Chipotle Mexican Grill is known for its freshly prepared burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads made with high-quality ingredients. One of the signature elements of Chipotle’s menu is their tortillas, which come in flour, whole wheat, and corn varieties. Customers can choose to have their burritos and tacos wrapped in these tortillas. But what exactly goes into making Chipotle’s tortillas? Here, we’ll take a closer look at the ingredients that give Chipotle tortillas their distinctive texture and flavor.
Chipotle Flour Tortilla Ingredients
Chipotle’s flour tortillas contain just five simple ingredients:
- Unbleached, enriched flour
- Water
- Vegetable shortening (palm oil, soybean oil, canola oil)
- Sugar
- Salt
Let’s explore each of these key ingredients in more detail:
Unbleached Enriched Flour
The base of Chipotle’s flour tortillas is unbleached, enriched white flour. Enriched means that certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin) and iron have been added back into the flour after processing. This helps to boost the nutritional value of the tortillas. Unbleached flour has not undergone a process to artificially whiten it using chemicals like chlorine, peroxide, or benzoyl. This gives Chipotle’s tortillas a creamy natural color.
Water
Water is essential for mixing with the flour to form the tortilla dough. The water hydrates the flour molecules, allowing them to bind together and form the tortilla’s signature chewy, pliable texture when cooked.
Vegetable Shortening
The vegetable shortening used in Chipotle tortillas is a blend of palm oil, soybean oil, and canola oil. Solid at room temperature, shortening has unique properties that give baked goods like tortillas a tender, flaky texture. When shortening melts during baking, it coats the flour proteins, limiting gluten development. This creates a softer tortilla texture. The vegetable shortening also gives Chipotle tortillas a subtle richness.
Sugar
A small amount of sugar is added to Chipotle’s flour tortillas. Sugar enhances the sweetness, aids in browning, and balances the other flavors. The sugar caramelizes slightly when the tortillas are cooked, contributing both taste and aroma.
Salt
Salt brings out the flavor in baked goods and controls yeast fermentation in breads. It also strengthens gluten networks. The right amount of salt in tortillas makes them taste seasoned without becoming overly salty. Salt controls the rate at which the tortillas brown.
Chipotle Whole Wheat Tortilla Ingredients
For an extra nutritious option, Chipotle offers whole wheat tortillas. These contain:
- Whole wheat flour
- Enriched flour (wheat flour, barley malt, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- Water
- Soybean oil
- Wheat gluten
- Sugar
- Honey
- Salt
- Preservatives (calcium propionate, sorbic acid)
- Grain vinegar
- Natural flavor
- Ascorbic acid
- Azodicarbonamide
The whole wheat flour provides fiber, protein, B vitamins, and minerals like iron, zinc, and magnesium. Let’s look at some of the other noteworthy ingredients:
Soybean Oil
The soybean oil brings fat and moisture into the whole wheat tortilla dough. This imparts softness and flexibility to balance the added hardness from the whole wheat flour.
Wheat Gluten
Vital wheat gluten is added to strengthen the protein network in whole wheat tortillas. Whole wheat flours have less gluten than refined white flours, so extra gluten ensures the tortillas hold together properly and don’t crumble.
Honey
Honey gives Chipotle’s whole wheat tortillas a touch more sweetness than the regular flour variety. Honey also holds onto moisture well, keeping the tortillas softer for longer.
Preservatives
Calcium propionate and sorbic acid help extend the shelf life of Chipotle’s whole wheat tortillas by preventing mold and bacterial growth.
Ascorbic Acid
Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is included as a dough conditioner. It strengthens the gluten network which improves the tortillas’ volume and texture.
Chipotle Corn Tortilla Ingredients
For a gluten-free option, customers can choose corn tortillas at Chipotle. These contain:
- Whole grain corn masa flour
- Water
- Lime
- Cellulose gum
- Salt
- Propionic acid (preservative)
Let’s look closer at how these simple corn tortilla ingredients come together:
Whole Grain Corn Masa Flour
The base of Chipotle’s corn tortillas is a specially treated corn flour called masa harina. To make masa, field corn kernels are dried then soaked and cooked in limewater. This helps break down the hull and soften the corn. The soaked kernels are then ground into a fine, damp flour or dough called masa.
Water
Water is again essential for hydrating the masa flour and enabling the ingredients to bind together.
Lime
A small amount of additional lime is mixed into Chipotle’s corn tortillas. Lime provides the characteristic flavor in authentic corn tortillas. It also reacts with proteins in the corn to help bind the tortilla ingredients.
Cellulose Gum
This ingredient thickens and prevents excess moisture loss in the tortillas as they cook. It keeps the tortillas from becoming brittle.
Salt
A pinch of salt seasons the tortillas.
Propionic Acid
This preservative keeps Chipotle’s corn tortillas fresher for longer by inhibiting mold growth.
Nutrition Information
So what does all this add up to nutrition-wise? Here’s how Chipotle’s tortilla options compare:
| Tortilla Type | Calories | Fat | Carbs | Protein | Fiber |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flour Tortilla | 300 | 9g | 46g | 7g | 3g |
| Whole Wheat Tortilla | 180 | 3.5g | 33g | 7g | 5g |
| Corn Tortilla | 60 | 1g | 13g | 2g | 2g |
As you can see, the flour tortilla is highest in calories and carbs. The whole wheat tortilla provides more fiber, while the corn tortilla is lowest in both calories and carbs.
Where Chipotle Gets Their Tortillas
Chipotle takes pride in making their restaurants feel like a small local business. But with over 3,000 locations across the globe, they need an industrial-scale tortilla supplier to meet their high demand.
