This tasty Vegan Buddha Bowl takes only ten minutes to toss together and can be adjusted to use what you have on hand!
Here’s what I serve for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking but still want to eat healthy. It’s kind of a blend between a buddha bowl and a burrito bowl since I’m using salsa as my “dressing.”
This keeps things VERY simple and you can swap any of the ingredients out for whatever you have on hand. We eat some version of this at least once a week since it’s so simple and hearty.
It is big and round and filled with vibrant veggies and rice. They are really easy to make, satisfying, and perfect for getting lots of vitamins and minerals. The name has been around for a while, and it’s just sort of stuck!
As you will see, these are completely customizable and have all sorts of flavors and ingredients.
🥬 Ingredient Ideas
A buddha bowl is big and round and is filled with vibrant veggies, rice, and other ingredients. They are really easy to make, satisfying, and perfect for getting lots of vitamins and minerals. The name has been around for a while, and it’s just sort of stuck!
As you will see, this is completely customizable and can have all sorts of flavors and ingredients. Here are a few that I add when I have them on hand.
- Brown Rice
- Basmati Rice
- Wild Rice
- Quinoa
- Couscous
- Corn
- Peanut Dressing
- Avocado Dressing
- Cilantro
- Broccoli
- Roasted Sweet Potato
- Kale
- Spinach
- Cauliflower
- Roasted Squash
- Beets
- Sesame Seeds
- Chopped Peanuts
- Black Beans
- Chick Peas
- Tofu
- Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Salsa
- Tahini Dressing
- Nori Strips
- Wonton Strips
Sometimes I’ll also swap the rice for roasted potatoes since my husband isn’t a huge lover of rice. Seriously good either way!
🍲 Instructions
Step One: I start by microwaving some leftover brown rice. We have a rice cooker (I HIGHLY recommend getting one), so I make rice in batches and always keep some in the fridge for a few days at a time.
Step Two: Next up, microwave some veggies! I usually heat up some frozen corn or broccoli. On this particular day, I decided to spend more time roasting the broccoli, but I usually use the microwave.
Step Three: While the vegetables are microwaving, slice two Roma tomatoes, cube an avocado and chop some cilantro. Season the tomato and avocado with salt and pepper. This makes two bowls, so if you’re cooking for one, just use one tomato and half an avocado.
Step Four: When the veggies are done, rinse a can of beans, add a few spoonfuls of chunky salsa to the beans and microwave for a couple of minutes. They look so ugly in the pictures, but I swear it’s good.
Step Five: Then, add everything to the bowl, arranging everything nicely. And finally add a little salsa to the rice. This always hits the spot and I could eat this every day!
Step Six: It takes about ten minutes total if you’re starting with leftover rice, so when you make rice, double the batch so you can have the base of this meal ready to go ahead of time.
📌 Expert Tips
- If you want to completely change the buddha bowl, swap out the black beans for chickpeas and the salsa for an avocado dressing or tahini dressing.
- Go wild and add all your favorite ingredients. You can’t go wrong!
- Serve buffet style when you are feeding a crowd. Everyone will love making their own bowls of goodness.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely! Make a buffet-style meal by placing all the various ingredients around the table. Then, each person will pick the ingredients and amounts that they want.
You’ll be pleased with how well this goes over. Plus, everyone will be impressed you came up with such a unique and fun idea.
Try to use this for a big gathering of soccer players, high school track teams or a block party. Ask everyone to bring part of the bowl to share.
The answer is both hot and cold. I like to eat them warm with heated veggies, but they taste great cold, too. Some will say that they HAVE to be cold, but in reality, they can be either! What I think you will love about buddha bowls, in general, is that you can make them in a variety of different ways, and it’s impossible to get bored.
You can certainly add meat if you want to, but I find that there are so many heart-friendly ingredients that fill you up; you don’t necessarily need meat. Beans, lentils, and even tofu are great options to add some depth to the meal without adding meat. Feel free to make additions as you see fit, and that’s all that matters.
If you can’t eat all of the buddha bowl, don’t worry. Save the leftovers. Make sure to cover the bowl with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container with a lid. It will last for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. You don’t have to heat it up, and it can be enjoyed as a quick and easy lunch leftover too!
Yes, you sure can meal prep them. I add all the ingredients to the bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator. Then just grab and enjoy it! They will last 2-3 days, so you don’t want to make them too far in advance.
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Vegan Buddha Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown Rice cooked
- 2 Roma Tomatoes chopped
- ½ cup Corn
- ½ cup Broccoli
- 1 can Black Beans
- ¼ cup Salsa chunky
- ½ Avocado sliced
- Cilantro to taste
Instructions
- Microwave leftover brown rice or cook a new batch.
- Heat the corn and broccoli in the microwave. If you have other veggies, heat them up too.
- Slice the Roma tomatoes and the avocado. Chop the cilantro and set aside.
- Rinse the can of beans and add in the salsa. Microwave it until warm.
- Add everything to a bowl and arrange it nicely. This is such a fast and delicious meal and is perfect for using any leftover veggies from the week!
Notes
Nutrition
Really nice recipe, another way to enjoy my favorite broccoli. Thanks for sharing
Excellent! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Cheers! Ginny
I would like to say thank you for the amazing details and concepts you are sharing in this. These vegan buddha bowls are gorgeous!
Thanks so much! I hope they like them!!
Looks really delicious, can’t wait to try it and serve to my kids.
Thanks so much! I hope your kiddos enjoy! 🙂
Made this for my family. It was very good my Alfredo sauce thickened on it own. I’ll make it again. Thank you for such a good recipe
Delina! That is fantastic!!! So happy for you! 🙂
Looks really delicious, can’t wait to try it and serve to my wife when I go on vacation this December. Thanks for this.
I have trying VEGAN by using your tips. So Yummy & delicious Jazmin. Thanks
My kind of meal!! Such a pretty bowl of nutritious ingredients!!! Thank you for your sharing, Jazmin.
Can’t wait to try this. I love the combination of healthy, fast and easy.
It looks tasty! I would not mind trying it Jazmin. Thanks again for another delicious vegan recipe. I do enjoy seeing frugal recipes and finding inspiration from your blog 🙂