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This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito copycat recipe tastes just like the restaurant favorite, with tender sweet pork, cilantro lime rice, seasoned black beans, creamy Monterey Jack cheese, and a homemade green enchilada sauce poured over the top. It is filling, saucy, cheesy, and such a fun dinner to make at home when you are craving Cafe Rio but don’t want to leave the house.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“This tastes just like the Café Rio burrito but actually better! So simple to make too!” – Amy
“I’ve never been to a Cafe Rio, but I love how easy and tasty this recipe is. It’s perfect for a weeknight family dinner.” – Sue
“Thank you for this recipe. I made the burritos today and turned out fabulous. I do believe marinating the pork overnight made the difference. I have some picky eaters in my home and they ate their plates clean. Thanks again.” – Ana
Why I Love This Burrito
I have made Cafe Rio-style salads at home for years using our copycat sweet pork, but I hadn’t really tackled the burrito until my husband asked for me to replicate the green medium enchilada sauce that comes on the restaurant version. After a couple of tries, this one finally tasted perfect. It has that sweet and savory pork, the rice and beans, the melty cheese, and the green sauce poured over the top just like the burrito you get at Cafe Rio or Costa Vida.
What I really love is that you can make the pork, rice, beans, and sauce ahead of time, then everyone can build their own burrito when it is time to eat. It feels like a restaurant dinner, but it is easy enough for a family meal.
🩷 Erica
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Green enchilada sauce ingredients: Diced green chilies, salsa verde, chicken broth, sugar, and salt make a quick homemade sauce for smothering the burrito. Or you can use your favorite canned green enchilada sauce.
- Large flour tortilla: Use a burrito-size tortilla so it can hold the rice, beans, pork, and cheese without tearing.
- Cilantro lime rice: This gives the burrito that fresh Cafe Rio-style flavor and helps make it filling.
- Seasoned black beans: Black beans add flavor and texture, but pinto beans work well too.
- Cafe Rio sweet pork: Our copycat sweet pork is the star of the burrito and gives it that sweet, savory restaurant flavor.
- Monterey Jack cheese: Monterey Jack melts beautifully over the top, but you can also use cheddar, a Mexican blend, or Muenster.
- Lettuce: Shredded lettuce adds a fresh crunch on the side or tucked into the burrito after baking.
- Pico de gallo: Fresh tomatoes, onion, cilantro, and lime brighten up the rich pork and cheese.
- Guacamole: Creamy guacamole makes the burrito feel more like the restaurant version.
- Optional toppings: Lime juice, hot sauce, cilantro, sour cream, or creamy tomatillo ranch are all good add-ons.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Use pinto beans instead of black beans if that is what your family likes best.
- Swap the cheese with cheddar, Colby Jack, Mexican blend, or Muenster. Muenster melts really well and has a mild, creamy flavor.
- Use store-bought sweet pork if you are short on time, but homemade copycat Cafe Rio sweet pork will give you the best flavor.
- Use red enchilada sauce if you prefer a red smothered burrito, but the green sauce is closer to the Cafe Rio medium sauce flavor we were going for.
- Use salsa verde instead of green enchilada sauce in a pinch. Choose one you already like because the flavor really comes through.
- Make it gluten-free by using a gluten-free tortilla or turning the ingredients into a burrito bowl or layered casserole.
- Make it spicier with hot sauce, diced jalapeños, chili powder, or a hotter salsa verde.
- Make it less spicy by using mild salsa verde and mild diced green chilies.
How to Make a Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito
- Make the green enchilada sauce. Combine the diced green chilies, salsa verde, chicken broth, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the flavors come together.
- Warm the tortilla and add the filling. Lay the tortilla flat and layer cilantro lime rice, seasoned black beans, Cafe Rio sweet pork, and part of the Monterey Jack cheese down the center.
- Roll the burrito. Fold in the sides, roll it up tightly, and place it seam-side down in an oven-safe dish or foil pan.
- Smother it with sauce and cheese. Pour green enchilada sauce over the burrito and sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack cheese over the top.
- Bake until hot and melty. Place the burrito in the oven until the cheese is melted and the sauce is hot and bubbly.
- Add toppings and serve. Serve with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, lime wedges, sour cream, or creamy tomatillo ranch.
Recipe Tips
- Use about 6 ounces of sweet pork per burrito. This helps when you are planning for a crowd or making the pork from a larger roast.
