These are the 35 BEST quinoa bowls to fill up on hearty, healthy whole grains and vegetables for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Including gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that a quinoa bowl piled high with veggies, protein, and flavorful sauces are one of my go-to lunches.
They also make excellent dinners.
As long as you have some cooked quinoa on hand (see here for my foolproof way to cook perfect quinoa), you can toss together a delicious and healthy meal in minutes.
I've rounded up the best quinoa bowl recipes to inspire you to eat more grains in the most delicious ways possible. Enjoy!
How to Make Quinoa Bowls
But before we can dive into our best quinoa bowls, let's first chat about how to make a quinoa bowl. For me, a perfect quinoa bowl takes just a few simple components:
- Cooked quinoa
- Vegetables/Fruit
- Protein
- Sauce
And from there, you can create any quinoa bowl you want! If you want to see how we use a “quinoa bowl formula” of sorts, our post about Healthy Quinoa Bowls shows you how to use cooked quinoa and make 6 different quinoa bowls recipes!
Easy Quinoa Bowl Toppings
Once you've got your “formula” down so to speak, another easy way to add flavor and/or excitement to your bowl is with toppings. There are so many quinoa bowl toppings to choose from, but some of my favorites are:
- Chopped nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc. are all great options – bonus flavor points if you toast them ahead of time
- Seeds: similar to nuts, seeds are a great way to add crunch and added protein to your bowl – I personally love hemp seeds!
- Pepper flakes: if you're a fan of spice, these are a simple way to kick it up a notch
- Herbs: fresh herbs are always an amazing way to add a little extra flavor – try to pair your herbs with the flavor of your bowl so everything stays cohesive
Can You Make The Bowls Ahead?
Quinoa bowls are the perfect meal prep recipe. Almost all components can be made ahead and either stored together as the full bowl or stored separately for making multiple meals throughout the week. We do recommend storing sauces separately as they can wilt greens and other ingredients if you are using them.
Plant-Based Quinoa Bowl Recipes
We're kicking this list off with my favorite plant-based recipes. These bowls feature plant-based proteins including tofu and beans!
Ginger Quinoa Bowl
Need a meal that takes about 10 minutes to make? These Ginger Quinoa Bowls are a super-fast plant-based meal loaded with tummy-soothing ginger.
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Curry Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Bowls
If you love Indian-inspired flavors, you'll love these Curry Roasted Vegetable Bowls. They're warm and comforting with a gentle curry flavor, chickpeas, and cauliflower.
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Teriyaki Quinoa Bowls
Adding fruit to your bowls is a delicious way to change up the flavors. These teriyaki bowls have juicy and sweet mango along with crispy tofu and a simple teriyaki dressing. They're so tasty!
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Black Bean Fajita Bowls
These Mexican-inspired bowls are spiced with cumin and chili powder, and served with sauteed peppers and black beans for protein.
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Chipotle Tofu Bowls
These quinoa bowls pack a punch of heat that's tampered with creamy avocado. With fluffy white quinoa, crispy chipotle-flavored tofu, fresh tomatoes, and cubed avocado.
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Balsamic Tempeh & Roasted Veggie Bowls
This quinoa bowl recipe is perfect for meal prep! Made with balsamic marinaded tempeh and vegetables that get roasted until crispy. Then finished with a tasty balsamic drizzle to finish them off.
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Super Green Quinoa Bowls with Hemp Peso
A simple, nourishing and flavorful warm quinoa bowl that is full of wintery green goodness. Let's celebrate this otherwise bitter time of year and rejoice in the fruits (or veggies) of the season!
Sesame Tofu Quinoa Bowls
These easy tofu quinoa bowls are a great vegan meal prep recipe! They're easy to make, high in protein, packed with veggies and taste amazing.
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Autumn Harvest Quinoa Bowls
Another easy meal-prep-friendly recipe! This quinoa bowl recipe features steamed white quinoa, roasted brussels sprouts, sweet winter squash and crispy chickpeas for a high protein boost.
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Spiralized Butternut Squash Bowls with Harissa Chickpeans
Instead of simple roasted squash/sweet potato (which tends to be my go-to), these bowls have spiralized butternut squash. Yes, that means squash turned into noodles! Along with quinoa, pomegranates and spiced chickpeas.
Asian Quinoa Bowls with Peanut Tofu
Combining crispy baked tofu that's been coated in a delicious peanut sauce, and served with fluffy quinoa, crunch cabbage, sliced carrots and finished with scallions for an extra bite.
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Quinoa Bowls with Spring Vegetables
These meal prep quinoa bowls are the perfect meal for spring. With greens, fluffy quinoa and roasted spring vegetables, they're so delicious and healthy!
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Glowing Winter Quinoa Bowls
These nourishing Quinoa Buddha Bowls are served with paprika roasted butternut squash, garlic roasted beets, lemony kale and broccoli, paprika-spiced chickpeas and served with a creamy tahini-miso dressing!
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Vegetarian Quinoa Burrito Bowls
These easy vegetarian quinoa burrito bowls are the perfect recipe for meal prepping a healthy lunch or dinner. Make five days' worth of nutritious and delicious food in less than 20 minutes!
