Dining out with keto can be difficult, especially if you’re not going to a specific restaurant chain. Independent restaurants can be fantastic, but the lack of information available online can make it a bit nerve wracking when you’re preparing your keto-firendly meal out.

Mexican food is one kind of food that I notice a lot of people (including myself) struggling to get around while staying low carb. Unlike chains like Chipotle, Taco Bell, and Del Taco, there’s not always a website with nutrition facts available, and there can be a lot of opportunities for hidden carbs.

That’s why I set out to make this quick guide for ordering Mexican food that both tastes good, and is still keto-friendly.

Quick Tips For Ordering Keto at a Mexican Restaurant

• Watch out for sugary salsas

While it may not seem like it, most restaurant-styles of salsa can be pretty packed with sugar. If you’re going to a restaurant that uses brand salsa, or lists their ingredients to their house salsas anywhere online, you’ll want to do some research.

Standard restaurant style salsa tends to come in between 2 and 6 net carbs per serving, but some of them can be loaded with sugar past the point of being keto friendly.

If you’re worried a certain type of salsa might be too high in carbs, I’d recommend going for hot sauce instead. While it may pack some extra kick with all that added capsaicin, it’s much less likely to have a lot of sugar, and tends to come in smaller serving sizes.

• Explore salad options

Though they may not be that frequently advertised, a lot of Mexican restaurants are happy to offer healthy salad options. One caveat to this again is to watch out for any added salsa, and a good rule of thumb is to ask for any salsa, dressing, or sauces on the side.

Another thing with Mexican restaurant salad is tortilla and tortilla chips will often come mixed in, which you’ll obviously want to avoid. Even gluten free and corn tortillas still come in at around 15 net carbs minimum, and simply aren’t worth the risk of losing your state of ketosis.

What you can do is load your salad with things like meats, cheese, and sour cream to make it tasty and filling.

• Avoid all rice and beans

This was a tough reality for me when transitioning into a keto diet. Before I started looking into the carbs for everything, I thought the only thing I’d have to give up was tortillas, but even those rice and bean filled bowls and salads can be extremely dangerous when it comes to maintaining a healthy state of ketosis.

Generally, there are no forms of rice, white or brown, and no forms of beans at all that are okay on the keto diet. Sometimes refried beans can have low carb counts if the serving size is small, but we all know that restaurant style dishes never have small servings, so it’s best to just avoid these two side dishes altogether.

Don’t worry though, I know it seems like taking out rice, beans, and tortillas almost defeats the purpose of going out to a Mexican restaurant. You’ll see later in this article that there are still some pretty great hacks to make the most of your dining experience though.

• Heavy up on guacamole

Guacamole is probably the best option at any mexican restaurant to help you get to hitting your fat macros. Coming mostly from avocado, guacamole is predominantly rich in omega-3 fatty acids, moderate in protein, and contains hardly any carbs (as long as there’s no sugar added from the vegetables, fruits, and salsa).

So if you’re feeling like you’re in a rut with your options, definitely add guacamole to any dish to help add a ton of great flavor and healthy fats.

• Go for jicama sticks over chips and fries

Jicama, otherwise known as a Mexican yam bean, is a great option that can be found at almost all Mexican restaurants, and it is perfectly keto-friendly.

Jicama is high in fiber, and it’s starchy consistency helps it take on the flavor of other seasonings and sauces, meaning it can go with just about anything.

If you’re worried about craving fries or tortilla chips with your meal, ask for a side of fried jicama sticks and they’ll surely curb those unwanted hankerings.

Keto-Friendly Mexican Dishes (500)

• Breakfast

When it comes to breakfast options, you may not be able to go all out on those huevos rancheros, but you can still definitely enjoy eggs, cheese, and sausage.

Machaca is a wonderful Mexican breakfast dish that essentially consists of sautéed eggs, beef, and veggies, which makes for pretty great macros overall.

Breakfast burritos are pretty great as well, just as long as you turn them into bowls and take out the rice, beans, and potentially potatoes, you should be in the clear. Load up on peppers and guacamole,  along with some fresh chorizo, and you’ll have an awesome burrito breakfast bowl in the making.

• Lunch & Dinner

While there are obviously a ton of different lunch and dinner Mexican restaurant options that are still keto-friendly that you could choose from, I have to use this time to highlight the perfection of a dish that is Fajitas.

Fajitas are a great way to hit your macros without heavying up on carbs. You get to choose your choice of meat, the peppers and onions that come with it aren’t too high in carbohydrates, and they of course go great with cheese and guacamole. As long as you remember to watch out for rice, beans, and tortillas, fajitas are a perfect lunch or dinner.

Similar to the breakfast burrito bowl mentioned above, you can take carne asada, al pastor, pollo asado, and pretty much any other kind of meat you can think of and order it in a bowl with cheese, low sugar salsa, and guac.

• Appetizers

When it comes to appetizers, there’s a few ways you can go about this. Obviously you’re better off just getting a burrito bowl over tacos (since without tortilla, they’re just mini bowls on their own anyway), but there are actually some hacks that might surprise you coming up.

Nachos can be easily turned into a keto-friendly appetizer by replacing the tortilla chips with fried or baked jicama slices, and can be loaded with cheese, meat, sour cream, and guacamole to make for a filling and shareable snack.

Ceviche is another great option a lot of people don’t even think about. On its own, it’s practically keto-friendly too because it just contains seafood that’s been cured in citrus (usually lime) alongside some onions, tomatoes, and cilantro.

• Drinks

Drinks are where it gets a little tricky. I’m a big proponent of when in doubt, just drink water. But I get it, where’s the fun in that?

Unfortunately margaritas and horchata simply aren’t going to be available on the keto diet, but you can still have straight liquor like tequila or have it mixed with soda water to help keep those carbs away.

When it comes to alcohol on keto, beer can be pretty tough, and big brands like Modelo, Corona, and Tecate just simply aren’t there net carb wise.

And unfortunately sangria is simply packed with sugar because all of the extra fruit. I’d recommend sticking with liquor wherever possible.

Foods To Avoid on Keto at a Mexican Restaurants

As I’ve already mentioned above, rice and beans are definitely not acceptable when it comes to dining out on keto, but there’s a few other foods that you should definitely be aware of when trying to enjoy Mexican food without losing your state of ketosis.

These include (in their original forms):

• Burritos
• Nachos
• Tacos
• Quesadillas
• Taquitos
• Tostadas
• Tortas
• Tamales
• Papusas
• Empanadas
• Enchilladas
• Corn
• Tortillas (corn or flour)
• Tortilla chips
• Chimichangas
• Flautas
• Flan
• Chiles Rellenos

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, you’ll never always be able to know just how many carbs are in all of the food you eat when you decide to eat out at a restaurant.

However if you know exactly what to look out for, especially depending on the type of restaurant, you’ll be a whole lot more likely to succeed in maintaining your state of ketosis after the meal.

If you stick to these tips, there’s no reason you can’t stick to keto while at a Mexican restaurant, and keep it tasty and flavorful at the same time.

Do you have any personal favorite keto-friendly Mexican dishes? Drop them in the comments below! I’m always looking to learn more recipes and restaurant hacks.