Name: Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups cooked quinoa; 1 head kale (stems removed); 1 avocado; 1 large red onion; 1 batch lemon tahini dressing (click for recipe); 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 3/4 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 medium sweet potatoes (peeled (about 4 cups chopped)); 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp paprika

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.

Hands holding the vegan sweet potato buddha bowl.

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!

Close up image of the final recipe in a white bowl.

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.

Sauteed chickpeas in a large pan with seasonings.

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.

Three vegan buddha bowls with veggies, chickpeas and avocado.

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.

Sweet potato chickpea buddha bowl with dressing on top.

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