Learn how to make the best cotton candy burrito at home. Made popular by the Arizona Cardinals, it's a dessert burrito filled with ice cream or frosting. It's an easy and oh-so-yummy summer treat!
What are Cotton Candy Burritos?
If you've never seen one before, a cotton candy burrito is exactly what it sounds like - sheets of cotton candy.
The sugary inside of the candy tortillas is typically either ice cream or whipped cream, and a few sprinkles for good measure. They’re very pretty and colorful, but they are also super sugary and rich. One burrito is usually enough to feed at least four people.
The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals unveiled a cotton candy burrito at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for the 2024 season, where it became a popular treat with sugar-addicted football fans. Word of their deliciousness spread and soon, everyone was raving about them!
The problem is, they sell for $14 each! There's no reason to pay so much for them - they're a snap to make at home!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great birthday party treat. Let the kids make their own treats by setting up a dessert bar with the "tortillas", fillings, and garnishes.
- Quick, easy, and fun to make. It only takes about 10 minutes to make one.
- Much less expensive than buying them at a stadium.
Ingredients and Variations
To make this kid-friendly dessert, you'll need:
- cotton candy: Most party stores carry tubs of cotton candy, or you can buy them online.
- burrito filling: Most people use either buttercream frosting or ice cream
- sprinkles
There are a lot of fun ways to switch up the sugary insides of your dessert. You can use different colors and flavors, and have fun with the garnishes too. For a bit of crunch or texture, you could add any of these to your tortilla filling:
- M&Ms or M&M’s minis candies
- mini marshmallows
- gummy bears or gumdrops
- Fruity Pebbles or Froot Loops cereal
- Skittles
How to Make a Cotton Candy Burrito
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
Making a cotton candy burrito is so simple!
- Flatten and shape the cotton candy. Gently press it into a rectangle that is roughly 15x7 inches in size.
- Add scoops of filling and sprinkles.
- Roll it up, slice and serve!
Liz's Tips for the Best Burritos
- Use gloves. Cotton candy disintegrates with moisture, and handling it with bare hands can cause it to be sticky and difficult to handle.
- Avoid rolling them up too tightly. The filling should be firm, but you want to avoid squishing the sugary wrapper. So, roll gently. Starting at one of the long ends, roll up the burrito like you would cinnamon roll dough, tucking in the sides as you go.
- Feel free to use other fillings. Fill these with anything you want - pudding, cheesecake bites, or any other sweets you like! Just be sure that whatever you use for the filling is sturdy enough to hold up on its own inside the tortilla.
- Use wax paper - I suggest using wax paper and a large flat surface to make the candy burrito on. This ensures the outside of your treat stays clean and doesn't become sticky.
- Serve as soon as possible after making them. If there is any humidity in the room, the sugar will begin to dissolve almost immediately.
Serving and Storing
These treats are perfect as-is, and honestly, they are so sweet, it's best to slice and share one with a couple of other people.
It’s best to eat the candy burritos right after they’re made, as they don’t store well. Unfortunately, the moisture in a fridge or freezer will melt the sugar crystals.
Cotton Candy Burrito Recipe FAQs
Calories in a cotton candy burrito will vary depending on the filling. There are 951 calories in a dessert burrito filled with whipped cream and sprinkles.
If you’re looking to purchase a candy burrito without having to make one, you’ll have to go to Las Vegas, San Diego, or Los Angeles. By making this recipe, you can be enjoying a sweet burrito in just 10 minutes.
Other Kid-Friendly Desserts
Cotton Candy Burrito
Ingredients
- 1¾ ounces cotton candy (1 large tub)
- ¾ cup frosting or ice cream
- 1 tablespoon sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Using kitchen gloves, pull the cotton candy out of the tub gently and begin finding the ends of each piece. Gently unravel it.
- Lay it out in a rectangle form and lightly press the separate pieces together along the connecting edges, but don’t squash it too much. Your rectangle should be at least 15 inches long and 7 inches wide or close to it.
- In the middle of the cotton candy, put about three scoops of frosting or ice cream, each scoop about ¼ cup in size.
- Top with sprinkles, candy, crushed cereal, or other sweet garnish of your choice.
- Still with gloves on. Starting at one end of the rectangle, slowly roll it up into a log shape. Tuck in the sides as you go along, and tightly pack in the cotton candy as you roll so it keeps form and doesn’t fall apart.
- Once rolled, cut it into slices and serve.
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- Feel free to use any color/flavor you like. White, red, and pink cotton candy were popular in the store when I made this. However, you can use any color cotton candy you can get your hands on. Customize it and make it match a party theme, a holiday, etc.
- Use food-safe disposable gloves. Cotton candy disintegrates with moisture and handling the cotton candy with bare hands can cause it to get sticky, gross, and difficult to handle.
- Get creative with the fillings. Frosting and ice cream are the most popular, but any sturdy filling will work. Sprinkles and jimmies make the dessert lots of fun!
KJ
This is genius