Best keto options available at Mexican Restaurants

Mexican cuisine is delicious! However, it is ineffective for the majority of diets. If you’re on a keto diet and enjoy Mexican food, you’ve probably pondered what you can eat at a Mexican restaurant while staying on track.

Look for fajitas, carne asada, and Chile Verde that haven’t been steeped in sweet marinades. Sour cream, cheese, and a small quantity of salsa and guacamole are other suitable toppings. However, when on a keto diet, stay away from chips, tortillas, beans, and rice.

Grilled or braised meats, cheese, sour cream, and a dollop of guacamole.

However, there’s more to learn about specific things on Mexican food menus, keto limits, and what you CAN eat at a Mexican restaurant if you’re managing your carbs. Can you make a skinny margarita, after all?

So let’s get started!

What is keto, and how does it affect Mexican cuisine?

A ketogenic diet causes your body to enter a metabolic state known as ketosis. This can be accomplished by consuming no more than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. The majority of Mexican cuisine is heavy in carbs. So skip chips, beans, and tortillas and stick to meats, cheeses, and sour cream.

Let’s go through the basics of the keto diet first, so we know where to begin.

It’s OK to be a little less strict about carbs if you’ve been doing keto for a while and your body has acclimated. However, when you’re starting on keto, it’s critical to watch those hidden carbs and stick to your diet as closely as possible. You might not be able to reach ketosis if you don’t do so.

The keto diet has spawned a slew of other versions. These four, though, continue to be the most popular.

Mexican food, while high in fat, can also be high in carbohydrates. After all, most Mexican restaurants provide the following dishes as standard fare:

Rice Beans Corn Flour Tortillas

The good news is that sandwiches aren’t a standard menu item in Mexican eateries. However, because most places provide a large basket of chips and salsa as soon as you walk in, it’s easy to blow your keto diet if you’re not careful.

Aside from Mexican food, many keto dieters are stumped when it comes to breakfast selections.

We all know that eggs, bacon, and sausage are healthy options, but what about yogurt? In a recent article, I deconstructed everything and dispelled the enigma around that question. Fortunately for yogurt fans, several yogurts are keto-friendly. However, some will throw you out of ketosis and require days or weeks to recover from.

What Mexican meals should you avoid if you’re on a keto diet?

If you’re on a keto diet, stay away from tortillas, rice, tortilla chips, beans, corn, potatoes, and anything sweet at Mexican eateries. Consume only a tiny amount of salsa, QuesoQueso, or guacamole.

Unfortunately, one medium avocado has around 12 grams of carbohydrates.

If you’re anything like me, one avocado can easily be consumed in one sitting, and that would account for anywhere from 24 percent to 60 percent of your total daily carbohydrate allowance.

So, if you really must have guacamole, don’t use it as a chip dip; instead, add 1-2 teaspoons to your meal.

We don’t always notice when foods like fajitas are marinated in sugar marinades, and it’s usually best if the marinade is made in-house. However, find out what’s in the marinade.

Sugar is commonly found in bottled marinades and sauces, which can quickly knock you out of ketosis.

Is it possible to eat Mexican QuesoQueso on a keto diet?

A famous Mexican cheese dip, QuesoQueso, is made with Velveeta and should not be consumed on a ketogenic diet. To make a keto-friendly Mexican cheese dip, combine full-fat melted cream cheese with no-sugar salsa.

The popularity of QuesoQueso is nearly entirely due to its origins in Texas.

In Spanish, the word QuesoQueso means “cheese.” In Texas, however, this commonly translates to a melted cheese sauce for dipping chips in. If you want to go conventional, it may mean melted Velveeta cheese and a can of Rotel tomatoes.

On the other hand, many higher-end Mexican restaurants combine a range of melting cheeses with handmade salsa. Queso fundido, a combination of “genuine” cheeses and chorizo, is my personal favorite (no offense, Velveeta-lovers).

But first, let’s take a look at Velveeta’s carbs:

It only has 4 grams of carbs per 30 grams, as you can see.

But how much are 30 grams, and how much QuesoQueso can one individual consume in a single sitting?

1 oz. Is around 30 grams. Most restaurants provide small and large quantities of QuesoQueso, and a small weighs about 8 ounces, while a large weighs about twice as much.

