Carne Asada Burrito Bowls

These simple Carne Asada Burrito Bowls are perfect for easy dinners and meal prepping.

Photo of Carne Asada Burrito Bowl in a white bowl. - 1

Remember that Carne Asada recipe (that really, REALLY good carne asada recipe) I posted last week? In that post, I mentioned that while carne asada is pretty perfect all on its own, it’s also killer when used in other recipes.

Today I have just such a recipe for you: Carne Asada Burrito Bowls.

Carne asada makes an excellent burrito bowl filling, because it’s packed full of flavor that’s going to stand up well to all the other ingredients. No matter what else you add to your bowl, carne asada’s still going to be the star.

Overhead shot of carne asada burrito bowl in a white bowl on marble back drop. - 2

Overhead shot of carne asada burrito bowl in a white bowl on marble back drop. - 3

These things are so simple to throw together; they’re perfect to plan for nights you know you’re going to want something easy for dinner or for meal prepping.

What to Put Inside Burrito Bowls

Aside from the carne asada, which gets marinated, broiled, and sliced before going in the bowls, this recipe starts with a bed of easy cilantro lime rice .

After that, anything goes. If you’ve ever put it in a burrito or wanted to put it in a burrito, you can put it in a burrito bowl. I used:

Corn
Black beans
Diced tomatoes
Mexican cheese blend
Sour cream and guacamole

Other good burrito bowl ideas:

Pico de gallo
Salsa
Fajita veggies
Pinto beans

Meal Prep Carne Asada Burrito Bowls

If you’re into meal prepping, burrito bowls also make great make-ahead meals (see recipe notes if you want to double the recipe and make a really big batch).

To prepare the bowls in advance, place a layer of rice at the bottom of your container (I like these 5×7-inch pyrex dishes ). Add meat, beans, and any other ingredients you’re going to want to heat up before eating.

Store any ingredients that won’t microwave well (sour cream, some more delicate veggies, salsa, etc,.) in a small separate container.

Enjoy your week of pre-made lunches and how tidy and satisfying they look stacked neatly in your fridge. 😉

Overhead shot of two meal prep carne asada burrito bowls in glass containers. - 4

Overhead shot of two meal prep carne asada burrito bowls in glass containers. - 5

Carne Asada Burrito Bowls Recipe Notes

If you’d like to double the recipe, this amount of marinade will stretch to cover up to 3 pounds of meat, so no need to double the marinade ingredients.
If you’ve never made carne asada before, and you’d like a little more hand-holding walking you through meat selection and the cooking process, go read my original carne asada recipe post .
For more easy weeknight meals, try Salsa Chicken , Carne Asada Tacos , Chipotle Chicken Tacos , Steak Fajitas , Chicken Fajita Sandwiches or Easy Chicken Shawarma .

Ingredients

▢ 1/2 cup orange juice bottled is fine
▢ 1/2 cup soy sauce low-sodium is fine
▢ 1/4 cup lemon juice bottled is fine
▢ 1/4 cup olive oil
▢ 2 tablespoons lime juice bottled is fine
▢ 2 cloves garlic pressed or diced
▢ 1 teaspoon chili powder
▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
▢ 1 teaspoon paprika
▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper OR 1 teaspoon finely chopped canned chipotle pepper optional
▢ 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro chopped about 3/4-1 cup very loosely packed

Meat

▢ 1 1/2 pounds skirt, flank, or flap steak

Rice

▢ 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken broth
▢ 1 cup long-grain or extra-long-grain rice
▢ 1 lime zested and juiced keep juice and zest separated
▢ 1 tablespoon ( 14g ) butter
▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
▢ 1/4 cup chopped loosely packed cilantro divided

Burrito Bowls

▢ 1 15-ounce can black beans drained
▢ 1 15-ounce can corn drained
▢ 1/2 cup ( 2oz ) shredded Mexican-blend cheese
▢ 1 large tomato diced
▢ 1/2 cup guacamole
▢ 1/4 cup sour cream

Instructions

Carne Asada Marinade

Stir together all marinade ingredients. Place meat in a gallon plastic bag or large container and pour marinade over the meat. Marinate for at least 4 hours, up to about 24*, flipping the meat once halfway through.

Cilantro Lime Rice

In a saucepan or rice cooker, cook rice according to package instructions, replacing the water with chicken broth and adding lime juice, butter, and salt when you add the rice.*
After rice has finished cooking, stir in half of the lime zest and cilantro. Taste and add more lime and cilantro to taste.

