21 Rice Bowl Recipes

Want to get creative with your weeknight dinners? These easy rice bowl recipes are just the thing for you! They're flexible, fun, and delicious.

Mango Ginger Rice Bowl

I come up with my favorite rice bowl recipes on nights when I don’t know what to cook for dinner. Because rice bowls rely on components—white rice or brown rice, a protein, a veggie, a sauce—you can almost always improvise them without a trip to the store. Start with a base of cooked rice, and then, get creative! Simple ingredients can mix and match into a healthy, delicious rice bowl in an infinite number of ways, so don’t hesitate to have fun.

To get you started, I’m sharing 21 simple rice bowl recipes below. You’ll also find ideas for substitutions to help you use what you have on hand, as well as tips and tricks to make the bowls easy to prep and fun to eat. Whether you follow them to the letter or change them up entirely, I hope you enjoy these rice bowl recipes!

vegan rice bowl recipe ingredients

Prep Tips for Rice Bowl Recipes

  • Get ahead. Rice bowl recipes are great for meal prep! Make a week’s worth of bowls ahead of time, or save leftovers from dinner to eat for lunch the next day. Store the sauce separately until you’re ready to serve.
  • Or make extra of individual components. Cook a double batch of rice to turn into a stir fry or fried rice the next night, or make extra sauce to have on hand throughout the week. You’ll drizzle it over everything—salads, roasted veggies, and more!
  • Use what you have and get creative! If you don’t have the exact ingredients to a recipe on hand, swap in a different grain, protein, vegetable, or sauce. Cook a batch of quinoa or farro instead of rice, or use roasted chickpeas or a hard boiled egg instead of tofu. If you don’t have all the ingredients to a specific sauce, make a different one! Here are a few of my favorites:

Now, to the recipes!

Egg and Rice Bowl Recipes

Bibimbap

Bibimbap

My vegetarian version of this Korean rice bowl features an array of seasoned veggies, spicy gochujang sauce, and a sunny side up egg.

Brown rice bowl

Tamago Kake Gohan

This Japanese rice bowl is traditionally eaten for breakfast, but I’d just as happily devour it for a healthy dinner or lunch!

Breakfast rice bowl recipe

Farmers Market Breakfast Bowl

This grain-free breakfast bowl features cumin-spiced carrot “rice” instead of regular rice.

  • Variations: Replace the carrots and beets with broccoli rice or cauliflower rice. Swap in bell peppers, green onions, or cucumber for any of the other veggies.

Veggie power bowl

Veggie Power Bowl

Topped with a tangy sesame ginger dressing and a jammy soft-boiled egg, this dish is simple and satisfying. You could use white rice or brown rice here, but chewy, nutty black rice is especially delicious.

Tofu or Tempeh Rice Bowl Recipes

Vegan sushi bowl

Sushi Bowl

Everything you want in a good veggie sushi roll, but in rice bowl form! Tangy pickled radishes, spicy mayo, and drizzles of soy sauce take it over the top.

Burrito bowl

Burrito Bowl

My homemade riff on a Chipotle burrito bowl! It features fajita veggies, pico de gallo, guacamole, and hearty tofu sofritas.

Tofu broccoli bowls with carrot ginger dressing

Tofu Broccoli Bowls with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Don’t sleep on this carrot ginger dressing—it’s creamy, bright, and sooo refreshing. Made with just 6 ingredients, it’s an easy way to turn this humble rice bowl (or any bowl, for that matter) into a crave-worthy meal.

Cauliflower Rice Kimchi Bowls

Cauliflower Rice Kimchi Bowls

These cauliflower rice bowls may be healthy, but that doesn’t mean they skimp on flavor! A creamy coconut miso sauce coats savory mushrooms, spicy kimchi, tender sautéed kale, and more.

Spicy Mango & Avocado Bowls

Spicy Mango and Avocado Rice Bowl

Have you ever cooked forbidden rice? It adds delicious nutty flavor to these sweet and spicy bowls, and it gives them a striking look. If you can find it, you should try it, but if you can’t, don’t worry. White rice or brown rice works equally well here.

  • Variations: Use any variety of cabbage! Swap asparagus, bell peppers, or snow peas for the radishes and cucumber. If you don’t have mango, skip it, or replace it with pineapple.

Kimchi brown rice bowl recipe

Kimchi Brown Rice Bliss Bowls

I call these “bliss bowls” for a reason! Filled with crunchy veggies, creamy avocado, savory tempeh, and a creamy peanut sauce, they’re super fun to eat, and they make you feel amazing.

  • Variations: Use carrot ribbons instead of cucumbers. Replace the red cabbage with Napa cabbage or kale.

Shiitake mushrooms bowls with walnut miso sauce

Shiitake Bok Choy Buddha Bowls, page 147 of Love and Lemons Every Day

These bowls are my favorite kind of comfort food. They’re warm, cozy, and satisfying, but nourishing, too. Make a double batch of the savory walnut-miso sauce—you’re going to want to drizzle it over everything!

Bean and Rice Bowls

Buddha bowl recipe

Best Buddha Bowl

I love to meal prep this basic rice bowl for lunch. I’m constantly changing up the veggies, but I never switch the sauce. This vibrant turmeric tahini sauce is just too good to beat!

