Most people nowadays know what a Buddha bowl is, and thus a vegan Buddha bowl. But for those of you that haven’t heard of it before, it’s a bowl of whatever you like!

Well, let me break that down for you. Typically you start with a grain, add some vegetables, some form of protein, and a dressing of your choice. I usually add some seeds, fermented or pickled vegetables, and some sprouts if I have them in the fridge.

Essentially, it’s a colourful bowl of goodness using whatever you have in the kitchen. It’s a great way to use up produce and to have a healthy meal.

We’ve been making some variation of Buddha bowls for years in our household and more so since becoming vegan. I wanted to share with you some basics around creating a vegan Buddha bowl, what ingredients I generally use and three combinations of those that frequent our house the most.

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Grains

As I mentioned above, I would start with a grain or something similar. That could be any of the following:

Brown, black, red or wild rice

Quinoa – tri-coloured, white or red

Buckwheat

Millet

Farro

Couscous – plain or pearled

Vegetables

At least two-three different types of vegetables. You can have these roasted, raw or steamed. Again, anything you have in the fridge but these are the ones I tend to use most:

Carrot

Avocado

Tomato

Cucumber

Zucchini

Eggplant

Sweet potato

Mushrooms

Pumpkin

Cabbage – red or white

Corn

Capsicum – any kind but I like red

Daikon

Baby spinach

Kale – massaged

Salad mix

Rocket

Bok choy – cut in half and steamed or lightly fried

Asparagus

Broccoli/broccolini

Cauliflower – typically marinated

Plant-based protein

Then there’s the protein part, which I’d generally do one of:

Marinated tofu

Marinated tempeh

Beans – any kind

Lentils – any kind

Chickpeas – seasoned and baked or just plain from a can

Falafel or lentil and veggie patties

Extras

Then there are some extras, which I usually keep in my fridge or pantry for that extra bit of flavour and nutrients, such as:

Fermented vegetables

Pickled ginger

Pickled radish – how to make: half water, half tamari solution left in the fridge for a week with thin slices of radish in a jar

Olives

Toasted sesame seeds

Tamari seeds – a mix of sunflower seeds and pepitas roasted (half and half) in a frying pan and then tamari added at the end to coat them, let it completely cool and dry before putting in a jar

Nigella seeds

Sprouts – like mung bean, lentil, chickpea, alfalfa or bean

Dressings

And last but not least, a dressing. This is what brings it all together. I keep things simple and mainly use these dressings:

Tahini – in a jar, combine 1 tbsp unhulled tahini, juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of water, salt and pepper to taste. Shake well until you get a creamy, smooth consistency.

– in a jar, combine 1 tbsp unhulled tahini, juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of water, salt and pepper to taste. Shake well until you get a creamy, smooth consistency. Satay – in a jar, combine 1 tbsp peanut butter, juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of water, 1 tbsp tamari sauce and pepper to taste. Shake well until you get a creamy, smooth consistency.

– in a jar, combine 1 tbsp peanut butter, juice of half a lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of water, 1 tbsp tamari sauce and pepper to taste. Shake well until you get a creamy, smooth consistency. Mayonnaise – dilute with a 1 tbsp of water, a pinch of salt and 1 tsp oil with about 2 tbsp of mayo.

So that’s pretty much it! You may be thinking this is overwhelming, but honestly, you can do whatever you like with it. These are just some suggestions based on what we use in our house most of the time to whip it together.

Most lunches will be some form of a bowl with the above ingredients. I wanted to share with you some inspiration and some recipes that can be a start of this adventure for you if you haven’t dived into it before or want to try different combinations.

There are three super easy recipes that you can prepare well ahead of time and have in the fridge ready for work, school or lunch and dinner at home.

I want to mention again though that the reason I love these is because of how dynamic and waste-free they are. With so much produce ending up in landfill and money wasted, this is an excellent way for us all to use what we have and turn it into a delicious bowl pretty quickly.

Other wonderful recipes you’ll love:

If you try these recipes, let me know! Would love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe/s on Pinterest.

First up is the Rainbow Quinoa Satay Bowl. Just a quick note, I’ve made these recipes for two people, but you can easily halve it for one or prep for much more and have it ready in the fridge.

