Skip to Content

Slow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole + VIDEO

This slow cooker California burrito breakfast casserole is inspired by the famous California burrito. Using French fries instead of rice & beans, this breakfast version adds eggs and can be cooked overnight in your slow cooker.

pinterest pin for Slow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole

PIN FOR LATER

California burritos are my guilty pleasure. I had my first California burrito when I went home with a college buddy to La Jolla over spring break back in 2000. French fries in a burrito?!? I couldn’t believe it. One bite and I was hooked. 20 years later, I still eat California burritos on a regular basis. Lucky for me, I can find them readily around Los Angeles these days.

frozen french fries, cooked carne asada, shredded cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and onions in bowl

What Is A California Burrito

This is not an authentic Mexican dish. The California burrito was created in San Diego. Rice & beans? NO. California burritos consist of a flour tortilla stuffed with carne asada, pico de gallo, cheese, guacamole, and french fries. Some variations add other ingredients like sour cream. Personally I don’t like sour cream in mine but as a way to incorporate it into the recipe, I used sour cream instead of milk in my egg mixture.

a dozen whisked eggs in a clear bowl

How Many Eggs To Use

You’ll need enough eggs to mostly cover the food in the slow cooker….but not so much that it’s swimming in liquid. If you notice in my before pic and in the video, the egg mixture reaches right to the top of the food. I then cover it with the remaining cheese. For me, this means using  12 large eggs. When I used medium-size eggs, I need 16 eggs to achieve this.  If you don’t think it’s looks like enough eggs, whisk a few more & pour them on top.

The Good Stuff

The best part of course is the burrito stuffing. Frozen french fries work better than fresh. Yes, you can use fresh but in my experience they turn mushy. Trust me, use frozen. You will need cooked carne asada. If you don’t want to use carne asada, substitute another cooked meat like shredded beef or ground beef. I used 1 avocado, you can use two if you think you’ll want more or even dollops of guacamole. Topping suggestions for this casserole include: cilantro, guacamole and salsa.

Other breakfast casseroles you might enjoy:

Overnight Breakfast Casserole

Bacon Avocado Breakfast Casserole

Denver Omelette Casserole

Avocado Egg Casserole

Sausage, Spinach & Cheese Breakfast Casserole

Egg White Vegetable Frittata

Meat & Vegetable Frittata

uncooked Slow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole in the slow cooker with eggs mixture poured on top

before (slow cooker)

Tip For A Successful Breakfast Casserole

There are a few things you need to do or know to make this breakfast casserole a good one:

1) Grease the heck out the slow cooker. I sprayed mine heavily with cooking spray and it slid right out with no sticking. You can also line your slow cooker with parchment paper or use a slow cooker liner.

2) Let the casserole cool completely before removing it. This too will help it from not sticking to the base.

3) Every slow cooker heats differently. Your casserole might done after 6 hours on low or it might take 8. Insert a knife into the center; when it comes out clean you’ll know it’s done. Mine took about 7 hours on low.

after (slow cooker)

Storing & Freezing Leftover Breakfast Casserole

This slow cooker breakfast casserole will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. After that, you can freeze any leftovers. Or you can make this ahead with the sole purpose of freezing it; this is also a great meal prep recipe. Once cooled completely, slice and freeze in sections or freeze the casserole as a whole if your freezer permits it. Freeze for up to 2 months. To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator & reheat in the microwave or oven.

You will need a large, 6-quart slow cooker for this recipe.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”NqaA5fS1″ upload-date=”2020-06-09T01:17:55.000Z” name=”Slow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole” description=”Made famous in San Diego, the California burrito is uses french fries instead of rice & beans. Make this overnight breakfast version in your slow cooker.” player-type=”static”]

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Slow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 12 large eggs
  • 16 ounces carne asada, cooked & chopped
  • 32 ounces frozen french fries
  • 1/3 cup onion, diced
  • 1/3 cup tomatoes, diced
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted & diced
  • 1/3 cup sour cream (or milk of your choice)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

  1. Spray slow cooker generously with cooking spray.
  2. Add half of the french fries to the bottom of the slow cooker and top with half the of onions, half the tomatoes, half the cooked carne asada, half of the avocado, and half of the cheese. Repeat layers again starting with the french fries and end with the avocado. Save the last cup of the cheese.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sour cream, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over the ingredients in the slow cooker. Top with remaining cheese.
  4. Cook HIGH 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8.
  • Author: Shannon Epstein

plated Slow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on one of the product links, I’ll might receive compensation. For more about my disclosure policy see heres: https://fitslowcookerqueen.com/about/disclosure-policy/.

Slow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole + VIDEOSlow Cooker California Burrito Breakfast Casserole + VIDEO
Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

Barbara

Tuesday 21st of July 2020

I really want to try this recipe -- it sounds awesome -- but not sure I can get it onto my family's plates (picky eaters, although they'd love the french fries!!!). What happens to the texture of the avocado in this recipe? They don't like tomatoes or onions eith but I know how to disguise those!!!!

Fit SlowCooker Queen

Tuesday 21st of July 2020

The avocados turn very soft. Almost mushy. If you think it will be a problem, I would simply omit the avocados from the recipe. You can always add them as a topping once it's done cooking. Enjoy!

Sue

Wednesday 10th of June 2020

I have lived in Southern California for 73 years and this is the first time I have heard of the California Burrito. Thank you for the recipe.

Lorenzo

Tuesday 9th of June 2020

I love breakfast for dinner!