With fresh, responsibly sourced ingredients, Chipotle makes healthy eating on the go easy. But the delicious fries, toppings and tortillas too make it easy to turn your order into an unwitting cheat meal. So what should you order from Chipotle? We asked two nutrition experts to break down tips for finding the healthiest options.
(Nutritional data provided by the Chipotle Nutrition Calculator.)
1. Start with the basics
When deciding what to order at Chipotle, avoid the burrito – the large flour tortilla contains 320 calories, and that’s before you add any toppings. “Go for the tacos, salad, or bowls instead,” says Kristian MoreyRD, LDN and clinical dietitian at the Center for Endocrinology at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.
Here’s how these options stack up:
- salad is your best bet, with just 15 calories in the bed of supergreens.
- If you order a burrito bowl, choose brown rice instead of white. A normal serving of rice (in a burrito bowl, burrito, or three-taco meal) is 210 calories, so ask for a “light” serving in person or in the app when ordering — or skip it altogether.
- If you order Tacosgo for the crispy corn shells — an order of three is 200 calories and zero sodium, compared to 250 calories and 480 mg of sodium for three soft flour tortillas.
2. Add Lean Protein
Then add healthy protein to your order. Black beans and pinto beans both contain 130 calories and 8 grams of protein in a medium scoop, so choose which bean you prefer.
For the main protein event, opt for the chicken or the sofritas (shredded tofu braised with spices). “Both contain less saturated fat than red meat,” says Sofia Norton, RD at Kiss My Keto. Sofritas contains 150 calories, 8 grams of protein and 1.5 grams of saturated fat per serving. The chicken option has 180 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat, but 32 grams of protein per serving.
3. Go heavy on the veggies
Norton suggests including lots of vegetables, so add fajita vegetables, tomatillo salsa, pico de gallo, roasted chili corn, or extra super greens to your dish. (Make it easier with corn, which has 80 calories per serving.)
4. Watch out for saturated fats
Don’t overdo it when it comes to shredded cheese, queso blanco sauce, and sour cream — these can add a lot of saturated fat and calories to your meal. (Chipotle shredded cheese has 5 grams of saturated fat per serving, queso blanco has 6 grams, and sour cream has 7 grams.)
Chipotle’s salsa options — both the fresh tomato salsa and the green chili tomatillo salsa — are great low-calorie, flavorful options. But if you crave a creamy topping or dip, choose just one and ask for a light portion. Even better, order it on the side so you can control how much you add to your food, Morey says.
5. Spring for the Guac
Avocados contain “valuable nutrients like fiber, B vitamins and potassium,” says Norton, as well as healthy fats that are thought to benefit heart health. And Chipotle’s guacamole only includes real stuff — avocados, cilantro, jalapeño, lemon juice, lime juice, red onion, and salt — no funny stuff like preservatives or artificial flavors. Remember, a serving of guac adds 230 calories to your meal, so you can order it on the side so you can eat half of it now and save the rest for later.
6. Skip the fries
The fries are tempting, but leave them out of your order. “The smallest option is over 500 calories,” says Morey. “That’s practically the value of a meal for some people.” And a large order of chips with a side of queso blanco will cost you 1,290 calories and contain 28 grams of saturated fat.
7. Take advantage of the nutrition calculator
Before ordering, Morey recommends placing your order through the convenient Nutrition Calculator on the Chipotle website — it calculates the complete nutritional information for your meal. You can also see the difference in nutrition stats if you choose to go “extra”, “normal”, or “light” on any of your selections. For example, you can quickly see that choosing a light serving of Cilantro Lime Brown Rice instead of a regular serving will cut 105 calories.
Easy-to-Order Options at Chipotle
Still not sure what to order from Chipotle? Here are some options that offer plenty of nutrients. (Keep in mind that sodium content can be high in even the healthiest Chipotle options — so try to limit your sodium intake the rest of the day.)
Chicken Salad
Add black beans, fajita vegetables and fresh tomato salsa.
- calories: 360
- Big: 9 grams
- Protein: 41 grams
- Carbohydrates: 32 grams
Burrito bowl with sofritas
Add cilantro-lime brown rice (light), pinto beans, fajita vegetables, green chili tomatillo salsa and romaine lettuce
- calories: 425
- Big: 15 grams
- Protein: 19 grams
- Carbohydrates: 58 grams
vegetarian tacos
Choose two crispy corn tortillas instead of three and add black beans, fajita vegetables, fresh tomato salsa, guacamole and romaine lettuce
- calories: 406
- Big: 22 grams
- Protein: 10 grams
- Carbohydrates: 46 grams
Lifestyle Bowls
If you follow a specific diet, you can also choose one of Chipotle’s pre-designed diets. Lifestyle Bowls – they are available in Whole30, paleo and vegan versions.
