This 15 Minute Buddha Bowls recipe, with healthy grains, chickpeas, fruit, and avocado, is a balanced, healthy meal that comes together in no time!
At this point we can all agree that Buddha Bowls aren’t going away anytime soon right? I mean, how can a bowl full of healthy goodness ever go out of fashion?
So today I’m showing you how to make a basic Buddha Bowl (which you might also hear called a grain bowl, macro bowl or hippie bowl)! The general concept is that they’re a completely balanced, usually plant-based meal…in a bowl!
What is in a Buddha Bowl?
At it’s core, the Budda Bowl is just a big bowl or healthy food, mostly plants, served over a bed of greens or grains and topped with a dressing. Buddha Bowls usually contain:
Greens: like spinach or kale
Protein: like chickpeas or other beans
Grains: like bulgur, quinoa, or brown rice
Healthy carbs: helloooo fruit!
Healthy fats: avocado or nuts
Extras: flavorful additions like onions, nutritional yeast, or spices
1. Pick a leafy green
First up, pick a leafy green for your Buddha Bowls! I love using spinach, which is packed with nutrients while still being light and tender, but you could also use kale, romaine, arugula, or iceberg lettuce.
2. Plant-based protein
Next, add some healthy plant-based protein! This will transform these vegetarian Buddha Bowls from “side salad” to “filling meal”. You can use protein-packed chickpeas, healthy legumes, crispy tofu, chickpea “tuna” salad, or even boiled eggs.
3. Healthy Grains
Adding a healthy grain or starch will make these Buddha Bowls all the more filling while packing in even more healthy nutrients and fiber. You can use fiber-rich quinoa, brown rice, bulgur, farro, or couscous.
4. Healthy Carbs
Fruit on a salad? Yes, friends! And once you try it there’s no going back. A handful of fresh berries, a few slices of mandarin oranges, sliced apples, or halved grapes are all delicious in your healthy homemade Buddha Bowls. As a rule of thumb, more colors = more diverse nutrients (so make it a rainbow masterpiece!)
5. Healthy Fats
Round out the macronutrient profile of your veggie Buddha Bowls by adding some healthy fats, like avocado, nuts, or seeds.
6. Extras
Finally, throw on the extras! These can be flavorful additions like red onion, nutritional yeast, spice blends (I love sprinkling on the Trader Joe’s Umami Blend), or more veggies, like baked onions!
What sauce is best for buddha bowls?
We’re drizzling these particular Buddha Bowls with a sweet and savory yogurt sauce, but you can also top your bowls with: Yumm Sauce, Romesco Sauce, Blueberry Vinaigrette, or your favorite salad dressing.
Buddha Bowl FAQs
Why is it called a Buddha Bowl? Buddha Bowls are named for their big, round shape, like a Buddha belly! But being full of delicious food is about the only thing required to qualify something as a Buddha Bowl, and many people have a different take on what they consider a Buddha Bowl!
Is a Buddha Bowl hot or cold? Both! While this version is mostly cold, there are some that are served hot (like this Roasted Veggie Buddha Bowl).
This 15 Minute Buddha Bowls recipe is a balanced, healthy meal that comes together in no time! It’s a flavorful combo of healthy grains, chickpeas, fruit and avocado with a creamy, citrusy yogurt dressing.
Ingredients
Yogurt Dressing
¼cupplain Greek yogurt60 g, or dairy-free alternative
¼cuporange juice60 mL
2Tbsphoney30 g, can sub maple syrup or agave
½tspcinnamon
Pinch of salt and pepper
Buddha Bowl Fillings
2handfulsleafy greensspinach, kale, or lettuce
1cupcooked grainsquinoa, couscous, bulgur, or brown rice
115-oz canchickpeas425 g, drained and rinsed
1cupblueberries100 g
4mandarin orangespeeled and thinly sliced
1avocadossliced
¼red onionabout ½ cup, sliced
2carrotspeeled and shredded
Instructions
Dressing: Whisk all dressing ingredients together and set aside.
