Keto Chipotle – 2021 Complete Low Carb Guide
Have you ever wondered how you can eat keto at Chipotle? I’ll go through the best (and worst) items to order at your local Chipotle, how to find hidden carbs, and how to make your meal keto-friendly.
Chipotle offers a wide range of keto options that are perfect for our low-carb lifestyle. It’s almost as if Chipotle’s keto options were made with our low-carb lifestyle in mind.
At Chipotle, eating keto is easy! As a foundation, combine beef, carnitas, chicken, carne asada, or barbacoa in a bowl or salad. For plenty of delicious, low-carb nutrients, add romaine lettuce and/or fajita vegetables. Then go ahead and pile on the toppings! Except for the roasted chile-corn salsa, you can add Monterey jack cheese, sour cream, fresh guacamole, and all of their freshly made salsas.
To make it easier, Chipotle even has a Keto Bowl!
What You Need to Know About Keto Eating at Chipotle
Chipotle Mexican Grill is a fast-casual restaurant chain based in the United States that specializes in tacos and burritos. Of course, tacos and burritos aren’t keto, but you can make a keto-friendly (and delicious!) low-carb bowl or salad with a variety of low-carb protein and topping options.
Chipotle emphasizes the use of natural, fresh ingredients. Chipotle takes pride in the fact that all of their delectable dishes are made with only 51 ingredients (as described on their website). It’s simple to order a tasty, filling keto meal at Chipotle because they don’t hide their ingredients.
They don’t use non-therapeutic antibiotics or hormones on their animals, and they’re dedicated to organic farming. On their Values page, you can learn more about the business.
Now let’s talk about Chipotle’s keto choices and how to make your own perfect keto meal!
Here are the best keto-friendly options to eat at Chipotle.
Keto Chipotle Meat and Proteins
Barbacoa
170 calories | 7g fat | 2g carbs | 1g fiber | 0g sugar | 24g protein | 1g net carbs
Carnitas
210 calories | 12g fat | 0g carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 23g protein | 0g net carbs
Chicken
180 calories | 7g fat | 0g carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 32g protein | 0g net carbs
Steak
150 calories | 6g fat | 1g carbs | 1g fiber | 0g sugar | 21g protein | 0g net carbs
Keto Chipotle Low Carb Fillings
Fajita Veggies
20 calories | 0g fat | 5g carbs | 1g fiber | 2g sugar | 1g protein | 4g net carbs
Guacamole
230 calories | 22g fat | 8g carbs | 6g fiber | 1g sugar | 2g protein | 2g net carbs
Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
40 calories | 1g fat | 7g carbs | 3g fiber | 2g sugar | 3g protein | 4g net carbs
Monterey Jack Cheese
110 calories | 8g fat | 1g carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 6g protein | 1g net carbs
Queso
120 calories | 9g fat | 4g carbs | 0g fiber | 1g sugar | 5g protein | 4g net carbs
Sour Cream
110 calories | 9g fat | 2g carbs | 0g fiber | 2g sugar | 2g protein | 2g net carbs
Romaine Lettuce
5 calories | 0g fat | 1g carbs | 1g fiber | 0g sugar | 0g protein | 0g net carbs
Keto Chipotle Low Carb Salsas
Tomatillo Green-Chile Salsa
15 calories | 0g fat | 4g carbs | 0g fiber | 2g sugar | 0g protein | 4g net carbs
Fresh Tomato Salsa
25 calories | 0g fat | 4g carbs | 1g fiber | 1g sugar | 0g protein | 3g net carbs
Tomatillo- Red-Chile Salsa
30 calories | 0g fat | 4g carbs | 1g fiber | 0g sugar | 0g protein | 3g net carbs
Keto Bowl with Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
That’s right, Chipotle now has a Keto Bowl with Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice, and it’s delicious. This is a great addition to the Lifestyle Bowls lineup. Another plus with the Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower rice – you can also customize your Keto Bowl to your heart’s content.
Here’s the nutritional content for the non-customized Keto Bowl:
Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
40 calories | 1g fat | 7g carbs | 3g fiber | 2g sugar | 3g protein | 4g net carbs
Chicken
180 calories | 7g fat | 0g carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 32g protein | 0g net carbs
Tomatillo- Red-Chile Salsa
30 calories | 0g fat | 4g carbs | 1g fiber | 0g sugar | 0g protein | 3g net carbs
Monterey Jack Cheese
110 calories | 8g fat | 1g carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 6g protein | 1g net carbs
Guacamole
230 calories | 22g fat | 8g carbs | 6g fiber | 1g sugar | 2g protein | 2g net carbs
Keto Bowl Total
590calories | 38g fat | 20g carbs | 10g fiber | 3g sugar | 43g protein | 10g net carbs
To maintain a high fat-to-protein ratio, carnitas or barbacoa can be substituted for the chicken. The only difference between carnitas and barbacoa is that carnitas are pork and barbacoa is beef. Create a keto bowl with one of these two the next time you eat keto at Chipotle.
