What’s Gluten Free at Chipotle?

Chipotle is one of my favorite restaurants. I eat there all the time without compromising my gluten-free diet. It’s easy to get a tasty, gluten-free meal at Chipotle, but you still must take a few precautions to avoid getting glutened. In this post, I’ll share what’s gluten-free at Chipotle and how to place your order successfully. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

I often find myself at Chipotle. I love the food, and my kids love it, too. It’s an easy, go-to place that our entire family enjoys, including gluten-free eaters and gluten-eaters.

There are plenty of gluten-free options at Chipotle, and with a little knowledge and know-how, you can mitigate your risk of cross-contamination when eating at the fast-casual restaurant.

While I eat at Chipotle often and feel fine, I decided to put the restaurant to the test with my Nima Sensor, a portable gluten-detecting device.

In 2020, the Nima Sensor went out of business, but in September 2021, a new company revived the gluten-detecting device. This device can test a small portion of food for hidden gluten.

I encourage you to learn more about the Nima Sensor before investing in one (my updated stance on Nima as of 2024 is that the manufacturer is not reliable in supplying replacement test capsules, so purchase it at your own risk). I also encourage you to learn more about The Allergy Amulet, which hasn’t come to market yet but shows a lot of promise.

What’s Gluten-Free at Chipotle?

Below, I share a list of items at Chipotle that do not contain gluten. According to Chipotle’s allergen menu, everything on the menu is gluten-free except for the flour tortillas, including:

• Barbacoa
• Black Beans
• Brisket (available for a limited time)
• Carne Asada
• Carnitas
• Cauliflower Rice (available for a limited time)
• Chicken
• Chips (tortilla chips) – cooked in a dedicated fryer
• Chorizo
• Cilantro-Lime Brown Rice
• Cilantro-Lime White Rice
• Crispy Corn Tortilla
• 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

The Potential for Cross-Contamination at Chipotle

While much of Chipotle’s menu is considered gluten-free (except for the flour tortillas), this doesn’t mean you can eat at the restaurant free and clear.

In fact, flour tortillas are a key ingredient in signature Chipotle burritos, and the flour from those tortillas can be found everywhere.

This is why the main point of concern when eating at Chipotle is cross-contamination, which occurs when a gluten-free item comes in contact with bits of gluten during the preparation or handling process.

To minimize your risk of cross-contamination at Chipotle, I recommend taking these precautions:

(1) Ask the server to change his or her gloves. Once they change gloves, make sure they don’t handle the flour tortillas.

(2) Order a bowl instead of a burrito. You can enjoy a hearty burrito bowl or light salad. Avoid the burritos, tacos, or anything prepared in the tortilla press.

(3) Ask for fresh ingredients. The staff can help you get fresh, untouched ingredients for your bowl. I’m usually fine with them scooping most of the ingredients into my bowl, but what I’m not fine with is the cheese and lettuce. Have you ever noticed how they grab those items with their hands vs. spoons?

Request fresh lettuce and cheese taken from untouched containers. They always have containers of fresh ingredients in the back from which they can pull from.

(4) Ordering online (from the app). The Chipotle app is a very convenient way to order Chipotle to go, especially when restaurants are closed due to the pandemic. Unfortunately, the app does not allow you to add any notes or specify an allergy.

If you want to order from the app, name your order “GLUTEN ALLERGY!!” and then call the restaurant to alert them to change gloves and use fresh ingredients when preparing your bowl. This has worked for me time and time again. One staffer once wrote me a message on my pick-up order that said, “Yes, I changed my gloves.” Another time, my meal came with a sticker on it that said, “We changed our gloves.”

Putting Chipotle to the Hidden Gluten Test

I used my Nima Sensor to put several Chipotle menu items to the hidden gluten test. Here’s what my Nima Sensor found (or didn’t find):

(1) No gluten found in the burrito bowl:

(2) No gluten found in the chips:

(3) Gluten was found in the queso, either due to cross-contamination or Nima’s inability to accurately test items with high-fat content. (Read Is Nima Sensor Accurate? for more details.)

Strategies for Ordering at Chipotle

(1) When you order at Chipotle, it’s important to disclose that you cannot eat gluten and then ask the staff to change their gloves.

(2) You can then order anything on the menu except the flour tortillas (although I’m a bit wary of the queso now).

(3) Two items I’m also wary of cross-contamination are the cheese and lettuce because staff use their hands to grab those items, whereas the rest of the items are dished out with a spoon. When I order at Chipotle, I always ask for the cheese and lettuce to be taken from a fresh source, and the staff has always obliged this request.

Watch me test my food for hidden gluten in this video:

Bottom Line

Overall, you can feel confident eating gluten-free at Chipotle. Almost every menu item is gluten-free, except for the flour tortillas.

By asking the staff to change their gloves and get fresh ingredients from the back, you can minimize your risk of cross-contamination and accidental gluten exposure.

Is someone telling you Chipotle isn’t safe for people with celiac disease?

You should make your own decisions about whether or not you feel comfortable eating at a restaurant and never judge others.

If you feel paralyzed by the thought of eating out, please download The Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten Free, where I offer you strategies for eating out without fear.

I also encourage you to read my article, Can You Be Too Gluten-Free? How to Balance Dietary Vigilance Without Losing Your Mind, for strategies for staying true to your gluten-free diet without giving up the joys of life.

Additional Reading

Like to eat out? Read these articles:

• The Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten-Free
• Two Restaurants Make Things Right After a Nima Sensor Test Goes Awry
• 13 Things to Know About the Nima Sensor
• What’s Gluten Free at the Cheesecake Factory?
• How Did 20 Restaurants Fare When Tested for Hidden Gluten?
• What’s Gluten Free at the Olive Garden?
• 7 Ways to Recover from an Accidental Gluten Exposure

Want to eat out like a gluten-free champ? Download my ebook, The Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten Free, to help you eat out more safely when following a strict gluten-free diet.