Filling: Divide greens into 4 servings bowls, then top each with equal portions of cooked grains, chickpeas, blueberries, oranges, avocado, onion, and carrot.
Serve: Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.
Tips & Tricks
We’re drizzling these particular Buddha Bowls with yogurt sauce, but you can also top your bowls with: Yumm Sauce, Romesco Sauce, Blueberry Vinaigrette, or your favorite salad dressing.
Buddha bowls have been compared to Nourish Bowls (a non-vegetarian version) and to Poké Bowls (a Hawaiian raw fish dish). There are several explanations for why the name refers to Buddha.
Buddha bowls are filling, healthy and fun meals that pack most of the nutrients your body needs. Preparing Buddha bowls can be a relaxing activity with a very rewarding payoff: you get a delicious and balanced meal that will enrich your day, body and soul, overall health and your Instagram/Pinterest feed.
My formula for simple and satisfying grain bowls includes the following: ½ – ⅔ cup grains. ½ cup green leafy vegetables. ½ – ⅔ cup vegetables (and fruits)
Buddha bowls are similar to another type of dish called nourish bowls – however, the main difference is nourish bowls can include animal protein. Buddha bowls are also known as grain bowls, hippie bowls, macro bowls or power bowls.
If you are new to buddha bowls, they are typically a vegetarian meal where everything is served in a bowl. It's less heavy on the greens than a typical salad and has more textures from grains, plant-based proteins, vegetables (either raw or cooked), and some kind of dressing or sauce to drizzle over the top.
"Buddha woke up before dawn every morning and carried his bowl through the roads or paths wherever he was staying. Local people would place food in the bowl as a donation, and at the end he would eat whatever he had been given," explains Zigmond.
After giving up extreme asceticism prior to his enlightenment, the would-be Buddha then accepted a meal of rice pudding in a golden bowl from a village girl named Sujata.
Buddha bowl is a catchy name for a simple concept: a one-dish meal that's made by piling a healthy combination of whole grains, vegetables, legumes, and a luscious sauce in a large, single-serving bowl.
With veggies, whole grains, legumes, rice and a dressing or two in a round bowl, it imparts flavour and nutrition. A popular proverb goes: If you combine good flavours, food turns into an orchestra. And that can't hold more true than for a Buddha Bowl.
Specific terms include resting bell, prayer bowl, Buddha bowl, Himalayan bowl, Tibetan bell, rin gong, bowl gong and cup gong. A bell that is capable of producing a sustained musical note may be known as a singing bowl or Tibetan singing bowl.
Highly nutritious: It is packed with nutrition because of the balanced proportions of food groups in it. Further, it is antioxidant rich, because of the various coloured veggies and greens that are used. And, because very minimal cooking is involved, it conserves the loss of nutrients.
The fiber in quinoa can also help with cholesterol and blood sugar levels, lowering your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Quinoa is rich in antioxidants, which can prevent damage to your heart and other organs. A diet high in antioxidants has been linked with a decreased risk of heart disease.
But it seems to be roughly defined as a bowl with an assortment of small portions of different foods (especially veggies). Some say the concept is thought to emulate the way Buddhist monks would walk around with a bowl, accepting small portions from other people (source).
In Tibetan tradition, the offering of the seven or eight bowls (Tib: Ting) of water is a common practice by most practitioners. The making of offering is a practice that helps eliminate clinging and miserliness while also building up good potential.
As a guest is said to have been received and offered water to drink, water to wash the feet, flower garlands, incense, lamps, perfume and food, it is common to find similar offerings of the seven items in Buddhist rituals of deity worship.
The 7 bowls signify respectively: water for drinking, water for washing, flowers, incense, light, perfume, and food. For the people of Bhutan who are devout Buddhist, yonchap is a way of life. Yonchap is the practice of making an offering out of water, as water is one of the four elements of nature.
Introduction: My name is Greg Kuvalis, I am a witty, spotless, beautiful, charming, delightful, thankful, beautiful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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