Pro-tip: Stay away from sofritas, which we don’t even accept as a keto diet choice.
Chipotle Keto Salad Bowl
The easiest option is to order a Keto Salad Bowl with just 6g net carbs.
A must-try is the Keto Salad Bowl!
Here’s what you should put in your salad bowl, along with the nutritional value.
The Keto Salad Bowl includes:
Chicken
180 calories | 7g fat | 0g carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 32g protein | 0g net carbs
Or Steak
150 calories | 6g fat | 1g carbs | 1g fiber | 0g sugar | 21g protein | 0g net carbs
Supergreen Lettuce Mix (Romaine, Baby Kale, and Baby Spinach)
5 calories | 0g fat | 1g carbs | 1g fiber | 0g sugar | 0g protein | 0g net carbs
Monterey Jack Cheese
110 calories | 8g fat | 1g carbs | 0g fiber | 0g sugar | 6g protein | 1g net carbs
Guacamole
230 calories | 22g fat | 8g carbs | 6g fiber | 1g sugar | 2g protein | 2g net carbs
Fresh Tomato Salsa
25 calories | 0g fat | 4g carbs | 1g fiber | 1g sugar | 0g protein | 3g net carbs
Total Chipotle Keto Salad Bowl
540-560 calories | 37g fat | 16g carbs | 9g fiber | 3g sugar | 41g protein | | 6g net carbs
*Again, carnitas or barbacoa can be substituted for the chicken or steak.
Create Your Own Bowl
If you don’t want the Chipotle Keto Salad Bowl, follow this basic recipe to make your own bowl or salad:
- Order a salad or a bowl that isn’t filled with rice and beans. (0-1 g carbs net)
- If desired, add fajita vegetables. (4 g carbs net)
- Except for sofritas, you can use any protein (chicken, steak, carnitas, barbacoa). (0-1 g carbs net)
- Cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and/or queso are good fats to add. (1-3.5 g carbs net per topping)
- Except for the roasted chile-corn salsa, serve with every salsa. (3–4 g carbs net)
This combination can be used to create a number of tasty keto dishes.
Choose one item from each category to make a spicy, delicious keto meal with a maximum of 13.5 net grams of carbs. If we don’t have the fajita veggies, we’re just talking about 9.5 net grams of carbs!
Be Aware of Hidden Carbs
If you don’t look at the nutritional data, you might think these foods are lower in carbs than they are. It doesn’t mean you can’t use them in your keto Chipotle meal, just bear in mind the carb count.
Sofritas have 6 grams of net carbs per serving. Sofritas (which is described as a low carb option on the website) has a slightly higher carb count because it is a soy-based plant protein substitute.
It has a total carbohydrate content of 6 grams. It’s not outrageous, but it’s not as low in carbs as some of Chipotle’s other proteins.
The roasted chile-corn salsa has 13 grams of net carbs.
This salsa is listed as a low-carb choice on Chipotle’s website, but with the word “corn” in the name, a keto eater should proceed with caution.
What to Avoid at Chipotle on Keto
If you want to eat keto at Chipotle, you’ll need to know what to avoid:
- Tortillas, or burritos as they’re more commonly known. This is also true of chips, which, due to their high carb content, are ineligible for a keto diet. Burritos are usually HIGH in calories and carbohydrates.
- If you order a burrito, they will also inquire about rice and beans. At all times, stay away from the burrito.
- Rice- Both white and brown rice are low-quality carbohydrates that should be avoided while following a ketogenic diet. If you order a salad bowl or a burrito bowl, specify that you do not want white rice and instead want romaine lettuce.
- Beans, both pinto and black, fall into this category. Pinto beans (brown beans) have 21 grams of carbs per serving, while black beans have 22 grams. If you order a burrito bowl or a regular burrito, these extra carbs are something you can avoid.
- Tortilla chips, soft or crispy tacos, and burritos, as well as white or brown Cilantro Lime rice, should all be avoided. You should also skip the pinto beans, black beans, and Chipotle honey vinaigrette.