These delicious vegan burrito bowls are the perfect weeknight dinner and can be easily customized for just about any diet. We like ours with cilantro lime brown rice, spicy black beans, homemade guacamole, salsa, vegan cheese and hot sauce!
I’m usually a taco kind of gal, but these flavorful burrito bowls are much easier to make for a crowd. Plus, they’re equally delicious! We make these all the time. Once you get the basic rice and beans recipes down, it’s incredibly easy to throw them together. Plus, they’re a hit with the whole family – vegans and non-vegans alike!
The bowls start out with a simple cilantro lime brown rice base. It’s essentially just cooked brown rice flavored with lime and cilantro. Easy, right? Homemade spicy black beans are our plant-protein of choice. You can easily substitute pinto beans if you’d prefer, or even crumbled tofu. (Hello, Chipotle sofritas!) We absolutely love these spicy black beans. We also use them in these Spicy Cauliflower Tacos and these Loaded Vegan Nachos.
Toppings are totally up to you. My personal favorites: homemade guac, salsa (I usually prefer salsa verde or a spicy, well-blended red salsa), pickled jalapeños, shredded vegan cheese (we used this one) and a squeeze of lime juice. Oh, and a bit of hot sauce never hurts! (We’re currently loving the entire line of Yellowbird hot sauces – so flavorful and fresh tasting! The Habanero is my favorite for this bowl in particular.) Pickled red onions are another favorite and they’re super easy to make at home. You can check out our guide to making quick pickles at home here!
Bowl dinners are the perfect solution for busy weeknights. They pack well for leftovers the next day, and it’s easy to prepare a bunch of different toppings so everyone can customize their own bowl.
As most of you already know, my husband (and the rest of our family) is not vegan, so I always prepare a protein option for him. He’s currently not eating red meat (he hasn’t for a few months now – his own choice!) and doesn’t eat fish, so I usually end up going with a simple shredded chicken. I usually make it in our pressure cooker – I don’t use a recipe, but it’s basically just a few chicken breasts, a bit of chicken broth, Mexican spices, salt + a few chipotles in adobo sauce. Ground chicken (or beef) is also easy to prepare and works well in these bowls!
While these vegan burrito bowls are great for a weeknight dinner, they’re also an excellent option for a casual dinner party. Just recently, my parents had about 15 of their friends over to play Euchre (it’s a Michigan thing – if you know, you know) and instead of ordering out, we prepped a burrito bowl station. It didn’t take all that long to prep – especially the toppings – and all of the guests were thrilled with the options! We had at least five requests for recipes.
We hope you give these bowls a try next time you’re craving Chipotle (or any other regular weeknight).
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These delicious vegan burrito bowls are the perfect weeknight dinner and can be easily customized for just about any diet. We like ours with cilantro lime brown rice, spicy black beans, homemade guacamole, salsa, vegan cheese and hot sauce!
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Rice:
- 2 cups rice (cooked in 3-3 1/2 cups vegetable broth)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped well
- Juice from one lime
- 1 tsp salt
Black Beans:
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp chilli powder
- 1 can black beans, drain a little bit of the liquid but not all
Homemade guacamole:
- 3 avocados
- 1 jalapeño, minced
- 1/2–3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/2 of a lime
- 3 tbsp cilantro
- Optional: 1 tbsp finely diced pickled red onion
Other toppings:
- Salsa
- Pickled onion or jalapeño
- Vegan cheese
- Fresh cilantro & lime wedges
- Hot sauce of choice
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Rice:
- Cook rice according to package directions. We usually sub water with vegetable broth, but up to you.
- When rice is finished cooking, add lime, cilantro and salt. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
Spicy Black Beans:
- In a small pot, sauté onion in a bit of neutral oil until softened – about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking for a minute or two until garlic is softened and fragrant.
- Add tomato paste, cumin, paprika, salt and chili powder. Stir well, then add black beans. Let simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend mixture – we usually just pulse it a few times so there are still some larger pieces of black beans. If you’d prefer, you don’t have to blend it at all.
Homemade guacamole:
- Add avocados to a large bowl. Mash well with the back of a fork, then stir in remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust as desired.
To serve:
- Fill bowl with rice, beans, guacamole, salsa and other desired toppings. Store guacamole separately if storing leftovers.
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