How to Build a Diabetes-Friendly Meal at Chipotle

Mexican food is one of my favorite types of cuisine, and Chipotle is a must! And many of my clients love it too!

But if you have diabetes, we need to aware that typical Chipotle meals can have many hidden carbs. That doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy this type of cuisine, it just means we need to be mindful!

Interested in more tips to manage your blood sugar? Check out our FREE resource at the bottom of this blog which our dietitians put together!

We want to be aware of where the carbs are coming from in your meal. The main sources of carbs at Chipotle come from Grains (tortillas, rice, chips) and Starchy Veggies (Beans, and Corn).

Each of my meals are between 45-60 g carbs. However, these are just general recommendations, and may not be appropriate for each individual.

For more personalized carb counts and specific nutrition recommendations, please make an appointment with one of our registered dietitians.

Three High Protein, Diabetes-Friendly Chipotle Meals

A quick note, the protein sources in these meals are pretty interchangeable. The chicken, steak, carnitas, etc have 0g of carbs according to the Chipotle menu, so feel free to switch it up if you like.

You can also go here and build your own chipotle order to see how many carbs it would be! You will also notice that I don’t have a burrito listed below.

As delicious as a good burrito is, just the tortilla is 45g of carbs! That doesn’t leave a lot of room for other sources of carbs such as beans, rice, and corn!

3 Crispy Corn Tacos with Steak, Fajita Veggies, Pico, Tomatillo Salsa, Cheese, Guac, Lettuce (53 g total carbohydrate)

The crispy corn taco shells have fewer carbs than the soft corn or the flour shells and account for most of the carbs in the meal. The fajitas and pico de gallo provide extra veggies, and feel free to add the hot salsa if you like it.  

Chipotle salad, Chicken, Fajita Veggies, Black Beans, Pico, Corn, Tomatillo Salsa, Sour Cream, Cheese (57 g total carbohydrate)

By using a salad base, we have more room to include some starchy veggies like black beans and corn. You can also include hot salsa if you like it.

If you are not a fan of sour cream, you can omit it, or substitute for guacamole (it will increase the carb count by about 8 g carbs).

Burrito Bowl, Carnitas, Brown Rice, Fajita Veggies, Pico, Tomatillo Salsa, Cheese, Guac, Lettuce (59 g total carbohydrate)

The burrito bowl is a great option at Chipotle and a great substitute to the burrito! We are using brown rice as our main source of carb in this meal and including the other toppings as desired.

No, I didn’t include the black beans and corn in this meal because they would have made the carb count too high.

Two Plant Based Options for Balanced Blood Sugars

You can still get a balanced meal with Chipotle’s plant based options. Did you know they have sofriitas and plant based chorizo?

2 Crispy Corn Tacos with Plant Based Chorizo, Fajita Veggies, Pico, Guac, and Lettuce (42 grams of total carbohydrate)

The plant based chorizo is made from pea protein and has 16 grams of carbohydrate and 16 grams of protein. With a little more carbohydrate than sofritas or animal based proteins, I opted for 2 tacos instead of 3 to keep the carbs lower.

Burrito Bowl with Sofritas, Black Beans, Fajita Veggies, Pico, Cheese, Sour Cream, and Lettuce (44 grams of total carbohydrate)

Sofritas are made from soybean and veggies and have 6 grams of carbohydrate and 8 grams of protein. With a little more wiggle room for carbs and to add some more protein, I opted for beans in the bowl (however no rice to keep the carbs within our goal).

Still sound like a lot of carbohydrate?

Remember, some of this carbohydrate is also fiber which will not raise blood sugar, and will actually help keep your blood sugars more stable. All of these meal options listed contain between 11-14 grams of fiber!

Blog reviewed and updated February 2023

Want to see what else you can also get on the road that is diabetes friendly?

See our Diabetic Friendly Recommendations at Chick-fil-a:

If you like to eat out and manage your diabetes at the same time, take a look at one of our most popular blogs.

Diabetic-friendly meals at Chick-fil-a

What to order at Panera?

We show you how to manage your diabetes at Panera.

Diabetic-friendly meals at Panera

Grabbing a drink at Starbucks?

We’ve rounded up our favorite Starbucks drinks with sugar content in mind.

Diabetic-friendly drinks at Starbucks

What to order at McDonalds?

McDonalds is an easy find whenever you’re out and about. We’ve rounded up our favorite options!

Diabetic-friendly options at McDonalds