15 Healthy Buddha Bowl Recipes You’ve Got To Try (2024)

These 15 luscious and delicious healthy buddha bowl recipes are all loaded with vegetables, mostly plant-based, nourishing, filling, dairy free and gluten free. It’s all about the colour in these bowls!

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Is it just me or is time flying like crazy these days?? I feel like we just sold our house, bought our fixer-upper and moved into my parents just yesterday but it’s already been over 3 months! I’m finally working on my first post for the renovation which will include before pictures of our humble abode and the design concept (eeek!). Things are slowly taking shape and I’m so excited to share more with you but in the meantime I’ve got 15 Healthy Buddha Bowl Recipes, perfect for the fall and winter season, that you’ve got to try!

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What is a Buddha Bowl?

You may bewondering, what is a buddha bowl exactly?Here’s the definition according to Wikipedia:

“A Buddha bowl is a vegetarian meal served on a single bowl or high-rimmed plate, which consists of little dishes, served cold. The dishes are a combination of healthy whole grains such as quinoa or brown rice, plant proteins such as chick peas or tofu and vegetables.”

This definition definitely makes sense but I’ve also seen buddha bowls (or hippie bowls, or dragon bowls, or macro bowls) that contain meat too, so I think it is really up to the individual buddha bowl creator! The key is that the bowl contains several individual components that come together wonderfully as one hearty dish. There are several essential components (viaHuffington Post), mostimportantlygrains, veggies (raw or roasted), some sort of protein (beans, tofu, tempeh, or a meat), leafy greens, seeds, and a delicious dressing or sauce!

The best part is that there is literally a bajillion different ways you can make a buddha bowl. It’s a perfect way to get creative in the kitchen and truly a foodies dream! I’ve scoured the blogosphere for 15 of the best healthy buddha bowl recipes and here there are in all their glory. I hope you are inspired and find them just as drool-worthy as I do!

The Healthy Buddha Bowl Recipes

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Bali Bowl from Quite Good Food

This delicious plant-based bowl contains balinese-style tempeh with rice, veggies, and tons of flavour!

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Roasted Broccoli Bowl with Sunbutter Sauce from My Quiet Kitchen

This healthy, vegan bowl contains chickpeas, roasted broccoli and a delicious sauce made with sunbutter so it’s totally nut free!

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Red Curry Dragon Bowl from NITK

This tasty bowl is actually a dragon bowl but similar to a buddha bowl in that it’s loaded with cooked and raw veggies over a bed of rice with a delicious red thai curry sauce.

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Vegan Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl from Running on Real Food

This vegan bowl contains avocado, hummus, cabbage, sprouts and sweet potato. A delicious and nourishing combination.

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Roasted Spring Vegetable Buddha Bowl from Fragrant Vanilla

This healthy buddha bowl recipe is so nourishing, packed with roasted vegetables and avocado on a bed of rice with a creamy pumpkin seed sauce.

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Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowl from Veggie Inspired

This delicious bowl has tons of flavour, texture, and color – it’s hearty, nourishing, filled with plant protein and a perfect buddha bowl option!

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Roasted Veggie Winter Buddha Bowl with Chicken from NITK

This healthy, balanced buddha bowl is warm and filling which contains roasted veggies, chicken, and a delicious dressing making it perfect for the winter months. If you want to go with a completely vegan option simply swap out the chicken for baked or grilled tofu or edamame beans instead!

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Sweet Potato Bowl with Matcha Cilantro Pesto from Sunny Thymes

The matcha cilantro pesto is the perfect topping for this delicious and healthy buddha bowl recipe filled with couscous, kale, and eggs.

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Complete Winter Buddha Bowl from The Awesome Green

This gorgeous winter buddha bowl is loaded with amazing flavors including grapefruit, millet, chickpeas, spinach, and butternut squash.

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The Ultimate Winter Bliss Bowls from Pinch of Yum

This delicious bliss bowl recipe contains homemade falafel, roasted vegetables, spinach, and crushed pistachios. Stunning and totally healthy!

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Vegan Japanese Buddha Bowl from The Little Plantation

This pretty and simple plant-based buddha bowl is perfectly arranged with tofu, blood orange, spring onion, a savory granola and carrots.

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Green Curry Buddha Bowl from The Modern Proper

This beautiful healthy buddha bowl recipe is loaded with vegetables and smothered with a creamy, dairy-free green curry sauce. Yum!