Burrito Bowls

Adjust top oven rack so it is about 4 inches from the heating element. Heat broiler on high and place meat on a foil-lined heavy-duty baking sheet or broiler pan. Broil for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until done or an instant-read thermometer reads 135°F for medium-rare, 145°F for medium.
Allow meat to rest for 5 to 10 minutes while you heat the rest of your burrito bowl ingredients. Slice carne asada across the grain into strips.
Divide cilantro rice between bowls or food prep containers. Top rice with meat and the rest of your burrito bowl toppings. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

This easy carne asada recipe will make the best homemade carne asada you’ve ever eaten. Recipe includes oven, stovetop and grill instructions.

Photo of Easy Carne Asada made with flap meat on a cutting board. - 7

Photo of Easy Carne Asada made with flap meat on a cutting board. - 8

Hey, friends. I’ve talked before about how while I fully love every recipe I post here, there are some I get extra excited about sharing with you. My Tri-tip recipe was one, these Country-style Ribs and Carnitas were too. And today, I have another one for you: Carne Asada.

I can’t wait for you to try this recipe, because it is the best homemade carne asada you will ever eat. You get super flavorful tangy meat, and since you’re going to cook it over fast, high heat, it’s also got those crispy, charred edges that, as the chef, you totally have first dibs on.

For the full, printable recipe, scroll on down to the recipe card. If you’ve never made carne asada before or have some carne asada questions, read on.

What is carne asada?

Carne asada translates literally as “grilled meat.” Its preparation varies, but generally, it’s thin cuts of beef sometimes marinated, sometimes prepared with a rub, and grilled or cooked over high heat. It can be served as a stand-alone main dish or sliced and used as filling for tacos, burritos, and other dishes.

What kind of meat is carne asada?

There are a few different cuts of beef you can use for carne asada. Most popular here in the US are flank steak, skirt steak, and flap meat (if you’re curious where they all come from, this is a great breakdown ). All three are thin-ish cuts with an easily detectible grain that do well when marinated and cooked over high heat.

Here in California, I don’t see any one of these consistently available at a reasonable price, so I’ll use them interchangeably depending on price and availability. They’re all going to taste great and get the job done.

Given a choice though, my favorite is flap meat. It has a great beefy flavor, is usually the cheapest option, and seems to come out slightly more tender than the other two.

Carne Asada Marinade Recipe

While some carne asada is prepared with just a spice rub, this recipe uses a citrus-based marinade. The acids help break down the muscle fibers and tenderize the meat, and it penetrates really well, so the meat picks up a ton of flavor.

How long to marinate carne asada? If you’re in a hurry, you can get away with just a few hours, but you’ll get the best results with a 24-hour marinade. If you can, start marinating your beef the night before. You won’t be sorry.

Pro tip: I know marinades with more than a couple of ingredients are a pain to make, but this one’s worth it, I promise! Line up your ingredients before hand, in the order they’re written in the recipe, and if you use a liquid measuring cup like the one in the photo above, you don’t actually have to get any other measuring cups dirty. Plus most of the spices call for 1 teaspoon so things will move quickly.

How to Make Carne Asada

Collage photo of carne asada before and after being cooked under the broiler. - 11

Your carne asada will shrink quite a bit as it cooks!

Once your meat is marinated, you’re going to want to cook it over quick, high heat.

On the grill – Medium-high heat 4 to 8 minutes per side.
In the oven – Under the broiler on high 4 to 6 minutes per side.
On the stove – Medium-high heat 4 to 8 minutes per side.

Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat, so I highly recommend using an instant-read thermometer to take the guesswork out of cooking. If you have a thermometer, these are the temps you’ll want to aim for:

Medium rare 130-140°F Medium 140-150°F Medium well 150°F+

The meat in the photos was cooked under the broiler to about 137°F at the thickest point.

Then slice the meat across the grain. ( Here’s why, if you’re curious. ) Depending on the type of steak you used, this grain might run all the way down the length of the meat or across it like it does with this flap meat.

Close up collage photo of the grain direction in carne asada flap meat with text. - 12

Close up collage photo of the grain direction in carne asada flap meat with text. - 13

Fortunately, the grain in all three cuts is pretty obvious, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding the direction.

How to serve carne asada?

Carne asada can be served as a main on its own with a side of beans and rice . It’s also great chopped and used in steak fajitas , tacos , salads , carne asada fries , or burrito bowls .

For other carne asada sides, a quick corn salad, easy oven-roasted broccoli , or chips and nacho cheese are a good option.

Picture of Carne Asada cooked to medium and sliced. - 14

Picture of Carne Asada cooked to medium and sliced. - 15