A method for heating a catalytic converter in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine, in which an exhaust gas burner for heating the catalytic converter is arranged, upstream of the catalytic converter. A lambda probe for controlling the combustion air ratio of the exhaust gas burner is arranged immediately downstream of the exhaust gas burner and upstream of the catalytic converter. The method includes operating the internal combustion engine with a stoichiometric combustion air ratio (λE=1), activating the exhaust gas burner, which is operated alternately with a substoichiometric combustion air ratio (λB 1), wherein from the substoichiometric combustion air ratio (λB 1) as soon as a rich breakthrough is detected by the second lambda probe (34), and wherein a switchover from the superstoichiometric combustion air ratio (λB>1) to the substoichiometric combustion air ratio (λB