Vegan Buddha Bowl with broccoli, carrots, chickpeas and the best peanut sauce! A flavorful one-bowl meal packed with plant protein, great for adults and kids alike. This easy and healthy weeknight recipe makes amazing leftovers, too. This recipe is a Hummusapien community favorite! Easily gluten free.

Bowls are a very, very hot topic as of late. Thanks to millennial lovin' and social media, beauteous bowls of food haven't gotten any less cool since making their big debut in 2016.
Ease, health, and convenience are the name of the game. That can only mean that my Roasted Veggie Bowl, Sweet Potato Black Bean Bowls and Curried Cauliflower Chickpea Bowls are here to stay!
Pssst: this divine vegan Buddha bowl recipe was inspired by a favorite menu item at a popular restaurant called Northstar back in Columbus, Ohio!
Ingredients
- Chickpeas: One can of drained and rinsed chickpeas add a nice texture plus protein to this dish.
- Broccoli: I used 1 large head of broccoli and just the florets. You can also buy pre-chopped, or even sub cauliflower. Don't miss all my favorite broccoli recipes!
- Brown rice: The hearty base for our bowls. You can use any kind of rice or grain you like, like quinoa or wild rice. Frozen brown rice is great for convenience!
- Peanut butter: To make the best peanut sauce! I use natural drippy peanut butter with just peanuts and salt as the two ingredients.
- Soy sauce: For amazing umami flavor. I like reduced sodium to keep the salt at bay.
- Olive oil: Roasting the veggies in oil helps get that amazing brown color and flavor.
- Maple syrup: To add a touch of sweetness for balance. Honey works great, too.
- Rice vinegar: Or lime juice for a bit of bright, acidic flavor.
- Ginger: Dried or fresh ginger adds amazing flavor!
Substitution ideas and dietary swaps
- Try sunflower seed butter or tahini for a nut free sauce.
- Switch up the grain base of the bowl with quinoa, wild rice or even cauliflower rice for a grain free version.
- Swap the chickpeas for drained and pressed tofu to amp up the protein.
- Use tamari instead if soy sauce to make this meal gluten free.
- Use coconut aminos for a soy free Buddha bowl.
- Use whatever veggies you have in the fridge, like cauliflower or green beans!
How to make
An easy and delicious meal in a bowl...coming right up!
- First, get the rice cooking.
- Chop broccoli and carrots. Place on an extra large baking sheet or two regular ones. Add chickpeas. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes.
- Make the sweet and savory peanut sauce by mixing together all the sauce ingredients.
- Assemble bowls by placing rice at the bottom topped with veggies and sauce. Devour!
Are Buddha bowls healthy?
This Dietitian says a whopping yes! Loaded with plant protein, whole grains, filling fiber, brain-boosting healthy fats, and antioxidants, this is a hearty meal your body will thank you for eating.
How long do they keep?
These Buddha bowls will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
I like to store the sauce, rice, and chickpea veggie separately.
Click here to see the step-by-step web story instructions for this recipe!
PrintHealthy Vegan Buddha Bowl with Peanut Sauce
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 4 bowls 1x
- Category: Main Meal
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan Buddha Bowl with broccoli, carrots, chickpeas and the best peanut sauce! A flavorful one-bowl meal packed with plant protein, great for adults and kids alike.
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 medium or 1 large heads broccoli, chopped (florets only, 4 cups)
- 5-6 medium carrots, chopped (2 heaping cups)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 cups cooked brown rice
- optional garnishes: chopped green onions, sesame seeds
- 1 batch Restaurant-worthy peanut sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cook rice according to package directions. I like to use my Instant Pot!
- Spray one extra large or two regular baking sheets with cooking spray. Place chickpeas, broccoli, and carrots on baking sheet. Make sure veggies have room to roast (if they're too close together they will steam and not get that yummy brownness). Add olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper, tossing to combine. Roast for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, make peanut sauce.
- Assemble bowls by placing rice at the bottom and topping with veggie mixture plus plenty of peanut sauce. Devour!
Grace says
This is a staple! We love the sauce! We add any and all veggies on hand and chicken to our bowls. So delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Ashlyn says
Used quinoa instead of rice and it was amazing! Super easy and quick to make. Will definitely make it again! Great for meal prep 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
I'm thrilled you loved it, Ashlyn. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
Janet says
Easy to make, filling and delicious!
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes!
Heather says
My whole family really enjoyed this dish! I added shelled edamame to the bowls to increase the protein and it was delicious. I omitted the red pepper flakes to make it kid-friendly but added to my own bowl and I loved the kick. Next time I will double the sauce, not because the dish needed more, but because I think it would be great to have extra for lunches throughout the week. Thank you for the great recipe!
Alexis Joseph says
That sounds delishhh! Thanks so much, Heather.
Kori Daniel says
Stellar recipe! Our eight month old daughter loved it just as much. That sauce. 🤩
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes, thanks so much Kori!!
