force behind Chiles and Smoke. His kitchen spotlights unusual and incredible flavors through a blend of fine dining and BBQ. Brad strives to inspire home cooks to use higher-end techniques and new ideas, applying them to the everyday food we know and love.

5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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