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.

Two sweet potato buddha bowls in white bowls.

Buddha bowls are the ultimate week night meal that can be made vegan, gluten free, vegetarian, paleo, or whatever you want! They’re an easy way to add a ton of nutrient dense foods into your diet.

You can mix up the sauces, veggies, or even make a sushi bowl and you have a new flavor profile every time.

What is a Buddha Bowl?

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!

These sweet potato buddha bowls are packed with skin loving nutrients, healthy fats, protein, and complex carbs to keep you full and satisfied. You can add meat to buddha bowls if you like, but this one is vegan.

Up close image of buddha bowl with tahini dressing on top.

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! Whether you eat buddha bowls hot or cold is totally up to you.

Chopped kale and sweet potato in two white bowls.

How to this recipe

Start with a bed of greens→ If you follow me on instagram, you know just how much I love my greens! I always start my bowl with a base of greens. I like arugula, spinach, or kale to get as many nutrients into my body as I can! If you want your bowl to be a bit more filling, you can use a grain as your base instead.

Add a starch→ Starches, like yams, pumpkin, quinoa, brown rice, etc. are slow burning fuel that keep you satisfied for hours. For this recipe we’re using fluffy quinoa and roasted sweet potatoes.

Load on the veggies → Broccoli, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, carrots, peppers, anything goes!

Pick a protein→ For buddha bowls, I love lentils, chickpeas, chicken, salmon, or even a hard boiled egg. This recipe features chickpeas as the protein source.

Add the healthy fats→ The healthy fats in buddha bowls are what will keep you satiated for longer and add a nice creamy consistency to the bowl. Avocado is my personal favorite!

Spice it up→ Last but not least, the key to eating veggies is to make sure they actually taste good! Don’t be afraid to load on the herbs and spices, or healthy dressings like the lemon tahini dressing.

Overhead shot of final recipe with lemon tahini dressing.

Recipe Tips & tricks

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.

I like to use a bed of greens for buddha bowls, but you can also have the quinoa be the base of this recipe instead for a more hearty option.

If using chickpeas cooked from fresh, you’ll want to use 1.5 cups cooked chickpeas in place of 1 can.

For extra flavor, you can cook the quinoa in vegetable or chicken stock.

Purchase some of these pantry staples from Thrive Market to save money!

For more simple weeknight meals, try these!

As always, tag me on instagram if you make this recipe so I can see your creation! Lastly, don’t forget to leave a comment and rating if you enjoy this recipe!

Vegan Sweet Potato Chickpea Buddha Bowl

Author: Claire Cary
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Description

Scale

Ingredients

Base:

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 head kale, stems removed
1 avocado
1 large red onion
1 batch lemon garlic tahini dressing

Chickpeas:

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

Sweet Potatoes:

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled (about 4 cups chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 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 cooked quinoa to a bowl and top with the kale, chickpeas, roasted onion, sweet potatoes, avocado, and drizzle with the tahini dressing.

Notes

Once prepared, these buddha bowls will store in the fridge for about 5 days. You can store everything together (with the dressing on the side) or store each ingredient separately.

For extra flavor, cook the quinoa in chicken or veggie stock.

Feel free to sub out or in any other ingredients. This bowl is also delicious with rice in place of quinoa, some steamed broccoli or roasted red peppers. Anything goes!

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 bowl
Calories: 405
Fat: 9.4g
Carbohydrates: 45g
Fiber: 9.6g
Protein: 14.1g

Keywords: buddha bowl, sweet potato buddha bowl, chickpea buddha bowl, vegan buddha bowl