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Mediterranean Quinoa Hummus Bowls
These Mediterranean quinoa bowls combine quinoa, roasted eggplant, crispy chickpeas, and hummus for a healthy and satisfying vegan meal. High protein, flavorful & great for meal prep too!
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Chili Roasted Sweet Potato + Black Bean Quinoa Bowl
Packed with fiber, protein, and flavor this bowl is the perfect combo of light and hearty. With roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and quinoa to help fill you out, that is balanced out with crispy romaine and a creamy avocado sauce.
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Cozy Buddha Bowl
This warm quinoa bowl is the perfect cozy meal. With a base of greens, then topped with roasted squash, protein-rich lentils, fluffy quinoa and creamy avocado. Finished with hemp seeds for crunch and protein.
Spring Pesto Quinoa Bowls
These spring pesto quinoa bowls are packed full of seasonal vegetables and homemade pesto, making for a perfect light and refreshing meal.
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Quinoa Bowls with Animal Proteins
Next up, we've got bowl recipes where the main protein source (aside from the quinoa of course!) comes from sources like eggs, fish, chicken, and red meat. These are also all excellent meal prep options! For the ones using fried or soft-boiled eggs, simply add a hard-boiled egg instead.
Spicy Kimchi Quinoa Bowls
These healthy quinoa bowls are loaded with gut-friendly probiotics from fermented kimchi. They've also got kale, fluffy white quinoa and a fried egg for extra protein.
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Warm Lentil & Mushroom Bowls
These healthy bowls are made with a blend of protein-rich lentils and red wine-glazed mushrooms. Served with sauteed spinach for added nutrition and a fried egg for even more protein. They're simple, healthy and so delicious!
Kale & Salmon Quinoa Bowls
If you’re looking for a quick, healthy weeknight dinner, these salmon and quinoa bowls hit all your marks. Heart-healthy salmon, leafy greens, whole grains, legumes, probiotic-rich yogurt, and creamy tahini.
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Chicken Pesto Quinoa Bowls
This Chicken Pesto Quinoa Bowl is loaded with juicy chicken with pesto, buttery quinoa, greens and crispy roasted broccoli! So fresh and delicious!
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Shrimp Quinoa Harvest Bowl
This light and healthy quinoa bowl features spiced shrimp along with other veggies like fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and greens. Served with avocado for healthy fats and fresh herbs for a bit of extra flavor.
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Chicken Fajita Quinoa Bowls
Make Mexican night fun and healthy with these chicken fajita quinoa bowls featuring spiced-up chicken, sautéed peppers and a creamy avocado goat cheese sauce.
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Crispy Chicken Tikka Masal Bowls
Crispy bits of chicken tenders, crispy cucumbers, and briny pickled onions, all on a bed of fluffy quinoa with a swoop of cool mint sauce on top. You absolutely cannot go wrong with these bowls.
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Quinoa For Breakfast
And lastly, we couldn't close out this post with our best quinoa bowls without including some breakfast options!
Fruit & Yogurt Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
A quick & healthy breakfast recipe that combines yogurt, fruit and cooked quinoa. High in protein, super creamy and so delicious!
Strawberry & Peach Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
These healthy quinoa breakfast bowls combine cinnamon-spiced quinoa, creamy coconut yogurt, and fruit for the ultimate breakfast! This recipe is naturally gluten-free & vegan too!
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Caramelized Butternut Squash & Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
You might not think of eating butternut squash for breakfast, but these bowls make it totally delicious. They're caramelized in maple syrup, then served with cinnamon quinoa, yogurt and crunch coconut flakes.
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Cinnamon Apple Breakfast Quinoa
One of the most popular recipes on the blog, this recipe is cozy and delicious for fall. We cook the quinoa with fresh apples and cinnamon, which makes them tender, sweet and juicy.
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Hot Chocolate Breakfast Quinoa
This quinoa bowl recipe uses quinoa flakes instead of cooked quinoa which creates a more porridge-like consistency. Sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with dark chocolate, these bowls might taste like a dessert but are certainly healthy enough for breakfast!
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Strawberry Infused Quinoa Breakfast Cereal
Quinoa on its own is a fabulous food for breakfast. High in protein and fiber it will keep you nice and full! With this recipe, we're making a homemade strawberry "milk" that gets poured over cooked white quinoa and fresh fruit. It's sweet, summery and delicious!
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Pumpkin Pie Breakfast Quinoa
Start your day with a bowl of pumpkin breakfast quinoa. It's warm, comforting, and incredibly nutritious with quinoa flakes, pumpkin puree, maple syrup and spices. Packed with fiber, protein + vitamins!
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Chai Spiced Breakfast Quinoa
Quick and easy breakfast quinoa that's flavored with chai, filled with protein, and takes just 5 minutes to make. With 16g of plant-based protein in each bowl, this recipe will quickly become your morning go-to!
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Blueberry Breakfast Quinoa
In a hurry? This 90-second quinoa breakfast bowl is an amazing option. Loaded with antioxidants from the blueberries, as well as fiber and protein from the quinoa flakes, this bowl will keep you full and satisfied all morning long.
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Mexican Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
Our final recipe on the list is a savory one for everyone who prefers savory breakfast options. These Mexican-inspired quinoa breakfast bowls are the perfect way to start your day! Protein-packed, with creamy avocado, cilantro-lime quinoa, and soft-boiled eggs on top!
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