Chipotle is a great fast food option when eating low carb. The entire menu is a la carte, making delicious and fast meals within carb limits easy.
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Low Carb at Chipotle Mexican Grill
This menu review is a little different from the others because Chipotle has an a-la-carte menu, meaning you pick and choose each order. So we're going to look at their menu by ingredient rather than by menu item.
Surprisingly, Chipotle has plenty of low carb options, just like Panera Bread.
**CAUTION
If you've ever been to Chipotle you've noticed that the servers don't necessarily follow measurements. They just kind of scoop on the plate and if it's a lot, it's a lot. So when you eat the higher carb items like rice and beans, be mindful of just how much you're eating.
*Chipotle's site doesn't specify the serving size for any ingredient.
The great thing is you can order online and the nutrition calculator will update with each item you add.
Chipotle Meats
None of the meats contain any glucose spiking ingredient.
| Meats | Total Carbs | Protein |
| Steak | 1 | 21 |
| Barbacoa | 2 | 24 |
| Carnitas | 0 | 23 |
| Chicken | 0 | 32 |
Low Carb Vegetarian at Chiptole
Sofritas is a soybean product that Chipotle offers as a meat substitute.
| Meat Substitute | Total Carbs | Protein |
| Sofritas | 9 | 8 |
Chipotle offers vegan and vegetarian lifestyle bowls but they're extremely high in carbs and have a poor carb to protein ratio. This can be offset by removing some of the rice.
It's better to order a bowl and specify exactly what you want in it so you can count the protein and carbs yourself.
Lastly, since the rice is carb heavy, ordering beans instead to get the extra protein and fiber is beneficial.
Chiptole's Rice & Beans
Like the meats, the rice and beans have no blood sugar spiking ingredients; except in this case, the rice and beans themselves.
Because both rice and beans are fairly high in carbs, it's smart to choose either rice or beans instead of getting both. And diabetically speaking (Lol), beans are the better choice due to their protein and fiber.
| Rice & Beans | Total Carbs | Protein |
| Cilantro Lime White Rice | 40 | 4 |
| Cilantro Lime Brown Rice | 36 | 4 |
| Pinto Beans | 21 | 8 |
| Black Beans | 22 | 8 |
Chipotle's Fillings (Vegetables & more)
With the exception of the corn salsa and the honey vinaigrette, the fillings are very low carb and without any ingredient that will spike you.
The high carb item in the corn salsa is the sweet corn.
The ingredients weren't listed for the honey vinaigrette, but 12 of the 18 carbs are sugar, so it likely has a lot of honey.
Chipotle doesn't offer any other dressings, but the honey vinaigrette is served on the side.
| Filling | Total Carbs | Protein |
| Chipotle Honey Vinaigrette | 18 | - |
| Fajita Vegetables | 5 | 1 |
| Fresh Tomato Salsa | 4 | 0 |
| Guacamole | 8 | 2 |
| Monterey Jack Cheese | 1 | 6 |
| Queso Blanco | 4 | 5 |
| Roasted Chili Corn Salsa | 16 | 3 |
| Sour Cream | 2 | 2 |
| Supergreens Lettuce Blend | 3 | 0 |
| Tomatillo Green Chili Salsa | 4 | 0 |
| Tomatillo Red Chili Salsa | 4 | 0 |
Chipotle Burritos
It's best to stay away from the burrito because the tortilla alone is 50 carbs. Instead, place the same order as a Burrito Bowl, or try a taco.
Chipotle Burrito Bowls
The burrito bowls are made a la carte just like everything else. They're exactly what you want in your order, minus the tortilla to wrap it up.
Chipotle Tacos & Quesadillas
| Tacos & Quesadillas | Total Carbs | Protein |
| Hard Tacos | 10 | 1 |
| Soft Tacos | 13 | 2 |
The difference of carbs in the tacos is because the hard taco is made with corn and the soft taco is flour based.
In general, corn products will be the better choice over flour products.
Quesadillas are a safe bet because they're made with the taco tortillas which are only 13 carbs.
Chipotle Salads
Salads are a great healthy choice, especially for a person with a lower carb limit, because you fill up on the "freebie" lettuce rather than the high carb tortilla or rice.
Like every other order, you can build your salad with the toppings you want - different salsas, beans, guacamole, cheese, etc. (see all toppings here).
Chipotle has only one salad dressing available, and that's the Chiptole Honey Vinaigrette. It's served on the side and has 18 carbs, 12 of which are sugar.
Depending on how many carbs you build your salad to be, adjust the amount of dressing inversely - using less if you have a lot of carbs in the salad. Alternatively, you can top the salad with queso which has less carbs.
Chipotle Lifestyle Bowls
The lifestyle bowls, not the build your own salads, have great protein to carb ratios and are extremely high in fiber. Great choices!
The vegan and vegetarian lifestyle bowls are much too high in carbs and have a poor protein to carb ratio. You are better off building your own bowl.
| Salads | Total Carbs | Protein |
| Keto Salad Bowl | 17 | 30 |
| Whole30 Salad Bowl | 20 | 27 |
| Paleo Bowl | 20 | 36 |
Sides
The sides Chipotle offers are basically their dips - guacamole, salsa, queso, etc. - with tortilla chips. The tortilla chips are ridiculously high in carbs so skip this altogether.
Chipotle Low Carb Quick Reference Download
Drinks
Diet soda and water are your only options here. Every other drink is much too high in carbs.
Tell us your low carb Chipotle order in the comments below!
See also:
-- Taco Bell
-- McDonald's
-- Starbucks
-- and more
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