- Warm the tortilla before rolling. A warm tortilla is easier to fold and is less likely to crack.
- Don’t overfill the burrito. It is tempting, but too much filling makes it hard to roll and harder to bake evenly.
- Place the burrito seam-side down. This keeps it from opening up while it bakes.
- Use a sauce you like. Salsa verde and green enchilada sauce can vary a lot by brand, so choose one with a flavor and heat level you enjoy.
- Make it enchilada style. Sauce, cheese, and a quick bake are what make this feel like the restaurant burrito.
- Serve the cold toppings on the side. Lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream taste best added after baking.
- Make the components ahead. The pork, rice, beans, and sauce can all be made ahead, which makes assembly much faster.
- Use foil pans for the restaurant feel. A 9 inch round Disposable Foil Pan makes the burrito look and feel like the Cafe Rio version.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like to use about 6 ounces of sweet pork per burrito. If you are making a full batch of sweet pork, this makes it much easier to figure out how many tortillas, servings of rice, and servings of beans you will need.
The recipe card below is written for 1 large smothered burrito, but it is very easy to multiply. A full batch of sweet pork usually makes about 8 to 10 burritos, depending on how full you make them.
Don’t add too much sauce inside the burrito. Keep the sauce on top, bake it just until the cheese melts, and add lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream after baking.
Mix a little cornstarch with cold water to make a slurry, then stir it into the simmering sauce. Let it cook for a few minutes until it thickens.
Yes. Green sauce is closer to the flavor we wanted for this copycat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito, but red enchilada sauce also tastes great if that is what you like.
The sweet pork, rice, beans, sauce, and toppings can be made gluten-free if you check your labels, but regular flour tortillas are not gluten-free. Use gluten-free tortillas, make it as a burrito bowl, or layer everything casserole-style with gluten-free tortillas.
Yes. Black beans and pinto beans both work well in this recipe. Use whichever one you like best or already have on hand.
Monterey Jack is my favorite because it melts so well and has a mild flavor. Cheddar, Colby Jack, Mexican blend, or Muenster are all good options too.
Yes. Layer the cilantro lime rice, beans, sweet pork, sauce, cheese, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, and dressing in a bowl. It is a great option if you want to skip the tortilla.
Yes. Layer sauce, tortillas, rice, beans, sweet pork, and cheese in a baking dish. Repeat the layers, then bake until hot and bubbly. This is a good option for feeding a crowd or making a gluten-free version with gluten-free tortillas.
Make Ahead and Storage
Make ahead: Make the sweet pork, rice, beans, and green enchilada sauce ahead of time and store each one separately in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat, warm everything up, assemble the burritos, add sauce and cheese, and bake.
Storing: Store leftover sweet pork, rice, beans, sauce, and toppings in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. The green sauce keeps well for up to 1 week, and the cooked components are best used within 3 to 4 days.
Freezing: Freeze leftover sweet pork in a freezer-safe container or bag. You can also freeze the sauce separately. I do not usually freeze fully assembled burritos unless I know they will be reheated in the oven.
Reheating: Reheat the pork, rice, beans, and sauce separately in the microwave or on the stovetop. Assemble a fresh burrito, top with sauce and cheese, and bake until hot.
Pairing Ideas
These Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burritos are so good with tortilla chips and Homemade Salsa, Guacamole, Refried Beans, or Cheesy Queso. If I am making a full spread I also like to add some sides like our Elote Pasta Salad, Fruit Salsa, or Mexican Street Corn. Then some Fried Ice Cream Cake or Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars for dessert.
More Cafe Rio Copycat Recipes
Check out ALL of our Cafe Rio copycat recipes. Or try a few of our all time favorites:
- Salsa Fresca (Pico de Gallo)
- Homemade Flour Tortillas
- Homemade Tortilla Strips
- The BEST Guacamole EVER
- Cafe Rio Cilantro Lime Rice
- Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Enchiladas
This Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito copycat recipe is one of my favorite ways to bring the restaurant experience home. The sweet pork, rice, beans, green enchilada sauce, and melty cheese all come together in one big smothered burrito that is filling, flavorful, and fun to make.
