A burrito bowl is easy to build lighter, one topping at a time.
Rice, beans and chicken are a balanced base. The sour cream, cheese and avocado on top are where a bowl gets heavy. Trim those and a serving goes from 767 to 613 kcal.
- 613 kcal a serving, down from 767 for the classic, with 48 g protein, 74 g carbs and 13 g fat
- 3 swaps, each with what it does to a serving, and 2 ways to add protein, up to 59 g a serving
- 4 servings, weighed at 2,000 g when finished, from 12 USDA FoodData Central entries in the library
Classic vs lighter, per serving.
The same chicken burrito bowl, made two ways from the same library entries and the same 4 servings. The lighter version is the one built on the screens below.
| Per serving | Classic | Lighter | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| kcal | 767 | 613 | −154 |
| Protein g | 49 | 48 | −1 |
| Carbs g | 78 | 74 | −4 |
| Fat g | 29 | 13 | −16 |
| Saturated fat g | 11.1 | 3.6 | −7.5 |
Saturated fat comes from the same USDA entries; the recipe sheet itself shows calories, protein, carbs and fat. Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice.
Swap by swap.
Each change in turn, from the classic to the lighter version, and what it does to one serving.
1. Use nonfat Greek yogurt, not sour cream
−41 kcal, +2 g protein, −1 g carbs, −5 g fat, −3.1 g saturated fat a serving
The same 120 g saves 41 kcal and 3.1 g of saturated fat a serving, with more protein.
2. Use 60 g of reduced-fat cheddar, not 120 g of regular
−73 kcal, −3 g protein, −1 g carbs, −7 g fat, −3.8 g saturated fat a serving
Half the cheese, and a lighter kind, saves 73 kcal and 7 g of fat a serving. The beans and salsa still carry the bowl.
3. Use half an avocado, not a whole one
−40 kcal, −2 g carbs, −4 g fat, −0.6 g saturated fat a serving
Avocado is good fat, but it is 160 kcal per 100 g. Halving it saves 40 kcal a serving.
More protein, if you need it.
Hitting a protein target is the hard part for most people. Each option is added to the lighter version on its own, with what it does to a serving of 48 g protein and 613 kcal. Save the one you like as its own recipe.
Use 700 g of chicken
+60 kcal, +11 g protein, +1 g fat, +0.3 g saturated fat a serving, making 59 g protein a serving
Another 200 g of skinless breast adds 11 g of protein a serving for 60 kcal.
Add more Greek yogurt
+30 kcal, +5 g protein, +2 g carbs, +0.1 g saturated fat a serving, making 53 g protein a serving
200 g more nonfat Greek yogurt as a topping adds 5 g of protein a serving for 30 kcal.
Oil and fat: the type changes the fat, the amount changes the calories.
The three oils below are each 884 kcal per 100 g, and ghee is within a few calories of them. Swapping one for another moves the saturated fat, not the calories; using less is what saves them. Butter is lower per gram only because part of it is water.
| Fat, per tablespoon, 14 g | kcal | Fat g | Sat fat g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive oil | 124 | 14 | 1.9 |
| Canola oil | 124 | 14 | 1.0 |
| Avocado oil | 124 | 14 | 1.6 |
| Ghee (butter oil) | 123 | 14 | 8.7 |
| Butter, salted | 100 | 11 | 7.2 |
The sample data
These are the amounts of the lighter version used on the screens below, with each figure taken from the library entry for that ingredient. They are sample figures for a pot or tray of this size, not a measurement of anyone's kitchen.
| Ingredient | Amount | kcal | Protein g | Carbs g | Fat g |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, skinless, raw | 500 g | 600 | 113 | 0 | 13 |
| White rice, raw | 240 g | 876 | 17 | 192 | 2 |
| Black beans, canned | 401 g | 365 | 24 | 66 | 1 |
| Salsa, red | 200 g | 68 | 3 | 13 | 0 |
| Avocados, raw | 100 g | 160 | 2 | 9 | 15 |
| Iceberg lettuce | 150 g | 21 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Cheddar cheese, reduced fat | 60 g | 190 | 16 | 2 | 12 |
| Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat | 120 g | 73 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| Lime juice | 30 g | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Chili powder | 6 g | 17 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Cumin seed | 3 g | 11 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Olive oil | 7 g | 62 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Whole recipe | 1,817 g | 2,451 | 190 | 297 | 52 |
| Per serving (4) | 500 g | 613 | 48 | 74 | 13 |
Calorie and macro figures are fitness estimates, not medical or dietary advice. Ingredient values are from USDA FoodData Central, which is in the public domain.
Why this recipe
A burrito bowl is a good recipe to build because every ingredient is a separate scoop, so the whole thing is easy to weigh and the toppings are easy to see. You can change one scoop and watch the serving move.
What to weigh
Weigh the rice raw and the beans canned and drained, as the library entries describe them. The sample finishes at about 2,000 g from 1,817 g of ingredients, because the rice drinks water. Water adds grams, not calories.
The full workflow, in four steps.
1. Open Create a recipe and search the library
Open Add food and choose Create a recipe, name it, then choose Add ingredient and search the library. Typing "chicken breast skinless" lists the entries, raw and cooked, each with its calories per 100 g.
2. Enter the amount you weighed
Pick the raw, skinless breast, switch the portion to grams and enter what the scale showed. The sheet shows 600 kcal for the chicken before you add the rice and beans.
3. Add the rest, then set the servings and finished weight
Add the rice (weighed dry), beans, salsa, avocado, lettuce, cheese, yogurt, lime, spices and 7 g of oil, then enter the 4 servings and the 2,000 g you weighed at the end. One serving comes to 613 kcal.
4. Save it and log a serving
Save the recipe and it becomes one of your own foods. The next screen is the normal Add food form, ready to log one serving or any weight of it.
Tips while you build it
- Cook the rice with a little lime juice and chopped cilantro, and the bowl tastes brighter without any added fat.
- Mash the avocado with lime and spread it thinly. A little goes a long way and the weight on the scale is easy to hold to.
- A serving is about 500 g, a full bowl. Log by weight when you are measuring.
Go further
- Building it for meal prep? Divide it into five or six containers instead of four, and change the servings to match.
- Use brown rice: search "rice brown long-grain raw" and enter the same dry weight.
Each change is a second recipe with its own name, so the first stays as you built it.
Chicken burrito bowl questions.
How many calories are in a chicken burrito bowl?
It depends on the toppings. The sample comes to 613 kcal a serving made lighter, with 48 g protein, 74 g carbs and 13 g fat, against 767 kcal with sour cream, regular cheese and a whole avocado.
Will yogurt taste like sour cream?
It is close: tangy, cool and thick. A pinch of salt and a squeeze of lime bring it closer.
Should I weigh the rice raw or cooked?
Raw, because the library entry is raw. Weigh the finished bowl once, to enter the finished weight.
More example recipes.
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- Chicken souvlaki329 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 605 for the classic, with 49 g protein.
- Chicken teriyaki559 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 774 for the classic, with 44 g protein.
- Beef and broccoli529 kcal a serving made lighter, down from 676 for the classic, with 46 g protein.
Cook it once. Log it for good.
Build a lighter version of your own mexican favourite in Nutrition.