Chipotle is a casual dining restaurant that offers a selection of delicious Mexican dishes. If you’ve been following a gluten-free diet for some time, you might feel like your options are limited, especially when eating out. Although Chipotle isn’t a certified gluten-free restaurant, it serves many gluten-free dishes.
So, what is gluten-free at Chipotle? There are many gluten-free options at Chipotle. All menu items, except the flour tortillas used to make tacos and burritos, are gluten-free. People following a gluten-free diet can choose meats, beans, rice, vegetables, and other toppings and condiments from the Chipotle menu.
Keep reading to learn more about Chipotle gluten-free options. This article will list all delicious gluten-free dishes available at Chipotle to help you enjoy your next Chipotle meal without getting gluten.
Does Chipotle Have any Gluten-Free Foods?
Chipotle isn’t a certified gluten-free casual dining restaurant, but it offers a variety of gluten-free options for people following a gluten-free diet. This restaurant doesn’t have a dedicated gluten-free menu, but it has an extensive allergen guide.
This guide lists all the products from the Chipotle menu and highlights which items contain wheat and gluten and which are safe for people who avoid gluten in their diets. The good news is that most of Chipotle’s menu items and ingredients are naturally gluten-free or made without gluten-containing ingredients.
Almost everything on Chipotle’s menu is completely gluten-free, except for the flour tortillas used to prepare burritos and tacos. Following are gluten-free Chipotle menu options:
- Barbacoa
- Black beans
- Carnitas
- Chicken
- Tortilla chips
- Brown rice
- White rice
- Crispy corn tortillas
- Fajita vegetables
- Fresh tomato salsa
- Guacamole
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Pinto beans
- Queso Blanco
- Roasted chili-corn salsa
- Romaine lettuce
- Sofritas
- Sour cream
- Steak
- Supergreens lettuce blend
- Tomatillo green-chili salsa
- Tomatillo red-chili salsa
- Chipotle honey vinaigrette
Chipotle offers its customers flexibility with their orders. This means you can mix and combine these ingredients to create your own burrito bowl or a tasty salad using fresh ingredients.
7 Items on Chipotle Menu that are Gluten-Free
If you’re following a gluten-free diet, you can order anything from the menu at Chipotle Mexican Grill except burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants offer their customers endless combinations of tasty, gluten-free meals.
Chipotle restaurants offer several menu categories to their customers, including burrito bowls, salads, tacos, sides, kids’ meals, and Lifestyle bowls. The great thing about this casual dining fast food restaurant is that you can customize these dishes with beans, rice, vegetables, meat, and condiments.
Take a look at the most popular gluten-free menu options at Chipotle:
1. Burrito Bowl
Don’t let the name confuse you – you aren’t ordering a burrito in a bowl. Chipotle burrito bowls are, in fact, unwrapped burritos.
Instead of getting your favorite ingredients wrapped in a tortilla, you can now get them layered in a bowl. Chipotle’s burrito bowls are made without gluten-containing flour tortillas, meaning they are completely gluten-free and safe for people who avoid gluten.
When ordering a burrito bowl, you can choose a meat or a vegetarian option. Create your custom burrito bowl by adding any combination of white or brown rice, black beans or pinto beans, vegetables, salsa, cheese, and condiments of your choice.
2. Salad
Chipotle’s salad is a low-carb option for everyone trying to limit their calorie intake. Instead of white or brown rice, use romaine lettuce as a low-calorie and healthy base.
Customize your salad with meat or plant-based protein, black or pinto beans, fajita vegetables, cheese, salsa, and Queso Blanco.
A Chicken salad with corn salsa and Chipotle honey vinaigrette dressing contains 495 calories, 25 grams of fat, 37 grams of protein, 37 grams of carbs, and 6 grams of fiber per serving.
3. Crispy Corn Tortilla Tacos
If you like tacos but are eating gluten-free, crispy corn tortilla tacos could satisfy your appetite without getting you gluten. This Chipotle entrée consists of three tacos on a soft flour tortilla or a hard-shell corn tortilla.
If you’re following a gluten-free diet, choose corn tortillas because they are a gluten-free alternative to flour-based tortillas. Keep in mind that Chipotle has a cross-contamination disclaimer for menu items containing corn.
The company states: “You should be aware items containing corn, including corn tortillas (chips and corn tortillas) and corn salsa, may contain trace amounts of gluten from potentially co-mingling with gluten-containing grains in the field.”
