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Home » Dinner » Buddha Bowls with Sweet Potatoes

April 11, 2019 By Sara 14 Comments

Buddha Bowls with Sweet Potatoes

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These protein packed vegan Buddha bowls are loaded with colorful veggies, sweet potatoes, roasted chickpeas and cashews, all topped off with a creamy tahini dressing. An easy recipe that’s loaded with nutrition!

When I’m looking to eat a little healthier, I often turn to rainbow quinoa salad, Mediterranean farro salad, or these hearty Buddha bowls.

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Buddha Bowl with quinoa, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, avocado, cabbage, tahini dressing poured over the top

You probably know by now that I’m all about the chicken recipes on this site. We eat a LOT of chicken and sometimes I just need a change, you know? I made this Buddha bowl recipe thinking I’d be eating it all on my own, but lo and behold, the kids ate it. They were a little wary of the tahini sauce, but happily consumed the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, cashews and quinoa. In fact I have a photo of my girls happily spooning quinoa into their mouths, because I wanted photographic evidence that it actually happened!

Sweet potatoes, chickpeas, avocado and quinoa arranged over purple cabbage in a bowl.

What is a buddha bowl?

A Buddha bowl is a bowl of vegetarian goodies that’s so full and rounded that it looks like a Buddha’s belly. A Buddha’s Bowl often has a quinoa base, but other grains like brown rice would also work. A Buddha bowl is topped with an assortment of vegetables.

Raw sweet potatoes and canned chickpeas on a sheet pan.

How do you make a buddha bowl?

There are endless ways to put together a Buddha bowl. I went for color, texture and protein here with my toppings of sweet potato, roasted chickpeas, avocado, shredded cabbage and baby spinach. I also added cashews for crunch! The sweet potatoes and chickpeas roast together on the same pan; be sure to cut your sweet potatoes on the smaller side, about 1/2 inch, so that they cook in the same amount of time as the chickpeas.

A Buddha bowl filled with quinoa, sweet potatoes, chickpeas and avocado, then drizzled with tahini dressing.

Tips for buddha bowls

  • Many Buddha bowls are topped with tahini sauce. If you’re not familiar with tahini, it’s like peanut butter, except made with sesame seeds. I was able to get a jar of it for under $4. Tahini is pretty flavorful on its own, so I just added a little lemon juice, maple syrup, salt and pepper for a creamy and flavorful dressing. Drizzle a little over the top of your Buddha bowl and you’ve got veggie perfection!
  • You can use any type of grain for the base, other great options are barley, bulgur wheat, farro or brown rice.
  • Feel free to use any veggies you like for your bowls; I like to use mushrooms, butternut squash, kale and tomatoes.

Roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas.

These Buddha bowls are gluten free, dairy free and vegan, which makes them perfect for a variety of diets. Plus you just feel good when you eat one, so many nutrients in a single bowl!

Still hungry? Follow Dinner at the Zoo on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest for more great recipe ideas!

More healthy recipes

  • Grilled Shrimp Skewers
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Buddha Bowl with quinoa, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, avocado, cabbage, tahini dressing poured over the top
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5 from 12 votes

Buddha Bowls

These protein packed vegan buddha bowls are loaded with colorful veggies, sweet potatoes, roasted chickpeas and cashews, all topped off with a creamy tahini dressing.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword buddha bowl, buddha bowls
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 618kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked quinoa
  • 3 medium to large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas rinsed and drained
  • 1 cup baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
  • 1/4 cup roasted cashews
  • 1 avocado peeled, pitted and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons maple syrup
  • cooking spray

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and coat with cooking spray.
  • Place the chickpeas on one side of the pan and the sweet potatoes on the other side of the pan in a single layer.
  • Drizzle the olive oil over the sweet potatoes and chickpeas and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender and chickpeas are browned and crispy.
  • Divide the quinoa evenly between 4 bowls. 
  • Divide the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, cabbage, spinach, cashews and avocado evenly between the 4 bowls, arranging on top of the quinoa.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Drizzle the tahini dressing over the buddha bowls and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 497mg | Fiber: 16g | Sugar: 9g

This post was originally published on February 20, 2017 and was updated on April 11, 2019 with new content.

Filed Under: Dinner, Eat Your Veggies, Gluten Free, Lunch, Vegetarian Dishes Tagged With: Cashews, Chickpeas, Sweet Potatoes, Vegan

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Comments

  1. Saver says

    October 23, 2020 at 10:17 am

    5 stars
    Great bowl just need more flavour to the dressing. But anyways its greattt

    Reply
  2. CC341 says

    July 13, 2020 at 12:50 pm

    5 stars
    Love this meal!!! The variety of flavors, colors and freshness. Even my husband who’s not into healthy meals enjoyed it. He said it looked like a restaurant plate. We both loved the tahini dressing. I’m definitely going to keep making it.

    Reply
  3. June says

    May 2, 2019 at 10:34 am

    Hi just found this recipe although I subscribe to your blog. What can I substitute for the baby spinach.?
    Thanks

    Reply
  4. Sarah | Well and Full says

    April 15, 2019 at 10:40 am

    This buddha bowl is right up my alley!! I love those sweet potatoes 🙂

    Reply
  5. Jacque Hooper says

    April 14, 2019 at 1:49 pm

    5 stars
    Talk about clean eating! Love how many flavors are packed into one bowl; looks delicious!

    Reply
  6. Beth Pierce says

    April 14, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    5 stars
    I love all the colors in this healthy dish! Looks refreshing and fulfilling; yum!

    Reply
  7. Natalie says

    April 12, 2019 at 11:09 am

    5 stars
    I absolutely love buddha bowls. This one looks fantastic. Love the flavors and roasted cashews. Just yum! Must save this for next week to give a try.

    Reply
  8. Deanne says

    April 12, 2019 at 10:50 am

    5 stars
    Wow, all those colors and just what I’m needing this time of spring! I can’t wait to make this as a meal prep lunch. Thanks for sharing!!

    Reply
  9. Jacqueline Debono says

    April 12, 2019 at 10:27 am

    5 stars
    Love all the ingredients in this buddha bowl! I have never roasted chickpeas even though I use them a lot! Def want to try this recipe!

    Reply
  10. Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says

    April 12, 2019 at 10:26 am

    5 stars
    I love the combination os colors, flavors, and textures happening in this bowl! We practically live on bowls in the summer, and I’ll be adding this one to our list.

    Reply
  11. Luci's Morsels says

    April 12, 2019 at 10:26 am

    5 stars
    I love a good buddha bowl!! The tahini dressing and the cashews looks like the perfect additions. I’ll be adding them to our next bowls!!

    Reply
  12. Debbie says

    January 7, 2019 at 8:24 am

    5 stars
    Looks so good! It’s perfect for my family as we have 2 Vegans to please!

    Reply
  13. 2pots2cook says

    February 23, 2017 at 2:10 am

    5 stars
    This looks great! I think about taking it to the office for lunch. Thank you so much !

    Reply
  14. Greg says

    February 22, 2017 at 11:09 am

    5 stars
    This is a very cool idea! It looks so healthy and flavorful!

    Reply

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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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