Chipotle’s tortillas are currently supplied by Mission Foods. Based in Texas, Mission Foods is one of the largest tortilla manufacturers in the world. They operate a number of bakeries and factories in the U.S. as well as Mexico to produce millions of tortillas each day.
Mission Foods has been Chipotle’s sole tortilla provider since 1999. They make customized recipes and packaging exclusively for Chipotle. Having this large-scale partner enables Chipotle to uphold their standards for taste and freshness across all their restaurants.
How Mission Foods Makes Chipotle’s Tortillas
So how exactly does Mission Foods churn out enough tortillas to satisfy all of Chipotle’s restaurants? Their process relies on advanced automation and technology.
After mixing the dough, Mission Foods uses extruders that pump out and form hundreds of thin tortillas per minute. The raw tortillas move along conveyor belts into specialized ovens in a continuous stream. Once cooked, they zoom along to get stacked and packaged by high-speed machines.
For flour tortillas, the process starts by blending the dry ingredients – flour, sugar, salt – in large batches. After adding in shortening and water, the mixture goes into extruders that press it into thin disks. These get picked up by the conveyor belt ovens.
Corn tortillas follow a similar process. The corn masa flour gets hydrated then fed into extruders. The cooked tortillas may be sprayed with oil before stacking to prevent sticking. Packaging for Chipotle often includes protective sheets between tortillas to keep them from getting damaged in transit.
Thanks to Mission’s efficient tortilla factories, Chipotle can serve up hot, freshly made tortillas in all their restaurants. Customers get to enjoy the taste of tortillas made with simple, natural ingredients.
Why Chipotle Chose to Outsource Their Tortillas
With Mission Foods’ capacity and distribution network, it just makes sense for Chipotle to outsource their tortillas. Here are some of the key reasons why:
Consistency
Having a centralized supplier guarantees consistent taste and quality across all Chipotle locations. Customers always know what to expect from Chipotle’s tortillas.
Efficiency
Mission can produce tortillas at a far lower cost due to their industrial-scale automation. It would be inefficient for each Chipotle restaurant to make tortillas from scratch.
Convenience
With Mission as their supplier, Chipotle doesn’t have to manage the complex process of making thousands of tortillas per day at each location. Mission handles production and delivers packaged tortillas to Chipotle’s distribution centers.
Speed
Mission can ramp up tortilla production and delivery when needed, like when Chipotle introduces a new menu item that drives up tortilla demand. Individual restaurants wouldn’t have this flexibility.
Food Safety
Centralized production allows for consistent food safety control and testing. This gives Chipotle confidence in serving Mission’s tortillas to customers.
Attempting to Make Tortillas In-House
Chipotle did attempt to bring tortilla production in-house in the early 2010s. The chain was seeking even more control over the process to get tortillas that aligned perfectly with their standards.
They opened a few tortilla manufacturing facilities near their restaurant kitchens. But ultimately, Chipotle found the costs and complexity too high for the level of quality and efficiency they wanted.
Hand-making fresh tortillas took more labor and time. It was hard to achieve numbers and consistency required by their huge volume of locations. Within a few years, Chipotle returned to outsourcing with Mission Foods as their exclusive supplier.
This experience showed how challenging it is to scale artisanal tortilla production to thousands of restaurants. Partnering with a tortilla manufacturing expert like Mission Foods turned out to be the right strategic move.
How to Order Tortillas on the Side at Chipotle
One great tip for Chipotle customers is that you can order tortillas on the side. This lets you take extras home to enjoy later.
Simply request “tortillas on the side please” when placing your order. The staff will package up a few fresh tortillas separately from your entree. This saves you from having to buy a whole separate side of tortillas.
The packaging keeps the tortillas warm until you’re ready to use them. Bring them home and you’ve got easy lunch or dinner options for the next few days. Just reheat the tortillas and combine with leftovers for DIY burritos and tacos.
Storing Leftover Chipotle Tortillas
To keep leftover tortillas fresh, store them in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag. The best temperature is room temperature up to 75°F. Avoid refrigerating flour tortillas, as this makes them stiff and dry.
Corn tortillas are more prone to drying out. You can refresh them by heating briefly on a hot skillet or griddle, flipping once. Place a slightly damp paper towel on top to steam and soften them again.
Most Chipotle-style flour tortillas keep well for 3-4 days after purchasing. Whole wheat or corn tortillas may start drying out after 2-3 days. Always inspect tortillas and discard any that are overly dried, cracked, or moldy.
For maximum freshness, try to avoid buying more tortillas than you’ll use within those time frames. And take advantage of getting tortillas on the side so you aren’t stuck with too many extra at once.
Copycat Chipotle Tortilla Recipe
Want to recreate Chipotle’s famous flour tortillas at home? Try out this copycat recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 3/4 cup warm water
Instructions:
- Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Cut in the shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the warm water and knead just until a dough forms.
- Let dough rest for 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap.
- Divide into 8 equal portions and roll into balls.
- Use a tortilla press lined with plastic wrap to press each ball into a thin round.
- Cook on a hot skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute per side.
Make these homemade Chipotle-style tortillas even more authentic by wrapping up your favorite burrito fillings! Adjust the ingredients to personalize the tortilla flavor and texture.
Conclusion
That covers everything you need to know about the ingredients, making process, and ordering tips for Chipotle’s tortillas. With just five simple ingredients, Chipotle strikes the perfect balance of flavor, texture, and nutrition in their tortillas. By partnering with Mission Foods for distribution, they bring consistency and convenience to customers across all their restaurants. So next time you visit Chipotle, appreciate all the thought that goes into making their crave-worthy tortillas!