Dining out (or ordering in) while on the keto diet isn’t always an easy task, because carbs and sugars can be hard to avoid at restaurants and fast food chains. But it’s a little easier at Chipotle, which has established itself as a diet-friendly chain with options on the menu for any lifestyle – whether you’re keto, vegan, gluten-free, or paleo.
So if you’re on the keto diet and need to avoid carbohydrates, what exactly are your options at Chipotle? While there will be some key items and ingredients to avoid, the good news is that you’ve still got plenty of choices.
Here’s everything you can order and customize on the current Chipotle menu to build a fresh, keto-friendly meal that’ll keep your diet on track.
Keto-friendly food and drinks available on the Chipotle menu
The keto diet revolves around keeping your body in a ketogenic state by limiting the amount of carbs consumed and focusing instead on fat and protein. So the main ingredients to stay away from at Chipotle will be those foods higher in carbs like corn, flour, grains, and legumes – which means the tortillas, chips, rice, and beans are best avoided.
But although tacos, burritos, and quesadillas are no-gos, that still leaves plenty of items at Chipotle that can fit into a keto lifestyle. Chipotle doesn’t just have a couple of Lifestyle Bowls on the menu that are specifically made to be keto-friendly, but because most of their menu items are designed to be built and customized however you’d like, it’s easy to create a burrito bowl or salad that fits into your diet.
With a few exceptions like the honey-chipotle vinaigrette (due to sugar content) or the sofritas (which are a little higher in carbs than the other protein options), most of the menu is actually made up of low-carb, keto-friendly ingredients like meats, vegetables, cheese, and salsas.
One note on eating keto at Chipotle: since the items are meant to be combined and added on to each order, we’re considering anything below 5 grams of net carbs to be keto-friendly. But if you have a certain carb intake you want to stick to, be aware of how many ingredients and toppings you’re including in your order, as those net carbs can add up.
Here are all of the low-carb, low-sugar, keto-friendly food and drink options at Chipotle.
| Lifestyle Bowls | |
| Wholesome Bowl | |
| Grain Freedom Bowl | |
| (Build Your) Burrito Bowls | Keto-Friendly Choices |
| Choice of Protein or Veggie | Carne Asada Chicken Steak Barbacoa Carnitas Veggie |
| No Rice | |
| No Beans | |
| Choice of Toppings | Guacamole Fresh Tomato Salsa Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa Sour Cream Fajita Veggies Cheese Romaine Lettuce Queso Blanco |
| (Build Your) Salads | Keto-Friendly Choices |
| Choice of Protein or Veggie | Carne Asada Chicken Steak Barbacoa Carnitas Veggie |
| No Rice | |
| No Beans | |
| Choice of Toppings | Guacamole Fresh Tomato Salsa Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa Sour Cream Fajita Veggies Cheese Queso Blanco |
| (Build Your) Kid’s Meal | Keto-Friendly Choices |
| Choice of Protein or Veggie | Carne Asada Chicken Steak Barbacoa Carnitas Queso Blanco Guacamole |
| No Tortilla | |
| Choice of Toppings | Fresh Tomato Salsa Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa Sour Cream Fajita Veggies Cheese Romaine Lettuce |
| Chips & Sides | |
| Side of Guacamole | |
| Side of Queso Blanco | |
| Drinks | Keto-Friendly Choices |
| Fountain Drink | Diet Coke Iced Tea |
| San Pellegrino Sparkling Water | |
| Tractor Organic Black Tea |
Every keto-friendly ingredient at Chipotle
The food items above, along with the rest of Chipotle’s entire menu, are all made with one or more of the 53 real ingredients that Chipotle uses to create all of their dishes. Whether it’s a meat, vegetable, spice, or enzyme, every recipe at the Mexican food chain is crafted from this same list of ingredients.
While entire categories like grains and legumes are eliminated, along with some not-so-keto-friendly ingredients like honey and milk, most of Chipotle’s chosen ingredients are naturally low in carbs and acceptable on a keto diet.
Below are all of the items on the list of Chipotle’s 53 ingredients that qualify as keto-friendly.
| Produce |
| Avocado |
| Baby Kale |
| Baby Spinach |
| Cilantro |
| Garlic |
| Jalapeno |
| Lemon Juice |
| Lime Juice |
| Romaine Lettuce |
| Onion |
| Bell Pepper |
| Chipotle Chili |
| Poblano Pepper |
| Red Chili |
| Serrano Pepper |
| Tomatillo |
| Tomato |
| Tomato Paste |
| Meat |
| Beef |
| Chicken |
| Pork |
| Dairy + Animal Products |
| White Cheddar |
| Monterey Jack Cheese |
| Cheese Cultures |
| Cultured Cream |
| Spices + Seasonings |
| Salt |
| Black Pepper |
| Bay Leaf |
| Cloves |
| Cumin |
| Juniper Berries |
| Oregano |
| Thyme |
| Oils + Vinegars |
| Canola Oil |
| Rice Bran Oil |
| Sunflower Oil |
| Distilled Vinegar |
| Red Wine Vinegar |
| Water, Minerals + Enzymes |
| Water |
| Lime |
| Gypsum |
| Vegetable Rennet |
Chipotle has two Lifestyle Bowls available on the current menu that are designed to fit within a keto diet. The Wholesome Bowl contains 18 grams of total carbs, and the Grain Freedom Bowl contains 12 grams of total carbs.
Chipotle’s sofritas are a dish of chopped tofu that’s braised in a spicy chipotle sauce. It’s made with onions, bell peppers, garlic, and tomatoes, chipotle chiles, and a blend of spices. Because it’s soybean-based, the sofritas have 6 grams of net carbs per 4-ounce serving.
Chipotle did offer a cilantro lime cauliflower rice for a limited time in 2021, but the item was discontinued after its testing period and unfortunately cauliflower rice is no longer available at most Chipotle locations.
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