With customization options galore, Chipotle has become a go-to for convenient, tasty Tex-Mex-inspired fare. However, with so many choices available, it can be tough to determine which menu items are the healthiest options.
Two of the most popular dishes are the burrito and burrito bowl. But when it comes to nutrition, which one reigns supreme?
This article compares Chipotle burritos and burrito bowls to determine which menu item is ultimately the healthier choice.
Nutrition basics
When analyzing the nutritional value of burritos versus burrito bowls at Chipotle, there are a few key factors to consider:
- Calories
- Carbohydrates
- Protein
- Fat
- Fiber
- Sodium
In general, foods that are lower in calories, fat, and sodium while still offering filling fiber, protein, and carbohydrates are considered healthier options.
Now let’s see how the two menu items compare.
Calorie count
One of the first things to compare between burritos and bowls is their calorie count.
At Chipotle, burrito calories can range from about 700 to 1,200 calories. Burrito bowl calories range from about 400 to 1,050 calories.
So at first glance, burrito bowls appear to be the lower calorie option. However, this can vary significantly based on your choice of ingredients.
Burrito ingredients
For the burrito, the flour tortilla itself packs around 300 calories. Fillings like rice, beans, meat, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole can quickly add hundreds more calories on top of that.
Some lower calorie fillings include:
- Pinto beans – 115 calories per serving
- Fajita veggies – 20 calories per serving
- Chicken – 90 calories for 4 oz portion
Higher calorie additions include:
- White rice – 210 calories per serving
- Cheese – 110 calories per serving
- Guacamole – 230 calories for 4 oz
- Chips – 470 calories
Burrito bowl ingredients
For the bowl, you skip the 300+ calorie tortilla. But the fillings can still quickly add up.
Some lower calorie bowl fillings are:
- No rice or lettuce instead – 35 calories for lettuce
- Black beans – 120 calories per serving
- Fajita veggies – 20 calories per serving
- Salsa – 20 calories
Higher calorie bowl additions include:
- White rice – 210 calories
- Cheese – 110 calories
- Guacamole – 230 calories
- Sour cream – 110 calories
Carbohydrates
When it comes to carbs, burritos and bowls are fairly similar, depending on fillings.
The tortilla itself contains about 45g of carbs. Fillings like rice, beans, corn salsa add roughly another 30-60g of carbs total.
For burrito bowls without rice, you’ll get just the carbs from your other fillings like beans, salsa, veggies, meat, etc. With white rice, bowls still contain 45-75g of carbs typically.
So in terms of total carbs, burritos and bowls end up in a similar range. The bowl allows you to skip the carbs in the tortilla if you prefer.
Protein
Protein is essential for keeping you feeling full and satisfied after a meal. It also provides lasting energy.
Burritos and bowls can both provide 15-30g of protein or more, depending on fillings. Chicken, steak, carnitas, barbacoa, and sofritas all offer 15-20g of protein in a standard serving.
Consider extras like:
- Beans – around 7-10g protein per serving
- Cheese – 6g protein
- Guacamole – 3g
Overall the burrito or bowl can easily deliver 20-30g of protein or more, providing a satisfying nutrient balance.
Fat
Fat provides flavor in meals, and also helps you feel satiated. However, it’s still smart to keep an eye on overall fat when aiming for the healthiest option.
Burritos made with flour tortillas contain around 10g of fat in the tortilla alone. Fillings like cheese, sour cream, and guacamole quickly add 10-15g of fat as well.
For burrito bowls, you’ll avoid the 10g of fat from the tortilla. Without the extras like cheese and sour cream, bowls offer just 5-15g of fat total from ingredients like beans, salsa, meat, etc.
Burrito bowls can provide a lower fat option by avoiding the tortilla and limiting extras like cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.
Fiber
Fiber promotes healthy digestion and helps keep you feeling full. It also slows the absorption of carbs to help control blood sugar.
Burritos made with flour tortillas offer around 3-5g of fiber. Fillings like beans, rice, veggies, and salsa can provide another 5-10g.
For burrito bowls, you’ll get slightly less fiber without the tortilla. But fillings like beans, rice, salsa, and veggies still provide 3-10g of fiber per serving.
Overall both contain decent fiber, with burritos providing a bit more from the tortilla.
Sodium
Sodium levels are something else to compare, as high sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure and other health issues. The Dietary Guidelines recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day.
Burritos start around 300mg sodium from the tortilla alone. Meat fillings, cheese, salsa, and other additions can add 800-1200mg more.
Bowls avoid the 300mg sodium from the tortilla. But with similar fillings, you’ll still get 800-1200mg sodium per bowl.
Burrito bowls are slightly lower in sodium by skipping the tortilla. However, both dishes still end up fairly high in sodium overall.