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Lemon Basil Buddha Bowls from Flora and Vino

This plant-based bowl contains a unique combination of flavours and is topped with baked sweet potato fries, edamame beans for protein, and lemon!

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Nourishing Buddha Bowl with Maple Roasted Chickpeas from Choosing Chia

This simple and minimal buddha bowl is topped with maple roasted chickpeas, avocado, cabbage and sweet potato on a bed of quinoa.

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Sweet Potato Vegan Buddha Bowl from Fit Foodie Finds

This healthy buddha bowl recipe is easy to make in under an hour and is loaded with roasted vegetables, whole grains, and a delicious tahini sauce.

Whoa, color overload!! These delicious buddha bowls are so colourful and loaded with amazing ingredients. I also love the variations of flavours and textures and yet all are similar in some way or another. Do you ever make your own buddha/bliss/dragon/hippie bowls? I’d love to know what you put in yours. Tell me about it in the comments section and be sure to pin the photo below to save this tasty recipe round-up post for later!

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15 Healthy Buddha Bowl Recipes You’ve Got To Try (2024)

FAQs

How healthy are Buddha bowls? ›

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.

What is the difference between a Buddha Bowl and a nourish bowl? ›

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.

What are those healthy bowls called? ›

No matter what they're called—Buddha bowls, macro bowls, grain bowls, meal salads—we're crazy about meals in a bowl! They're colourful, comforting and the perfect way to turn our leftovers into a healthy feast.

What is the Golden bowl Buddhism? ›

The Golden Bowl

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.

What size bowl is best for a buddha bowl? ›

Any bowl that will comfortably fit in one hand will suffice. There is no 'perfect' size. If you get tangled up in the abstract quest of finding the perfect-sized buddha bowl, you'll make yourself crazy; it's a needless attachment.

What do you eat with a buddha bowl? ›

I love finishing a buddha bowl with peanut sauce, lemon vinaigrette, green goddess dressing, cilantro lime dressing, hummus, or drizzles of sesame oil and soy sauce or tamari. Try a different pickle.

What is Buddha sauce made of? ›

Add tahini paste, lemon juice, maple syrup, sesame oil and salt in a cup of a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, gradually adding water. Use the sauce for Buddha bowls, salads, falafel and more.

What ethnicity is a Buddha Bowl? ›

The custom still exists among some Buddhist monks in Southeast Asia, and the collaborative nature of Buddha's bowl has made its way into Western menus.

How do you make a good bowl? ›

Start with leafy green vegetables or whatever plant-based layer you like, add your favorite meat or meat substitute, and then pile on more layers – whether more veggies, fruits, good fats or even grains. Check out our “Five Bowl Basics,” which you can use as a blueprint for developing your own system.

Are frozen buddha bowls healthy? ›

However, while fresh is always best, frozen buddha bowls are far from the worst thing you can put in your body when you're pressed for time. "From a nutritional perspective, freezing is a good way to preserve the nutrient content of food.

What is a Zen bowl? ›

To do this we will be working with what is referred to as a “Zen bowl”- a small dish or lid on which a single reward (or small handful of rewards) is placed. The dogs will get started on being able to focus on you or “work” and willingly leave their reward of food (or a toy) they know they can grab at any time!

What is a Japanese bowl? ›

Bowl is called "Wan" or "Owan" in Japan, and refers to a category of tableware that is deep in depth. In particular, Wan is designed to be lightweight because it is meant to be lifted with one hand, whereas a bowl that is not lifted but left on the table is called “Hachi”.

Why do they call it a Buddha Bowl? ›

"Buddhist monks and nuns have been eating this way for over two thousand years." And while there's no specific mention of the trendy Buddha Bowl in Zigmond and Cottrell's book, the Buddha did eat from a bowl, which may have led to today's obsession with—or, rather, appropriation of—the term.

What is a Buddha bowl made of? ›

It is a plant-based dish that combines a variety of ingredients, such as grains, vegetables, legumes, proteins, and toppings, arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The concept behind a Buddha bowl is to create a wholesome and well-rounded meal that provides a combination of flavors, textures, and nutrients.

What is the serving size for a Buddha Bowl? ›

Whether your protein is animal-based or vegetarian, women should aim for a 3-ounce serving (which is about the size of a deck of cards) and men, a 6-ounce serving. Grains, starches and legumes: Quinoa, chickpeas, edamame, corn and squash are all healthy sources of carbohydrates commonly used in Buddha bowls.

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