If you’re anything like my family and myself, you’ll order the large dish, which is approximately 4 oz per person.

So, if you’re counting carbs, that’s 16 grams of carbs on its own.

Since most people on a keto diet seek to consume between 20 and 50 grams of carbs throughout the day, consuming 16 in one meal is not a good idea.

That’s not even taking into account the salsa or Rotel tomatoes, which have roughly 5 grams of carbs per half-cup.

If you’re on a low-carb diet, you’ll want to avoid the QuesoQueso.

Another frequently asked keto question concerns vinegar, particularly balsamic vinegar. In this essay, I looked into balsamic vinegar and how keto-friendly it is.

What struck me the most was the effect of the sugar alcohols in balsamic vinegar on net carbohydrates. To learn more about my site, click the link.

Is it OK to consume flour tortillas on a keto diet?

On the keto diet, flour tortillas should be avoided. Most low-carb tortillas contain upwards of 19 grams of carbs per tortilla, making them unsuitable for most keto dieters. A lettuce wrap is a far superior choice.

But let’s look into it a little more closely.

The flour tortilla brand Mission is well-known. I don’t buy them because they frequently contain bleached flour, hydrogenated oil, and at least some of their types contain, or have recently contained, aluminum-containing baking powder. All of these are harmful to one’s health, and thus I avoid them.

However, one white flour tortilla of “regular” taco size includes 26 grams of carbohydrates.

When you consider that a tortilla enthusiast is likely to devour 2-3 tortillas in a single meal, it’s easy to understand how this would derail your keto diet.

Do you prefer corn tortillas?

[caption id=“attachment_4527” align=“aligncenter” width=“750”] DENVER, CO - MAY13: The al pastor taco at La Calle Taqueria y Carnitas, 1565 W. Alameda Ave. in Denver on Tuesday, May 12, 2015. I (Photo by Cyrus McCrimmon/The Denver Post via Getty Images )[/caption]

You’d be correct. According to the nutritional information on Mission tortillas, each tortilla (yellow or white corn) includes only 10 grams of carbs. As a side note, I only eat corn tortillas if they are freshly baked, as they may be as challenging as old shoe leather otherwise.

However, if you’re following a ketogenic diet and keeping track of everything else you consume, you might be able to get away with just one corn tortilla.

If you choose corn tortillas and want to make some (relatively) low-carb enchiladas, knowing how to soften them, so they don’t crack or split is essential.

I looked into it in-depth in a recent piece, including whether or not you need to fry them to soften them. I was pleasantly pleased with how effectively some of the other ways worked out.

Click that link to read the entire essay on my site to learn about all of your alternatives.

What about tortillas that claim to be “low carb”?

Tortillas labeled “smart-carb,” or “low-carb” are also available from Mission (and other brands).

While they are lower in carbs than regular flour tortillas, I would not call them low carb. They’re also not a good option for individuals following a ketogenic diet.

Mission’s Carb-Balance white flour tortillas, for example, have 19 grams of carbs per tortilla.

Is it possible to eat fajitas in a Mexican restaurant while on the keto diet?

Fajitas made entirely of grilled beef, poultry, and veggies can be consumed on a ketogenic diet as long as no sweet marinade or sauce is used. Eat with cheese and sour cream, with modest amounts of tomatoes and guacamole, and without tortillas.

Fajitas are usually marinated and grilled skirt steak, but they can also be chicken, fish, or grilled veggies these days.

The protein is usually grilled with pepper and onion strips before being served with cheese, sour cream, and, of course, tortillas. The obvious no-no is tortillas.

Everything is OK, but we have no idea what marinade they used.

Many marinades contain a lot of sugar, which adds carbs. So, first and foremost, inquire about the marinade they employ. Because the meat is likely to be sitting in the marinade, asking them to remove it may not be feasible.

Carne Asada, barbacoa, or carnitas are all excellent options, but make sure to ask about the marinade.

If you’ve never made fajitas before, the easiest way to avoid the sweet marinades is to make them at home. If you don’t have a comal, the best way to prepare fajitas is on it.

Are you unsure what a comal is or what else it can be used for?

In one of my latest articles, I break out all of the uses of a comal (click to read it now). The cast iron comics are the coolest since they can travel from stovetop to oven to open flame. Clay comics are a little more complicated, but I go through everything in my post.

