This vegan tater tot breakfast burrito is inspired by a menu item I kept ordering at a local LA chain called Wake & Late. There's a location basically right next to my old gym, which is equal parts convenient and dangerous. I've eaten a lot of post-workout burritos from that place. Splitting one with my gym buddy helped me feel marginally less guilty about it.
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The original version is heavy and indulgent in the best way, but my homemade take is a little lighter while still hitting all the same notes. Once I figured out how to get the tofu scramble, beans, and chipotle aioli dialed in, I couldn't stop making it at home. And now that you have the recipe, you won't either!
what's in a vegan tater tot breakfast burrito?
The filling is simple, but every component does something important. Here's what's going into each wrap:
tofu scramble and black beans: the tofu scramble is seasoned with nutritional yeast, garlic powder, turmeric, salt, and pepper. It gets golden and savoury in just a few minutes in a pan. The black beans get mashed just slightly before mixing in, so you still have some texture, but they integrate with the scramble really nicely. Together, they're your protein-packed, filling base.
avocado: a few slices of fresh avocado per burrito add creaminess and cool things down just enough. Nothing fancy is needed here.
crispy tater tots: eight tots per burrito! That's the magic number. They need to be fresh out of the oven or air fryer, not sitting around getting soft. The crunch they bring is the whole point.
vegan shredded cheese: a quarter cup of Mexican-style or pepper jack vegan cheese per burrito melts into the scramble and pulls everything together.
homemade chipotle aioli: this is the part that makes the whole thing. More on it below.
how to make chipotle aioli
The chipotle aioli is made from scratch using just oil and soy milk blended together with an immersion blender to create the mayo base. From there, it gets lime juice, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, liquid smoke, mustard powder, garlic, and chipotle peppers in adobo blended in until it's smooth and deeply flavoured. It's smoky, a little spicy, and slightly tangy, and it works as a dipping sauce and as something you smear into the burrito itself.
If you want to skip making your own mayo base, use a store-bought vegan mayo instead and just blend in the rest of the aioli ingredients. Either way, make a full batch because you'll find reasons to use it all week. It keeps in the fridge for 5 to 7 days.
tips for the best vegan tater tot breakfast burrito
always bake the tots fresh - tater tots are only worth including if they're crispy! Bake them at 425°F for about 25 minutes until golden. If you have an air fryer, even better, since it's faster and you get a really consistent crunch all over.
prep components ahead of time - the tofu scramble and chipotle aioli can both be made ahead and stored in the fridge. On the day you're eating, just reheat the scramble, bake fresh tots, and assemble. Keeps the morning low-effort.
get that sear on the outside - after you roll the burrito, put it seam side down in a hot pan and fry it for about two minutes per side. The outside gets a little crispy and golden, and everything stays sealed. Don't skip this step!
layering order matters - start with the tofu and bean scramble in the center of the tortilla, then cheese, then avocado slices, then tots on top. Rolling with the tots last means they stay intact and don't get crushed before everything is sealed up.
make-ahead and storage tips
The tofu scramble keeps well in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. The chipotle aioli is good for up to a week. Tater tots, however, need to be cooked fresh every time. A soft tot is not acceptable in this burrito! If you're doing any meal prep, keep the components separate and assemble when you're ready to eat so nothing gets soggy.
serving suggestions
Cut the burrito in half and serve with extra chipotle aioli alongside for dipping. It's a genuinely great breakfast, but also works as brunch or a solid post-workout meal if you happen to have a dangerous gym-adjacent breakfast spot as inspiration, like I did!
If you want more hearty vegan breakfast ideas, check out my breakfast lasagna, or biscuit, bacon, and egg breakfast trifle!
frequently asked questions
Use certified gluten-free tater tots and swap the flour tortillas for large gluten-free wraps. Be warned, they may not be as foolproof to roll! Double-check your soy milk and soy sauce (if used in any variation of the scramble) for hidden gluten as well.
Yes. Use a scant ⅔ cup of store-bought vegan mayo as the base and blend in the lime juice, liquid smoke, chipotle peppers, garlic, maple syrup, mustard powder, and salt. You'll get very close to the from-scratch version with a lot less effort. You could also use a pre-made vegan chipotle aioli. I love the Follow Your Heart one!
Bake or air-fry the tots right before assembling. Assemble and sear the burrito immediately after. The hot pan sear on the outside of the wrap helps trap some of that heat and crispiness before you cut into it.
You can freeze assembled burritos before the final pan sear. Wrap individually in foil and freeze for up to a month. Reheat in the oven at 375°F from frozen for about 25 to 30 minutes, then do a quick sear in a pan. Skip the avocado when freezing since it doesn't hold up well.
Mexican-style shredded vegan cheese or a vegan pepper jack both work well here. Look for a brand that melts well since it's going into a hot scramble. Violife, Daiya, and Follow Your Heart are all solid options.
vegan tater tot breakfast burrito
Ingredients
chipotle aioli (makes a heaping ⅔ C)
- ½ C neutral vegetable oil
- ¼ C unsweetened soy milk
- 2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- ¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo (from a can)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
breakfast burrito
- 2 ½ C frozen tater tots (about 32 tots / 8 per burrito)
- ¾ C canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 brick (9 oz/267 g) water-packed firm tofu (about half the block or 1 ½ cups crumbled)
- 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas
- 1 C Mexican-style or pepper jack vegan shredded cheese (¼ C per burrito)
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- To make the chipotle aioli, blend the oil, soy milk, and vinegar with an immersion blender in a tall container until thick. If you're using a store-bought vegan mayonnaise use a scant ⅔ cup. Then add lime juice, maple syrup, liquid smoke, mustard powder, sea salt, chipotle pepper, and garlic and blend until very well combined. Store this in the fridge with a lid on the container. Use up within 5 to 7 days.
- Bake the tater tots on a large baking sheet for 25 minutes in an oven preheated to 425°F until golden brown and crispy. Alternatively, use an air fryer and cook until crispy at the same temperature.
- Once the black beans are drained from the can, mash them with a fork a little bit while still keeping some texture.
- While the tots are baking, heat a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add crumbled tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, turmeric, sea salt, and ground pepper. Mix with a spatula or wooden spoon, and further crumble up the tofu so it’s a small crumbly mixture and fully coated in the seasonings. Heat the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes, and then add the mashed black beans and combine until just heated through, about 1 to 2 more minutes.
- To make the burritos, spread a spoonful of chipotle aioli on the bottom center of the tortilla, then layer ½ cup tofu and bean scramble in center of the tortilla, top with ¼ cup cheese shreds, 3 to 4 avocado slices, and then 8 tots. Fold the ends into the center, take the side closest to you and roll away from you until sealed. Place seam side down in a hot pan to get the outside crispy. Fry about 2 minites on each side. Cut in half. Dip in as much chipotle aioli as you desire!
Lauren Toyota
Lauren is a plant-based powerhouse, a former TV host turned wildly successful food creator, best-selling cookbook author, and the woman responsible for making vegan comfort food a thing worth craving. Through her blog and YouTube channel, hot for food, she’s amassed a dedicated following by recreating all the nostalgic, indulgent dishes we love—mac & cheese, burgers, cinnamon rolls—but making them entirely plant-based. No compromise on taste, no weird ingredients, just damn good food.