Colorful and satisfying, this healthy vegetarian burrito bowl recipe is made with vibrant roasted vegetables, coconut rice, seasoned black beans, and chipotle crema. Full of flavor and totally customizable.
Now that we are in the season of Lent, a lot of you are asking for more vegan and vegetarian recipes. Packed with protein-rich beans, vibrant vegetables, and a generous dose of Mexican-inspired spices, these vegetarian burrito bowls are a great option and a nutritional powerhouse (not to mention, pretty tasty).
I’ve been so excited to share this easy vegetarian burrito bowl with you. It’s the cumin-roasted veggies. No, it’s the chipotle crema. Come to think of it, it’s the combination of everything in one delicious bowl—SO GOOD!
When developing this recipe, I experimented with different types of rice, bean, veggie and topping combinations. While the ingredients listed below are my personal favorite, you can easily substitute cilantro-lime rice or pinto beans or tomatillo salsa or calabacitas for the veggies. The options are endless.
If you’re ready to take your plant-based cooking to the next level, my cookbook, Plant Powered Mexican, offers a treasure trove of flavorful and authentic recipes that will give you tons of inspiration.
Why You Should Give These Bowls A Try
- Amazing for meal prep. Make the separate components ahead and keep them in their own airtight container. Rewarm when you’re ready to eat.
- Full of nutrients. Packed with protein-rich beans, vibrant vegetables, and a generous dose of Mexican-inspired spices, vegetarian burrito bowls are an easy way to incorporate more veggies into your diet. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, plant-based diets can reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain types of cancer.
- Full of flavor and texture. One of my favorite things about this healthy burrito bowl is how it goes the extra mile when it comes to the fresh ingredients.
Ingredients
See recipe card for full list of ingredients.
- Coconut Rice. I love this buttery rice because it adds a tinge of coconut flavor but you could substitute steamed brown rice, cilantro lime rice, steamed white rice, cauliflower rice, my Instant Pot Mexican rice, or cooked quinoa.
- My best-ever canned black beans. Or try my crockpot pinto beans or your favorite canned beans.
- Roasted vegetables. I used red onions, bell peppers, orange cauliflower, and sweet potatoes but you could substitute my fajita veggies.
- Spices. Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. If you have a favorite taco seasoning, use it!
- Chipotle crema or substitute vegan sour cream if you want a vegan burrito bowl recipe.
- Optional toppings. Again, lots of options: lime wedges, hot sauce, Cotija cheese (or vegan cheese), fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, your favorite salsa, guacamole, or slices of creamy avocado.
How To Make This Recipe (Step-by-Step Instructions)
step one
Make the rice and beans. Start by making the coconut rice and best-ever canned black beans then keep them warm while you prepare the veggies and toppings.
step two
Blend the chipotle crema. Heat oven to 425°F for the roasted vegetables and blend the 1/2 cup Mexican crema, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 chipotle peppers, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the blender to make the chipotle crema.
step three
Prep the veggies. Combine the sliced red onion, sliced bell pepper, 12 ounces sliced sweet potatoes, and 2 cups of cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Toss to combine until vegetables are well coated.
step four
Roast the veggies. Roast vegetables for the healthy vegetarian burrito bowl recipe in the oven until tender and browned in some spots, about 20-25 minutes.
step five
Prep the toppings. Slice avocado, mix together pico de gallo, chop cilantro, and slice lime while you wait for the vegetables to roast.
step six
Assemble. Spoon rice into each bowl, top with a spoonful of the black bean mixture and roasted vegetables. Add avocado, pico de gallo, and cilantro. Drizzle with chipotle crema, sprinkle with cotija, and add a lime wedge to each bowl. Enjoy!
Time-Tested Tricks
Add more veggies. I limited the number of veggies in this healthy vegetarian burrito bowl recipe so the ingredients wouldn’t be a mile long but the more veggies you add, the better it will taste. Try sweet corn, chopped fresh tomato (or cherry tomatoes) on top, line the bottom of the bowl with shredded Romaine lettuce, or add zucchini to the roasted vegetables.
Create (even more) texture. Think crushed tortilla chips, roasted pepitas, sliced radish, anything that bumps up the crunch factor is good.
Top 5 Most Popular Vegetarian Recipes
- Vegan Pozole Verde Recipe
- Chile Relleno Recipe
- Black Bean and Cheese Vegetarian Tamales
- Mexican Sopa de Fideo
- Veracruz-Style Hominy
The Best Part About This Veggie Burrito Bowl Recipe?
You get to make them exactly how you like it! If this is one of your favorite recipes, let me know, OK? Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating) ! Also, don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!
Healthy Vegetarian Black Bean Burrito Bowl Recipe
Colorful and satisfying, this healthy vegetarian burrito bowl recipe is made with vibrant roasted vegetables, coconut rice, seasoned black beans, and chipotle crema. Full of flavor and totally customizable.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Coconut-Cilantro Rice
- 1 recipe Best-Ever Canned Black Beans
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
- 12 ounces (3 small) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 2 cups large cauliflower florets (about 10 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Chipotle Crema
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Toppings
- Pico de Gallo
- Lime wedges
- Fresh cilantro
- Avocado
- Cotija cheese
Instructions
- Start by making the coconut rice and best-ever canned black beans then keep them warm while you prepare the veggies and toppings.
- Heat oven to 425°F for the roasted vegetables and blend the 1/2 cup Mexican crema, 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 chipotle peppers, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the blender to make the chipotle crema.
- Combine the sliced red onion, sliced bell pepper, 12 ounces sliced sweet potatoes, and 2 cups of cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Toss to combine until vegetables are well coated.
- Roast vegetables in the oven until tender and browned in some spots, about 20-25 minutes.
- Slice avocado, mix together pico de gallo, chop cilantro, and slice lime while you wait for the vegetables to roast.
- Spoon rice into each bowl, top with a spoonful of black beans and roasted vegetables. Add avocado, pico de gallo, and cilantro. Drizzle with chipotle crema, sprinkle with cotija, and add a lime wedge to each bowl. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make-ahead: You can make all the separate elements (rice, black beans, crema, and toppings) up to 5 days in advance. Keep in separate containers and rewarm in the microwave or in separate pans, covered in the oven at 350°F until warmed through.
- Rice: I really like the flavor of the coconut rice but you can use any grain you choose. Steamed brown rice, Cilantro-Lime rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa would be good.
- Short-cut: If you are short on time, use more store-bought ingredients like store-bought salsa, sour cream instead of the chipotle crema, and pre-cooked rice and beans.
- Add meat: Carne deshebrada, grilled chicken, or carnitas go great on this bowl as well.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 122Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 25mgSodium: 333mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
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