Can I eat chips at a Mexican restaurant if I’m on a low-carb diet?

Traditional tortilla chips contain hundreds of grams of carbs per bag and should not be consumed following a ketogenic diet. Even a handful of chips has nearly half of the daily carb allotment for a keto diet.

If you can’t figure it out, the answer is no. I’ll use Mission as an example once more, as I did for the tortilla portion earlier.

I saw that one bag of Mission tortilla chips has 234 grams of carbohydrates in it.

I know what you’re thinking: “I’m not going to consume an entire bag by myself!” But, unlike at home, it’s pretty simple to eat a lot of chips when you’re out with friends at a Mexican restaurant, especially if you’re sipping tequila and just nibbling on the complimentary chips and salsa.

Even if you’re more disciplined than me, ten chips are one “recommended serving,” according to Mission. In a Mexican restaurant, I’ve never encountered somebody who only ate ten chips. Even if you can, there are still 18 grams of carbs in it.

So, if your daily carb allowance is 20-50 grams, even those ten chips are probably not a good idea.

Is it possible to eat Keto Menudo at a Mexican restaurant?

If it contains hominy, Menudo isn’t keto-friendly. This Mexican soup is generally made with hominy, which includes 19 grams of carbohydrates in 1/2 cup.

But first, let’s explain Menudo in greater depth (and if you believe it’s a Mexican boy band, you’re as old as I am).

A traditional Mexican soup called Menudo.

A cow’s guts (tripe) and red chile peppers are the main ingredients. It’s also frequently cooked using hominy, which is corn kernels puffed with lye.

While the broth, chiles, and tripe are all keto-friendly, the hominy is unfortunately not.

The most well-known brand of hominy is Juanitas (at least in the US). 1/2 cup of hominy includes 19 grams of carbohydrates, according to the label.

On the other hand, Menudo should function perfectly on a keto diet if you leave out the hominy and replace it with keto-friendly vegetables.

What are the most delicate keto-friendly vegetables to use in Menudo as a substitute?

• Cauliflower
• Asparagus
• Zucchini

Is it true that a margarita will knock me out of ketosis?

If someone is following a strict keto diet, one margarita will not throw them out of ketosis. However, because the alcohols in margaritas can convert to sugar and a standard margarita has 13 grams of carbs, a “thin” margarita is preferable for individuals on a keto diet.

Who doesn’t enjoy a refreshing margarita?

When I say good, I’m referring to tequila made entirely of 100% agave. Regular Cuervo or any tequila that isn’t 100 percent agave should never be consumed. For starters, they taste awful and are primarily intended for college students who want to party.

However, most of them contain only 51 percent tequila.

What’s more, guess what? Grain alcohol or carb-containing corn derivatives are frequently used to make up the remaining 49%. If you’re on a keto diet, you should avoid non-100 percent agave tequila, even if you don’t mind drinking lousy tequila.

Get an excellent tequila (not Patron, which isn’t inherently better; they have a more significant marketing budget) and drink it chilled or on the rocks with a pinch of lime.

If you must have a margarita, go for a skinny margarita (more on that next).

What are the carbohydrates in a skinny margarita?

A skinny margarita typically has only two net carbohydrates, compared to the 13 carbs in a traditional margarita. A skinny margarita is created with a tiny amount of agave nectar, fresh lime, and sometimes fresh orange juice in place of the triple sec.

With tequila, though, you don’t need triple sec, Cointreau, or Grand Marnier.

Consider that for a moment. Do those names have a Mexican ring to them? No. The last two are both French. In addition, the margarita was not created in Mexico, and of course, tequila can only be found in Mexico.

However, a bartender in Palm Springs, California, came up with the notion of mixing tequila with a French orange liqueur.

And it was intended to mask the unpleasant taste of the popular non-100 percent agave tequila at the time.

When it comes to tequila, you don’t need much. A perfect margarita is made with a squeeze of lime and a little water blended with agave nectar.

Finally, some thoughts.

We did a deep dive into keto and how it works in Mexican eateries in this post.

After all, just because we’re following a ketogenic diet doesn’t mean we can’t socialize with our friends and coworkers. All we need to know is what we can consume and what we should avoid.

What is your favorite type of keto-friendly restaurant?