Here are 6 easy recipes for healthy quinoa bowls! These make delicious vegan, gluten-free lunch or dinner ideas. Great for meal prep too!
You probably already know this, but I love a good bowl meal! Especially when it's filled to the brim with veggies and topped with a delicious sauce. It's like my ultimate meal.
Bowls, and specifically quinoa bowls, have been a staple in my weekly meal plan for years. I love how customizable they are, I love that you can change up your flavors really easily, I love that you can make them ahead and I also love that they're flexible with whatever you have on hand.
As long as you have some cooked quinoa, you can pretty much make everything!
To give you some inspiration, I've put together a post about how to make healthy quinoa bowls, 6 different ways. I hope this post gives you some ideas for new meals but also shows you how flexible quinoa can be!
What's Inside This Post:
Healthy Quinoa Bowl Recipes [VIDEO]
Best Types of Quinoa
Similar to rice, there are multiple types of quinoa you can use for these bowls (and most other recipes too). We, of course, have the main one, white quinoa, but quinoa also comes in:
- Red Quinoa
- Tri-Color Quinoa
- Black Quinoa
Bob's Red Mill – our partner for today's post – has the three main types on their website which makes it easy to try multiple options! I love Bob's Red Mill for more things than just quinoa – including gluten-free flours, oats, and more – but their quinoa is also some of my favorites!
How to Cook Quinoa
For today's post, we're using white quinoa because it's a) the most widely available and b) my personal favorite. All three types of quinoa have similar nutrition facts, but where they differ is texture.
White quinoa is fluffy, whereas red and black quinoa are a bit crunchier. I love them in salads, but they're not my favorite in bowls. So white quinoa it is!
If you've never cooked quinoa before, it's super easy. You just need two ingredients and that's it!
Best Pot For Quinoa
This is the best pot for cooking quinoa. It takes about 15 minutes to make, cooks very evenly, and is the perfect size for cooking a small or medium-sized batch.
How to Make Quinoa Bowls
Ingredients
for the quinoa:
- 2 cups white quinoa
- 4 cups water
for the bowls:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup veggies of choice
- 1/2 cup protein of choice
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup healthy fat
- dressing/sauce of choice
Instructions
- Add your quinoa and water to a small saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to simmer, cover and allow the quinoa to cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Allow to cool completely before storing for later!
- To assemble your bowls, follow this "loose" formula. Add 1 cup of cooked quinoa into each bowl. Top with your desired veggies of choice, protein, and healthy fat (avocado, nuts, seeds, etc.), and then finish with a dressing!
Notes
Nutrition
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6 Ways to Make Healthy Quinoa Bowls
I love quinoa as the base for my bowls. It's a great vehicle for flavor, it keeps well in the fridge, it's versatile and it's healthy. Each cup of quinoa has 8g of plant-based protein! To keep things fun and delicious for you, today I've also got some awesome flavor combinations for you to try.
I've included all the recipes down below, but here are the flavors we're working with today:
- Mexican Quinoa Bowls
- Superfood Quinoa Bowls
- Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls
- Moroccan Quinoa Bowls
- Pesto Quinoa Bowls
- Asian Quinoa Bowls
Quinoa makes an awesome meal prep option, so cook up about 6 cups over the weekend and make these 6 different flavors for your lunch or dinner for the following week. If you do actually assemble/mix the flavors ahead, I recommend starting your week with the ones that contain avocado as those will get mushy the longer they sit.
Ready to learn how to make some healthy quinoa bowls? Let's dive in!
1. Mexican Quinoa Bowls
This has been a staple for me ever since I started eating quinoa. It's one of the first combinations I tried and is actually similar to one of the recipes that helped my blog grow!
Ingredients you need for your Mexican Quinoa Bowls:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup canned black beans
- 1/4 cup cooked yellow corn
- 1/4 cup jarred salsa
- 1/4 of an avocado
- Cilantro to garnish
Add all the ingredients into your bowl. Either stir it all together (like you see in the photo) or eat it as is. Don't forget to top with some cilantro for an extra flavor boost!
