This Mexican Buddha Bowl recipe combines all the flavors of your favorite vegan burrito in just one quick and easy to make Tex-Mex veggie taco rice bowl. It’s healthy, protein-rich, super versatile and makes a great plant-based lunch or dinner meal that’s gluten-free, too!
Mexican Vegan Burrito Buddha Bowl Recipe
What do you do when you’re craving a burrito but don’t want to spend so much time in the kitchen? The answer is: make a simple homemade vegan burrito bowl that’s even better than takeout! This Mexican Buddha Bowl is not only healthy and delicious, but it’s also very easy to prepare in under 20 minutes using simple plant-based ingredients and leftover cooked rice.
When making these bowls at home you can also save the money that you would otherwise spend on restaurant food. It is definitely better to use it for buying more fresh ingredients and making a large portion for the whole family! I’m sure that even non-vegans will be satisfied, because you can assemble the burrito bowls with any ingredients and toppings for everyone’s taste!
Ingredients for Vegan Burrito Bowl
There are many ways you can dress up your burrito bowl, but I used the following Mexican ingredients for this recipe:
- Rice: I use natural brown rice, but you can also use regular white rice. If you don’t like rice, you could use quinoa, millet, or baked potatoes instead.
- Lettuce: I like to use iceberg or romaine lettuce, but other greens or spinach are also great options.
- Beans: are a great source of protein! You can use kidney beans or black beans.
- Corn: is a classic ingredient in Mexican cuisine and just goes well with the rest of veggies!
- Tomatoes: I like small crisp cherry tomatoes best, but you can also use regular tomatoes and dice them up.
- Bell peppers: either red, yellow or green or a combination of all colors. Roast the bell pepper strips in a little oil to give the Burrito Bowl some fajita flavors!
- Onions: red onions are usually milder than white ones, but you can of course use your favorites. Scallions or chives are also good choices.
- Avocado: contains healthy fats and is wonderfully creamy. Feel free to make a guacamole, though.
- Vegan mayonnaise: or cashew aioli, cashew dip, hummus or store-bought vegan sour cream.
- Limes: preferably fresh and organic!
- Cilantro: or other fresh herbs like parsley.
- Chili: or jalapeño or sriracha for some heat.
- Sesame seeds: optional for garnish.
More topping ideas
The Mexican Tex-Mex cuisine is super versatile and there are many more ingredients you could add! For example, you could add some plant-based ground beef or another vegan meat alternative like crumbled tofu pan-fried with some onions and garlic. Or maybe add some vegan cheese or serve a homemade creamy vegan cheese sauce as a dip. Tortillas and crispy nachos are also a great addition as they add a nice crunch to your salad. Be creative!
How to make a Vegan Burrito Bowl
As always, I recommend checking out these step-by-step instructions first. Then you can then the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!
Step 1: Prepare all ingredients
First, cook the rice and prepare all the other ingredients for the bowl. Chop the vegetables, rinse and drain the beans and thaw the corn. Roast the bell pepper strips for a few minutes and prepare the mayonnaise according to this recipe. Slice the avocado or make guacamole.
Tip: Drizzle the avocado with a little lime juice to prevent it from turning brown!
Step 2: assemble the Buddha Bowl
Once everything is prepared, you can assemble your vegan burrito bowls!
To do this, first put some rice in a corner of each bowl. Then arrange lettuce, kidney beans, corn, tomatoes and onions next to each other in the bowls. Now add the avocado and a dollop of vegan mayonnaise on top. Garnish with sesame seeds, lime wedges, fresh cilantro or parsley and some chili flakes if desired. Serve either as it is or with crispy corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Make taco shell bowls or classic vegan burritos
For more variety, you could also serve the Mexican Buddha Bowl in a crispy taco shell. To do this, simply place a tortilla in an oven-safe round baking dish and bake at 392 °F (200 ºC) for about 12-15 minutes. Then let it cool while it becomes even harder and crispier.
If you like the traditional version, you can also make a vegan burrito with the ingredients used for this recipe. Simply place some of the ingredients on a large tortilla and wrap it up like a burrito. For visual folding instructions, feel free to check out the recipe video in the post for veggie wraps with hummus. Then fry in a pan until golden brown and crispy.
This vegan burrito taco bowl is:
- Plant-based (Vegan, Vegetarian)
- Meat-less
- Quick and easy to make
- Healthy and fresh
- Rich in vitamins and nutrients
- Gluten-free
- Budget-friendly
- Versatile and customizable
- Perfect to make ahead
- Super delicious
- The perfect wholesome lunch or dinner bowl!
More vegan Mexican Recipes to try
- Mexican Tortilla Casserole
- Mexican Pasta Salad with Chipotle Sauce
- Sweet Potato Quesadillas
- Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins
- Vegan Crunchwrap Supreme
- Vegan Burrito Samosas with Guacamole
- One Pot Mexican Taco Pasta
If you try this Mexican Buddha Bowl, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a picture of your creation and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Have fun! 🙂
Mexican Buddha Bowl
Author:Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (125 g) dry brown rice
- 1 cup chopped lettuce or sub spinach, kale, other greens
- ½ cup (90 g) kidney beans or black beans
- ½ cup (90 g) corn thawed
- 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes or 2 regular chopped tomatoes
- 1 (60 g) red onion finely chopped
- 1 ½ (120 g) bell peppers I use ½ red, ½ green and ½ yellow
- 1 tsp oil for roasting the peppers
- 1 Avocado sliced
- 2 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
To garnish (optional)
- limes
- sesame
- fresh coriander or parsley or other herbs
- chili flakes
Instructions
*Note: Be sure to check out the step-by-step photos in the blog post above!
- Add 2 cups of water and ½ tsp of salt in a pot and bring to a boil. Then add the rice, give it a stir, cover the pot with a lid and let it simmer for about 25 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.
- In the meantime, prepare the vegetables. Chop the lettuce, tomatoes and onion. Rinse and drain the beans. Thaw the corn.
- Slice the bell peppers and roast them in a hot pan with some oil for about 3 minutes, until slightly browned.
- Cut the avocado in half and remove the stone. Scoop out the pulp, slice it up and drizzle with some lime juice to prevent the avocado from turning brown. (You can also make guacamole if you prefer).
- Make the vegan mayonnaise according to this recipe (or make hummus).
- Now assemble your vegan burrito bowl. First, add some rice in one corner of each bowl. Then place chopped lettuce, kidney beans, corn, cherry tomatoes, and onions next to each other in the bowls (see step-by-step photos in tue blog post above).
- Top with avocado slices and sprinkle with some sesame seeds if desired.
- Add a dollop of vegan mayonnaise (or another dip/sauce) and garnish with lime wedges, fresh coriander or parsley and some chili flakes.
- Serve as it is or with crunchy corn tortillas. Enjoy!
Notes
- Meal-prep: You can cook the rice and beans ahead of time (if you don’t want to use canned beans). Prepare the rest on the day of serving and store leftovers for the next day.
- Please read the blog post above for more helpful tips and information about this recipe.
IF YOU HAVE PINTEREST, YOU CAN FIND ME HERE AND PIN THE FOLLOWING PICTURE, IF YOU LIKE! 🙂
©Bianca Zapatka | All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please link back to this post for the recipe. More info here. Thank you for supporting biancazapatka.com!
Disclosure for affiliate links with asterisk (*):This page may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information here.
Wow! Not only was this recipe easy to make, but it was so delicious. I will be making it again for sure! Thank you for a wonderful dinner. Xoxo.
Thank you so much! Glad you liked this recipe! 🙂