Eating Out on Keto: Mexican Restaurants - BEST Keto Friendly options! (2024)

Looking for the best keto friendly Mexican dishes? When you’re eating out on keto, Mexican food is a great option if you know the right tricks. Find out my secret to enjoying low carb Mexican food on the keto diet! With these easy tips, you can eat at Mexican restaurants on keto and even enjoy a keto friendly margarita (or two!😉)

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When you’re eating out on keto, Mexican food is a delicious option! It has plenty of healthy fats, such as cheese, sour cream, and avocado (guacamole anyone?) Plus, many of the dishes are low carb if you omit tortillas, rice, and beans! This simple guide will show you exactly how to enjoy Mexican food on the keto diet. No more guesswork– you’ll learn exactly what to order and how to order it! Lose weight while enjoying fajitas, carne asada, and more!

Tip: Resisting cravings that would break keto is the hardest obstacle to eating out. Luckily, you can manage these cravings and get more satisfaction from your meals through meditation. The techniques in my Meditation for Weight Loss eBookmake any diet (especially keto) easier to stick with and more effective. You can grab your free PDF eBook by signing up for my newsletter below. We don’t ever send out spam; only free goodies, tips, and gifts!

What can I eat at Mexican Restaurants on Keto?

Your best bet for enjoying Mexican food on keto is to go for dishes that have protein, fat, and a few veggies with NO STARCH! The easiest way to do this is to choose protein dishes like carne asada or fajitas and swap out any starchy sides (tortillas, rice, or beans) for more veggies or even a fat (like avocado or extra cheese).

Here are some examples of Keto friendly Mexican options:

• Steak, chicken, or shrimp fajitas– Fajitas are an AWESOME keto friendly Mexican option because they have protein and plenty of fat. Fajitas typically have meat (if you want the highest amount of fat, choose steak), peppers and onions, cheese, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, rice, beans, and tortillas. The cheese, sour cream, and guacamole will help you stay in ketosis since they’re all high fat and low carb. Peppers and onions are low carb veggies, so you can eat those too. BUT the rice, beans, and tortillas have to go! You can replace these starchy sides with a small side salad, extra peppers, and onions, or extra sour cream, cheese, or guacamole. You can also ask for large lettuce leaves to replace the tortillas and make lettuce wraps. Another good option is a side of sliced avocado. No matter how you order, you can’t go wrong with keto friendly Mexican fajitas!
• Carne Asada– This is another great keto friendly Mexican option! Carne Asada is marinated and grilled steak that’s low carb and has a TON of flavor! Sometimes it’s served with rice and/or beans, so swap those sides for veggies and guacamole and you’re good to go!
• Pollo Asado– This is a keto friendly Mexican roast chicken dish. Sometimes it has butter caramelized onions on top (bonus: these contain lots of fat!) This is another great low carb Mexican option as long as you swap out any starchy sides (see above)
• Tacos– Yes– tacos can be keto friendly! The inside of tacos is generally great for keto– meat, guacamole, lettuce, cheese, etc. Just ask for tacos without the tortillas. You can ask them to replace the tortillas with lettuce leaves or avocado slices. You can also ask them to put the taco filling on a salad for you!
• Burrito Bowls– Burrito bowls are a great keto friendly Mexican option at both sit-down restaurants and fast casual places (Chipotle, anyone?) You can create a low carb Mexican burrito bowl with a protein (chicken, steak, carnitas, etc), lettuce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, veggies, and more. Just watch out for ingredients like rice, beans, tortilla strips, or corn which are NOT keto friendly. Replace rice and beans with either lettuce or veggies for a delicious keto friendly Mexican burrito bowl!
• Ceviche– Ceviche is a dish made with raw seafood/fish cured in citrus juice (lime, lemon, or orange) and served with onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. This is a great keto friendly Mexican option since it doesn’t typically have added sugar or carbs (you should always check with your server though!) You can order it with avocado or drizzle a few teaspoons of olive oil on top for extra fat.
• Nachos (with lettuce instead of chips)– One clever idea for a keto friendly Mexican dish is to order nachos, but ask the restaurant to replace the chips with large pieces of lettuce. Nachos usually have some sort of protein along with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. This is a great high fat, low carb Mexican dish without the chips. You should also omit beans, corn, or any other forms of starch. If the nachos contain queso or salsa, see the next section for tips!

While the options above are pretty much ALWAYS keto friendly, there are some dishes that are sometimes keto friendly and other times are not. These dishes are listed below.

• Salads-Most salads at Mexican restaurants should be keto friendly. Just watch out for tortilla chips, corn, and dressings with sugar. To be on the safe side, ask for olive oil, salsa, or guacamole to use in place of the dressing
• Queso– Cheese is always high fat, low carb right? Unfortunately, queso can have hidden carbs in it. Flour is often used as a thickener to make the cheese extra creamy. Ask the waiter before you order it. If it doesn’t contain flour, it’s a great way to add extra fat to fajitas, tacos, and more!
• Salsa– Salsa is usually keto friendly, but not always. Raw salsa with big tomato chunks, such as pico de gallo is usually keto (mix in a teaspoon or two of olive oil to increase the fat). Pureed salsas can sometimes contain a little added sugar. Ask your server to be sure.
• Tortilla Soup– Sometimes tortilla soup is a good keto friendly Mexican option if you omit the tortilla chips. You can substitute the tortilla chips for cheese, sour cream, or avocado for more fat. The broth itself should be low carb, but be sure to ask about thickeners or added sugar.

Now that we’ve gone through what you can enjoy while eating out on keto at a Mexican restaurant, let’s quickly go through the items you should DEFINITELY avoid:

• Tortillas (corn or flour)
• Tortilla chips
• Rice and beans
• Corn
• Tamales, empanadas, or pupusas
• Quesadillas
• Enchiladas

What About Keto Mexican Drinks?

Great question! Now that we’ve gone through what you eat out on keto at a Mexican restaurant, let’s talk about what you drink. While traditional margaritas and pina coladas are obviously out of the question (sorry folks!) there are still plenty of delicious low carb Mexican drinks you can enjoy.

Here are some ideas for keto friendly drinks at Mexican restaurants:

• Mojitos without the syrup
• Vodka soda with lime and mint
• Light beer (usually contains 2-5 g net carbs, so you should only have one)
• Wine
• Tequila and club soda with lime juice— tastes like a margarita! you can add your own low carb sweetener and ask them to salt the rim. You can also ask to add a splash of triple sec for more of a “margarita feel”, but that will add a few more carbs

Now you know what to eat at a Mexican restaurant on keto AND how to order it! This guide has the best Mexican low carb options so you can party it up fiesta style and still stay in ketosis! Feel confident eating out on keto with this Mexican food guide!

What are your favorite keto friendly Mexican options? Have you eaten low carb Mexican food before? Comment below and share your experiences with us!

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If you found this post helpful, you may also like:
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Meditation for Weight Loss – How to Lose 10+ Pounds in 30 Days
FREE Guided Emotional Eating Meditation – for Fast Weight Loss!
Meditation for Healthy Eating

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