Chipotle burrito bowls are a popular menu item that offers a lot of customization. With options like rice, beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, and protein, you can build a bowl to suit your taste and nutrition needs.
What is in a Chipotle burrito bowl?
A basic Chipotle burrito bowl starts with a base of cilantro-lime rice, pinto or black beans, and your choice of meat, fajita veggies, salsa, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole. Here are some of the standard ingredients:
- Rice: Cilantro-lime white rice
- Beans: Pinto or black beans
- Protein: Chicken, steak, carnitas (braised pork), barbacoa (shredded beef), sofritas (organic tofu)
- Fajita veggies: Onions and bell peppers
- Salsa: Tomato, corn, or green tomatillo salsa
- Cheese: Shredded Monterey Jack or shredded cheddar
- Lettuce: Romaine lettuce
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
You can also add extras like queso, more salsas, or tortilla chips. The variety of ingredients allows you to customize your bowl based on your preferences.
How much protein is in each protein option?
The amount of protein in a Chipotle burrito bowl can vary widely depending on your protein choices. Here is the protein content of each standard protein option:
| Protein | Serving Size | Grams of Protein |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 4 ounces (113g) | 36g |
| Steak | 4 ounces (113g) | 39g |
| Carnitas (Pork) | 4 ounces (113g) | 25g |
| Barbacoa (Beef) | 4 ounces (113g) | 29g |
| Sofritas (Tofu) | 4 ounces (113g) | 14g |
As you can see, chicken and steak offer the most protein per 4-ounce serving. Barbacoa beef and carnitas pork are also decent protein sources. Sofritas tofu contains less protein than the meat options.
How much protein in a bowl with chicken?
A burrito bowl with chicken contains:
- 4 ounces chicken: 36g protein
- 1/2 cup pinto beans: 8g protein
- 1 cup rice: 5g protein
That’s a total of 49 grams of protein in a chicken burrito bowl with standard bean and rice portions.
You can add even more protein by asking for extra beans, getting a protein like barbacoa beef in addition to the chicken, adding cheese, or getting meat fajita veggies like grilled chicken, steak, or carnitas.
How much protein in other types of bowls?
The protein content changes based on your choice of protein:
- Steak bowl: 52g protein (4oz steak + standard beans and rice)
- Carnitas bowl: 39g protein (4oz pork + standard beans and rice)
- Barbacoa bowl: 42g protein (4oz beef + standard beans and rice)
- Sofritas bowl: 27g protein (4oz tofu + standard beans and rice)
You can further customize the bowl with additions like:
- Double protein: Get extra meat or swap half the protein for another kind (e.g. 2oz chicken + 2oz steak)
- Extra beans: Ask for more beans or get both black and pinto beans
- Cheese: Shredded cheese adds about 6g protein per 1/4 cup
- Guacamole: 2-4g protein per 2oz portion
- Queso: 6-8g protein per 2oz portion
Adding extras like these can help you hit a higher protein target.
Building a High-Protein Bowl
If your goal is maximum protein, build your bowl with:
- Double chicken or steak (around 70-80g protein)
- Black and pinto beans
- Cheese
- Guacamole
- Queso
This customized high-protein bowl can deliver up to 90-100g protein in a single meal!
Lower-Protein Bowls
On the other hand, you can create a lower protein bowl with:
- Sofritas or carnitas protein
- Single serving of beans
- No extras like cheese, guacamole, or queso
This type of lower protein bowl may contain around 25-35g protein.
Is a Chipotle bowl healthy?
Chipotle burrito bowls can be a nutritious option depending on how you build them. The fiber-rich rice and beans provide a balanced base. Lean proteins like chicken and steak offer protein without too much saturated fat.
Some tips for a healthier bowl:
- Choose brown rice for more fiber
- Load up on veggies like salsa, tomatoes, onions, peppers, lettuce
- Pick healthier fats like guacamole instead of sour cream
- Avoid heavy portions of cheese and queso
- Ask for corn tortilla chips instead of white flour chips
- Choose tomatillo green chili or red chili salsa over creamy salsas
With smart customizations, you can make a burrito bowl that contains lean protein, fiber, veggies, and healthier fats.
Low carb burrito bowl
To make your bowl lower in carbs, follow these tips:
- Skip the rice and beans completely, or only have a small portion
- Load up on veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and salsa
- Add extra meat or seafood like shrimp or carnitas
- Use guacamole or salsa for healthy fats instead of cheese, sour cream or vinaigrette
- Avoid tortilla chips, queso, and higher carb salsas like corn salsa
This creates a lower carb bowl focused on protein, veggies and healthy fats while limiting rice, beans and other carbs.
Vegetarian and vegan bowls
Chipotle also offers good options for vegetarian and vegan customers. To make a veggie bowl:
- Choose sofritas tofu, fajita veggies or no protein
- Include beans, rice, and extras like guacamole for plant-based protein and nutrients
- Load up on salsa, lettuce, onions, peppers for filling fiber and nutrients
- Ask for beans to be cooked with just water instead of animal fat
- Avoid cheese, sour cream and vinaigrette with egg
The sofritas and fajita veggies provide non-meat proteins and nutrients. And be sure to ask if you have any questions about preparation methods and ingredients!
Kid-friendly bowls
Here are some tips for ordering or creating burrito bowls for kids:
- Choose mild salsas and limit spicy peppers
- Stick to familiar proteins like chicken, steak or carnitas
- Include brown rice for whole grains
- Add shredded cheese and a squeeze of lime for flavor
- Keep veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, and corn salsa
- Use guacamole instead of sour cream for healthier fats
- Avoid hot salsa and skip queso or Chipotle’s signature vinaigrettes
Mild flavors, familiar ingredients, and nutritious add-ons make the bowls more kid-friendly. The customization allows you to adapt them to your child’s preferences.
Meal prep with burrito bowls
Burrito bowls are a convenient and versatile option for meal prepping. Here are some tips:
- Build double or triple portions when ordering to have bowls ready for several days.
- Refrigerate unused portions right away in airtight containers.
- Reheat bowls in the microwave or oven until hot.
- Add fresh toppings like salsa, cheese, lettuce before serving.
- Swap in new proteins like roasted chicken or shrimp to change it up.
- Pair with prepped veggies, fruit, yogurt, or cottage cheese.
With some simple preparation, burrito bowls can help streamline your weekly meal planning and prep.
Are bowls or burritos better?
Burrito bowls and burritos can both be healthy options, but there are some differences:
- Portion control: Bowls allow you to see and control portions of each ingredient.
- Customization: You can easily mix and match bowl ingredients.
- Nutrition: Bowls make it easier to emphasize veggies, protein and skip chips or tortillas.
- Convenience: Burritos are more portable and easy to eat on-the-go.
- Satiety: Burritos may be more filling thanks to the tortilla.
- Taste: Burrito flavors meld together more than bowl ingredients.
In the end it comes down to personal preferences and goals. Try both to see which satisfies your tastes and nutrition needs!
Conclusion
Chipotle burrito bowls can range widely in their protein content based on your choices. Chicken and steak bowls provide around 50 grams of protein in a standard serving. Going meat-free with sofritas tofu lowers the protein amount to around 25-30 grams. There are also many ways to customize your bowl to pack in even more protein or other nutrients. With the endless possibilities of Chipotle burrito bowls, you can find a delicious meal that fits your diet whether it is high-protein, vegetarian, or simply satisfying.