How to Eat Low Carb at Chipotle: A Comprehensive Guide

November 12, 2025 •

4 min read

According to a 2024 study, over 30% of US adults are actively trying to limit their carbohydrate intake. Knowing how to eat low carb at Chipotle is a valuable skill for anyone looking to stay on track with their nutritional goals without sacrificing flavor or convenience.

Quick Summary

This guide breaks down exactly what to order and what to avoid at Chipotle to create a delicious and filling low-carb meal. It covers the best bases, proteins, and toppings for a healthy, customizable bowl or salad.

Key Points

Start with a Bowl: Always choose a burrito bowl or salad as your base to avoid the high-carb flour tortilla and rice.
Choose Low-Carb Proteins: Opt for chicken, steak, carnitas, or barbacoa, as these are all excellent low-carb options.
Load Up on Healthy Fats: Add guacamole, sour cream, and shredded cheese to increase satiety and flavor without adding significant carbs.
Be Mindful of Salsas: Stick to the fresh tomato, tomatillo-green, or tomatillo-red chili salsas, and avoid the higher-carb corn salsa.
Enhance with Veggies: Fajita vegetables and extra lettuce are great additions for volume, nutrients, and fiber.
Know What to Skip: Avoid all tortillas, rice, beans, corn salsa, and the chipotle-honey vinaigrette dressing to keep your meal low-carb.

Your Foundation: Burrito Bowl or Salad

To successfully eat low carb at Chipotle, you must start with the right base. The first and most crucial step is to skip the high-carb items, specifically the flour tortilla and rice. Instead, your meal should begin with a bowl. Chipotle offers several excellent low-carb options to build upon:

Salad Bowl: This is the best choice for those seeking the lowest possible carb count. You can choose from the Supergreens lettuce blend or romaine lettuce, both of which serve as a fresh, crisp, and nutrient-dense base.
Cauliflower Rice: For those who miss the texture of rice, Chipotle offers cilantro-lime cauliflower rice, a fantastic, low-carb alternative. This adds bulk and flavor without the carb-heavy load of traditional rice.

The Low-Carb Protein Powerhouse

Chipotle is an excellent choice for low-carb eaters due to its high-quality protein options. Most of their meat choices are naturally low in carbs, but you should still be mindful of any potential additions in marinades.

Keto-Friendly Proteins

Carnitas: Shredded pork that is braised for hours, offering a rich flavor with almost zero carbs.
Steak: Naturally raised steak, marinated in a chipotle adobo sauce and grilled, with a minimal carb count.
Chicken: Marinated in the same adobo, this is a lean and low-carb staple.
Barbacoa: A flavorful shredded beef option that is also very low in carbohydrates.

Protein to Watch

Sofritas: While plant-based, the shredded organic tofu is braised with peppers and spices that increase its carb count slightly compared to the other protein options. It is still low-carb, but worth noting for strict keto dieters.

Smart Toppings for Maximum Flavor

This is where you can truly customize your meal while keeping carbs in check. Toppings add flavor, healthy fats, and satiety, which is essential when you've skipped the rice and beans. The key is to know which ones are safe to load up on and which to use sparingly.

Best Topping Choices

Cheese: Shredded Monterey Jack cheese adds fat and flavor with minimal carbs.
Sour Cream: A great source of fat that adds creaminess to your bowl.
Guacamole: High in healthy fats and fiber, guacamole is a low-carb MVP. It's an excellent way to replace the missing calories from rice and beans while adding a rich, creamy texture.
Fajita Vegetables: The mix of sautéed bell peppers and onions adds volume, fiber, and nutrients for a very low carb cost.
Fresh Tomato Salsa: Also known as pico de gallo, this is a very low-carb choice compared to the corn salsa.
Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa: A zesty, low-carb salsa option.
Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa: A spicier alternative that also stays low in carbs.
Extra Lettuce: For more volume and crunch, asking for extra lettuce is always a good idea and is carb-free.

Toppings to Avoid

Corn Salsa: This is the highest-carb salsa option due to the corn.
Queso: While delicious, it contains more carbs per serving than shredded cheese and sour cream.
Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette: The high sugar content makes this vinaigrette unsuitable for a low-carb meal.

Custom Low-Carb Meal Combinations

Example Chipotle Low-Carb Orders

The Ultimate Keto Bowl

Base: Supergreens Lettuce Blend or Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice
Protein: Double Carnitas or Double Steak
Toppings: Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Guacamole

The Low-Carb Veggie Bowl

Base: Supergreens Lettuce Blend
Protein: Sofritas
Toppings: Fajita Vegetables, Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa, Guacamole

The Simple Low-Carb Salad

Base: Romaine Lettuce
Protein: Chicken
Toppings: Fresh Tomato Salsa, Shredded Cheese, Guacamole

Comparison of Low-Carb Protein & Toppings


Ingredient	Carbs per Serving (Approx.)	Notes
Carnitas	1g	Tender, savory pulled pork
Steak	2g	Grilled and seasoned beef
Chicken	1g	Lean, reliable protein
Barbacoa	1g	Shredded, braised beef
Fajita Veggies	4g	Peppers and onions add fiber and flavor
Shredded Cheese	1g	Classic fatty topping
Sour Cream	2g	Adds creaminess and fat
Guacamole	2g	High in healthy fat and very filling
Queso	3-4g	Higher carb count than cheese/sour cream
Corn Salsa	16g	High in starchy carbohydrates

Conclusion: Mastering Your Order

Eating low carb at Chipotle is not only possible but also a delicious and highly customizable experience. By focusing on a bowl or salad as your base and making smart choices from the protein and topping options, you can craft a satisfying meal that aligns with your dietary needs. The key takeaways are to always skip the tortilla, rice, and beans, and to avoid the corn salsa and chipotle-honey vinaigrette. Use Chipotle's online nutrition calculator to check macros and fine-tune your perfect meal. With this knowledge, your next Chipotle visit can be a guilt-free and flavorful success. For more specific nutritional information and to plan your custom meal, consult the official Chipotle Nutrition Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

The best low-carb base is either the Supergreens lettuce blend or romaine lettuce, which you can order as a salad bowl. Cauliflower rice is another excellent low-carb base option.

Chicken, steak, carnitas, and barbacoa are all great low-carb protein choices. While sofritas are plant-based, they have a slightly higher carb count than the meat options.

Yes, absolutely. Guacamole is an excellent source of healthy fats and is very low in net carbs. Shredded cheese and sour cream are also keto-friendly toppings that add flavor and fat content.

No, both rice and beans are high in carbohydrates and should be avoided completely if you are eating low-carb or keto at Chipotle.

The fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo), tomatillo-green chili salsa, and tomatillo-red chili salsa are all low-carb. You should avoid the corn salsa as it is much higher in carbohydrates.

You should avoid tortillas, rice, beans, corn salsa, and the chipotle-honey vinaigrette dressing due to their high carbohydrate and sugar content.

Yes, you can request double portions of any protein, such as chicken, steak, or carnitas. This is a common practice to make the meal more filling and high-protein, especially without the bulk of rice and beans.