Skip the takeaway and try this homemade chipotle burrito bowl instead! Layered with rice, ground beef, beans, corn, fresh veggies, and cheese, this quick and easy burrito bowl recipe is easily customized.
Packed with Mexican-inspired flavors, this dish is an excellent solution for dinner or lunch. You will love how fast and easy they are to throw together with such tasty results!
📃 Why it Works
Almost everyone is crazy about Chipotle and its brand of Mexican food. We are crazy about Mexican food in general and eat it at least once a week.
But with this burrito bowl recipe, I get the same taste for less money. It is such an easy, low carb recipe to reduce for one person or multiply for more.
It's like a burrito, except deconstructed and without the tortilla but sometimes served in a tortilla bowl. It's layered on a bed of rice with meat, beans, cheese, and taco toppings.
There is plenty of room for creativity here. I prefer to build my burrito bowl based on the leftovers I have in the fridge.
🛒 Ingredients and Notes
For the meat mixture:
- Beef - I used lean ground beef, but you can make it with ground turkey, chicken, or pork. Other options are shredded beef, pulled pork, grilled chicken, and even shrimp.
- Onion - yellow, white, or sweet onion
- Spices - garlic powder, cumin, chili, dried oregano, and ground coriander, plus salt and pepper.
- Tomato sauce - you can also use crushed tomatoes, strained tomatoes, or tomato paste (2 tablespoon + 1 cup water).
For the rice:
- Rice - Plain rice, brown rice, or even quinoa work just as well. I always use either Basmati or Jasmine rice for all my recipes.
- Salsa - Mild, medium, or hot and chunky or not so chunky - it's up to your taste. You can also leave it out and serve plain rice. Mixing rice with salsa is a kind of shortcut to dirty rice.
For the toppings:
- Iceberg lettuce - Romaine works well too.
- Black beans - Pinto beans are a good substitute.
- Corn - Chunks of char-grilled corn are my favorite, but use canned or frozen fire-roasted or regular when short on time.
- Tomatoes - Any tomatoes will do the job: meaty, Roma, cherry - whichever you have on hand.
- Bell pepper - Any color or a combination of green, red, yellow, and orange. Omit them entirely if you wish.
- Avocado - You can replace it with guacamole
- Lime - Optional
- Cheddar - Sharp or mild
- Cilantro - If it tastes like soap to you, replace it with parsley.
- Chipotle burrito sauce - easy to make and highly recommended
🔪 Instructions
*Keep scrolling to get the full (printable) recipe, ingredient amounts, and more tips, or click on the “Skip to Recipe” button at the top of the page.
This recipe is not a Chipotle copycat, but a template to create your burrito rice bowls.
Step 1
Cook the meat - Sauté the onions, add the ground beef, and cook until meat is browned. Stir in the spices and tomato sauce and simmer.
Step 2
Make the rice - Cook the rice according to package instructions. Mix in salsa.
Step 3
Assemble the bowls - Divide rice and meat mixture among your dishes, add toppings, and drizzle everything with lime juice and chipotle burrito sauce. Enjoy!
- You can substitute all spices for the meat with a package of taco seasoning.
- Use grilled chicken instead of ground beef.
- Omit meat for a vegetarian version but be generous with your of toppings. You can also add roasted sweet potatoes.
- Top with guacamole instead of avocado.
- Use sour cream instead of Chipotle burrito sauce (but the sauce is seriously yummy!)
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
These ingredients are all great toppings for an amazing burrito bowl:
Sour cream
Salsa
Guacamole
Pickled Jalapeños
Pico de Gallo
Lemon slices
Chopped red cabbage
Red onions
Fajita vegetables: sautéed onions and peppers
Roasted zucchini, squash, or sweet potato
Cotija or feta cheese
Monterey jack cheese
Refrigerate all ingredients in an airtight container but keep the fresh toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and peppers separate from the rice, meat, beans, and corn. You don't want to reheat those. Yuck!
Liked this recipe? Leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and/or a review in the comments section. Your feedback is always appreciated! Stay in touch through Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook! Don't forget to sign up for my email list below too!
Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl
EQUIPMENT
- Cast iron or a non-stick skillet
Ingredients
For the meat
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
For the rice
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 cup salsa
For the toppings
- 3 cups chopped iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup whole kernel corn, drained
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1 cup bell pepper, diced (optional)
- 1-2 avocado, sliced or diced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 lime
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Chipotle burrito sauce
Instructions
For the meat
- In a large non-stick or cast-iron skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, then add the ground beef.
- Cook, stirring often and breaking the meat into small pieces until the meat is cooked through, 5-8 minutes. Drain any excess grease, if needed; season with garlic powder, cumin, chili, oregano, coriander, salt, and pepper. Add the tomato sauce and simmer the mixture for additional 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
For the rice
- Cook rice according to the package directions. Next, stir in salsa.
