The 10 Unhealthiest Burritos To Stop Ordering & 10 Safer Options
Your Burrito Is Doing Too Much
A burrito can be a perfectly reasonable meal when it has a little balance, but we need to be honest with ourselves: some take a good thing and pile on everything in sight. Sure, those hit the spot every once in a while, but between oversized tortillas, heavy sauces, fried fillings, and salty meats, the wrong order can leave you feeling like you need the rest of the afternoon off. Luckily, there are plenty of hearty options you can chow down on without putting your poor heart under any added stress. Let’s go through which burrito options you need to ditch, and which ones to reach for more often.
1. Loaded California
A California burrito already starts heavy because it’s usually packed with carne asada, fries, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. Adding fried potatoes inside a flour tortilla makes the whole thing way denser than a regular burrito, so you’re basically turning a handheld meal into a fast-food platter.
RightCowLeftCoast on Wikimedia
2. The Wet Burrito With Creamy Sauce
A wet burrito arrives covered in enchilada sauce, melted cheese, sour cream, and sometimes even queso on top. We all know that’s an issue! The problem isn’t just the filling inside, either; the outside adds another layer of calories, sodium, and saturated fat before you even pick up a fork (which you’ll need to sink into this thing).
Christopher Vasquez from Hawthorne, California, United States on Wikimedia
3. Breakfast Burrito With Bacon, Sausage, and Hash Browns
Breakfast burritos can be filling, but the bacon, sausage, egg, cheese, and hash brown push things pretty far in the morning—or any other time of day. Processed meats bring a lot of salt and fat, while fried potatoes and a large tortilla make the whole order heavier than it needs to be. Add creamy salsa, and suddenly breakfast is all three meals in one.
4. The Queso-Stuffed Burrito
Any burrito that uses queso as a major ingredient deserves a second thought. Rice, beans, beef, and cheese are already bad enough for your health, so pouring warm cheese sauce into the middle makes each bite unnecessarily rich. It’s the kind of order that sounds fun at the counter and feels less charming once you’re halfway through it.
5. Fried Chimichanga-Style
A chimichanga is basically a burrito that got sent to the fryer, and that changes the whole order. It doesn’t change it for the better, either! Even when the inside has standard ingredients like shredded chicken, beans, rice, and cheese, the fried shell adds a greasy crunch that makes it much less balanced.
6. Double-Meat Steak and Chorizo
Pairing steak with chorizo brings a lot more fat and sodium into the picture, and your gut doesn’t need that overload. Chorizo is already flavorful enough because it’s seasoned heavily, so doubling it up with another meat can overwhelm the whole order. Oh, sure, you’ll get protein, but you’ll also get a burrito that feels like a dare.
7. Nacho Burrito
A nacho burrito usually means tortilla chips, seasoned beef, nacho cheese, sour cream, beans, rice, and sometimes jalapeños all wrapped together. The chips may add crunch, but they also add salt and fried carbs inside a meal that already comes wrapped in a tortilla. It’s fun for a few bites, yet it’s not exactly doing your body any favors.
8. Extra-Large Bean, Rice, and Cheese
Bean, rice, and cheese burritos hardly sound simpler, and once you get one on your plate, they’re even more complicated. When the tortilla is huge, and the cheese is piled on, the meal gets way too carb-heavy and high in sodium without any freshness to break it up. A little pico de gallo would help, but it’s fighting for its life in there.
9. Buffalo Chicken
Buffalo chicken burritos usually combine crispy chicken, hot sauce, blue cheese dressing, shredded cheese, and rice. That alone should scare you away! You’re getting fried chicken, creamy dressing, and salty sauce all wrapped into one very intense package.
10. The Smothered Burrito
Guacamole can be a great topping, and sour cream is fine in small amounts, but both get out of hand quickly. We all know that the best-tasting burritos are already filled with meat, cheese, rice, and beans, so a heavy layer of both toppings turns it into a very rich dish you’ll never finish. And even if you did, that’s arguably worse!
Burritos don’t have to leave you overly full and regretful. With the right fillings, they can be surprisingly balanced without losing the flavor. Let’s dive into which options make more sense for your heart and health.
1. Grilled Chicken and Black Bean
Grilled chicken gives this burrito plenty of protein without the extra grease that comes from fried fillings. Best of all, black beans add fiber and make the meal feel filling, especially when they’re paired with pico de gallo, lettuce, and a modest scoop of rice. Just be sure you ask for salsa instead of creamy sauce.
2. Veggie Fajita
Hey, no one said that vegetables can’t fill you up! A veggie fajita burrito is one of the smartest orders when it’s packed with grilled peppers, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and a little brown rice. Those vegetables bring texture and flavor, so you don’t need a pile of cheese to make the burrito any more flavorful.
3. Shrimp and Cabbage
People don’t give shrimp enough credit, even though it works well in a healthier burrito. It’s lean, light, and still satisfying when seasoned properly. Pair it with shredded cabbage, salsa verde, cilantro, and a small portion of rice for a fresher take that you can find at many Baja-style spots in the USA.
RightCowLeftCoast on Wikimedia
4. Turkey Taco
Ground turkey can be a lighter swap for seasoned beef, and it still packs a solid punch when it’s prepared with cumin, garlic, and a little tomato. It also gives you that familiar flavor when it comes with black beans, pico de gallo, and roasted corn inside. Just don’t go nuts with the cheese!
5. Grilled Fish
Don’t forget that a grilled fish burrito is a better pick than a battered fish version; you still get protein without the fried coating. Mahi-mahi or tilapia work nicely with cabbage, tomato salsa, and a squeeze of lime, so you’re getting all that good stuff. Choose grilled over crispy every time, and you’ll notice the burrito tastes cleaner without being plain.
pelican from Tokyo, Japan on Wikimedia
6. Bean, Veggie, and Salsa Verde
Don’t discredit beans—they can carry a burrito when they’re joined by enough vegetables and a good salsa. A mix of pinto beans, roasted peppers, onions, and salsa verde gives you everything you could ask for in a hearty meal: fiber, color, and enough tang to keep every bite lively.
7. Chicken Tinga
Chicken tinga is actually a pretty smart option, so long as it's simmered in the right stuff. We’re talking about tomato, onion, chipotle, and spices instead of being drowned in cream. The flavor is also bold enough that you can pair it with lettuce, pickled onions, and a small scoop of rice without needing heavier stuff, like queso.
Sodanie Chea from Norwalk, Ca, United States on Wikimedia
8. Sweet Potato and Black Bean
Sweet potato brings natural sweetness and a hearty texture that makes this option more substantial than a basic wrap. You get plenty of toppings, like black beans, roasted poblanos, cilantro, and fresh salsa, which means a balanced burrito. A little avocado is fine here, too, but you don’t need much.
9. Steak, Pico, and Greens
Just because you’re trying to eat healthier doesn’t mean you have to avoid red meat. Steak can still fit into a healthier burrito when the portion is reasonable, and the rest of the ingredients stay fresh. Grilled steak with lettuce, grilled onions, and a light spoonful of rice gives you flavor without turning the meal into a heavy steakhouse order.
10. Egg White and Veggie Breakfast
An egg white breakfast burrito is a far better morning choice, especially since it ditches the fried stuff for spinach, peppers, tomatoes, and a small amount of cheese. Don’t worry, you still get a warm, filling breakfast, but you’re not loading it with bacon or sausage!
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