Chipotle Meal Prep Guide
Ordering Chipotle for meal prep works, and the failure mode is textural rather than nutritional. This Chipotle meal prep guide covers which ingredients survive two days in a fridge and which turn a good bowl into a wet one — the answer is mostly about keeping the cold, wet items away from the warm, dry ones until you eat.
What holds up, and for how long
Assume two days for anything containing meat, and eat it cold or reheated thoroughly rather than lukewarm.
- Holds well — chicken, steak, barbacoa, carnitas, both rices, both beans, fajita vegetables
- Holds acceptably — cheese, corn salsa
- Degrades fast — guacamole (browns within a day), lettuce and supergreens (wilt under warm rice), sour cream (separates on reheating)
- Do not prep at all — chips, and anything in a flour tortilla, which goes soft overnight
How to order for prep
To keep a prepped bowl from going soggy, take the wet and cold components on the side. Most locations put salsa, guacamole, sour cream and lettuce in separate cups without complaint, and it is the single change that makes the difference on day two.
- Order a bowl rather than a burrito
- Ask for salsa, sour cream, guacamole and greens in separate containers
- Add double protein and double beans, if you are splitting one order into two meals
- Skip the cheese, if you plan to microwave it — cheese re-melts poorly and separates
Splitting one order into two meals
A double-protein, double-bean bowl divides cleanly. Each half carries roughly 44 g of protein and 455 calories, which is a reasonable single meal rather than a token one. The value guide works through which additions are included at no extra charge.
| Portion | Cal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Fiber | Sodium | Sugar | Sat fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole order | 910 | 87 g | 100 g | 22.5 g | 18 g | 1,720 mg | 6 g | 6 g |
| Half, as one meal | 455 | 43.5 g | 50 g | 11.3 g | 9 g | 860 mg | 3 g | 3 g |
Reheating
Rice and beans reheat best with a spoonful of water over them, covered, in short bursts. Meat reheats faster than rice and overcooks if you treat them as one thing — if you are being careful, warm the base first and add the protein for the last thirty seconds.