If you try this recipe, I would love for you to leave a rating and comment below. It helps other readers and lets me know what recipes you want to see more of! 💛
Copycat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Burrito
Video
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 4 ounces diced green chilies
- 7 ounces salsa verde
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the burrito:
- 1 large tortilla shell
- 1/2 cup cilantro lime rice
- 1/2 cup black beans
- 3/4 cup Cafe Rio sweet pork
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- lettuce
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
Instructions
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in small sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- Layer rice, beans, pork, and half of the cheese on top of the tortilla. Roll it up into a burrito.
- Pour about ½ cup of the green enchilada sauce over the burrito and top with additional Monterey Jack cheese. Place in the oven at 450-degrees until cheese is melted.
- Serve with lettuce, pico de gallo, and guacamole.
Notes
- Use 9″ round Disposable Foil Pans for the full restaurant feel.
- Use about 6 ounces of sweet pork per burrito.
- Warm the tortilla before rolling so it folds more easily.
- Do not overfill the burrito or it will be hard to roll.
- Place the burrito seam-side down before adding sauce and cheese.
- If the green sauce is too thin, thicken it with a small cornstarch and water slurry.
- Make the pork, rice, beans, and sauce ahead of time for faster assembly.
- Add lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, and sour cream after baking.
- For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free tortillas or serve as a burrito bowl.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Excited to make this! The burrito calls for a volume of pork and the linked sweet pork recipe is done by weight. I’m going to make sweet pork with an 8lb butt, guessing I’ll end up with 6lb of sweet pork. I don’t know what that’s going to translate to in burritos so I can’t get the correct amount of other ingredients. Approximately how much pork by weight goes into a burrito?
It is about 6 ounces of pork per burrito! I hope this helps!
This taste just like the café rio burrito but actually better! So simple to make too!
Tastes even better!! Their sweet pork is our absolute favorite, so being able to make it at home makes my family so happy! I will be adding it in everything!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
I really want to make this for dinner this week. Do you have the link on how to make the pork?
Yes! Here is our recipe: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/cafe-rio-sweet-pork/
Best recipe ever!!
I’ve never been to a Cafe Rio, but I love how easy and tasty this recipe is. It’s perfect for a weeknight family dinner.
How many burritos does this make?
It makes 8-10 burritos depending on how many you can fit in your baking pan. Thanks for asking!
Another one of your recipes on my list for this week – thank you, ladies! May I suggest a delicious and beautiful change-up? Up here, in the Detroit area, a lot of our Mexican places actually use thickly sliced Muenster cheese to top their wet or baked burritos.. I know, who’da thought? It melts beautifully and is chewy/creamy/mild. One manager I was talking to told me they cut off the orange rind – and not because its bad, but for looks.. I’ve done it at home w/o cutting off the orange because I don’t care to lose that money, lol.. Thanks again.. I’m spending my entire weeks dinner budget on this site. It rocks! Are yall on facebook? Would be nice to get updates there instead of hunting back/forth. 🙂
Hi Steve– Yes, we are on Facebook and Pinterest… and Instagram.. and Twitter.. and YouTube.. and you can get weekly e-mails from us as well! There are definitely ways to find us if you are looking 🙂 I love the idea of Muenster. I am a HUGE fan of Muenster and I totally want to try it on the smothered burritos now! Thanks for the tip!
Hello! The links aren’t clickable in your recipe, so I’m unsure which bean and rice recipes you’re suggesting for this meal. Could you post the links or names here? Thanks so much! This recipe has me drooling! 🙂 YUM.
We will get on this right away. Thank you for letting us know! If you need to find them you can do a search in the search bar at the top of the page. If you search “Cafe Rio” they will all come up
My green sauce is very liquidy. Im afraid that i would make the tortilla too wet and soggy? What can I do to thicken it?
You could always try corn starch. We use that as a thickening agent all the time!
My husband LOVED this green sauce! The only other green sauce he likes is Betos but he was all over this! He said we should have it in our fridge at all times ha. He was even eating it with Fritos while I was making everything else ha. Do you know how long it will last in the fridge?
I would keep it for about a week in the fridge… probably not too much longer than that though. So glad he likes it! We love it too! We love dipping chips and quesadillas in it!
Did you figure out how to make the hot red sauce yet?
Thank you for this recipe. I made the burritos today and turned out fabulous. I do believe marinating the pork overnight made the difference. I have some picky eaters in my home and they ate their plates clean. Thanks again.
I made this recipe awhile back and it was GREAT!