2. Superfood Quinoa Bowls
Our second bowl is one of my favorites because it combines a few of my favorite foods. We're keeping things on the “superfood” side with this one by using ingredients like sweet potato, kale, almonds, avocado and more. This bowl also has a delicious lemon dressing!
Ingredients you need for your Superfood Quinoa Bowls:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup chopped kale
- 1/4 cup sliced radish
- 1/4 cup roasted sweet potato
- 1/4 of an avocado
- 2 tablespoons spicy lemon dressing
- Chopped almonds to garnish
- Hemp seeds to garnish
Add all the ingredients into your bowl. Top with the spicy lemon dressing, almonds, and hemp seeds, and stir to combine.
3. Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls
Another flavor combination that I've shared before, but I just love it! We're going the Mediterranean route with this one – using things like cucumber, tomatoes, and olives. We're also adding in some extra protein with chickpeas!
Ingredients you need for your Mediterranean Quinoa Bowls:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup canned chickpeas
- 1/4 cup chopped cucumber
- 1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup chopped olives
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
Lemon Herb Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon fresh/dried thyme
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 3 – 5 tablespoons water
Add all the quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives and parsley into your bowl. Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender, starting with 3 tablespoons of water. Blend on high until smooth and creamy, if it's too thick add more water until your desired consistency is reached. Top your quinoa bowl with the dressing and stir together. Feel free to finish with a little more fresh parsley if you'd like!
4. Moroccan Quinoa Bowls
Another combination I've been loving recently is what I'm calling “Moroccan”. Now I've never actually been to Morocco so I'm not sure this is totally authentic to the region, but from what I've seen in other recipes, it comes close. I loosely based this flavor off my Moroccan Quinoa Salad recipe!
Ingredients you need for your Moroccan Quinoa Bowls:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup canned chickpeas
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup sliced carrots
- 3 chopped Medjool dates
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley & cilantro
- Tahini dressing to finish
Mix together your chickpeas and paprika. Then add all the ingredients into your bowl. Top with the tahini dressing and stir together.
5. Pesto Quinoa Bowl
I've had a major love affair with pesto for years! It might even be my favorite sauce ever. I use it on pasta, pizza, toast, as a dip, and now as part of my healthy quinoa bowls! Pesto pairs well with lots of ingredients, but this one we're keeping totally green!
Ingredients you need for your Pesto Quinoa Bowl:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup cooked peas (I thawed frozen ones)
- 1/4 cup vegan pesto
- 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
Add all the ingredients into your bowl. Either stir it all together (like you see in the photo) or eat it as is. Don't forget to top with some hemp seeds for a little protein boost!
6. Asian Quinoa Bowl
Our final might be my favorite because it's topped with my almond butter dressing. Our Asian quinoa bowl has tofu, cabbage, carrots and more. It's the last on the list, but also one of the most delicious options!
Ingredients you need for your Asian Quinoa Bowl:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 cup tofu (I used my coconut tofu tenders!)
- 1/4 cup sliced carrot
- 1/4 cup chopped cabbage
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 tablespoons spicy almond butter dressing
- Chopped almonds to garnish
Add all the ingredients into your bowl. Either stir it all together (like you see in the photo) or eat it as is. Don't forget to top with your almonds for some crunch and cilantro for an extra flavor boost!
How to Customize Healthy Quinoa Bowls
Since the possibilities are truly endless with quinoa, I want to give you some ideas for customization!
- Feel free to add whatever protein source you want (beans, tofu, chicken, etc.) – I usually stick to 1/2 cup
- To add more bulk to some of these bowls, add 1/2 cup of protein (i.e. the pesto & superfood ones)
- Change up your sauces to change up your flavors – here are some salad dressing posts to check out (option 1, option 2 & option 3)
- Greens and veggies are always interchangeable – swap those in and out as you see fit!
And lastly, if quinoa isn't your thing, that's totally fine! Feel free to use whatever grain you want in this bowls?
More Quinoa Recipes to Try:
