Chipotle is a popular fast casual Mexican restaurant chain known for serving burritos, tacos, bowls and salads made with fresh ingredients. However, some people have expressed concerns that Chipotle’s menu items can be very high in calories. In this article, we’ll take a look at the typical calorie counts for some of Chipotle’s most popular menu items to see how they stack up.
Calories in Chipotle’s meat entrees
Most of Chipotle’s main entrees consist of a meat protein, rice, beans, salsa, and other toppings wrapped in a flour tortilla (for burritos and tacos) or served in a bowl. Here are the calorie counts for some of their most popular meat entrees:
| Menu Item | Calories |
|---|---|
| Chicken burrito | 1,070 |
| Steak burrito | 1,130 |
| Barbacoa burrito | 1,120 |
| Carnitas burrito | 1,280 |
| Chicken bowl | 950 |
| Steak bowl | 1,000 |
As you can see, a standard Chipotle burrito or bowl with meat, rice, beans, salsa, etc. contains around 1,000-1,300 calories. That’s about half the calories an average adult needs in a day.
Calories in Chipotle’s vegetarian options
For vegetarians, Chipotle offers sofritas (organic tofu) as a plant-based protein option. Here are the calorie counts for some popular vegetarian entrees:
| Menu Item | Calories |
|---|---|
| Sofritas burrito | 1,025 |
| Sofritas bowl | 715 |
| Bean burrito | 800 |
| Vegetarian salad | 410 |
The sofritas and bean burritos still contain around 1,000 calories. However, going vegetarian and choosing options like salads cuts down the calories considerably.
Lower calorie options at Chipotle
If you want to reduce the calories at Chipotle, there are some simple tweaks you can make:
- Order a bowl instead of a burrito. Removing the large tortilla saves around 300 calories.
- Skip the rice and beans or only choose one. Having both adds up quick.
- Load up on veggies like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peppers and salsa.
- Choose chicken or sofritas instead of higher calorie meats like steak or carnitas.
- Ask for half portions of rice, beans, meat or other toppings.
- Skip the cheese and sour cream which can add 150+ calories each.
Making combinations like a salad bowl, chicken bowl with extra veggies, or sofritas tacos can allow you to enjoy Chipotle while consuming 500-800 calories instead of over 1,000.
Healthiest Chipotle orders
To summarize, here are some of the healthiest lower calorie orders at Chipotle:
- Salad bowl with chicken or sofritas, pinto beans, salsa, lettuce, diced tomatoes
- Chicken bowl with brown rice, black beans, fajita veggies, tomato salsa
- Soft tacos with chicken or carnitas, lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa
- Burrito bowl with sofritas, brown rice, peppers and onions, tomato salsa
Should you eat Chipotle every day?
While Chipotle serves relatively wholesome ingredients, most of their menu items are still high in calories, sodium, saturated fat and ingredients like white flour tortillas. Eating Chipotle every single day could lead to excessive calorie intake over time, even if you customize your order.
Registered dietitians recommend limiting fast casual dining like Chipotle to no more than 1-2 times per week as part of an overall balanced diet. It’s best to prepare most of your meals at home where you can control calories and nutrients.
Conclusion
In general, a standard Chipotle meal like a burrito or bowl with all the fixings provides nearly an entire day’s worth of calories for many people. However, you can customize your Chipotle order to make it lower calorie by choosing plant-based proteins, skipping rice/beans, adding extra veggies, and limiting high calorie toppings. Enjoy Chipotle in moderation as part of an overall healthy diet.