Caroll says
Amazingly simple yet so flavorful. Definitely will be making again and again…
I followed the recipe as is (yummm!) and found it yielded a lot of sauce (NOT a complaint!) even when divided into 4 servings.
So what’s a girl to do with all the delicious sauce… I added more broccoli and carrots per serving than what recipe called for. I also added baked tofu and kale for the extra calories I need after my strength training workout.
Love. Love. Love. Thank you!!!
Alexis Joseph says
Perfection! I hate nothing more than running out of sauce so I will say I go heavy on the sauces, LOL. So glad you loved it, Caroll!
Alexandra says
An unexpected great meal. I sweetened the sauce with 3 dates, and used a mixture of beans. Also served it on barley.
Alexis Joseph says
Perfection, thanks for sharing Alexandra!
Amy Beale says
This was really good! It was easy to customize for everyone's eating preferences. Added chicken my meat eating son while the rest of us ate it WFPB. Everyone loved it.
Alexis Joseph says
Amazing, thanks so much Amy!
Stephanie says
Dinner this evening, with modifications:
Used whole wheat spaghetti instead of rice
Omitted chickpeas. Added book choy and shiitake mushrooms to the roasted vegetables. Squeezed lemon juice on the raw veggies before roasting.
Added gochujang to the sauce. Very generous lime juice also added to the sauce.
Omg delightful. And left generous leftovers for lunches the next day or two.
Even the anti-vegetable member of the family had seconds.
Lauren S says
The perfect meal for when you want something easy, filling, cozy & veggie packed! I added tofu & it was amazing.
Alexis Joseph says
YES!! Thanks, girl!
Wilma says
Just enjoying this mmmmm for breakfast.
I added siracha AND pepper flakes
So goo. . I am thinking of ways to make this kid friendly.
Our grandsons live everything peanut butter.
Cheers
Tiffany says
So good and easy to make! This was my first time trying a peanut sauce, it was DIVINE! Thanks for the recipe, definitely will be making this again. 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Amazing, thanks a ton Tiffany!
Dina says
I could drink this peanut sauce!!!! I make the sauce at least every other week even if I don't make the rest of the dish! Thank you for this!
Alexis Joseph says
Hahahh me too!!!
Jill says
This was another super simple and yummy dinner from hummusapien! I added curry and garlic powder to the veggies. Also had some Brussels and zucchini in the fridge that I needed to use so I threw those in too! This website has the best plant based recipes, even my meat loving husband likes them! 😋
Alexis Joseph says
Fabulous! Love that you made it your own--it's such a flexible recipe.
Erin says
This is a perfect weeknight dinner - so nourishing, warm, and quick to throw together! My fiancé and I both enjoyed this one. Perfect to have in the rotation on busy winter weeknights. Thanks Alexis!
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy so glad you loved this one. Thank you, Erin!!
Yinka says
Fast, easy, satisfying bowl. We regularly make it for a weeknight dinner when we're busy and looking to buy minimal ingredients to cook with. Packed full of flavor as is, but also nice topped with cilantro.
Alexis Joseph says
Love that, thanks a ton Yinka!
Amanda says
Thanks for always sharing great recipes! We’ve made this at least 5 times. Its my husbands quick go to meal.
Alexis Joseph says
Yay! You made my day, thanks Amanda 🙂
Cathy says
Super yummy and easy! I was getting tired of my stir-fry. I added in some onions and garlic gloves and roasted them with everything else. Delicious!
Alexis Joseph says
Wonderful! Thrilled you loved it, Cathy!
Lauren H says
Yum!!!! I absolutely loved this delicious meal. It turned out to be a beautiful meal - such pretty colors!! The sauce is delicious and creamy. I will definitely be making this again!! My 1 year old loved it, as well!
Alexis Joseph says
Awesome, thank you tons Lauren!!
Taya says
I used almond butter because I was out of peanut butter and added some garlic chili oil for heat. Excellent sauce. I'm sure any combination of roasted veggies, whole grain, and bean would be amazing with this delicious sauce.
Alexis Joseph says
Love that, thanks so much Taya!
Patty says
This was amazingly good! Easy to prepare too! New family favorite!
Alexis Joseph says
Wonderful, thanks a ton for the feedback, Patty! If you'd be up for leaving a star with your comment next time that would be STELLAR. Enjoy!
Colleen Reeves says
Wonderful for meal prep. My husband loves the peanut sauce! We are making this for lunches for the third week in a row!
Alexis Joseph says
Heck yes! I need to add it back to my dinner rotation. Thanks, Colleen!
Stephanie says
This was a delicious and easy meal. I made quinoa while I roasted the chickpeas and vegetables with the olive oil. While everything was cooking I made the sauce. Cleanup was easy too.
