This Burrito Bowl Recipe is so satisfying! It’s the perfect healthy lunch option and, best of all, it’s easy to throw together.

Black bowl filled with rice, pico de gallo, black beans, onions, avocado, and shredded chicken.
Table Of Contents
show

About My Healthy Burrito Bowl

I’ve always been a huge fan of Chipotle’s burrito bowl. Simple fresh ingredients—what’s not to love? But with that I realized I could be making my own burrito bowl recipe at home.

The ingredients are accessible and leave you with an opportunity for make-ahead lunches! You can also get creative, so I’m excited to bring this one to you.

I’ll tell you all about what I typically put in my burrito bowl, but I’ll also leave you with some suggestions and inspiration to make it your own.

Ingredients

Bowls of shredded cheese, black beans, pice de gallo, shredded chicken, and spices lined up on a wooden board along with lime wedges, an avocado, red onion, and a bunch of parsley.
  • Rice. I like to keep things extra light and easy, so I use one of those ready-to-heat rice pouches. Yes, the ones you zap in the microwave. There’s no shame in the convenience game in my mind.
  • Black beans. Again, I go the convenient route and used canned. If you’d prefer to soak and cook your own beans, you can absolutely do that.
  • Pico de gallo. I love using fresh pico de gallo because you’re getting a nice medley of tomatoes, onions, and peppers, which covers so many bases. If your preference is salsa, or simply using cut up tomatoes, go for it!
  • Shredded cheese. A shredded Mexican or taco blend is my jam. You could also go above and beyond and crumble yourself some Cotija.
  • Chicken. Any cooked chicken works here. I go back and forth from grilling and chopping my own to using rotisserie chicken from the hot bar at the grocery store. Anything goes. You could also cook yourself some taco meat for a meaty filling, or go vegetarian and skip the meat all together!
  • Red onion. I love adding some extra red onion for a little zip. 
  • Avocado. Chopped avocado or guacamole are both totally acceptable here.
  • Taco seasoning. I like to toss my chicken in a bit of taco seasoning before adding it to the bowl, and then I sprinkle a little over the black beans, too.

Serving Suggestions

  • Plain Greek yogurt. I’ve gotten into the habit of using plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream because I like to add a lot of it, and it makes me hate myself less. If you prefer sour cream, do that.
  • Hot sauce. My go-to hot sauces for any Mexican or Tex Mex include Valentina, Cholula, or El Yucateco.
  • Lime wedge. For that necessary spritz of refreshing lime juice.
  • Chili flakes. I like my burrito bowls to have a kick, so in addition to the hot sauce, I sprinkle some chili flakes over it all, too. This is optional, of course.
  • Fresh parsley. You’re probably thinking, Why parsley? Why not cilantro? And that’s because I’m one of those people whose genetically predisposed to hating cilantro. To me, it tastes like soap. So, parsley it is! If cilantro is your thing, use that instead.
  • Queso. If I happen to have queso on hand and I’m feeling it, I’ll swap this in and leave out the shredded cheese.
  • Jalapeño. Fresh or pickled, both options are delicious. Fresh will give you more heat and more of that earthy pepper flavor, whereas pickled will be a little milder and offer up a briny, salty punch.
  • Shredded or chopped lettuce. Sometime I love to add a nice cool crunch, and lettuce is perfect for that. Or if you have greens to use up, this is a great opportunity to do so!
  • Corn. Fresh roasted or grilled corn cut straight off the cob really does taste better, but we don’t always have time for that. So frozen will do!
Black bowl filled with rice, pico de gallo, black beans, onions, avocado, and shredded chicken.

How to Make a Burrito Bowl

  1. Start by cooking anything that needs to be cooked (rice, chicken). When the chicken is done being cooked, you can chop it or shred it, place it into a small mixing bowl, and sprinkle in some taco seasoning. Toss to coat, and set the bowl aside. If you’re using pre-cooked chicken, just toss it in a bowl with the seasoning.
  2. Prepare your other ingredients by doing your chopping, etc., and have your ingredients at the ready.
  3. Grab a large bowl and put your rice into it first. Then add the meat, beans, cheese, pico de gallo, onion, and avocado. Sprinkle some taco seasoning over the beans. Plop a nice dollop of plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream) somewhere on top and sprinkle some chili flakes over your bowl if you wish. Then hit it with a nice hot sauce for an extra kick. Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley or cilantro and serve it with a lime wedge.
Burrito bowl next to jar of hot sauce, lime wedge, and bunch of fresh parsley.

Useful Tools for This Recipe

Recipe Tips

  1. To keep this as quick and unfussy as possible, use ready ingredients including ready-to-heat rice pouches, canned black beans, and store-bought pico de gallo. If you prefer to cook your own rice, beans, and make your own pico de gallo, you can do that! Just store your batches separately in the fridge for the week for easy bowl making.
  2. Cooked chicken is my protein of choice, but you can use any you’d like. Leftover taco meat would work beautifully.

Have You Made This Recipe?

If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a STAR rating & commenting below with feedback!

You can also show off your creations on Instagram by tagging @killing__thyme

More Bowl Meals You’ll Love

Burrito bowl next to jar of hot sauce, lime wedge, and bunch of fresh parsley.

Healthy Burrito Bowl

This Burrito Bowl Recipe is so satisfying! It’s the perfect healthy lunch option and, best of all, it’s easy to throw together.
5 from 121 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 bowl
Calories: 493kcal
Author: Dana Sandonato

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup cooked rice
  • 1/2 cup prepared pico de gallo or chopped tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup cooked black beans
  • 2 TBSP shredded cheese, more if you'd like! (I always add more.)
  • 1 TBSP taco seasoning
  • 1 TBSP finely sliced or diced red onion
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced or chopped

For serving:

  • 1 TBSP plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley or cilantro
  • Lime wedge
  • Sprinkle of chili flakes
  • Drizzle of hot sauce

Instructions

  • Cook anything that needs to be cooked, like your rice or chicken. When the chicken cooked, chop it or shred it, then pop it into a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle some taco seasoning over it and toss to coat; set it aside.
  • Prep the other ingredients, chopping your veggies and shredding your cheese, etc. Then grab yourself a personal-sized serving bowl and put your cooked rice into.
  • Top the rice with the chicken, beans, cheese, pico de gallo, onion, and avocado.
  • Sprinkle some taco seasoning over the beans and add a generous drop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream on top; add chili flakes for an extra kick along with some hot sauce.
  • Finish your bowl off with some fresh chopped parsley or cilantro, and serve it with a lime wedge.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 493kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 4g