Black Bean Burrito Bowl with Chipotle Dressing

The recipe has several components that need to be prepared, but almost everything can be made ahead of time to have them ready when mealtime hits. 

The vegan burrito bowl is also customizable.  Instead of chipotle dressing try a cilantro cashew dressing or a vegan lime crema, swap the tofu meat for prepared vegan ground meat, or substitute the vegetables for what you have on hand.

For more vegan rice bowl recipes, try a Mexican-inspired tofu bowl with black beans, vegan grain bowls, a vegan fajita bowl, or a vegan taco bowl with walnut lentil taco meat.

Recipe features

• Vegan/vegetarian!
• Oil-free burrito bowl!
• Great for meal prep!
• Customizable, change out the beans, rice, veggies, and dressing!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please see the recipe card below for the exact measurements and links to make the black bean burrito bowls.  

Tofu ground meat - The tofu meat recipe uses super firm tofu mixed with tamari, nutritional yeast, and a variety of spices.  It's then cooked in the oven to make tofu crumbles.  Instead of making vegan ground meat out of tofu, swap it for already prepared vegan ground meat or leave it out.  If you swap super firm tofu for extra firm tofu, it will need to be pressed before starting the recipe.

Rice - Use white rice, brown rice, or jasmine rice.  Quinoa, cauliflower rice, or cilantro lime brown rice can also be used.

Vegan black bean recipe - This saucy vegan black bean recipe combines onions, garlic, tomatoes, and jalapeño to flavor canned black beans.  The beans are then cooked with chili powder and ground cumin, then finished with fresh lime juice.  A simple swap would be to use 2 cans of drained and rinsed black beans or pinto beans instead of making the spicy black beans.

Cherry tomatoes and cucumbers - Sliced cherry tomatoes and English cucumber are added to the vegan black bean bowls to add freshness.  I enjoy the fresh crisp cucumbers with spicy chipotle sauce, but you can use any other vegetables that are in season and sound appealing with the black beans and a vegan chipotle dressing.  

Vegan chipotle sauce - The cashew-based sauce uses chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for smoky heat, a little maple syrup for sweetness, and lemon juice for some acidity.  If you don't want a spicy sauce try smoky tahini dressing, cashew cilantro dressing, or an avocado lime crema for these power bowls.

Tips

• The black beans, rice, tofu meat, and chipotle sauce can be made ahead of time to have most of the components ready for mealtime.
• For the black bean burrito bowl cooking process to go more smoothly, I find it easier to prep all of the ingredients first since I'm preparing multiple recipes at once.

Toppings

Enjoy the vegan rice bowl as is or add your favorite toppings.

• Spicy pickled red onions
• Pickled jalapeños
• Pickled white onions
• Freshly diced red onion
• Fresh cilantro
• Avocado slices or guacamole instead of the chipotle sauce

How to make a black bean burrito bowl

Several different recipes are combined to make the power bowls.  Most of everything can be made in advance to make the rice bowls easier and less time-consuming when it's meal time.  

Before preparing the recipes, prep the ingredients like the onions, tomatoes, jalapeño, and garlic.  Then drain the cans for the black beans.  I find it easier to prep all of the separate ingredients first when I'm preparing multiple recipes at once.

If you're making the vegan chipotle dressing, the cashews will need to be soaked.

Prepare the tofu crumbles if you're using them.  If you use super-firm tofu that doesn't need to be pressed, this will take about 35 minutes to cook.

While the tofu is cooking, prepare the rice according to its package instructions.  When the rice is done, it can be kept warm by turning the burner off and keeping the lid on while the black beans finish up.

While the rice is cooking, start the vegan black bean recipe. It will take about 35 minutes to cook, this does not include the prep time.

While the beans and rice are cooking, prepare the vegan chipotle sauce.

Assemble the bowls; add the cooked rice to each bowl, top with black beans, tofu ground meat, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and a drizzle of vegan chipotle dressing.

Storage

Store leftovers in the refrigerator in airtight containers for about 5 days.  I recommend storing the ingredients and toppings separately.  The black beans and tofu meat crumbles can be frozen in an airtight container for about 3 months.  I haven't tried freezing the vegan chipotle sauce, so I can't say for sure how well it would do after thawing.

Related recipe

• Tofu burrito bowl
• Vegan fajita bowl
• Deconstructed sushi bowl
• Peanut tempeh bowl

I hope you enjoy the black bean burrito bowl recipe!  If you did feel free to rate it and leave a comment!