Hearty and healthy vegan burrito bowls are loaded with veggies and black beans with southwestern spices over brown rice topped with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and avocado.
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Burrito bowls are one of those easy weeknight meals that everyone around the table will love! My kids always have a smile on their faces when they know it’s Mexican night in our house.
One of my favorite things to make is my vegan Chipotle bowl!
But these vegan burrito bowls are equally as simple and flavorful. They’re family-friendly, loaded with nutrient-rich veggies, high-fiber whole grains, and a healthy amount of protein from the black beans.
This recipe makes a large batch, making it great for leftovers or a simple dinner party with friends.
You can, of course, turn these burrito bowls into actual burritos, too. Just wrap up the ingredients in a whole-wheat tortilla! This recipe makes for an easy vegan dinner!
💗 Why You’ll Love These Vegan Burrito Bowls
- Easy weeknight dinner
- Family-friendly
- It makes a large batch perfect for a casual dinner party.
- Loaded with veggies, including zucchini, squash, corn, and onions
- Vegan
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Full of flavorful southwestern spices
- Make it extra spicy with the addition of jalapeño
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Zucchini: Dice 1-2 zucchini, depending on the size. You need about 1 ½ cups diced.
Yellow Squash: Dice 1 yellow squash.
Red Onion: The flavor and color of red onion compliments this dish.
Garlic: Finely mince your garlic cloves.
Red Pepper: You can use yellow, orange, or green pepper.
Corn: If it’s in season, use one ear of fresh corn. If not, use frozen corn.
Black Beans: One 15 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed or 2 cups of cooked black beans.
Spices: Cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
- Brown Rice: Serve on top of brown rice.
- Cilantro: Roughly chop and sprinkle on top.
- Lime Wedge: Adds a hint of acidity.
- Shredded Lettuce: Add some shredded lettuce for texture.
- Diced Tomatoes: Top with fresh diced tomatoes, pico de Gallo, or salsa.
- Diced Avocado: Adds a creamy component to the bowls.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make Vegan Burrito Bowls
- Prepare brown rice according to package instructions.
- Prepare the vegetables: Dice the zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, onion, and mince the garlic.
- In a sauté pan, add ¼ cup of vegetable stock or water. Add the diced onions to the pan—Sauté on medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add corn, red peppers, and spices. Cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add the zucchini, yellow squash, and the rinsed and drained black beans with ½ cup of vegetable stock. Reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Assemble your burrito bowls. Add cooked brown rice to the bottom of your bowl. Top with vegetable and black bean mixture. Top with roughly chopped cilantro, diced avocado, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and a wedge of lime. Enjoy!
📝 Expert Tips
- For quick preparation, make the brown rice in advance.
- Prep all the vegetables together or in advance if you are meal-prepping for the week.
- Don’t overcook the veggies. You still want them to have some texture.
📖 Variations and Substitutions
Switch Up the Veggies: Use your favorite veggies, whatever you have on hand or what is in season.
Use Quinoa: If you don’t like brown rice or want to try something different, I suggest quinoa for added protein or cauliflower rice for a low-carb version.
Garnishes: I suggest serving this bowl with shredded lettuce; you can also do it with cabbage or slaw. Top with pico de gallo, diced tomato, or salsa. Add some creaminess with avocado, or make a delicious vegan cheese sauce.
🫙 Storage
Store each part of the burrito bowl in separate containers: rice, veggies, beans, and garnishes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When ready to reheat, warm veggies and rice and add garnishes.
😋 More Vegan Mexican Inspired Recipes!
🎥 Video
⚖️ Serving Size
This recipe makes 6 large burrito bowls. It can stretch to 8 if you make smaller servings.
Recipe
Vegan Burrito Bowls Loaded with Veggies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 yellow squash diced
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels removed
- 1 red pepper diced
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 15 oz can of black bean rinsed and drained
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¾ cup vegetable stock divided
Brown Rice
- 2 cups brown rice
- 4 cups water
Garnish
- 2 tablespoon cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes diced
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- 2 cups shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Prepare brown rice according to package instructions.
- Prepare the vegetables: Dice the zucchini, yellow squash, red pepper, onion, and mince the garlic.
- In a sauté pan, add ¼ cup of vegetable stock or water. Add the diced onions to the pan—Sauté on medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add corn, red peppers, and spices. Cook for 3 more minutes.
- Add the zucchini, yellow squash, and the rinsed and drained black beans with ½ cup of vegetable stock. Reduce the heat and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Assemble your burrito bowls. Add cooked brown rice to the bottom of your bowl. Top with vegetable and black bean mixture. Top with roughly chopped cilantro, a side of mashed avocado, shredded lettuce, diced tomato and a wedge of lime.
- Assemble your burrito bowls. Add cooked brown rice to the bottom of your bowl. Top with vegetable and black bean mixture. Top with roughly chopped cilantro, diced avocado, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and a wedge of lime. Enjoy!
Notes
- For quick preparation, make the brown rice in advance.
- Don’t overcook the veggies; you still want them to have some texture.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Crissy
These burrito bowls were delicious, so colorful and flavorful, we loved it and so did our 2 year old! Great recipe!
Alison Corey
Thanks so much for the kind review! So glad the whole family loved it!
Denise
Delicious 😋
Alison Corey
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Jacque Hastert
Burrito bowl are an absolute favorite of mine! I love that these are vegan friendly and don’t skip out on the flavor.
Kushigalu
This bowl is so healthy and colorful. I love the combination of ingredients used. Thanks for sharing
Angela
I love burrito bowl meals for their ease. This recipe is delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Jenn
I love burrito bowls and am so glad to see this recipe – it means I can make them at home and save $$! These look delish, healthy, and flavorful. Can’t wait to make!