Assemble
- Divide rice mixture into serving bowls. Arrange toppings over the rice. Drizzle with lime juice and chipotle sauce. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can substitute all spices for the meat with a package of taco seasoning.
- Use grilled chicken instead of ground beef.
- Omit meat for a vegetarian version but be generous with your toppings. You can add roasted sweet potatoes to make it more substantial.
- Top with guacamole instead of fresh avocado slices.
- Use sour cream instead of Chipotle burrito sauce (but the sauce is seriously yummy!)
- To store leftovers, refrigerate them in an airtight container but keep the fresh toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and peppers separate from the rice, meat, beans, and corn. You don't want to reheat those. Yuck!
- Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on products used.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in June 2017. It was updated in July of 2020 with new photos and recipe tips.
April J Harris says
Pinning and sharing this wonderful recipe, Jas! Your Chipotle Burrito Bowl looks amazing, and I much prefer the idea of making it from scratch at home. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Hope to 'see' you again this week!
Erlene says
I remember the first time I ate at Chipotle. I loved it! I’ll have to try this since I don’t get to eat there often. Thanks for sharing your copycat recipe on Merry Monday.
Jas says
It's just so so good! Thank you Erlene for stopping by. 🙂
Amy says
Congrats on the feature on Friday Favorites link party. I commented on this recipe about a year ago. As a matter of fact this is the recipe that started me following you. It still looks just as good now as it did then. Keep up the good work!
Jas says
Ha, how about that? Love it. Thanks, Amy! Much appreciated. 😀
Richella Parham says
Oh, Jas. Yum, yum, yum. These look absolutely delicious! Thank you for devising this recipe and sharing it!
Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party. I'm featuring you this week!
Jas says
Hi, Richella! Thank you kindly for the feature. You brightened my day 😀 XO
Dean says
You're doing it again!! I so badly want a big bowl of Mexican food right now.
Thanks again for sharing with us at #MMBH!
XO
Jas says
I am, I'm unstoppable, bwahahaha!
Sue Ready says
love the Mexican flavor combo and its a healthy meal in a bowl- thanks for the recipe
Jas says
It is, Sue! Thank you for stopping in 😀
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice says
So much yumminess in one lil' ol' bowl!!! Thanks for sharing on Friday Frenzy!
Jas says
Haha, isn't that the best part? 😉
Julie | Filling the Jars says
This looks delicious! I just happen to have some ground beef in my fridge, and now I know exactly what to do with it!
Jas says
You'll love it, Julie! Nothing like a homemade restaurant-style meal that you know exactly what you put in, easy, and inexpensive :)Thanks for stopping in!
Cathy Lawdanski says
This sounds so delicious and your photographs are beautiful!
Jas says
Thanks so much, Cathy! I truly appreciate it 🙂
Milena says
Every time I see a really beautiful picture at a party it is yours:) This bowl is simply scrumptious. All the vibrant colors and the flavors you have going on!
Jas says
Awe, you're a sweetheart, Milena! Thank you so much! I'm always in awe of yours :D. Thanks for stopping in and for the 5-star review! Hugs
Jenny says
I love all the bright colors in this burrito bowl! It looks very healthy as well as very delicious. I also like that you can customize it, depending on what meat you use, or you can omit the meat. That burrito sauce looks seriously delicious too!
Jas says
Yes, you can change or omit the meat, substitute rice with cauliflower rice and add more veggies! Win-win. The sauce is off the charts! Thanks for stopping in, Jenny!
Miz Helen says
What a great presentation for your delicious Chipotle Burrito Bowl! Thanks so much for sharing with us at Full Plate Thursday for the party this week. Hope you have a great week and come back to see us real soon!
Miz Helen
Jas says
Miz Helen, that's very kind of you.
Michelle Frank | Flipped-Out Food says
I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who craves Chipotle's burrito bowls! The hubster and I don't eat out much anymore, both because we're trying to live healthier lives AND we're on a frugal-living kick lately. I did a version of their bowls a while back with sweet potato noodles instead of rice. Your gorgeous bowl really puts Chipotle to shame. I'm making one this weekend! #brillblogposts
Jas says
Hi, Michelle! Same here. I've made these with cauliflower rice for a gluten-free version and it was just as tasty. Thank you for the 5-star review! Hugs
Leslie says
Whenever we go out for lunch, the first place my husband mentions is Chipotle. I don't think he can get tired of it! I can't wait to give this a try and see what his take on it is (looks fabulous to me!) Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
Jas says
I don't blame him. We just had it last night again, but this time a takeout. I didn't have time to cook, lol.