Customization options
One of the best things about Chipotle is customizing your meal. So the nutrition can vary greatly depending on the ingredients chosen.
In general, here are some lower calorie, healthier options to choose for burritos and bowls:
- Skip the tortilla for a burrito bowl
- Go light on extras like cheese, sour cream, guacamole
- Load up on veggies
- Choose black or pinto beans
- Pick salsa over cheese for added flavor
- Choose lettuce instead of rice
- Opt for chicken, barbacoa or carnitas instead of beef
- Add extra veggies
Some less healthy options to go easy on include:
- Large flour tortillas
- Extra cheese
- Sour cream
- Chips and guacamole
- White rice
- Beef options like steak
Choosing the right ingredients can maximize nutrition in both burritos and bowls.
Portion sizes
In addition to ingredients, portion sizes make a major difference in the nutrition totals.
Burritos and bowls come in regular or larger sizes. Going for the larger options means you’ll pile on a lot more calories, carbs, fat, and sodium.
Here’s a look at the nutrition for regular vs. large portions:
Regular burrito (with tortilla)
- Calories: 700-900
- Carbs: 60-75g
- Protein: 20-25g
- Fat: 10-15g
- Fiber: 5-10g
- Sodium: 800-1200mg
Large burrito (with tortilla)
- Calories: 950-1150
- Carbs: 75-90g
- Protein: 25-30g
- Fat: 15-20g
- Fiber: 10-15g
- Sodium: 1200-1500mg
Regular bowl (no tortilla)
- Calories: 400-700
- Carbs: 45-60g
- Protein: 15-20g
- Fat: 5-12g
- Fiber: 3-7g
- Sodium: 800-1100mg
Large bowl (no tortilla)
- Calories: 650-900
- Carbs: 60-75g
- Protein: 20-25g
- Fat: 10-15g
- Fiber: 5-10g
- Sodium: 1000-1400mg
In terms of nutrition comparisons, regular bowls come out on top with fewer calories, fat, carbs, and sodium compared to regular burritos.
However, large portions of either dish can pile on the calories, sodium, and fat, so portion control is key.
Visual comparison
Here is a visual nutrition comparison of regular burritos vs. bowls:
| Nutrition Facts | Regular Burrito (with tortilla) | Regular Bowl (no tortilla) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 700-900 | 400-700 |
| Carbs | 60-75g | 45-60g |
| Protein | 20-25g | 15-20g |
| Fat | 10-15g | 5-12g |
| Fiber | 5-10g | 3-7g |
| Sodium | 800-1200mg | 800-1100mg |
As shown, regular burrito bowls are lower in calories, fat, and carbs compared to regular burritos.
Which is healthiest?
So is a burrito or burrito bowl ultimately healthier at Chipotle?
The burrito bowl comes out on top in terms of nutrition for several reasons:
- Fewer calories
- Less fat
- Lower carbs when skipping rice
- Lower sodium without tortilla
- More flexibility to optimize ingredients
Burrito bowls avoid the high calorie, high carb tortilla, allowing you to pile on nutrition-packed ingredients like veggies, salsa, beans, and lean protein.
However, burritos can also be a healthier option when customized mindfully. Choosing a small tortilla and loading up on veggies, beans, and leaner proteins creates a more balanced burrito.
So in the end, both burritos and bowls can be healthy options with mindful ingredient choices. But based solely on nutrition numbers, burrito bowls come out as the lighter, healthier choice overall.
Healthy ordering tips
Here are some tips for ordering a healthier burrito or bowl at Chipotle:
For burritos:
- Opt for a small tortilla
- Load up on veggies
- Pick black or pinto beans
- Choose chicken, barbacoa or carnitas
- Add salsa over cheese for flavor
- Easy on the sour cream, cheese and guacamole
For burrito bowls:
- Skip the tortilla
- Go easy on rice or skip rice entirely
- Load up on veggies like lettuce, peppers, salsa
- Choose beans, chicken, carnitas or barbacoa
- Add extra veggies and salsa for flavor instead of cheese or sour cream
- Easy on the guacamole
For both:
- Opt for a regular portion size instead of large
- Avoid chips, soda, desserts
- Choose water instead of sugary drinks
- Add hot sauce for extra flavor without calories
Following these tips will help maximize nutrition from your burrito or bowl!
The bottom line
Burrito bowls tend to be the healthier option at Chipotle based on their nutrition numbers and lighter ingredients. But burritos can also be nutritious picks when customized thoughtfully.
Choosing the right portion size, ingredients, and avoiding tortillas and heavy extras gives both meals healthier profiles.
So whether you’re craving the convenience of a wrapped burrito or a nutrition-packed bowl, with the right customizations, you can enjoy Chipotle as a satisfying, healthier fast food choice.