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Fajitas Calories: Chicken, Steak, Shrimp and the Whole Platter

One wrapped chicken fajita has about 196 calories according to USDA, and a steak fajita about 219. A restaurant-style steak platter with tortillas, toppings, rice and beans reaches about 1,546. See where the calories come from and how to trim them.

By Khanh Phan

Fajitas come in parts: a skillet of meat and peppers, a stack of tortillas and a row of small bowls. You build each one yourself, which makes the total easy to lose track of. The parts are also what make fajitas easy to count, once you know what each one adds.

Short answer: one wrapped fajita (3.4 oz) has about 158 to 219 calories, according to USDA: 158 for vegetable, 180 for shrimp, 196 for chicken and 219 for beef or pork. The bigger swing comes from tortillas, toppings and sides. A restaurant-style steak platter with three flour tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, rice and beans comes to about 1,546 calories.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS); platter total worked out from the values for each item.

Fajita calories by protein

USDA weighs one wrapped fajita at 3.4 oz (95 g), tortilla included. Here is one fajita of each kind, and three of them:

One fajita (3.4 oz)

Calories

Protein

Fat

Saturated fat

Sodium

Three fajitas

Vegetable

158

3.1 g

7.4 g

1.6 g

326 mg

473

Shrimp

180

7.9 g

8.5 g

1.8 g

433 mg

539

Chicken

196

10.8 g

9.3 g

2.0 g

428 mg

587

Beef or pork

219

11.5 g

11.6 g

3.1 g

436 mg

658

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

The protein moves the count by about 60 calories a fajita, from vegetable to steak. Chicken and beef give the most protein, about 11 g each, but beef carries half again as much saturated fat. Three chicken fajitas come to about 587 calories and 32 g of protein.

Sodium is similar across the meats, about 430 mg a fajita, so three of them reach about 1,300 mg, more than half of the 2,300 mg Daily Value before any salsa or sides.

Fajita Protein Calories

The oil in the skillet

The fat in the pan is the part of a fajita you never see on the plate. A tablespoon of cooking oil (0.5 oz) adds about 126 calories, and it ends up spread across everything the skillet holds.

USDA's values for cooked peppers and onions show the gap, per cup:

  • Cooked with added fat: 86 calories, 3.9 g fat

  • Cooked without added fat: 52 calories, 0.2 g fat

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS): vegetable oil, peppers and onions cooked with and without fat.

At home, measuring the oil is the simplest fix. Two tablespoons in a skillet that serves four people add about 63 calories to each share; one tablespoon halves that. Brushing the pan instead of pouring cuts it further.

Building each fajita: tortilla, filling and toppings

When you build your own, each layer has its own number.

The tortilla

A medium flour tortilla (1.6 oz) has about 138 calories and 315 mg of sodium; a small one (1.2 oz) has about 101. A medium corn tortilla (1 oz) has about 61 calories and 13 mg of sodium. Our guide to taco calories compares the two in more detail.

The filling

Per 3 oz cooked, shrimp has about 94 calories, chicken breast about 137 and flank steak about 207, with about 15, 26 and 25 g of protein. Half a cup of peppers and onions cooked with fat adds about 43 more.

The toppings

Per spoonful, the toppings run from almost nothing to more than the tortilla:

  • Pico de gallo, 2 tbsp: 5 calories

  • Red salsa, 2 tbsp: 11

  • Guacamole, 2 tbsp: 47

  • Sour cream, 2 tbsp: 59

  • Mexican blend cheese, 1/4 cup: 102

  • Shredded cheddar, 1/4 cup: 116

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Put together, a medium flour tortilla with 3 oz of chicken, half a cup of peppers and onions, 2 tbsp of guacamole and 2 tbsp of pico comes to about 370 calories, nearly twice USDA's 3.4 oz chicken fajita, because the portion is bigger. For more on the dip itself, see our guacamole nutrition breakdown.

A full fajita platter

Here is a restaurant-style steak platter built from USDA values with common portions, not one restaurant's menu:

Part of the platter

Amount

Calories

Sodium

Flank steak

6 oz

413

629 mg

Peppers and onions, cooked with fat

1 cup

86

178 mg

Flour tortillas, medium

3

413

945 mg

Guacamole

1/4 cup

93

206 mg

Sour cream

2 tbsp

59

15 mg

Mexican blend cheese

1/4 cup

102

201 mg

Pico de gallo

1/4 cup

10

266 mg

Spanish rice

1/2 cup

140

377 mg

Refried beans, restaurant-style

1/2 cup

230

523 mg

Total

1,546

3,340 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS); totals worked out from the values for each item.

The tortillas, rice and beans together make up about half the platter, 783 of 1,546 calories. Sodium reaches about 3,340 mg, almost one and a half times the Daily Value, and the plate holds about 83 g of protein. Swap the steak for 6 oz of chicken breast and the platter drops to about 1,406 calories with about the same protein.

A platter like this is easier to log in parts than as one guess. Snap it with a photo calorie tracker like Dietfit and Deep Scan lists the steak, the tortillas and each topping on its own line, so you can change the count to what you actually ate.

Lighter fajitas

Fajitas are easy to trim, because every part comes separately. Four changes and a 4 oz portion of chicken take the chicken platter from about 1,406 calories to about 595:

  1. Cook the peppers and onions without added fat. One cup drops from 86 to 52 calories.

  2. Switch to corn tortillas. Three medium corn tortillas have about 183 calories against 413 for flour, and about 900 mg less sodium.

  3. Keep the toppings light. A quarter cup of pico and 2 tbsp of guacamole (56 calories) in place of guacamole, sour cream and cheese (254).

  4. Pick one side, and make it black beans. Half a cup has about 121 calories and 8 g of protein, and the rice stays in the kitchen.

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS); totals worked out from the values for each item, with 4 oz of chicken breast.

Fajita Platter Calories

The lighter platter still holds about 50 g of protein, with about 1,290 mg of sodium instead of 3,320. For fajitas next to tacos, burritos and other dishes, see whether Mexican food is healthy, and for another dish where the count matters more than the filling, see tamales calories.

FAQ

How many calories are in one chicken fajita?

One wrapped chicken fajita (3.4 oz) has about 196 calories and 10.8 g of protein, according to USDA. A homemade one with a medium flour tortilla, 3 oz of chicken and toppings can come closer to 370.

Are steak fajitas higher in calories than chicken fajitas?

Yes, a little. USDA puts a beef or pork fajita at about 219 calories against 196 for chicken, with about half again as much saturated fat. Per 3 oz cooked, flank steak has about 207 calories and chicken breast about 137.

How many calories are in a fajita platter?

A restaurant-style steak platter with three flour tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, rice and refried beans comes to about 1,546 calories, worked out from USDA values. The same platter with chicken comes to about 1,406.

Are shrimp fajitas healthy?

Shrimp fajitas are among the lighter choices, at about 180 calories per wrapped fajita according to USDA. Per 3 oz cooked, shrimp has about 94 calories and 15 g of protein.

Are fajitas good for weight loss?

Fajitas can fit a weight-loss plan because each part can be measured. A platter of 4 oz chicken, peppers and onions cooked without fat, three corn tortillas, pico, a little guacamole and black beans comes to about 595 calories with about 50 g of protein.

Do corn or flour tortillas have fewer calories for fajitas?

Corn tortillas do. A medium corn tortilla has about 61 calories against 138 for a medium flour tortilla, according to USDA, and far less sodium.

References

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