What is the healthiest Chipotle order? Your guide to a nutritious meal

October 8, 2025 •

4 min read

A standard Chipotle burrito can easily exceed 1,400 calories, making it a potentially unhealthy indulgence if you don't choose carefully. By focusing on smart customization, you can craft a delicious and balanced meal. Here’s a breakdown of what is the healthiest Chipotle order by focusing on nutrient-dense ingredients.

Quick Summary

This guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of how to build a nutritious meal at Chipotle, covering base options, protein choices, vegetables, and toppings. It explains how to make macro-friendly decisions and control portion sizes to align with your health and diet goals.

Key Points

Start with a Salad or Bowl: Avoid the high-calorie flour tortilla by choosing a bowl or salad as your base.
Choose Lean Protein: Opt for grilled chicken, steak, or sofritas to maximize protein while keeping fat and calories lower.
Load Up on Veggies: Ask for extra fajita vegetables and romaine lettuce to add fiber and bulk without many calories.
Be Smart with Toppings: Stick to low-calorie salsas like fresh tomato or tomatillo green chili, and use high-fat options like guac sparingly or ask for a "light" portion.
Control Portion Size: Consider saving half of your meal for later, as Chipotle's serving sizes are often enough for two meals.
Limit High-Calorie Additions: Go easy on cheese, sour cream, and queso, which can quickly inflate the meal's calorie and saturated fat count.

Building the Foundation: Bowls Over Burritos

When aiming for a healthier meal at Chipotle, the first and most impactful decision is to skip the giant flour tortilla. By opting for a bowl or a salad instead of a burrito, you instantly save over 320 calories and 50 grams of carbohydrates. This single swap gives you the caloric breathing room to add more nutrient-dense ingredients without sacrificing flavor.

For your base, consider these options:

Supergreens Lettuce Blend: This is the lowest-calorie base, adding fiber, vitamins, and minerals with only 5 calories per serving. It’s an excellent choice for a low-carb, nutrient-packed meal.
Brown Rice: A whole-grain option that provides complex carbohydrates and more fiber than white rice, helping you feel fuller for longer. Ask for a "light" portion to manage calorie and carb intake while still getting whole-grain benefits.
White Rice: While slightly lower in fiber, white rice is an option if you prefer it. Like with brown rice, ask for a "light" serving to keep calories in check.

The Lean Protein Advantage

Protein is crucial for muscle repair, growth, and keeping you satiated. At Chipotle, your choice of protein has a significant impact on your meal's overall calorie and fat content. To keep your order lean, consider these choices:

Chicken: The grilled chicken is a lean, high-protein option at 180 calories and 27 grams of protein per serving.
Steak: Surprisingly, steak is one of the lowest-calorie protein choices on the menu, at 150 calories and 29 grams of protein per serving.
Sofritas: For a plant-based protein, sofritas (braised tofu) are a flavorful and lower-calorie choice, with 150 calories and 8 grams of fiber per serving.

Proteins to be mindful of include:

Carnitas: At 210 calories and 12 grams of fat, it’s a higher-fat option.
Smoked Brisket: This is the most calorie-dense protein, at 360 calories per serving.

Load Up on Low-Calorie Veggies

One of the best ways to boost the nutritional value of your Chipotle meal is to pile on the vegetables. They add fiber, vitamins, and minerals without a lot of extra calories.

Fajita Veggies: A mix of sautéed peppers and onions, these add flavor and nutrients for just 20 calories per serving. Ask for extra at no charge for more bulk and fiber.
Salsas: Most of Chipotle’s salsas are low-calorie and pack a lot of flavor. Opt for the fresh tomato salsa (25 calories) or tomatillo green chili salsa (15 calories). The roasted chili-corn salsa is slightly higher in calories (80 calories) but adds a nice texture and sweetness.

The Topping Takedown: Smart Choices

Toppings can make or break the healthiness of your meal. High-fat, high-calorie additions can quickly undo your healthier base and protein choices. The key is moderation.

Guacamole: While it contains heart-healthy fats, a single scoop of guacamole is 230 calories. To balance this, some dietitians suggest getting it on the side and controlling the amount you add.
Cheese and Sour Cream: These are high in fat and calories. A full serving of shredded cheese is 110 calories, and sour cream adds another 110 calories. Ask for a "light" portion or skip them entirely.
Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette: A salad dressing can be a significant hidden source of calories, and this one is no exception, packing around 250 calories. Instead, use a low-calorie salsa as your dressing for a healthier alternative.

Comparing a High-Calorie vs. a Healthy Chipotle Order

Here’s a side-by-side comparison to show how your choices can impact the final nutrition of your meal.


Feature	Typical High-Calorie Order	Healthy Customized Order
Base	Flour Tortilla (Burrito)	Supergreens Lettuce Blend (Salad)
Protein	Carnitas	Chicken or Steak
Beans	Pinto Beans	Black Beans
Rice	White Rice	Light Brown Rice
Toppings	Full Cheese, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Corn Salsa	Fajita Veggies, Fresh Tomato Salsa, Light Guacamole
Calories	~1400+	~450-550
Sodium	High	Moderate
Fiber	Lower	Higher

Strategic Ordering for Portion Control

Chipotle's generous portion sizes are legendary, and a single meal can often contain enough food for two servings. A simple yet effective strategy is to ask for a bowl, and then, before you start eating, mentally (or literally) divide it in half. Save the second half for another meal later. This helps prevent overeating and ensures your portion size aligns with your nutritional goals.

Conclusion: Eating Healthy at Chipotle is in Your Control

By making conscious choices, you can easily transform a potentially heavy, high-calorie meal into a healthy and balanced one. Start with a bowl or salad, select a lean protein like chicken or steak, and load up on fresh fajita veggies and low-calorie salsa. Limit or moderate high-fat toppings like cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, and consider saving half for later to control portion size. With these simple tips, Chipotle can be a convenient and delicious part of a healthy diet.

For more detailed nutritional information, consult the official Chipotle nutrition calculator: Chipotle Nutrition Calculator.

Frequently Asked Questions

The lowest calorie option typically involves a salad or bowl with a supergreens lettuce base, lean protein like chicken or steak, and low-calorie salsas such as the fresh tomato or tomatillo green chili salsa.

Yes, a Chipotle bowl can be very healthy. The key is customization, focusing on a nutritious base like lettuce or brown rice, adding plenty of veggies, a lean protein, and being mindful of portion sizes for toppings like cheese and guacamole.

Brown rice is generally considered healthier because it’s a whole grain and provides more fiber than white rice, which helps with satiety. However, both have similar calorie counts, so you can ask for a light portion of either to reduce carbs.

For a diet focused on weight loss or managing fat intake, the best protein choices are grilled chicken, steak, and sofritas. They offer excellent protein content with fewer calories and fat than carnitas or smoked brisket.

Yes, but in moderation. Guacamole contains healthy monounsaturated fats and fiber, but a full serving adds 230 calories. A small scoop or asking for a 'light' portion is a good way to get the flavor and nutrients without excessive calories.

To reduce sodium, be mindful of toppings. Opt for the tomatillo green chili salsa, which is the lowest in sodium among the salsas. Limiting or skipping cheese and sour cream can also help, as these are higher in sodium.

A keto-friendly order should be a bowl with a supergreens lettuce base. Load up on a lean protein like chicken or steak and add fajita vegetables. Include a moderate serving of guacamole for healthy fats, and feel free to add a little cheese or sour cream for richness while keeping carbs low.