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Is Mexican Food Healthy? Dish Calories and Lighter Orders

Mexican food can be light or heavy depending on the order. Two chicken tacos with pico de gallo have about 450 calories; chips, queso, a large burrito and a margarita pass 1,350. See calories for 16 dishes and lighter orders.

By Phat Nguyen

Two dinners at the same Mexican restaurant can be 900 calories apart. Two chicken tacos on corn tortillas with pico de gallo come to about 448 calories, based on USDA data. Chips with queso, a large beef burrito and a margarita come to about 1,352 calories and 2,728 mg of sodium, more than the 2,300 mg Daily Value. Mexican food is as healthy as the order you build. Dietfit's Deep Scan reads a whole Mexican plate from one photo and counts the rice, beans and toppings as separate items, so the extras do not hide inside one guess.

Mexican dishes at a glance

Under 300 calories

300 to 550 calories

Over 550 calories

Pozole, 1 cup: 105

Chicken quesadilla, 1 whole: 402

Chicken fajitas, 3: 587

Ceviche, 1 cup: 158

2 chicken tacos, corn tortillas: 443

Cheese nachos, 1 order: 665

Chicken fajita, 1: 196

Chicken burrito bowl with beans and rice: 457

Large beef burrito with beans and cheese: 723

Pork tamale, 1: 244

2 chicken enchiladas: 534

Large taco salad with meat and sour cream: 809

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS), using USDA's standard portion for each dish.

Calories in popular Mexican dishes

Dish

Serving

Calories

Protein

Fat

Sodium

Chicken burrito with beans and cheese

1 regular (7.8 oz, 220 g)

447

25.2 g

14.8 g

1,071 mg

Chicken burrito with beans and cheese

1 large (11.6 oz, 330 g)

670

37.8 g

22.1 g

1,607 mg

Beef burrito with beans and cheese

1 large (11.6 oz, 330 g)

723

36.7 g

28.2 g

1,604 mg

Chicken burrito bowl with beans and rice

1 bowl (11.1 oz, 315 g)

457

41.0 g

17.1 g

980 mg

Chicken tacos, corn tortillas, with cheese

2 tacos (7.4 oz, 210 g)

443

34.1 g

20.2 g

794 mg

Beef tacos, corn tortillas, with cheese

2 tacos (7.4 oz, 210 g)

523

32.5 g

29.3 g

788 mg

Fish tacos

2 tacos (7.1 oz, 200 g)

550

23.2 g

30.6 g

894 mg

Chicken enchiladas

2 enchiladas (10.6 oz, 300 g)

534

30.1 g

27.1 g

1,377 mg

Chicken quesadilla

1 whole (4.9 oz, 140 g)

402

20.2 g

18.2 g

841 mg

Nachos with beef and beans

1 order (8.8 oz, 250 g)

550

23.2 g

31.1 g

1,060 mg

Cheese nachos

1 order (8.8 oz, 250 g)

665

11.2 g

39.4 g

1,368 mg

Chicken fajitas

3 fajitas (10.1 oz, 285 g)

587

32.3 g

27.9 g

1,285 mg

Pork tamales

2 tamales (9.9 oz, 280 g)

487

20.7 g

25.3 g

1,324 mg

Chile relleno, cheese-filled

1 pepper (5 oz, 143 g)

326

11.2 g

24.6 g

636 mg

Taco salad with meat and sour cream

1 large (15.8 oz, 447 g)

809

30.9 g

46.5 g

1,278 mg

Ceviche

1 cup (8.8 oz, 250 g)

158

26.3 g

1.9 g

372 mg

Pozole

1 cup (8.6 oz, 245 g)

105

8.3 g

3.0 g

608 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS). Daily Value for sodium: 2,300 mg, from the FDA.

Three patterns stand out. Size moves the number more than the filling: a large chicken burrito has 223 more calories than a regular one, while beef instead of chicken adds 53. Cheese-heavy dishes give the least protein for their calories: an order of cheese nachos has 665 calories and 11 g of protein, against 158 calories and 26 g in a cup of ceviche. And sodium runs high across the menu: a large burrito has about 1,600 mg, roughly 70% of the Daily Value, before any chips or salsa.

mexican-food-calories-by-dish.webp

mexican-food-calories-by-dish.webp · Alt: Mexican food calories by dish, from pozole at 105 calories per cup to a large taco salad with meat at 809

Where the extra calories come from: chips, sides and drinks

At a sit-down Mexican restaurant, the plate is only part of the order. These are the add-ons that pile up around it:

Add-on

Serving

Calories

Sodium

Tortilla chips

1 oz (28 g), about 9 chips

132

92 mg

Tortilla chips

2 oz (57 g), about 19 chips

269

187 mg

Red salsa

2 tbsp (32 g)

11

210 mg

Pico de gallo

1 serving (1.1 oz, 32 g)

5

142 mg

Queso (cheese dip)

1/4 cup (60 g)

