Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl Recipe

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

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!

Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in June 2017. It was updated in July of 2020 with new photos and recipe tips.