Continue to Content Rainbow Quinoa Satay Bowl Yield: 2 This delicious Buddha bowl is filled with fresh vegetables with some great sources of protein and an irresistible satay sauce. Print Ingredients 1 ½ cups tri-coloured quinoa cooked

½ a medium red capsicum, thinly sliced

200 gr chickpeas from a can, washed and drained

2 large handfuls of salad

1 medium cucumber, thinly sliced

½ avocado, thinly sliced

1 tbsp sprouts of your choice - I used chickpea and mung bean

½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

Satay dressing (recipe mentioned above) Instructions Place all ingredients in a bowl and drizzle with the satay sauce. Serve. Nutrition Information: Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 958 Total Fat: 37g Saturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 22g Cholesterol: 31mg Sodium: 525mg Carbohydrates: 122g Fiber: 32g Sugar: 23g Protein: 43g Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated automatically. The accuracy of this information is not guaranteed. Did you make this recipe? Tag @theminimalistvegan on Instagram and follow us to see the latest!

The second recipe is this gorgeous earthy

Continue to Content Roast Vegetable, Tofu and Wild Rice Bowl Yield: 2 A dynamic Buddha bowl that has great plant-based ingredients with a wonderful range of flavours. Print Ingredients 2 tbsp tamari sauce

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

250g organic, non-GM firm tofu, drained and cut into bite-sized cubes

2 tbsp rice bran oil

2 cups of raw pumpkin, chopped into cubes

6 mushrooms cut into quarters

½ tsp salt or to taste

4 leaves of kale, leaves removed from spine, chopped and massages to soften

1 ½ cups cooked wild rice

2 tbsp fermented vegetables

2 tbsp tamari seeds (recipe mentioned above) Instructions Marinate the tofu with the sweet chilli sauce and tamari sauce for at least half an hour then fry it in a frying pan for around 10 minutes tossing occasionally. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 200C (390F) and in a baking tray, combine the rice bran oil, pumpkin, mushrooms and salt. Toss well and bake for around 20-25 minutes. Once the vegetables have roasted and the tofu is done, add the cooked rice, kale, fermented veggies to a bowl and sprinkle the seeds on top. Serve. Nutrition Information: Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 476 Total Fat: 17g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 14g Cholesterol: 2mg Sodium: 2695mg Carbohydrates: 62g Fiber: 14g Sugar: 12g Protein: 30g Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated automatically. The accuracy of this information is not guaranteed. Did you make this recipe? Tag @theminimalistvegan on Instagram and follow us to see the latest!

The lucky last is our favourite one. This bowl has a great balance of roasted vegetables with fresh produce, our favourite dressing and the beautiful pickled ginger. This is our

Continue to Content Japanese Inspired Bowl Yield: 2 This vegan Buddha bowl is Japanese inspired by the combination of vegetables and the beautiful pickled ginger. Print Ingredients 2 tbsp rice bran oil

1 medium eggplant, chopped into cubes

1 small-medium sweet potato, cut into cubes

½ tsp salt or to taste

1 ½ cooked brown rice

2 large handfuls of baby spinach

2 handfuls of finely chopped red cabbage

½ an avocado, thinly sliced

2 tbsp of pickled ginger

1 tsp of nigella seeds

Tahini dressing (recipe mentioned earlier) Instructions Preheat the oven to 200C (390F) and in a baking tray, combine the rice bran oil, sweet potato, eggplant and salt. Toss well and bake for around 20-25 minutes. Once the vegetables have roasted add the cooked rice, baby spinach, red cabbage, avocado, pickled ginger to a bowl and sprinkle the nigella seeds on top. Pour over the tahini dressing and serve. Nutrition Information: Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 438 Total Fat: 20g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 16g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 945mg Carbohydrates: 66g Fiber: 16g Sugar: 17g Protein: 9g Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated automatically. The accuracy of this information is not guaranteed. Did you make this recipe? Tag @theminimalistvegan on Instagram and follow us to see the latest!

What’s your favourite vegan buddha bowl style combination? Would love to hear in the comments below.