I Tried Chipotle’s New Sauce, and It’s a Zesty Game-Changer

Hayley Schueneman

It’s a perfect complement to every Chipotle order, and it’s only here for a limited time.

I had a job several years ago that was very stressful and annoying. Whenever things got particularly intense, two of my coworkers and I would put two-hour “meetings” on our calendars and walk down to Chipotle. We’d dive into our burrito bowls and vent about all of the petty work drama we were dealing with. Afterwards, we’d go back into the office and tell each other, “Good meeting!” as we headed back into our cubicles.

So Chipotle is forever minted in my brain as a place of refuge and comfort. I can’t eat a sofritas burrito bowl without thinking back to those times. And I pretty much order the same thing whenever I visit, so I don’t even really need to think about my order at this point. It’s all become very routine.

But that all changed when I found out that Chipotle was dropping a brand-new sauce. Unlike the chain’s most recent limited-time sauce (aka red chimichurri), this new one is creamy, zesty, and I can’t believe how good it is.

What is Chipotle’s new sauce?

I Tried Chipotle's New Sauce And It's Truly A Game Changer — Courtesy Chipotle

Say hello to the new cilantro lime sauce, which I’m confident will become your new burrito BFF. It’s a combination of cilantro, lime juice, sour cream, Mexican spices and roasted jalapenos. In my opinion, one of the coolest things about this sauce is that it was created by Danny Boyzo, who started her Chipotle journey as a crew member. Pairing that real-world experience in a Chipotle store with her own culinary training, she moved into a menu development role with the company.

“There’s something special about developing a menu item when you’ve spent years working behind the line,” said Danny in a statement about the sauce. “You understand how much intention goes into every ingredient and how small details in our kitchens shape the final result. Bringing that perspective into creating a sauce and seeing it served nationwide feels like a true full-circle moment.”

As anyone who has worked in the service industry knows, the employees are usually the ones who come up with the best “off-menu” hacks. I mean, it makes total sense, considering that they spend so much time with all the ingredients! I love the story of how this sauce came together, and I hope that we continue to get more innovations from Danny in the future. Because this sauce is that good!

How does Chipotle’s new sauce taste?

The bright green sauce made for a vibrant addition to my go-to Chipotle order, which is a sofritas bowl with white rice, pinto beans, fajita veggies, corn salsa and guacamole. I tasted a bit of the sauce on its own before pouring it over my bowl. I immediately got a big, herby hit of cilantro followed by a nice zing of lime. Then the aftertaste was spicy, thanks to a kick from the jalapenos.

What’s really incredible about this sauce is how it blends everything I love about Mexican food into one flavorful bite. It’s creamy, citrusy, fresh and spicy. The heat is subtle and builds over time without overpowering the other flavors. I also had it in a burrito with chicken, white rice, black beans, fajita veggies, corn salsa, lettuce and guacamole. It gave the burrito some added oomph and made it feel way more special.

I’ve been getting the same burrito bowl for years, and this cilantro lime sauce kind of rekindled my love for Chipotle. Like any long-term relationship, it’s important to, ahem, spice things up to avoid getting bored.

When is Chipotle’s new sauce available?

This cilantro lime sauce is hitting Chipotle locations nationwide on Thursday, March 19. And if you’re a rewards member, you’ll be able to try it for free on March 19 when it launches! I’m telling you, this is a sauce you need to experience at least once—especially because it’s only going to be available for a limited time.

There’s no word yet on how long the sauce will be in stores, but I really hope that it’s so successful that the chain keeps it for a long time. Luckily, the ingredients are so simple that once this is no longer in restaurants, I feel like I could come up with my own Chipotle copycat recipe pretty easily.