3030-Minute MealDFDairy FreeEFEgg-FreeGFGluten FreeVGVeganVVegetarian
Lee Funke
Jump to Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
What is a buddha bowl? A buddha bowl is a whole bunch ofgood stuff in a bowl topped with more good stuff. Today we are talking whole grains, lean proteins, tons of veggies, nuts, seeds, and dressings! Some people call buddha bowls, meal prep bowls. Whatever you call it, we are going to break it all down so you can make the best meal prep bowl for your week!
All About Buddha Bowls
Bowls bowls bowls, I’m all about that bowl. Especially…buddha bowls! Why? Bowls = meal prep at its finest. If you haven’t jumped on the meal prep bowls bandwagon, get on it! Meal prep bowls will make your life so much easier during the week and it will help fuel healthy habits.
Today, we are breaking down the anatomy of a buddha bowl and we are sharing recipes to inspire you to start making meal prep bowls in your own kitchen! One way to shake up your Buddha bowl is with spices. Simply Organicand Penzysare my go-to spice brands for adding amazing flavor to anything that I make. They’ve got literally every spice under the planet, plus some awesome blends that I use daily.
Really the main goal of a buddha bowl recipe is to eat as many colors and nutrient dense foods as possible. No two buddha bowls have to be the same, so tailor your Buddha bowl to your taste preferences and get creative! Words of wisdom- when in doubt, if it’s a whole food, add it to your bowl. Below I’ve laid out some of my favorite Buddha bowl add-ins by category!
Anatomy of a Buddha Bowl
What is a buddhabowl? My classic vegan buddhabowl recipe includes a whole grain, lean protein, tons of vegetables, nuts, seeds, and a dressing of your choice.
Whole Grains
Add your favorite whole grain to your buddha bowl. I think of it as the ‘base’ to my meal prep bowl. My go-to grain is always quinoa because it is a complete protein and it is ready in minutes! However, I have gotten out of my comfort zone recently and tried new grains like farro in this Roasted Butternut Squash Kale Salad with Farro. It’s pretty dang good! Now, I’ve listed out some of my favorite whole grains below!
Lean Protein
Think more about high protein and less about calorie count! Classic buddha bowls are vegan buddha bowl recipes (plant-based), but you always have the option to add in some animal protein to your buddha bowl recipe if you would like. Here are some protein options for a vegan buddha bowl or a meal prep bowl!
- chicken breast
- garbanzo beans
- black beans
- tofu
- tempeh
- ground turkey
- ground beef
Vegetables
Vegetables are one of my favorites parts of a buddha bowl! Why? Because the options are endless. You can use any veggie that is left over in your fridge or decide on what direction you’re going to take your Buddha bowl based on what veggie you choose! In my opinion, you can’t go wrong with roasted sweet potatoes. Check out our post on how to roast sweet potatoes for a quick way to roast your taters!
Another easy way to add vegetables to your buddha bowl is to prepare a salad and divide it up between your meal prep bowl for the week! Try adding this Massaged Kale and Fennel Salador this Thai Chili Corn Salad.You can’t go wrong with some massaged kale, either.
- Brussels Sprouts
- Sweet Potatoes
- Carmelized Onions
- Butternut Squash
- ANY OTHER VEGGIE
Nuts/Seeds/Dressing
Don’t forget to add crunch and more flavor to your buddha bowl with nuts, seeds, and dressing! I love to add roasted pecans or pumpkin seeds to my salad for extra crunch and fiber. Any nut or seed will do! As for dressing, I love a classic green goddess dressing. Sometimes I’ll even skip the dressing and use a dollop of hummus. It makes my buddha bowl creamy and delicious! Guys, the sky is the limit!
- raw nuts (cashews, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.)
- seeds (sunflower seeds, pepitas, hemp seeds, etc.)
- dressing:(vinegar-based, avocado-based, olive oil)
- Hummus
Now that you know the ins and outs of what’s in a buddha bowl, I’m going to share a basic vegan buddhabowl recipe for you to sink your teeth into. This recipe is 100% plant based and a great starter buddha bowl recipe for you to add to.
Healthy Meal Prep Bowl Recipes
- Meal Prep Vegetarian Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Bowls
- Sheet Pan Meal Prep Tofu Quinoa Burrito Bowls
- Slow Cooker Carnitas Burrito Bowls
- Vegetarian Meal Prep Roasted Brussels Sprouts Polenta Bowls
- Healthy Thai Coconut Quinoa Bowls
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp Bowls
- Black Bean Breakfast Bowls
- Instant Pot Moroccan Chicken Bowls
- Sweet Potato Vegan Buddha Bowl Recipe
- Team Fit Foodie’s Go To Meal Prep Bowl
- Butternut Squash Buddha Bowl
- Copy Cat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe
- Pesto Chicken Meal Prep Recipe
Basic Vegan Buddha Bowl Recipe
This is our basic vegan buddha bowl recipe. It's made with quinoa, roasted sweet potato, garbanzo beans, massaged kale, bean sprouts, and green goddess dressing. Get creative with your Buddhabowl and use whatever grain and protein you desire!
Prep:30 minutes minutes
Cook:45 minutes minutes
Total:1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes
Fat
Carbs 87
Protein 22
Yield: 1
Print Rate
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup roasted sweet potato
- 1/4 cup garbanzo beans
- 1 cup massaged kale*
- a handful of bean sprouts
- 1 fresh radish sliced
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon vegan dressing here's my fav green goddess dressing
Instructions
Place all ingredients into a bowl and dig in!
Tips & Notes
- For 1 cup of massaged kale, you'll need about 2 cups of kale, .5 tablespoons olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Massage until kale is shiny and more wilty looking.
