These vegan burrito bowls are very simple, full of healthy plant-based foods and a great source of fiber! Make these bowls with either roasted sweet potato, butternut squash or even roasted pumpkin. They’re easily customizable and great to make ahead for easy meal prep or quick weeknight dinners.
I told you guys how much I love burrito bowls and Chipotle Mexican Grill in my The Best Cashew Sour Cream recipe post, but I will tell you again.
I. Love. Burrito. Bowls!
My husband and I were actually just laughing about our first Valentine’s day together when he insisted on taking me to a fancy nice restaurant even though I begged him to take me to Chipotle instead. Spoiler alert: the fancy, expensive dinner was subpar.
I am a simple girl and am very happy to celebrate any moment with rice and beans.
Roasting the Sweet Potato
The best part of these burrito bowls is definitely the roasted sweet potato or butternut squash. Both are some of my favorite foods and are enjoyed in abundance in our home in the fall and winter.
They’re perfectly sweet and taste incredible roasted.
To prepare, chop your sweet potato or butternut squash and then toss with chili powder, paprika, and chipotle powder and salt and pepper to taste.
If you’ve never tried chipotle powder, it is slightly sweet, rich, and smoky. It’s a unique spice I definitely recommending adding to your spice drawer.
Pro Tip! If you want a good char on your sweet potato and bell peppers for these bowls, stick them under the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end or roasting!
Why Use Both Black Beans and Pinto Beans?
Every time I go to Chipotle or eat beans at home, I love eating a combination of both black and pinto beans.
Not only are they a great source of plant-based protein and fiber, but they each add different flavor and texture to the bowls.
Black beans are slightly firmer and milder in flavor whereas pinto beans are creamier and are a bit nuttier in flavor.
Both are delicious and while I recommend combining them and using both in your burrito bowls, you can just use one bean if you prefer.
Also, if you are interested in learning how to cook beans from dry, check out these recipes on my blog: Instant Pot Black Beans and Instant Pot Refried Beans (vegan, no soak). Cooking beans from dry in a pressure cooker is incredibly easy and much cheaper than buying canned beans!
Creamy Jalapeño Dill Sauce
This creamy sauce makes the recipe. The dill flavor compliments the sweet potato perfectly and marries all the flavors in these bowls perfectly.
Seriously – this stuff is GOOD. You won’t want to skip it.
All you need for the sauce is a few simple ingredients:
- vegan mayonnaise
- lime juice
- minced pickled jalapeños
- pickled jalapeño brine
- garlic powder
- dill
Whisk together all of the ingredients in a bowl and it’s ready! Super simple!
Note: If you make this sauce ahead of time for meal prep, it will thicken overnight in the fridge. If you want a pourable sauce, just add a bit of water and it will thin out again.
Pro Tip! Use a garlic press to mince your pickled jalapeño slices.
Building Your Bowls
Once all of your ingredients are prepped and roasted, build your bowls!
Add the rice, beans, roasted sweet potato, bell pepper, chopped romaine, cilantro and top with the cream sauce!
Enjoy!
I hope you guys love these bowls as much as we do. They’re always a big hit at our house in fall and winter and I’m sure you guys will love them too.
More Easy Vegan Dinner Ideas
- Vegan Butter Chicken with Cauliflower and Chickpeas
- Garlic Butter Pasta with Whipped Tofu Ricotta
- Vegan Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
Go from feeling defeated by never ending grocery inflation to saving hundreds of dollars every month in just 30 days.
Easy Vegan Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
Burrito Bowl
- 2 large sweet potatoes - chopped (can substitute butternut squash)
- 2 bell peppers - sliced
- 1 ½ cups uncooked long grain white rice
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans - about ½ cups
- 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans - about ½ cups
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil - divided
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon chipotle powder
- sea salt and black pepper - to taste
Creamy Jalapeno Dill Sauce
- 1 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 4 pickled jalapeño nacho slices (mild) - minced
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño nacho slices brine (mild)
- 1 lime - juiced
- 1 teaspoon dried dill - can substitute 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
For Serving
- 1 cup cilantro
- 1 cup romaine - chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cook white rice according to package instructions with 1 tablespoon avocado oil and 1 dry bay leaf (for flavor). If cooking beans from dry, make sure they are cooked ahead of time.
- Chop sweet potato or butternut squash. Add chopped sweet potato to a large mixing bowl. Toss with paprika, chili powder, chipotle powder, 2 tablespoons avocado oil and salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread sweet potato evenly between two baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While sweet potato is baking, slice the bell peppers and prepare the creamy jalapeno dill sauce by whisking together the sauce ingredients.
- After 15 minutes, remove the sweet potato from the oven, toss them, add the bell pepper evenly between the baking sheets and bake an additional 15 minutes. If you want a good char on the potatoes and peppers, broil them for the last couple of minutes.
- While the sweet potato and bell pepper finishes roasting, warm the beans and chop the romaine and cilantro.
- Serve roasted sweet potato and bell pepper immediately over rice and beans and top with cream sauce, romaine and cilantro. Enjoy!
- Storage: Store all ingredients separately. Enjoy within 3-5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Cook time does not include cooking beans from dry.
- How to cook black beans from dry in Instant Pot
- How to cook pinto beans from dry in Instant Pot
- I cook all of my rice in this rice cooker.
Go from feeling defeated by never ending grocery inflation to saving hundreds of dollars every month in just 30 days.
Nutrition
Disclaimer: The Nutritional Information provided for this recipe is only an estimate. The accuracy of the facts listed is not and cannot be guaranteed.
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