Yikes! I will get on that..
how do i do the sweet pork? it says click here but it wont allow me to do so… any tips would be greatly appreciated thank you 🙂
Here is the link: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/cafe-rio-sweet-pork/
Thanks for your recipe, Question though, i went to walmart yesterday to look for some ingredients but cannot find any. Do you have any suggestions where i get the died green chile can and salsa verde? thanks!
I have found both of these in the Hispanic food section at WalMart. The chiles are right by the diced jalapenos. The salsa verde should be close by too. If you can’t find them at WalMart you should be able to find them at any other large grocery store. Worst-case scenario you can just ask an employee. They should know where that stuff is.
I’m from Australia and love love love cafe rio but therecis nothing at all that even comes close to it!!!! So I’m going to try and re create it here with your recipes… It maybe a little hard though as we don’t have all the same things though but I shall give it a crack!! I wil also be attempted alot of your recipes so thank you soooooo much for allowing me to experience some American food in Australia haha
I miss Cafe Rio so much! I went to school at Southern Utah University and it was a treat to head down to St. George and get Cafe Rio! I have to try this! Thank you so much for posting this! BTW, the medium green sauce is my fav!!
Cafe Rio uses the medium green chile sauce for their rice (their rice is a green chile not a cilantro-lime rice). I have seen them make the rice, they take a fresh steamed batch of rice (may have been done with water or other stuff not sure) and they scoop several ladles of the green chile sauce right over the rice and toss it all together. So this recipe is great for both the sauce and the rice!
Oooooohhhh my Gooodness! It turned out AMAZING! They said it was just like they remembered 🙂 I am one happy camper knowing that we don't have to go cross country for a Cafe Rio fix!!!Thank you soooo much!!!
I'm making this tonight for dinner! Soooo excited to have a taste of something we crave so desperately :)Question about the sauce, Is it ONE 7oz. Salsa VerdeOR 17 oz. Salsa verde???Just want it to be perfect :)Thanks!Jen
@Jenn–
It is ONE 7 oz. can of Salsa verde. If more than 2 people are having burritos, you may want to double the recipe.
Good luck!
Erica
I can't wait to try out some of your recipes! I wanted to ask, is there any chance you know how to make the mild sauce as well?
Found your recipe on Pinterest. Made it for Sunday dinner tonight. It was fabulous and my husband and I thought it tasted exactly like Cafe Rio/Costa Vida. Thanks for sharing!
We love, love, love Cafe Rio when we lived in Utah and Vegas but now we are in Alaska and we miss it SO much!! Hey, if the Stanley family still owns it, have someone ask them to open one in Anchorage!!
Thanks for the recipe! For the can of diced chilies…is this diced green chilies or chile peppers? When I went to the store, there wasn't a can that said diced chilies. Sorry, it is probably a dumb question, but I'm serving this to 50 people, and I don't want to do it wrong!
@ Carl & Amber.. not a dumb question at all, I assure you! It is the diced green chilies.. you were right. Sorry I should have been more specific! I will change it now!
Yes! We get ours at the Dollar Tree!
Love your Cafe Rio recipes! I have a question, though. Have you found an affordable place to buy the tins?
Love this recipe! I have the pork in the crockpot but I was just thinking last minute do you by chance know or have an idea how to make the red hotter sauce they have??? My husband is picky and hates how the green looks and he loves things more spicy! Thanks!
This turned out amazing! Thank you!
Hey, I came across your blog and love it. Thanks! I was wondering if you have a recipe for their chicken that they put in the enchaladas. My husband loves the pork, but I much prefer the chicken. I would love to know if you have one.
I got this recipe from a friend, so i am not sure where it came from, but This is a recipe we have used for Chicken and it is TRULY amazing!
Cafe Rio Chicken
1 small bottle Kraft Zesty Italian
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
5 lbs. chicken breast
put all ingredients in crockpot. Cook on low 4 hours. Shred chicken. Cook additional hour.
We live in Texas and loved Cafe Rio when we went to visit family in Utah. I LOVE your recipes and have been so happy that we can have our own "cafe rio" in our home. I really do love this site and use so many of your recipes. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to do this blog!
We moved away from UT 3 years ago and Cafe Rio is the only place we miss. You guys have been life savers with these cafe rio recipes. Thank you. If I can ask one request. Do you have the recipe for the hot enchilada style sauce they cover the burritos with?