Chipotle Adds Cauliflower Rice Option to Its Menu
If you're looking for something lighter or on a Keto, Whole30 or Paleo diet, this one's for you.
Photo courtesy of Chipotle
Did you resolve to change your eating habits this year? If so, Chipotle wants to help you out. The fast-casual chain is kicking off 2021 by announcing the addition of a new plant-based, low-carb option to menus in the U.S. and Canada for a limited time: Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice.
The new menu item — “freshly grilled, riced cauliflower, finished with hand-chopped cilantro, lime, and salt” — will be offered as an alternative to Chipotle’s standard white rice, using the same ingredients and preparation techniques, only with cauliflower.
With four grams of net carbs per serving, Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice is aimed squarely at those on Keto, Whole30, Paleo, vegan and vegetarian diets. Chipotle has launched four new cauliflower rice, diet-friendly variations of its Lifestyle Bowls as well.
The hitch? Swapping in cauliflower rice for regular rice will cost you extra, just like guac, at an additional $2 per order. On the bright side, from now through January 11, any order of $10 or more placed via the Chipotle website or mobile app that includes Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice will have the delivery fee waived — so there’s that.
Regardless, Chipotle is apparently feeling fairly confident that customers won’t mind paying two extra bucks for a more vegetable-packed twist to their bowls, given the success of a 2020 test release in Denver and across Wisconsin and the fact that, ahead of the test launch, cauliflower rice accounted for one out of every three new-item requests from customers.
“Chipotle fans have been craving more plant-powered, better-for-you options that align with the latest health trends and emphasize the benefits of real food,” Chris Brandt, the chain’s chief marketing officer, said in a news release. “That's why we are thrilled to offer Cauliflower Rice nationally and help our fans achieve their diet or lifestyle goals.”
So I guess that’s one less excuse not to stick to your eat-fewer-carbs resolution then.
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