This sweet potato chickpea buddha bowl is an easy and delicious way to pack a lot of nutrition and flavor into one bowl. It’s gluten free, vegan, perfect for meal prep and can be customized to your own needs and preferences.
This sweet potato buddha bowl is a real OG Eat With Clarity recipe. I posted it shortly after I launched the blog over two years ago, but it’s been in need of a major makeover and upgrade.
This recipe is more or less the same, with a few additions to make it more flavorful. New spices, roasted onion, perfectly roasted sweet potato makes this vegan bowl one of a kind.
Buddha bowls are the ultimate weeknight meal that can be made vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, paleo, or whatever you want! Keep this recipe vegan or top it off with some salmon for extra protein.
A “Buddha Bowl,” according to urban dictionary is “a bowl which is packed so full that it has a rounded ‘belly’ appearance on the top much like the belly of a buddha.” I’d say that’s pretty accurate!
How to make a buddha bowl
These buddha bowls have a few different parts so it may seem like a lot of steps, but you can prep one thing while another is baking, so it all comes together in about 30 minutes!
First things first, preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash and peel your sweet potatoes and cut into large chunks. They can be as big or as small as you like, but bigger will take longer to cook. I usually do about 1 inch cubes.
Add to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and seasonings and add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Peel and chop the onion into strips and add to the baking sheet.
Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes are golden brown and they can be easily pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, add the drained chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with the seasonings. They’ll be wet from the water (waster tends to have that effect on things lol) so the seasonings should stick with no issue.
Add 1 tbsp of oil to a pan with the seasoned chickpeas and sauté, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes over medium/low heat. They are done when they’re warmed up and slightly browned on the outside.
Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan (no need to clean it because efficiency people!) add the de-stemmed and chopped kale and saute for 2 minutes to allow it to wilt slightly. This will just make it less tough and easier to chew!
To assemble the bowls, add a bed of cooked quinoa to a bowl and top with the kale, chickpeas, roasted onion, sweet potatoes, avocado, and drizzle with the tahini dressing.
Do you eat buddha bowls hot or cold?
Either! There is really no right or wrong way to have a buddha bowl, that is the beauty of them.
This particular recipe is best eaten warm, but is also delicious cold, so you can take it on the go and not have to worry about heating it up. Whether you eat buddha bowls hot or cold is totally up to you.
Does it keep?
Once prepared, this buddha bowl will store in the fridge for about 5 days. I suggest keeping the dressing on the side to prevent the veggies from getting soggy.
Greens vs. grains as the base
When building a buddha bowl, you can use either a bed of greens or a grain, in this case quinoa. Using a bed of greens will make the bowl a bit lighter, almost like a salad.
Using a bed of quinoa or another grain (or even rice noodles!) will make it a bit more filling and hearty.
For extra flavor, you can cook the quinoa in vegetable or chicken stock. Follow my guide for how to make perfect fluffy quinoa.
Try these next!
- Peanut Tempeh Recipe
- Nut Free Pesto Pasta
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Burrito Bowls
- The Ultimate Vegan Buddha Bowl
Try this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below and let us know how it turns out! Follow along on instagram or subscribe to my email list for more recipes & updates.
Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl
by: claire cary
Ingredients
Base:
- 2 cups cooked quinoa
- 1 head kale stems removed
- 1 avocado
- 1 large red onion
- 1 batch lemon tahini dressing click for recipe
Chickpeas:
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- ¾ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
Sweet Potatoes
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled (about 4 cups chopped)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash and peel your sweet potatoes and cut into large chunks. They can be as big or as small as you like, but bigger will take longer to cook. I usually do about 1 inch cubes.
- Add to a bowl and drizzle with olive oil and seasonings and add to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Peel and chop the onion into strips and add to the baking sheet.
- Roast for about 25-30 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes are golden brown and they can be easily pierced with a fork.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a skillet over medium heat.
- Add the drained chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with the seasonings.
- Once the skillet is hot, add 1 tbsp oil and the seasoned chickpeas and sauté, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes. They are done when they’re warmed up and slightly browning on the outside.
- Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan (no need to clean it) add the de-stemmed and chopped kale and saute for 2 minutes to allow it to wilt slightly. This will just make it less tough and easier to chew!
- To serve, add a bed of quinoa to a bowl and top with the kale, chickpeas, roasted onion, sweet potatoes, avocado, and drizzle with the dressing.
Sheila B says
This was delicious and very satisfying. Even my carnivorous hubby loved it! He’s now looking up other Buddha bowl recipes!
Claire Cary says
Amazing, so happy you both loved it!
Diana says
I am new to vegan/gluten free eating and find myself often overwhelmed with all the “new to me” ingredients. I jumped in with both feet and this turned out fabulous! I followed the recipe with a couple adjustments. I omitted the onion and garlic because right now my stomach ulcer doesn’t like those things. It still had enough flavor but I know I would really enjoy the addition of those two ingredients. I ended up making by own tahini dressing because I can’t do lemon right now either. I did 1 Tablespoon Tahini with 1/2 Tablespoon of real maple syrup. Honestly the bowl didn’t even need that, but I put it on the side and enjoyed it. Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Claire Cary says
Thank you Diana! So happy you enjoyed it, can’t wait to see what else you make!
Kierstin says
Love this bowl, make it almost every week, we use Annie’s Goddess dressing because it’s easy to come by, recommend this recipe to everyone
Emily says
I love everything about this dish. Just made it for the second time and I can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow! The tahini dressing is so good and quick to make, 100% worth the extra step.
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Emily!
Janet Quintero says
I hate sweet potatoes; but I was gifted some. Therefore, I decided to look up a Buddha bowl recipe, and the sweet potato recipe noted here is amazing! Loved it!
Katie says
I’ve been having a hard time finding food appetizing but I made this and omg its so good! I used rice instead of quinoa but tysm!
Jen says
OMG. This may be the best thing I’ve ever made. So healthy AND delicious.
ashley says
I have probably made this 4 times, and I love it! So delicious and makes me feel great!
Kristi says
I’m planning on making the bowls this week. Is there a recipe for the sauce to be added?
Claire Cary says
It’s linked in the recipe card under the “base” section, the lemon tahini dressing!
Nancy Rhinehart says
I’m just curious, what purpose does adding yeast serve?
Claire Cary says
Nutritional yeast is not the same as regular yeast. It has a cheesy flavor and is not to be confused with yeast you use to make bread! Very different 🙂
Cassandra says
Made this dish last night. Family loved!!! Delicious and so filling. We will be making again! Thanks
Jess says
Made this for a vegetarian, gluten free friend for dinner tonight. Big hit! Great spice mixes. Used a store bought apple cider vinegar dressing tonight to save some time. Worked well!
Jessica says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! My four year old even gobbled it up! Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Lisa Thomas says
My husband and I just started a vegan lifestyle, this dish was out of this world delicious! This will be one of our staples to be sure!
Anne says
This was absolutely delicious! I made it for a few friends of mine and they loved it! Thank you for sharing!
Morgan says
So delicious!! Great option for meal prep.
Claire Cary says
Thanks Morgan! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Jennifer says
I don’t usually comment on recipes but this was incredibly delicious. Even my picky teenage daughter asked for more and is anxious to have it a second day. One of our favorites!
Claire Cary says
Love that!! I was a very picky teenager too so I totally get the struggle 🙂
Monica says
This was delicious! Love it with the dressing too.
kavitha says
This was delish!
joleah says
/i ilike it it nice