Mango Ginger Rice Bowl recipe

Mango Ginger Rice Bowl

Fresh basil, mango, and pickled ginger add bright, refreshing flavor to this flexible rice bowl.

  • Variations: Swap out the peas for asparagus, or use radishes instead of the carrots or cucumbers. I love basil here, but mint or cilantro would be equally good.

Coconut rice bowls with black beans, halloumi, avocado, peach salsa, and cilantro lime dressing

Peach Salsa Halloumi Bowls

I could eat this rice bowl every day in the summertime! It has a fragrant base of coconut rice with grilled halloumi cheese and black beans for protein. A scoop of peach salsa adds refreshing balance.

Macro veggie and brown rice bowl recipe

Macro Veggie Bowl

You’ll find roasted vegetables in many of the rice bowl recipes in this post, but I use steamed vegetables here instead. I love their clean flavors with the nutty brown rice and earthy mung beans.

Vegan Burrito Bowl

Vegan Burrito Bowl

Chipotles in adobo sauce are the secret ingredient in this sweet and smoky bowl. Tame the heat with pineapple salsa or mango salsa and plenty of guacamole.

  • Variations: Skip the portobellos, or use another type of grilled mushrooms instead. Use poblanos instead of bell peppers, or swap out the arugula for lettuce.

Black bean and brown rice bowl recipe

Mojo Black Bean Bowls, page 199 of Love and Lemons Every Day

A punchy sauce, crispy roasted potatoes, and spicy pepitas make this simple bowl an explosion of texture and flavor.

  • Variations: Use roasted sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, or leave them out. If you don’t have chard, use spinach.

Adzuki beans and rice bowl recipe

Adzuki Bean and Brown Rice Bowl

No adzuki beans? No worries. Black beans are delicious here too.

  • Variations: Use any kind of cabbage! Substitute bell peppers, radishes, or cucumbers for the snap peas.

Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl

Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl

Not your average burrito bowl! It stars cauliflower rice, mango, and a creamy green chile sauce. Sautéed leeks and poblano peppers add savory, spicy flavor.

More Favorite Rice Bowls

These two rice bowl recipes don’t include a protein, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t add one. Edamame or baked tofu would be welcome additions to both.

Vegan Poke Bowls

Vegan Poke Bowl

This plant-based riff on a Hawaiian poké bowl features watermelon instead of raw fish. I often enjoy it without a base of rice, but feel free to add one for a heartier meal.

  • Variations: Swap out the cucumber for blanched asparagus.

Coconut rice bowl recipe

Coconut Rice with Brussels Sprouts, page 63 of The Love and Lemons Cookbook

My mom makes this coconut rice bowl on repeat. It’s not hard to see why: it’s easy to make, it uses simple ingredients, and it’s delicious!

More Healthy Vegetarian Recipes

If you love these rice bowls, try some of these healthy vegetarian recipes next:

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Rice Bowl Recipes: Mango Avocado Rice Bowl

rate this recipe:
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves 2
These savory & sweet mango avocado ginger rice bowls are one of our favorite rice bowl recipes!

Ingredients

  • 2 handfuls snap peas, strings removed
  • 1 to 2 cups cooked short grain white rice
  • 2 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 1 small carrot, sliced into very thin coins
  • ½ English cucumber, thinly sliced into coins
  • 1 small ripe ataulfo mango, diced
  • ½ cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons pickled ginger
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
  • ¼ cup toasted peanuts, optional
  • Sesame seeds, optional
  • ¼ to ½ avocado, optional

Dressing

  • 2 tablespoons tamari, plus more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons cane sugar
  • ½ teaspoon sriracha, plus more for serving

Instructions

  • Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, cane sugar, and sriracha.
  • Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water nearby. Blanch the snap peas by placing them in the boiling water for 1½ minutes, then scoop them into the ice water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled, drain, pat dry, and chop.
  • Assemble the bowls with the rice, shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber, mango, black beans, pickled ginger, and basil. Top with the toasted peanuts, pinches of sesame seeds, and avocado, if using. Drizzle bowls with half the dressing and serve the rest on the side along with tamari and sriracha, if desired.

3 comments

5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Lauren
    01.18.2022

    5 stars
    I made these and they came out great! I adjusted things a little; I used only avocado, cucumber, mango and scallions for the veggies and topped the bowls with sesame seeds and toasted cashews. The sauce seemed a little thin when I mixed it up so I added about 1 tsp more soy sauce (I use coconut aminos, I omitted the sriracha) and simmered the sauce on low heat, added a little cornstarch to thicken it up and sprinkled in some ginger powder – it came out so good that it might be my new go to sauce for rice bowls! Thanks! 🙂

  2. Barb
    07.14.2021

    5 stars
    I LOVE this edition of Love & Lemons. I love the simple replacement suggestions. As a Foodie, bowls do not look appealing to me. These suggestions look good for some reason.
    I read each email!
    Keep going!!

  3. Hayley
    04.08.2020

    I LOVE rice bowls and usually follow a recipe to build them. But this weekend I made the quinoa sage veggie balls in your cookbook, and then had to decide “hmm how am I going to serve these?” I threw together carrot ginger dressing and top the balls with it in a bowl with rice, avocado and edamame. Delicious! I’m growing Swiss chard right now and have those black bean mojo balls on my list to try when it’s harvest time!

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.