Insider's writer tried three Burritos: Illegal Pete's, Chipotle and Qdoba. They were all similar in size. Monica Humphries/Insider
Colorado is home to popular fast food burrito chains Qdoba and Chipotle.
I recently moved to the state and wanted to compare veggie burritos of its three most famous chains.
Chipotle was my favorite restaurant, both in flavor and texture. It's no surprise that Chipotle has a global fanbase.
After I moved to Denver, I tried to rank burritos at three Colorado-based fast-food chains.
The author enjoys a Qdoba burrito with vegetables. Monica Humphries/Insider
Denver is home to Qdoba Mexican Eats, and Chipotle Mexican Grill, two of the most well-known burrito chains in America.
Illegal Pete's was another fan favorite after I moved to Denver in the summer.
According to the company's website, the burrito business was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1995. Twenty years later, there are twelve Illegal Pete's locations scattered across Colorado and Arizona.
I made flour tortilla burritos with white rice, pinto beans and vegetables.
Veggie burritos made from Colorado-based fast-food chains. Monica Humphries/Insider
Because I don't eat meat I chose to order my favorite veggie burrito from one of the three fast-food restaurants.
Qdoba's and Chipotle's veggie burritos were about $8 each. Illegal Pete's charged $2 more for guacamole, which was only $1.
Qdoba's and Chipotle's veggie burritos were around $8 and Illegal Pete's was around $10. Monica Humphries/Insider
Qdoba's greatest appeal to me is the fact that their burritos come with guacamole for no extra cost. Before tax, my total was $8.25
A Chipotle veggie burrito, which is a vegetarian burrito with no meat, costs $7.65 (before tax) and is the most affordable of the three burritos.
Illegal Pete's veggie burrito came out at $10.18, before tax, since the guacamole was an additional $2.19.
Every burrito seemed to have the same weight and size.
Insider's writer tried three Burritos: Illegal Pete's, Chipotle and Qdoba. They were all similar in size. Monica Humphries/Insider
I usually think of Chipotle's burritos being huge in size. So I was surprised to find that every burrito had about the same amount.
Qdoba's burrito was my favorite, with its crispy brown tortilla spots. However, the taste didn't live up to the appearance.
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The burrito of Qdoba was warm on the outside. Monica Humphries/Insider
Qdoba's burrito was too bland for me.
The salsa was bland and I didn't find any strong flavors in the beans, rice, and vegetables.
My Qdoba burrito was third in my ranking because it had too much rice and not enough fillings.
The author's Qdoba veggie burrito is shown in a cross-section. Monica Humphries/Insider
While eating the burrito, I had three bites of rice in succession. I was wondering where all the toppings were. They were not there.
The tortilla, the thinnest, was my favorite of all three.
However, the veggie burrito from Qdoba left me disappointed.
Illegal Pete's was my favorite chain that mixed the burrito's fillings and wrapped it up.
Illegal Pete's burrito didn't have toasty brown spots in the author's recipe. Monica Humphries/Insider
Because I thought the ingredients in my burrito were well-combined, I was expecting to get a little of everything in each bite.
My first few bites of the tortilla were not good.
Illegal Pete's tortilla was the thickest, and I was starting to feel full by the time I reached the fillings.
Although the burrito was topped by the salsas, it became too soggy quickly for me to enjoy. It is now second in my rankings.
An illustration of the author's vegetable burrito, Illegal Pete's. Monica Humphries/Insider
Although I was disappointed at the lack of vegetables in my Illegal Pete's burrito burrito, I liked the flavor and moved the burrito up my list.
After trying all three burritos I returned to Illegal Pete's for another taste. The tortilla's bottom was soggy this time, making it second out of all three chains.
Chipotle's bright salsa and colorful vegetables, as well as the cilantro rice, were delicious and familiar to me.
The burrito of the author from Chipotle was slightly toasty on its outside. Monica Humphries/Insider
Chipotle is my favorite place to get fast-food burritos. I discovered why quickly after trying the burritos from each chain back-to-back.
The Chipotle burrito was my least favorite, but it offered the most variety of flavors.
The hot salsa and grilled vegetables had a smokey taste that I didn't notice in Qdoba's burritos.
This, along with the bright flavor of the pico de gallo created a range of tastes that covered my entire mouth.
My personal favorite burrito was the one with the best texture and flavor. It came first in my rankings.
The author's Chipotle veggie burrito is shown in a crosscut. Monica Humphries/Insider
Also, I noticed a lot more distinct textures in Chipotle's burrito than the other two.
Fajita vegetables were the most crunchiest of the three chain's, which was a good combination with the creamy guacamole or sour cream.
Chipotle's burritos were my favorite of all three. They had the most interesting textures and flavors.
Overall, I found Illegal Pete's and Chipotle to have the best veggie burritos. The price, texture and flavor of the Chipotle burrito was what made it stand out.
The taste test was over and the author had left very little of the Chipotle burrito. Monica Humphries/Insider
For $8, you won't find a better veggie burrito than this. It is smoky and creamy with a satisfyingly crunchy texture. Chipotle is my go-to fast-food burrito place.
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