86

478 mg

Guacamole

2 tbsp (30 g)

46

103 mg

Sour cream

2 tbsp (30 g)

59

15 mg

Mexican (Spanish) rice

1/2 cup (122 g)

140

378 mg

Refried beans, restaurant

1/2 cup (130 g)

230

523 mg

Refried beans, home-style

1/2 cup (130 g)

117

481 mg

Margarita

1 drink (7.9 oz, 225 g)

274

459 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Restaurant refried beans have about twice the calories of home-style ones, 230 against 117 per half cup, and almost five times the fat. A classic combo plate of two chicken enchiladas with 1/2 cup each of rice and restaurant refried beans comes to about 904 calories and 2,278 mg of sodium, close to a full day's Daily Value, before the chips.

Salsa and pico de gallo are the lightest thing on the table: 2 tbsp of red salsa has 11 calories. Two tablespoons of guacamole has 46 calories and 1.9 g of fiber, and it can stand in for sour cream on a burrito or tacos for about 13 fewer calories.

Corn or flour tortillas?

Corn tortillas are the lighter base, and the gap is mostly sodium:

Tortilla

Serving

Calories

Fiber

Sodium

Corn tortilla

1 medium (1 oz, 28 g)

61

1.8 g

13 mg

Flour tortilla

1 medium (1.6 oz, 45 g)

138

1.6 g

315 mg

Source: USDA FoodData Central (FNDDS).

Two flour tortillas carry about 630 mg of sodium; two corn tortillas carry about 25 mg. Inside a finished taco the gap narrows, because the filling adds most of the calories: two beef tacos have about 523 calories on corn and 540 on flour, according to USDA.

How to order a lighter Mexican meal

Mexican food fits a calorie deficit well once you know where the calories sit. Each of these changes keeps the flavor and cuts a real number:

Start with salsa, not queso

Two tablespoons of red salsa have 11 calories; a quarter cup of queso has 86. Put a portion of chips on your plate instead of eating from the basket: 1 oz, about 9 chips, is 132 calories.

Pick tacos or a bowl over a large burrito

A chicken burrito bowl with beans and rice has about 457 calories, and two chicken tacos on corn tortillas about 443. A large chicken burrito has 670.

Choose one side, not both

Half a cup of Mexican rice adds 140 calories and half a cup of restaurant refried beans adds 230. Keeping one and swapping the other for pico de gallo saves about 135 to 225 calories.

Swap the sour cream

Two tablespoons of sour cream add 59 calories. Salsa adds 11 and guacamole 46, with some fiber.

Count the margarita

One margarita has about 274 calories, more than a cup of ceviche and a cup of pozole together (263).

mexican-restaurant-order-calories.webp

mexican-restaurant-order-calories.webp · Alt: Two Mexican restaurant orders: 2 chicken tacos with pico de gallo at 448 calories against chips, queso, a large beef burrito and a margarita at 1,352

For the rest of the menu and other cuisines, our guide to eating out while losing weight covers how to plan a restaurant meal around your day.

A Mexican plate is hard to judge by eye, because the rice, beans and cheese overlap and the sauces hide what is underneath. With an AI calorie tracker like Dietfit, you take one photo and Deep Scan outlines each part of the plate, then Meal Score, a health score for each meal, shows how it fits your day.

Image: dietfit-deep-scan-mexican-food.webp (Deep Scan screenshot of a Mexican plate, waiting for the real scan)

FAQ

Is Mexican food good for weight loss?

Mexican food can fit weight loss when the order is built around lean protein, corn tortillas and salsa. Two chicken tacos on corn tortillas with pico de gallo have about 448 calories, according to USDA data, while chips, queso, a large beef burrito and a margarita come to about 1,352.

What is the healthiest Mexican food to order?

Ceviche, pozole, chicken fajitas and chicken tacos on corn tortillas are among the lighter orders. A cup of ceviche has about 158 calories and 26 g of protein, and a cup of pozole about 105 calories, according to USDA.

What is the unhealthiest Mexican food?

By calories, a large taco salad with meat and sour cream (about 809), a large beef burrito (about 723) and an order of cheese nachos (about 665) rank highest among common dishes, according to USDA. All three also pass 1,200 mg of sodium.

Are corn tortillas healthier than flour tortillas?

Corn tortillas are lighter. A medium corn tortilla has about 61 calories and 13 mg of sodium, against 138 calories and 315 mg for a medium flour tortilla, according to USDA.

How many calories are in a Mexican combo plate?

Two chicken enchiladas with 1/2 cup of Mexican rice and 1/2 cup of restaurant refried beans have about 904 calories and 2,278 mg of sodium, based on USDA values. Chips and a drink come on top.

Is guacamole healthy?

Guacamole is one of the better toppings: 2 tbsp has about 46 calories and 1.9 g of fiber, according to USDA. Most of its calories come from fat, so the portion matters; a 1/4 cup side has about 93.

References

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