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6 Min
06/04/2026
Every first Thursday in April, foodies across the US celebrate National Burrito Day. To honour the day, let’s compare burritos and chimichangas. Because what made Teen Titans’ Beast Boy sing about burritos? Or Deadpool knit one-liners about chimichangas? It gets one thinking about what one of food's greatest look-alike rivalries might entail. Both are rolled in wheat tortillas, stuffed to the brim and tied to Mexican and Tex-Mex tradition, yet they are different.
Burritos vs chimichangas is one of those debates that sounds simple until you actually sit down with both dishes. It’s like saying identical twins have the same DNA; they almost entirely do, but there are marked differences. As for a burrito recipe or chimichanga recipe, both feature a large flour tortilla wrapped around a generous filling of meat, cheese, beans, and sauces. The main difference between these two Mexican favourites is that a chimichanga is deep-fried. Chimichangas are usually meat-filled and served with sour cream or cheese on the side, whereas burritos almost always have beans along with meat as fillings. But that single step of lowering a wrapped tortilla into hot oil changes everything.
A burrito is a Mexican dish made with a flour tortilla tightly wrapped around a filling of various ingredients, typically high-protein meats, beans, cheese, rice, and salsa. The word itself means ‘little donkey’ in Spanish, and one popular theory suggests the name refers to the bedrolls and packs that donkeys carried, which the wrapped tortilla resembles.
The oldest historical mention of a burrito appears in the ‘Dictionary of Mexicanisms’ in 1895, where it was defined as a ‘rolled tortilla, with meat or other food within’. The dish first became popular in Guanajuato and Guerrero before its popularity moved northward to the United States.
Large flour tortilla (10-inch)
Seasoned ground beef, shredded chicken, or beans
Cooked rice (white, brown, or Spanish-style)
Black beans or refried beans
Shredded cheese (cheddar, Oaxacan, or mozzarella)
Sour cream, salsa, or guacamole
Fresh toppings: lettuce, tomato, corn, jalapeños, cilantro
The key to a good burrito is its fold. To fold a burrito, start by folding in the sides, then roll tightly from the bottom up, tucking the filling in as you go to create a neat, secure wrap. The finished burrito is handheld, portable, and ready to eat without cutlery – making it the ultimate street food and on-the-go meal.
The first frozen burrito was sold in 1964, and breakfast burritos were introduced in 1975 by Tia Sophia's in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Nutritionally, a standard meat-filled burrito provides around 622 kcal, 51g carbohydrates, 32g protein, and 32g fat per serving.
The burrito recipe added a deep-frying step—this is the simplest way to define a chimichanga. The chimichanga contains similar ingredients, such as rice, meat, vegetables, cheese, and salsa, all wrapped up in a large tortilla. The major difference is that chimichangas are deep-fried.
The origin story revolves around a woman named Carlotta Flores, who is said to be the inspiration behind the chimichanga. Her great-great-aunt Monica Flin owned a Mexican restaurant in downtown Tucson, Arizona, called El Charro Café. One evening, Aunt Monica accidentally tossed her burrito into a pot of boiling oil. Before she could stop herself, she began to curse – but changed the word mid-sentence to ‘chi…michanga’. The fried burrito was, of course, a hit.
Chimichangas today are made using a wheat tortilla, just like the burrito. The primary filling is meat, whether chicken, beef, or seafood, cooked with peppers or salsa, rolled, and deep-fried. They tend to skip classic burrito recipe fillings like rice and beans, and any cheese is served on top of the deep-fried creation, not inside. However, chimichangas are served with sides of beans and rice and rely heavily on sauces to balance the rich, fried flavour of the dish.
Chimicangas have a crunchy shell, which you get from deep-frying, making them very addictive.
Rice, beans, cheese and meat are essential fillings of this Mexican dish.
Extra toppings like cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole are over the chimichanga and not stuffed inside.
Though similar to the standard burrito recipe, it tends to be heavier in calories due to the frying process.
It’s a case of twins that are created from the same source, but they couldn’t be any more different. So, here is a lowdown of the differences between the two burrito recipes, one fried, one not fried.
Feature |
Burrito |
Chimichanga |
Cooking Method |
Soft-wrapped; sometimes grilled |
Deep-fried in hot oil |
Texture |
Soft, pliable exterior |
Crispy, golden-brown shell |
Tortilla Type |
Large flour tortilla |
Large flour tortilla |
Fillings |
Meat, beans, rice, cheese, veggies |
Primarily meat (fewer vegetables) |
Cheese Placement |
Inside the wrap |
Melted on top |
How It's Eaten |
Handheld, no cutlery needed |
On a plate, with a fork and a knife |
Sauces |
Inside or on the side |
Sour cream, salsa, and guacamole on top |
Origin |
Mexico (Guanajuato/Guerrero region) |
Arizona, USA (Tex-Mex) |
Occasion |
Everyday fast food |
Indulgent treat or sit-down meal |
To celebrate National Burrito Day, you can just host an all-you-can-eat party featuring a burrito bar at home with multiple filling options. All you have to do is seal the ingredients in a tortilla flour wrap and fry or don't fry them. Make sure to have plenty of condiments at home. Order in or make your own Mexican burrito recipe if a party seems like too big an effort.
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