If you order corn tortilla tacos, fill them with a meat of your choice (chicken, garlic guajillo steak, barbacoa, or carnitas) or a plant-based option like guacamole or Sofritas. Cover the meat with a customized combination of toppings, including white or brown rice, black or pinto beans, fajita veggies, salsa, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, romaine lettuce, and Queso Blanco.
4. Chips and Dip
Chipotle offers a variety of gluten-free side dishes, including gluten-free chips and dips. If you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or other gluten-related disorders, you’ll be happy to know that Chipotle chips are fried in a dedicated gluten-free fryer.
If you like Chipotle gluten-free chips, you can order them as a side dish with your meal or have them combined with any of Chipotle’s salsas or dips, including queso Blanco, guacamole, fresh tomato salsa, corn salsa, green chili salsa, and red chili salsa.
A regular serving of tortilla chips with queso Blanco contains 780 calories, 43 grams of fat, 17 grams of protein, 80 grams of carbs, and 7 grams of fiber.
5. Whole30 Salad Lifestyle Bowl
If you want to order a simple but nutritious meal, choose a Chipotle Lifestyle Bowl. These delicious bowls are gluten-free and designed to meet the customer’s specific nutritional needs, including keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and whole 30 diets.
All gluten-free Lifestyle Bowls are customizable, and you can build your own using Chipotle’s gluten-free ingredients. The Whole 30 salad bowl with carnitas, romaine lettuce, fajita vegetables, fresh tomato salsa, and guacamole contains 500 calories, 34 grams of fat, 27 grams of protein, 20 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of fiber.
6. Kid’s Meal: Build Your Own with Corn Tortillas
If your child follows a gluten-free diet, Chipotle has a gluten-free meal option for them. There are three kid’s meal options at Chipotle, but only one – the build-your-own kid’s meal with corn tortillas is gluten-free.
At Chipotle, kids get to choose whether they want meat, Sofritas, queso Blanco, or guacamole in their meal. Your child can also pick up to two toppings, including white or brown rice, black or pinto beans, fajita vegetables, cheese, romaine lettuce, and any of the salsas.
The kid’s gluten-free meal comes with gluten-free sides, like kid’s chips and fruit, and gluten-free beverages, including chocolate milk, soda, milk, iced tea, and organic apple juice.
7. Vegan Lifestyle Bowl
You can still order at Chipotle even if you eat a plant-based diet and need your food to be gluten-free. Chipotle offers vegetarian and vegan Lifestyle Bowls that feature plant-based protein and can be customized with various individual ingredients and toppings.
The Vegan Lifestyle Bowl with black beans, Sofritas, corn salsa, fresh tomato salsa, and romaine lettuce contains 420 calories, 24 grams of fat, 12 grams of protein, 42 grams of carbs, and 17 grams of fiber per serving.
Is the Brown Rice at Chipotle Gluten-Free?
Yes, brown rice at Chipotle is gluten-free. Most items on Chipotle’s menu are gluten-free, and that includes brown and white rice.
In fact, all rice, including white rice, brown rice, wild rice, and rice flour, is gluten-free and safe for people with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or other gluten-related disorders. Rice is one of the most popular and commonly consumed gluten-free grains by people with celiac disease.
The only instance when rice may not be gluten-free is if it comes into cross-contact with a gluten-containing ingredient. Rice can come into contact with wheat, rye, and barley during the growing, harvesting, and manufacturing processes.
Are there any Gluten-Free Vegan Tacos at Chipotle?
Yes, Chipotle offers gluten-free, vegan tacos to customers following a plant-based diet. When ordering gluten-free tacos, request a crispy corn tortilla, so the Chipotle employee doesn’t automatically reach for a soft wheat tortilla.
Fill your gluten-free taco with a plant-based option, like Sofritas or guacamole, and top it with black or pinto beans, white or brown rice, fajita vegetables, fresh tomato salsa, roasted chili-corn salsa, romaine lettuce, super greens lettuce blend, tomatillo red-chili salsa, or tomatillo green-chili salsa.
Conclusion
Chipotle restaurants offer a variety of delicious gluten-free options to their customers. In fact, all items on Chipotle menu, except for the flour tortilla used to make tacos and burritos, are naturally gluten-free.
However, Chipotle isn’t a certified gluten-free restaurant, and there’s a risk of cross-contamination.
If you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or another gluten-related disorder, you should take extra steps to avoid cross-contact. Ask the server to wash their hands and use clean gloves to prepare your food, preferably using fresh, untouched ingredients and clean utensils.
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