Vegan Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing

This Vegan Buddha Bowl recipe features the most luscious lemon tahini dressing. It is a delicious gluten-free grain bowl with a rainbow of vegetables. Perfect for healthy meal prep.

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a vegan buddha bowl.

Healthy Buddha bowl recipes like this plant-based power bowl are my version of healthy comfort food. Other yummy vegan entrees we love are this Walnut Bolognese and this Vegan Pad Thai. Check out all of our tasty Vegan Recipes!

What is a Buddha bowl? Is a Buddha bowl vegan? Buddha bowls are generally a vegetarian dish featuring different grains, fresh veggies, and different Buddha bowl sauces. It is meant to look abundant and to be a full rounded dish resembling Buddha’s belly. They are also known as power bowls, macro bowls, hippie bowls, and grain bowls.

This bowls vegan, and the recipe is super filling. It is packed with vegetarian protein and then tossed together with a rich tahini sauce dressing. This Buddha bowl dressing is so delicious you will drizzle it on everything!

a vegan buddha bowl.

Ingredients for this Recipe:

Let’s start with the base:

Dressing for Buddha bowl:

healthy ingredients waiting to be prepped

If you ever wondered how to use tahini, this vegan dressing is the answer. I love drenching this power veggie bowl in this silky, creamy, yet tangy dressing.

How to Make Vegan Buddha Bowls – Step by Step

First, start by prepping everything.

  1. Cook the grains
  2. Make the dressing
  3. Chop the veggies

The nice thing about vegan recipes is all the beautiful bright colors! You notice it when chopping red peppers, green parsley and kale, purple onions, and yellow lemons. A rainbow!

Onto the next step!

Get those veggies in the pan to saute.

chopped peppers and onions sauteing in a cast iron skillet.

Once the veggies are crisp-tender, in goes the chopped kale. There is a TON of kale in this recipe.

It could totally be called a kale bowl.

chopped kale being stirred in a large skillet.

Next, add the grains and the lemon tahini sauce dressing.

Look at the silkiness!

lemon tahini dressing being poured over cooked brown rice and lentils in a large cast iron skillet.

Finally, more green stuff with a handful of freshly chopped parsley.

I LOVE the smell of fresh parsley. It’s like aromatherapy for me.

freshly chopped parsley being stirred in.

These healthy lunch bowls are based on one of my fave Oh She Glows recipes. A classic from waaaay back in the day. It’s an absolute favorite of mine, and it has been in our rotation for literally years.

I’ve made it for friends who also love it. My friend Melody calls it her Princess Bowl.

a vegan buddha bowl.

Serving Suggestions and Substitutions:

Boost the protein by topping this bowl with pan-fried tofu! It is quick, easy, and extra crispy for added texture.

  • Garnish with a wedge of fresh citrus for a spritz of lemon juice or lime juice.
  • For even more creaminess, add fresh avocado.
  • Substitute the veggies for whatever you fancy! Some variations include sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, carrots, brussels sprouts, red cabbage, tomato, beets, butternut squash, etc. Use what is in season.
  • Substitute different legumes and grains like chickpeas, black beans, quinoa, or barley. Add vegetarian protein like tofu.
  • Instead of parsley, other fresh herbs are also delicious. Cilantro, basil, and mint are all lovely.
  • Add some crunch by sprinkling in pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sesame seeds, or peanuts.
  • Slices of sweet fresh fruit can also be delightful, like strawberries or mango.
  • To reheat this dish, scoop it into a small saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. I stir it occasionally until it is warmed through, which takes about five minutes. Or reheat in a microwave.
a vegan buddha bowl.

More Vegan Meal Recipes:

a vegan buddha bowl.

**This recipe was originally posted on November 19, 2014, and updated on July 3, 2020, and again on December 16, 2021, with recipe notes, writing, and photos.**

If you’ve tried my Vegan Buddha Bowl, please rate the recipe and let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below. I’m always interested in feedback!

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a vegan buddha bowl.

Vegan Buddha Bowl with Lemon Tahini Dressing

Sharon Rhodes
This Vegan Buddha Bowl recipe features the most luscious lemon tahini dressing. It is a delicious gluten-free grain bowl with a rainbow of vegetables. Perfect for healthy meal prep.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Main Course, Salad
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 430 kcal

Ingredients
  

FOR THE SALAD

  • ½ cup uncooked lentils
  • ½ cup uncooked brown rice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ red onion *chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves *minced
  • 1 pepper *chopped into strips (I used ½ red, ½ green)
  • 5 large kale leaves *chopped into thin strips
  • ½ lemon *juiced
  • ½ cup fresh parsley *minced

FOR THE TAHINI SAUCE DRESSING

Instructions
 

  • Cook the lentils and brown rice. Do this step first, while you chop up your veggies and make the dressing or cook them the night before. Once they are cooked, set them aside.
  • Place all of the ingredients for the dressing in the food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
  • Heat your olive oil in a large pan over medium-low heat; add the peppers and onions and sauté for 6-8 minutes, until softened. Add the minced garlic and stir for another 2 minutes.
  • Add the chopped kale, the juice of half a lemon and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.
  • Now, add the cooked lentils and brown rice. Pour in the dressing and stir everything well and simmer on low for another few minutes.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the minced parsley. Serve warm.

Notes

Serving Suggestions and Substitutions: 

  • Garnish with a wedge of fresh citrus for a spritz of lemon juice or lime juice.
  • For even more creaminess add fresh avocado.
  • Substitute the veggies for whatever you fancy! Some variations can include sweet potatoescauliflowerbroccolispinachcarrotsbrussels sproutsred cabbage, tomato, beetsbutternut squash, etc. Use what is in season.
  • Substitute different legumes and grains like chickpeasblack beansquinoa, or barley. Add vegetarian protein like tofu.
  • Instead of parsley other fresh herbs are also delicious. Cilantro, basil, and mint are all lovely.
  • Add some crunch by sprinkling in pumpkin seeds, walnuts, sesame seeds, or peanuts.
  • Slices of sweet fresh fruit can also be delightful like strawberries or mango.
  • To reheat this dish, simply scoop it into a small saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. I stir it every so often until it is warmed through which takes about five minutes. Or reheat in a microwave.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 13gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 596mgPotassium: 598mgFiber: 12gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 630IUVitamin C: 49.6mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 4.1mg
Keyword lemon tahini dressing, vegan buddha bowl, vegan power bowl
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11 Comments

  1. This looks really good and I haven’t seen it on Oh She Glows…but I am also a fan of her site with you. I will be putting this one on the recipe list for the week!

  2. Yum, this looks delicious Sharon! That’s so neat that you got to meet up with another blogger. There are a couple that live in Tucson, but I get so busy with family that I never seem to have time to do much! I hope you had a a great Thanksgiving girl! 🙂

    1. Thanks Lauren! It is fun to meet up with other bloggers. Because we all work behind our screens instead of an office, it’s nice to chat and bounce ideas, share frustrations, etc. I hope you had a wonderful holiday! 🙂

  3. You wouldn’t know it from my blog, but this is how we like to eat most of the time. This salad looks perfect for a healthy weeknight meal!

  4. Winter is Blech. I like your words! 🙂 I’m loving this salad with lentils and kale, plus the pretty colours and pics make me want to lick my screen. Lol! I won’t though, no worries

  5. Haha yes, every time I meet up with other healthy food bloggers I think “I’ve found my people!” 😉

    That is one of my favourite Oh She Glows recipes too – I love your twist on it!

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