Alexis Joseph says
Great! Let me know what I can do to make it 5 stars 🙂
Tracy says
This recipe was so easy and amazing. I didn’t have carrots but I had two small organic sweet potatoes that I cut up instead. I only had frozen broccoli and so I defrosted it and used that. Believe it or not it was absolutely fabulous. I’m sure the broccoli would be more crunchy if it were fresh. The peanut sauce is to die for!
Choya says
I can't wait to try this!
One question though, is it ok to use soy milk(or regular milk) instead of almond milk?
Thank you!
Alexis says
Yes literally any milk!
Alexis says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Shana. It's a favorite around here, too 🙂
Shana says
This was amazing!! Especially the peanut sauce. Cooked the veggies an additional 5 minutes on broil to get them nice and brown. Will definitely be putting this in my meal prep rotation.
Clarissa Folks says
I just made this for dinner and we loved it! We have never tried budda bowls and I think this will definitely be a repeat meal
Hilary says
I'm going to make this tonight but I don't have chickpeas and since it warmed up to 2 degrees above zero, I am not going to the store...or out of my house this evening. I'm going to try and sub black beans, my kids are probably going to give me push-back but we're starting the New Year with Meatless Mondays so hopefully they'll deal.
fabredhead says
I happened upon this page earlier tonight while googling for something to make with broccoli, red pepper, and chickpeas. Amazingly, I actually had almost of the ingredients I needed on hand, though I used plain soy milk instead of almond milk. The other thing I modified was that I threw some toasted sesame oil, white pepper, and Penzey's Bangkok Blend into the sauce. It was SO good. I've bookmarked this recipe and will make it again! Next time I might season the veggies with the Bangkok Blend before roasting instead of putting it in the sauce; either way, it's an excellent combination of flavors.
Diana says
Tonight was the second time I've made this and I'm impressed again! Easy to make and I was dreaming of other veggies or grains I could use next time. The sauce has a good balance of salty and sweet/tangy. Thanks for a great recipe!
Alexis says
I would keep it separate until you're ready to eat it, and then heat it with the bowls before serving!
Leanne says
If I'm going to make this as meal prep and eat throughout the week, would I mix the sauce into the bowls or keep it separate? If keep separate, is the sauce meant to be heated when serving the bowls?
versicherung düsseldorf hauptverwaltung says
I would say no. In fact it would probably help to not be religious because it would cloud your judgement when trying to be impartial veiwing theology as a whole. Kind of like being nationalistic makes you a poor historian.
Emma says
Loved this recipe! Really quick and easy and the sauce was freaking amazing. Will definitely be making this again in the future 🙂
Alyson says
How can you store leftovers if only eating at least 2 servings?
Tara says
I just made this dish with cashew butter instead of peanut butter - it was amazing! That sauce is incredibly addicting!!! 🙂
Alexis says
Isn't it?! SO thrilled you liked it, Tara!
Kaylee says
Making this for dinner tonight! I need to use up some tofu so would I just olive oil/salt/pepper it and roast it the same time & temp as the veggies, or should I add more seasonings to it? Thanks in advance 🙂
Jess L. says
I made this today for the first time and it was fantastic! What a good balance of flavors - put the veggies over the Trader Joe's cauliflower rice, so good!
Alexis says
Such a good idea!! They're always out of that cauli rice when I go 🙁
Kristen says
Really tasty and super easy!
Victoria says
Bowls are so 'in' but I've always loved them! This peanut sauce looks amazing! I never thought to put almond milk in it, genius!
Victoria says
Bowls are so 'in' but I've always loved them! This peanut sauce looks amazing! I never thought to put almond milk in it, genius!
Emilie @ Emilie Eats says
Everyone knows it's all about that sawwwwwce! Bowl meals are seriously the best thing that ever happened to my face. Gimme all the bowls!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
YUUUSSS. This bowl is basically all I need in life. And I have no issues with semi-crisp chickpeas. As long as they're covered in that dreamy peanut sauce, all is right in the world. 🙂
Sam @ Barrister's Beet says
I love making these types of bowls because they're so versatile and easy to make/re-use. I love that this is a vegetarian option. And that peanut sauce looks amazing : ) Thanks for sharing!
Mandy says
I think this will be dinner tonight!! I have everything except the broccoli, wooooooo!
Kate says
Is there anything more delicious than roasted broccoli?!! (ok, chocolate ice cream). This looks so good, perfect easy night meal!
dixya | food, pleasure, and health says
im totally digging bowls these days too. it really makes dinner sooooo simple. i always make sure to do some carbs, protein, and veggies - no guess work, just good food.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
EVERYthing is a bowl is better! All my meals I but in a bowl and make it a buddha/power bowl 😉 Even if it seems weird!
Marina @ A Dancer's Live-It says
I LOVE Buddha bowls, and anything with the addition of chickpeas and broccoli makes me happy. This is definitely in the making for me this week! I'm also obsessed with peanut sauce, so you've made all my dreams come true with this recipe! <3