Vegan Black Bean Burrito Bowl with Brown Rice

The recipe is topped with zesty black beans, salsa flavored brown rice, creamy avocado, and your favorite salsa.  Then, pile on greens, cherry tomatoes, and red bell peppers to make a filling plant-based meal.

The recipe is easily customizable to add any vegetable that’s in season or you have on hand.  Add different toppings or enjoy the vegan burrito bowl with a different dressing. Try vegan lime crema, avocado lime crema, vegan chipotle sauce, or keep it simple by using a ripe avocado and salsa.

For more vegan burrito bowl ideas, try vegan nourish bowls, tofu burrito bowl, vegan taco bowl, or black bean burrito bowl with chipotle dressing. 

Recipe features

• Easy recipe!
• Great for meal prep!
• Minimal chopping is needed for the burrito bowls!
• Easily customizable!

Ingredient notes and substitutions

The black bean burrito bowls use simple ingredients but please see the full list and the exact measurements in the recipe card below.

Black beans - Two cans of black beans or about 3 cups of cooked beans are needed for the bowls.  Instead of black beans try pinto beans, vegan black beans cooked with jalapeño and tomatoes, or vegan oil-free refried beans.  For more plant-based recipes with black beans, try black bean curry or vegan fajita bowl.

Brown rice - We use a Mexican-inspired brown rice recipe to add more flavor to the dish or try Chipotle-inspired cilantro lime brown rice.  

Salsa - Choose a salsa that you enjoy since the majority of the flavor for the rice will come from this.

Corn - Thawed frozen corn, drained canned corn, or cooked fresh corn can be used.  The corn adds little pops of sweetness to the bowls, but the recipe is very versatile so it can be skipped.

Greens - Pile on any freshly chopped greens, try romaine, baby spinach, or kale.  If you’re using kale, remove the stem and tear the leaves into bite-size pieces.

Avocado and salsa- The burrito bowl calls for avocado and salsa to be used as a sauce instead of making one.  The avocado adds creaminess, while the salsa adds more flavor.  Feel free to substitute with a vegan chipotle sauce, vegan lime crema, or cilantro cashew dressing.

Cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers- Use any vegetable that you have on hand or sounds good.  Instead of cherry tomatoes, try sliced cucumbers or vegan pico de Gallo. Instead of red bell peppers, try roasted red onions or cooked zucchini.

Tips

• To make the black bean burrito bowls even quicker for weeknight meals, make the rice ahead of time. 
• Canned beans are already cooked so they just need to be warmed up and evaporate any liquid.
• To keep black beans oil-free, add a splash of water to the pot if they start to stick.

Serving suggestions

The black bean bowls are easy to customize to suit your preferences.  

Fresh components: Add cherry tomatoes, diced fresh tomatoes, pico de Gallo, fresh red bell peppers, or sliced cucumbers.

Cooked veggies: Roasted red bell peppers, roasted zucchini, roasted red onions, the fajita veggies from my vegan fajita bowl, sautéed mushrooms, or grilled corn.

Toppings: Top the plant-based burrito bowls with spicy pickled onions, vegan pico de Gallo, cucumber pico de Gallo, pickled jalapeños, salsa, fresh chopped cilantro, or freshly diced red onions.

Sauces: Instead of avocado and salsa try cashew lime crema, vegan chipotle sauce, vegan guacamole, vegan avocado crema, or cilantro cashew dressing. 

How to make a vegan burrito bowl

Make a serving of Mexican-inspired brown rice.  It will take about 40-45 minutes, so start it first.  Start the rice by adding the uncooked rice, water, salsa, cumin, and salt to a medium saucepan.  How much salt you add will depend on your preferences and how salty the salsa is.  

Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook covered for 40-45 minutes or until the rice is done. If your salsa is very thick you may need a couple of extra tablespoons of water.

When the brown rice is cooked, remove it from the heat and keep the lid on to steam for 10 minutes.  Then fluff the rice with a fork or rice paddle. 

While the rice is cooking, preheat a medium saucepan or skillet on medium heat to sauté the sliced red bell pepper with a pinch of salt.  Cook the bell pepper for about 3 or 4 minutes until it has softened but still firm. For oil-free cooking, add a splash of water if the bell pepper starts to stick, or cook it in a neutral-tasting oil.

When the bell pepper is done, set it aside. To save on dishes reuse the pan to warm the beans.

Add the black beans, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, and salt to the medium saucepan and stir to combine.  The beans are already cooked so you are just warming them up and flavoring them.  To keep black beans oil-free, add a splash of water to the pot if they start to stick.

Portion out the cooked brown rice, black beans, and corn into bowls. Then top them with cooked red bell peppers, greens, cherry tomatoes, sliced avocado, and salsa.

Storage

Store leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for about 5 days.  Store the cold toppings separately from anything that needs to be heated up.

When you are ready to eat, warm up the rice, beans, and corn.  Then, add the fresh veggies to build the burrito bowl.  Wait on adding the avocado until you are ready to eat since they don't keep well in the refrigerator.

More recipes

• Chickpea vegetable rice bowl
• Butternut squash Buddha bowl
• Roasted sweet potato bowl

I hope you enjoy the recipe!  If you did feel free to rate it and leave a comment.