Watch It
Nutrition facts
Calories: 581kcal Carbohydrates: 87g Protein: 22g Fiber: 16g Sugar: 14g
Author: Lee Funke
Similar recipes:
Butternut Squash Buddha Bowls
Mediterranean Vegan Buddha Bowl Recipe
Sweet Potato Vegan Buddha Bowl Recipe
Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls
Shop This Post
Hashtag with us!
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
![15 Healthy Buddha Bowl Recipes (12) 15 Healthy Buddha Bowl Recipes (12)](https://i0.wp.com/fitfoodiefinds.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/lee2-150x150.jpg)
About Lee Funke
Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.
0 0 votes
Recipe Rating
Subscribe
48 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Tarisa Stidham-Ball
Posted on 7/13/2020
Who can read anything??? Too many ads to even be able to appreciate what you do! Very frustrating.
I gave up
Lisa
Posted on 9/12/2019
Did you really mean 5 tablespoons of olive oil in the recipe? That is a lot. Also, 5 tablespoons of olive oil has about 600 calories, which is more than it shows is in the whole recipe. 🙂
1
Reply
Lisa
Posted on 9/12/2019
Reply to Lisa
I see now that it is .5. haha oops!
Reply
Alaina
Posted on 2/5/2021
Reply to Lisa
It says .5 tablespoons so its only half a tablespoon
Reply
Posted on 7/9/2019
Recipe Rating :
Never developed the habit of eating healthy, until i found your site! Thank you
1
Reply
Loshern
Posted on 7/9/2018
Unexpectedly Delicious
I’ve subjected myself (& my boyfriend) on a 7-day plant based vegan, with exceptions, detox. Now I had no idea what I was getting myself into since I’m the person that requires animal protein with nearly every meal, yet here I am Day 2 and no meal planned. With all of the veggies and fruits I have in my fridge surely I could come up with something just as delicious and filling sans meat. After scouring numerous websites then settling on preparing my very own Buddha bowls for tonight’s dinner, Google search stared me in this direction – SCORED! A little improvising, addition of seasonings and successfully cooking a pot of tri-color quinoa, my boyfriend and I sat to a very yummy but uber healthy meal that’s sure to make another appearance at my dinner table.
Thank you and keep them coming! Cheers
Reply
Posted on 6/15/2018
Nice Post… thanks for sharing this yummy and healthy food recipes ides with us…Plezs share more recipes with us..Yummy recipes
Reply
Posted on 6/13/2018
Such a delicious roundup…perfect for meal prep!
Reply
Posted on 6/11/2018
seriously. I am in love with these bowl recipes. Specially Roasted Chickpea
Reply
Posted on 3/28/2018
I have been interested in Buddha Bowls for a while. How do you get started and what’s a good size bowl to start ?
Reply
Rene Claasen
Posted on 1/9/2017
We had our first buddha bowl supper tonight and the whole family loved it!! I want every single recipe. So delish!
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 1/10/2017
Reply to Rene Claasen
<3 So good, right?!
Reply
Cheryl Johnson
Posted on 1/8/2017
these look great, new to meal prep. can you prep/make for the whole week? if so do you freeze or will these items stay in the fridge safely for up to 5 days?
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 1/9/2017
Reply to Cheryl Johnson
Hey Cheryl! It should stay good in the fridge for up to 4 days!
Reply
Posted on 11/14/2016
So may options to choose from. Healthy and very delicious! Can’t wait to try all of them! Cheers!!
Reply
Posted on 10/23/2016
I love this! I need to get my bowl on. Somehow when you put everything in 1 bowl and throw a dressing on it, it makes something amazing and new! Good way to switch up our dinners.
Reply
Luna
Posted on 9/25/2016
Buddhists are vegetarian.
You should call these Buddy Bowls or something else unless you emit the animal ingredients.
Reply
Sophia
Posted on 1/9/2017
Reply to Luna
That’s exactly true. The “Buddha” part of “Buddha bowl” is the vegetarianism/veganism – if you use animal products it’s just a rice bowl.
Reply
Rachel Alfiero
Posted on 9/7/2016
Couscous is not two words. It’s one word.
Reply
Lee Funke
Posted on 9/9/2016
Reply to Rachel Alfiero
THANKS HOME GIRL!
Reply
emi
Posted on 7/17/2016
Hi! GREAT post, these look delicious! I wanted to let you know cous cous is not a whole grain, it’s a tiny pasta 🙂 Hulled barley would be a good one to replace it with. Just to be more annoying, based on the reasoning behind the buddha bowl name these should more appropriately be called “bodhisattva bowls” since the large bellied being mentioned here is not Buddha but actually a depiction of a bodhisattva <3
Reply
Lorra
Posted on 7/17/2016
I have to say the amount of commercials/ads are overwhelming, in the way, and annoying, I understand advertising but they r ridiculous, didn’t make me want to purchase anything, jus annoyed the crap out of me
Reply
Paula S
Posted on 10/31/2020
Reply to Lorra
And also… the name “Buddha Bowl” means that it is vegetarian. If you want to make one with meat, just call it something else. It’s not a Buddha Bowl, by definition. thanks.
Reply
Jasmine C
Posted on 6/4/2016
I must be missing the links to the actually recipes. Where are they?
Thanks!
J
Reply
Lorra
Posted on 7/17/2016
Reply to Jasmine C
Lol they r hidden under the ads!
In all seriousness, look delicious but I too wud like the actual recipes
Thanks
Reply
Posted on 6/2/2016
Hi Lee! Great post! If you’re looking for Buddha Bowls that don’t require much cooking, here’s a quick and easy one: http://www.wellonthego.com/rainbow-buddha-bowl/
Reply