Meal Type » Gluten Free Bowls » Vegetarian Roasted Cauliflower Burrito Bowl

Vegetarian Roasted Cauliflower Burrito Bowl

Name: Cauliflower Burrito Bowl
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 batch cilantro lime rice; 1/2 batch instant pot black beans (click for recipe); 1 batch homemade pico de gallo; 1 avocado; 1 cup corn; 1 red bell pepper (sliced); 1 red onion (sliced); 1 medium head cauliflower; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 1/2 tsp chili powder; 1 1/2 tsp paprika (I used regular, can sub smoked); 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1/2 tsp cumin; 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste); 1/2 cup raw cashews; 1/2 cup water; 1-2 chipotle peppers from a can (depending on spice preference); 1 tbsp adobo sauce (from the can of chipotles); 1 tbsp lime juice; 1/4 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Claire Cary

5 from 7 votes

May 19, 2021

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This vegetarian burrito bowl is filled with cilantro lime rice, restaurant style beans, crispy baked cauliflower and a creamy chipotle cashew dressing to top it off. Perfect for meal prep and bursting with flavor.

Hands holding up the cauliflower burrito bowl

You guys looooove bowls. Burrito bowls, buddha bowls, chickpea bowls, whatever is, they’re always a hit, and I don’t blame you! They’re delicious.

Sweet potato is the star in many of my previous recipes, but I think I’ve been over-doing with the sweet potatoes recently and have been craving something a bit more fresh and veggie focused.

I originally thought of doing a cauliflower rice burrito bowl (maybe I’ll reserve that for later?!), but then this roasted cauliflower idea came to me and I thought you guys would like it more. Hopefully I’m not wrong!

This vegetarian burrito bowl is really easy to make, perfect for meal prep, and delicious as is or you can serve it over a bed of romaine lettuce for a lighter taco salad type of thing.

OR, if you’re feeling up for it, grab a large burrito and wrap it up! The options are endless with bowls like this, which is why I love them so much. Try my vegan taco salad next!

Two burrito bowls with vegetarian chipotle dressing.

How to make vegan cauliflower burrito bowls

Add the cashews for the dressing to a bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop the cauliflower into bite sized florets. If you prefer they don’t have any crunch, chop them smaller so the inside is able to soften more while they roast.

Add to a bowl and toss with the oil, hot sauce and spices. If you don’t have all of the spices listed, you can use 1 tbsp of your favorite taco seasoning instead. Make do with what you have!

Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper along with the red bell pepper and onion and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through and slightly golden brown.

If you don’t have onion/peppers, don’t worry since there is plenty of other flavors coming from the other ingredients, they just make it next level.

Meanwhile, prep the rice, black beans and pico de gallo if you haven’t already. For shortcuts, you can just use canned black beans and store bough pico de gallo (or salsa).

I recommend sticking with the cilantro lime rice or Spanish rice for the best flavor!

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After the cashews have been soaking for about 20-30 minute, add to a high speed blender with all remaining dressing ingredients. Process until completely smooth, about 1 full minute.

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Feel free to add more chipotle for extra spice, nutritional yeast, or any other seasonings of choice.

Assemble your bowls with a base of rice, then top with the black beans, cauliflower, corn, pico de gallo, avocado and dressing. Enjoy!

angled view of the vegan burrito bowl with bell peppers and roasted cauliflower

Variations & shortcuts

This recipe is very easy to make, but depending on what you do or do not have prepped already, it can take a while. That’s not bad if you’re making enough to last you for the week, but there are a few ways to speed the cooking process up!

Use canned beans. With so many flavors coming from other areas in this bowl, I won’t judge if you take a shortcut with the beans! Just add some drained beans to a pot on the stove and warm them up with your favorite spices and you’re good to go.

Use store bought pico de gallo. While store bought just can’t compare to the fresh version, it will save you a bit of time with chopping if you aren’t up for cooking an elaborate meal.

Prep your rice ahead of time. I don’t recommend swapping out the cilantro lime rice or Spanish rice for regular plain rice because that would take away a lot of the flavor. But, what you can do is prep your rice ahead of time so it’s all ready to go.

If you happen to have bags of frozen white rice lying around, you can just heat that up on the stove, throw in the cilantro, lime juice and salt and you have yourself a shortened version of my one pot cilantro lime rice!

Make it nut free. Swap the chipotle cashew dressing for my spicy tahini dressing to make this vegetarian burrito bowl nut free!

Up close image of the final vegetarian burrito bowl with cilantro lime rice.

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